Unified Communications Technician

The Unified Communications Technician at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group will be a senior member of the Unified Communications team, holding responsibility for managing and supporting the Group's telecommunications and network services, including mobile and cloud services, while ensuring secure, resilient, and scalable infrastructure for the Group as part of the Trust Electronic Patient Record (EPR) programme. As part of a dynamic and agile team that is committed to our Vision 'Dedicated to Excellence', you will have significant personal opportunities to grow and develop, as well as to tangibly impact how care is delivered in the future.

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring maintenance, security, documentation for all Unified Communications elements, ensuring that they are monitored and kept up to date. They will be a senior member of the Unified Communications team, responsible for assisting with ICT projects regarding Unified Communications. They will have knowledge of managing and supporting people and Avaya telecommunications platforms, vendor agnostic network services and technologies to including but not limited to, on-premises, mobile, remote and cloud services, along with experience of radio-paging systems.

The post holder will be responsible the management of the Group's mobile phone estate. This will also include the management of the Trust's Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform and clinical mobile devices. The post holder will be responsible for the provision of secure, stable, resilient, and scalable telecommunications services and infrastructure are available to the Group and all satellite locations.

Travel to the hospital site will be required.

Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values

Compassion

Accountability

Respect

Integrity

Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.

We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.

The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.

We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Main Duties

The post holder will a senior member of the Group's technical support function that provides Unified Communications technical support and consultancy.

The post holder is responsible for the management of the Group's mobile phone estate. This will also include the management of the Group's Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms and clinical mobile devices.

The post holder will be responsible for analysing, investigating and resolving ICT queries and issues/problems e.g. interpreting system errors and identifying an appropriate solution from a range of options; research complex ICT faults via reference material (e.g. technical websites or documentation).

The post holder contributes to daily operations of the Unified Communication infrastructure through proactive maintenance and operations of the Group's PABX rooms, communications rooms and wiring rooms.

The post holder will be responsible for checking that daily backups are completed and ensure the validity of those backups in accordance with policy and procedure.

The post holder will identify and contribute for Unified Communications based Problem Management in line with Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) principles.

Ensure the Unified Communications team maintains a high standard with regards to the efficient and effective resolution of faults and customer feedback are addressed as a matter of priority.

Adhere and work to the ICT Incident Management Processes for resolving Incidents that are escalated to the Unified Communications team for advice/action. Ensuring that the Incident Management System is used effectively to ensure all details of actions and contact are recorded appropriately.

Monitor, respond and action Service Call Queues for the Unified Communications team efficiently and effectively as a part of daily operations.

Ensure that all service impacting incidents and changes are communicated clearly to the business and internally within the department to the appropriate team managers and to the Service Desk via their manager.

The post holder will provide access to the telephone switch rooms and the distribution points.

Logging of faults/warranty claims with system and hardware support vendors.

The post holder will be responsible for contributing to ensure that the Group has active maintenance support contracts in place for key infrastructure.

Provide assistance to the Group on Unified Communications.

The post holder will be responsible for contributing to ensure that all risks and issues relating to Unified Communications are fully documented.

Management and Leadership

Work closely with the Clinical Systems team and Digital Transformation and Innovation team on upgrades and policies/procedures.

Contribute to the implementation of the Group Digital Strategy, in line with Group, national priorities and initiatives.

Have high-level awareness of the financial performance of Unified Communications, including achievement of financial targets, balancing potentially conflicting demands of budgetary requirements and service requirements.

Deputise for the Unified Communications Team Leader as necessary and where appropriate.

Technical Service Delivery

The post holder will be responsible for Mobile Device Management platforms and the management of devices within it. This will include the testing and deployment of apps that have been through the Group's change and configuration management processes.

The post holder will have experience of managing and supporting people and Avaya telecommunications platforms.

The post holder will be responsible for expensive digital equipment and leading on the configuration, testing, software, repair, and maintenance.

Will have some knowledge and responsibility for the Group's 'Red Phone' backup telephone systems, ensuring that this is regularly tested, documented and that the operational team have details of all extension numbers.

Will have some knowledge and responsibility of the Group's two-way bleep system. Ensuring that the bleep system works reliably and that coverage for the bleep system is considered as part of any new builds or modification of existing buildings in the Group.

Make contributions to the delivery of progressive solutions, which consider models of best practice, are incorporated into service plans.

Ensure that routine maintenance and remedial work is appropriately scheduled and undertaken so that it does not adversely impact the availability of business-critical systems.

Ensuring that standard changes are documented and have annually updated communication plans attached and that change schedules are pre-approved at CAB as appropriate annually.

Ensure that all emergency changes relating Unified Communications Infrastructure are presented at either an emergency convening of CAB where appropriate or as a retrospective change request at a scheduled CAB meeting.

Report back on successful, deferred, or failed changes to CAB.

Ensuring that Unified Communications infrastructure Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is kept accurate and up to date throughout the asset life cycle and ensure that all capital assets are recorded on the Capital Asset Register.

Ensure that the ICT Service Catalogue and other Unified Communications Infrastructure configuration documentation, procedures and processes are kept up to date with regular reviews.

Performance

Contribute to the delivery of performance standards for the Unified Communications team, including KPIs, having awareness of achievement against these, assist in reviewing working practices and contribute to devising improved ways of working where necessary to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered.

Ensure systems are in place to routinely analyse and manage ICT resource utilisation in the Unified Communications team to provide efficient and optimised digital services.

Work closely with the hardware and software asset analyst to ensure that software licence usage is managed within authorised limits, and that regular compliance auditing is undertaken to assure that the Group does not breach contractual or legal obligations.

Advice, guidance, and partnerships

Provide technical and professional assistance regarding the Group's Unified Communications.

Represent the Digital portfolio at within the Group, developing partnerships, sharing best practice, and integrating knowledge across the Group.

Build good relationships and ensure effective ICT partnerships with other organisations across the ICS, locally, regionally, and nationally.

Forming constructive relationships with suppliers to optimise the delivery of solutions.

Policies and procedures

Contribute to ensure the Unified Communications team has in place appropriate and up to date policies, guidelines, standard operating procedures, and standards covering the use and management of all ICT services, resources, and assets (physical and data). Contribute to ensure that policies are kept up to date, are in line with National policy, standards, and guidance, and comply with all relevant legislative requirements.

Ensure that a full and current inventory of all Digital assets is maintained and utilised appropriately.

Professional and Personal Development

The post holder will need to develop and maintain an awareness of developments and legislation relevant to the service area and contribute to efforts to ensure that each function reflects current professional guidance and standards.

The post holder will take responsibility for his or her own professional development, identifying training and educational needs and agreeing ways of addressing these with the Unified Communications Team Leader.

Role Requirements

We support distributed and flexible working arrangements, however, subject to business needs, there may be a requirement to travel between the Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites across the Group

Frequent VDU use is required for this post.

Frequent concentration will be required on a wide variety of complex issues throughout the day. The post holder will frequently have to adapt to changing priorities and re-focus the work of self and others on new priority areas that may require urgent action.

The post holder will participate in and facilitate meetings, which require a high level of concentration on a wide range of topics, with a variety of audiences and mixtures of attendees.

Exposure to unpleasant working conditions or hazards is likely for this role.

Office conditions, with an occasional requirement to travel between sites in this role (for example, to support go lives of projects; an unforeseen level of absence at one site; support training or onboarding of new starters; team workshops etc.)