Senior Business Systems Developer

Help us build better systems for our people.

At Fife College, we're transforming the way our systems support the people who work and study with us. As part of our new People Management programme of work, we're looking for an experienced Senior Business Systems Developer to help us improve, integrate, and develop the enterprise applications that underpin our College’s people management processes.

You'll be the technical owner of our Human Resources and Organisational Development (HR & OD) systems, helping us make the most of the technology that supports our workforce. As part of a team of three, you will also work on other complex systems such as the Student Information System and Finance System.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of important systems, solve challenging technical problems and make a meaningful contribution to how the College operates.

About the role

Working within our Solutions department and reporting to the Solution Development Manager, you'll be responsible for the ongoing development, integration, optimisation and technical support of key enterprise applications.

Your immediate priority will be our HR & OD systems. You'll work closely with colleagues to understand their processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and deliver secure, reliable and efficient technical solutions.

You'll also develop a detailed understanding of our Student Information System, a complex and highly interconnected platform at the heart of College operations. You'll need to get to grips with its underlying data structures, integrations and business processes, building the knowledge needed to confidently support and develop it.

You'll work alongside two other Senior Business Systems Developers, as well as system owners, business analysts, solution designers & developers, and external suppliers to turn business needs into practical technical improvements.

Key responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of the development, configuration and optimisation of our HR & OD systems, supporting improvements to processes, data quality and system functionality.
• Build a detailed understanding of our HR, OD, Student Information, and Finance systems, including their underlying databases, integrations and relationships with other College systems.
• Design, develop and maintain secure integrations, automated workflows and data pipelines between enterprise applications.
• Develop and optimise SQL queries, stored procedures and relational databases, ensuring performance, reliability and data integrity.
• Investigate and resolve complex application, database and integration issues, identifying underlying causes and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Work with HR & OD colleagues and other stakeholders to understand requirements, improve processes and identify opportunities for automation.
• Support system upgrades, testing, technical documentation and the implementation of new functionality.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Solutions and Digital to ensure our systems are secure, maintainable and fit for the future.

About you

We're looking for a fast learner who enjoys understanding how complex systems work, gets satisfaction from solving difficult problems, and can see how to use technology to improve business processes and people’s experiences.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience developing, supporting or integrating enterprise business systems in a complex organisation (ideally HR & OD systems).
• Strong SQL and relational database skills, ideally with SQL Server, including troubleshooting, optimisation and working with complex data structures.
• Experience developing system integrations, data pipelines or automated workflows.
• The ability to rapidly understand unfamiliar applications and data structures, investigate complex data relationships, and build knowledge of interconnected systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a methodical approach to diagnosing technical issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, enabling you to work effectively with both technical colleagues and business stakeholders.
• An understanding of data security, integrity and the responsibilities involved in working with sensitive information.

Experience of HR systems, student records systems, or other large enterprise applications used in the further education / higher education (FE/HE) sector would be particularly welcome.

However, you don't need to have worked with our specific systems before. We're interested in your ability to learn, to work independently, and to investigate and apply your technical expertise to unfamiliar and complex environments.

What we offer

Joining Fife College means becoming part of a collaborative team that is helping to shape how the College works, with opportunities to contribute to significant business improvement and digital transformation initiatives.

You'll also benefit from:

• 46 days' annual leave, including fixed closure days.
• Membership of the relevant Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Opportunities for professional development, including access to College courses.
• A range of health and wellbeing benefits.
• Hybrid working where applicable to the role.

Interested?

If you're an experienced technical specialist who enjoys getting under the skin of complex systems and wants to make a real difference to how an organisation works, we'd love to hear from you.