Digital
Applications support lead
Provide tactical advice, training, and support on core technology applications.
Summary
This occupation is found in the IT teams of a variety of different types of organisations where software applications are inextricably part of the client customer, product service, delivery model and their clients customers are generally, but not exclusively, business customers; these include but are not limited to law firms, accountancy firms, financial services organisations, technology providers and public sector.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide tactical advice, training, and support on core technology applications both hardware and software to internal colleagues and external clients and customers to enhance and enable the delivery of application-based products and services. This includes any IT based environment providing a customer-facing service such as websites and mobile applications. An application support lead delivers the roll-out of upgrades to existing technologies, implement new technologies for use by colleagues and provide change management support to them. They will implement and operate a support desk function. They assist with the planning of IT application and infrastructure change projects, implementing, testing, and rolling out software and hardware relating to these change projects. They will build, implement, and support the creation of remote working environments and collaborative working platforms for colleagues and external clients and customers.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with senior stakeholders directly, both internally and externally, and as part of both the ‘front of house’ external client customer facing team and the ‘back of house’ internal delivery team alongside, for example, learning and development and business information services colleagues. They report to IT service delivery leads but are expected to prioritise their workload and act without supervision or approval of their day-to-day work product.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for their own workload and will be expected to problem solve and prioritise independently. They will deliver a ‘first line fix’ service in many cases to both internal colleagues and external clients and customers. They will maintain ownership of issues vis-a-vis the internal user external client even where elements are escalated to subject matter experts.
Typical job titles include
- 2nd line analyst | Application support analyst | Applications analyst | Digital support analyst | Information systems analyst | It analyst | It support analyst | It support engineer | Service desk analyst | Service desk manager | System support analyst | Technical Support Analyst
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
The legal requirements relating to the use of data as set out in the GDPR 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act 2018 including any updates or replacements.
K2:
The core legal requirements related to the provision of application support services set out in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990, Computer Programs Regulations 1992 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications EC Directive Amendment Regulations 2011.
K3:
Organisational information security standards, policies, and procedures used for data management activities for example Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
K4:
Types of data, for example, structured, unstructured, qualitative, quantitative, numeric, strings, compound data types.
K5:
Principal approaches to defining customer requirements for application output.
K6:
Approaches to combining data from different sources, for example using coding, look ups, copy, and paste and visualisation tools or data blending tools on bespoke systems.
K7:
Understand when and how to apply the principles of prompt engineering to identify and research effective data transformation techniques to ensure data quality and integrity.
K8:
The ethical and secure use of data, including in relation to its use with Artificial Intelligence and other automated systems, and the potential impacts of unethical use of data on the organisation and wider society.
K9:
The principles and processes of the systems lifecycle, for example ITIL IT Information Library.
K10:
Change and release management processes that support the successful planning and implementation of system and application changes.
K11:
Project management principles and processes.
K12:
Remote working and collaborative platforms and tools, which are used by organisations for internal and external communications and digital working practices including approaches to usability and accessibility.
K13:
Approaches to defect management including the distinction between root cause of a defect and its effects.
K14:
Principles of testing methodologies for example manual and automated, including the importance of clear supporting documentation.
K15:
The role of software testing within the context of project and product risk reduction in the systems development life cycle and user satisfaction and adoption.
K16:
Security vulnerabilities and approaches to security testing.
K17:
The process and risk of transition from software development and testing into production and live support.
K18:
How their role fits into their stakeholders’ wider technology environment and the organisation.
K19:
The principles of prompt engineering to identify and research accurate information and techniques.
K20:
Policies and procedures relating to environmental impact and sustainability.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0949: Applications support lead (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0949
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £32,615 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3132 It user support technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3132/00 IT user support technicians
- 2132/08 Technical support managers
- 3573/00 Information technology trainers
S1:
Use data systems securely to meet requirements and in line with organisational procedures and legislation, including principles of Privacy by Design.
S2:
Demonstrate how usability and accessibility have been embedded into the application lifecycle.
S3:
Assess the impact of user experience and relevant domain-specific factors for example industry standards, regulatory requirements, and business environment on the data analysis activity.
S4:
Communicate verbally and non-verbally with internal and external stakeholders, using both technical and non-technical language to serve as a clear link between users and suppliers.
S5:
Use active listening to demonstrate a customer focused approach to service delivery.
S6:
Adapt to changing contexts within the scope of a project and continually review project outputs to ensure alignment with customer and organisational needs.
S7:
Collate and interpret data and convert into useable formats such as infographics, reports, tables, dashboards, or graphs.
S8:
Demonstrate the use of testing tools to verify that a solution or system is functioning as expected.
S9:
Adapt and apply testing activities according to industry standard development methodologies for example sequential or iterative including maintenance of clear supporting documentation.
S10:
Apply specific industry standards for example UK GDPR, Data Protection Act, ethical use of data and safety critical procedures related to software testing tasks.
S11:
Use formal and informal techniques that will demonstrate software and or systems are fit for purpose.
S12:
Use coaching or training methods to support stakeholders with organisations systems, platforms, or applications.
S13:
Communicate support information clearly by creating and or maintaining user guides, training materials, and other documentation to help users understand and use systems.
S14:
Demonstrate the ability to use tools and methods to formulate and utilise prompt engineering to research and evaluate support requirements.
S15:
Engage in continuous and collaborative learning, ensuring learning activities align with changing technical landscape.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0949: Applications support lead (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0949
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £32,615 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3132 It user support technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3132/00 IT user support technicians
- 2132/08 Technical support managers
- 3573/00 Information technology trainers
B1:
Works independently and takes responsibility. For example, has a responsible approach to risk, follows guidelines set out by the organisation.
B2:
Logical approach – uses valid reasoning and initiative to solve problems within their own remit, being resourceful when faced with a problem to solve.
B3:
Collaborative- works with a wide range of people in different roles, internally and externally, with a positive attitude to inclusion & diversity.
B4:
Innovative - shows curiosity to explore new opportunities, and techniques; the tenacity to improve methods and maximise performance of the solution; and creativity in their approach to solutions.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0949: Applications support lead (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0949
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £32,615 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 3132 It user support technicians
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 3132/00 IT user support technicians
- 2132/08 Technical support managers
- 3573/00 Information technology trainers
