Technical Developer

University Information Services (UIS) wishes to appoint a Technical Developer to join the multidisciplinary, and diverse, Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) Systems team, supporting the University’s central TLA Systems, primarily the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You will join a supportive and collaborative team, with a management structure that will invest in, and back up your personal development, learning and professional improvement. The TLA services team is responsible for the central Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), Lecture Capture (Panopto), Digital Assessment and Academic Integrity (Turnitin). We consist of a Service Manager/Systems Manager, Delivery Manager, Team Leader, Functional Analysts/Business Specialists, Learning Technologists, Technical Developers (Moodle), Support Analysts and Trainers.

Our team works with academics and staff across a wide range of subjects and locations, providing TLA product specific advice, system support, user requirements and change analysis, evaluation, testing but also guidance and encouragement to help staff become competent and confident users of the systems across the Institutions and Colleges of the University. You will improve the blended learning experience of students by developing standards and guidance to support academics, departmental administrators & computing officers in using our systems, as well as provide detailed and specific systems advice to the organisation planning and operations.

You will play a central role in any projects to evaluate new TLA service offerings or to integrate with other systems. Your duties will include adapting and adopting appropriate systems design methods, tools and techniques to design large and/or complex systems. You will also undertake impact analysis on major design options and trade-off and finally make recommendations, assessing and managing risks.

You will maintain application support processes and check that all requests for support are dealt with according to agreed procedures. You will initiate and monitor actions to investigate and resolve problems in systems, processes and services.

Some examples of the projects technical developers are currently working on include:

• Designing and developing a new PHP Moodle plugin to allow users to report on, and download all files within their course
• Writing new PHP Unit tests and Behat automated tests on pre-existing 3rd party plugins
• Contributing to the technical evaluation of new 3rd party plugin requests from users
• Designing and developing new PHP housekeeping data cleansing scripts working across the whole team and with end-users
• Evaluating change of new Moodle version from a technical point of view, including re-applying core code changes
• Designing and building of a new Moodle theme
• Working with our 3rd party hosting partner to plan new code releases and upgrades
• Problem solving for new methodologies of system integrations on new infrastructure, considering new regulation and policy.

Please highlight in your application, how essential and desirable criteria are met, or what your approach to meeting these would be. You are encouraged to apply even if you do not meet all desirable criteria.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Click the ‘Apply’ button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please quote reference VC39600 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Further information
Apply online