IT operations

An application operations engineer keeps government software running smoothly. You’ll look after the applications that teams and the public rely on, making sure they stay available, perform well and are kept secure.

You’ll fix problems when they come up, and work with developers and other engineers to roll out updates and improvements.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy investigating a problem and understand how to resolve it
• work through situations calmly and logically
• adapt quickly to new situations and systems

Where you could start

You could start as an associate application operations engineer through a digital apprenticeship.

Many people move into this role after working in IT support or operational delivery. They may have built expertise in a particular system or piece of software.

Where it can lead

As your experience grows, you could progress to senior, lead or principal application operations engineers. You could also move to senior positions where you would manage a live service, work with external technical partners and lead the development of a team.

Some application operations engineers move into other specialist technical roles in infrastructure or software development.

A business relationship manager works with different teams to understand what they’re trying to do and how digital or data services could help them do it better.

You’ll spend a lot of your time having conversations. You’ll meet with people to find out what’s working for them, what is not, and what they want to achieve. You’ll then take what you’ve learned to colleagues in digital and data, and help them to work on what will make the biggest difference.

This is more than passing requests between teams. You’ll be part of decisions about what gets built, what gets changed, and what does not go ahead.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy listening and asking questions to find out what people really need
• think about outcomes rather than jumping straight to solutions
• feel comfortable when things aren’t fully defined, and like turning broad ideas into action

Where you could start

People usually move into this role with some experience of how digital and data services work in an organisation. 

That could come from building digital products, keeping digital services running, or checking that work meets the required standards. 

Any role that works with people across different teams can be useful experience.

Where it can lead

This role can lead to senior positions across digital, data and technology. 

You could lead a team or take on bigger or more complex parts of an organisation. You could also move into related roles like service owner where you’re responsible for how a whole service runs.

An end user computing engineer is the person civil servants turn to when their technology is not working. You’ll fix problems with laptops, software and other equipment, and make sure people can get on with their work as quickly as possible.

You’ll diagnose faults, resolve issues or pass them to the right specialist, and keep users updated on progress.

You might suit this role if you:

• like to investigate complex puzzles and understand how to solve them
• are a good communicator who can help technical and non-technical colleagues communicate effectively and understand each other
• want to make services smoother, faster, and better for users

Where you could start

You could start as an associate end user computing engineer, or join through a digital apprenticeship scheme.

Some people move into this role from other digital support roles, or from roles in software development and cyber security.

Where it can lead

You could progress to senior, lead or principal end user computing engineer roles. Some people in this role move into senior positions in IT operations, deciding strategy for bigger parts of a business  or managing technical support across an organisation.

Some people also move into other specialist technical roles in infrastructure, networking or software development.

An incident manager takes charge when technology goes wrong and gets services back to normal as quickly as possible. You’ll diagnose problems, coordinate the response and make sure the right people are working on a fix.

When a major outage happens, you’ll lead the response, keep senior stakeholders informed and make sure lessons are learned so it does not happen again.

You might suit this role if you:

• remain calm and feel comfortable making good decisions in high-pressure situations
• communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical people 
• enjoy planning work with other people so everyone knows what they need to do

Where you could start

Many people move into this role with experience of managing service desks or projects where they plan and deliver the work of teams and suppliers. A technical background in digital services or software development can also be helpful.

You could also start in a graduate scheme to gain experience in project delivery.

Where it can lead

This role could lead to senior delivery and project management positions.

You could lead larger teams and services, or take on more complex projects that deliver services to larger parts of an organisation or the public.

An infrastructure engineer designs, builds and looks after the technology that government services run on. This includes things like servers, networks and cloud platforms.

You’ll make sure these systems are reliable, secure and able to handle the demands placed on them. You’ll also plan and carry out upgrades as technology changes.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy breaking a complex problem into smaller pieces to figure out how they fit together
• keep up to date with new technology and how it is used by organisations
• care about making a service easy to use without compromising on security

Where you could start

You could start as an associate infrastructure engineer, supporting the work of senior colleagues, learning how systems integrate, and developing your troubleshooting skills.

Some people move into infrastructure engineering from IT support roles, or from roles in network architecture and application operations.

Where it can lead

With experience you could progress to senior, lead or principal infrastructure engineer positions. You could also move into senior roles where you manage service delivery for a broad range of systems.

Some infrastructure engineers move into other specialist areas like technical architecture, developing the blueprints an organisation uses to build IT systems that are fit for purpose.

An IT service manager makes sure that technology services across a department run well and meet the needs of the people using them. You’ll oversee how services are provided, spot where things could work better, and make changes to improve them.

You’ll work with technical teams, suppliers and colleagues across the organisation to make sure services are reliable and good value.

You might suit this role if you:

• like working with suppliers and colleagues to improve services
• think about how small details relate to the big picture
• are organised and enjoy planning how a team can achieve its goals

Where you could start

Many IT service managers start in customer facing roles like service desk analysts and IT support services.

Experience working in customer service or technical support roles in other industries can also be a good place to start.

Where it can lead

This role could lead to senior or head of IT service management positions.

People also move to delivery and project management positions, as well as more specialist technical roles such as application operations and end user computing engineers.

A service desk manager leads the team that provides frontline technology support. When civil servants have a problem with their computer, software or equipment, your team is the first place they go for help.

You’ll make sure queries are answered quickly and problems are resolved or passed to the right specialist. You’ll also manage and develop the people in your team.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy speaking to people and have good communication skills
• know how to motivate people in your team and help them develop their skills
• respond calmly to difficult situations and find ways to resolve them

Where you could start

Many service desk managers start in customer facing roles like service desk analysts. They may also start in customer service roles in other industries such as retail or working in call centres.

You do not need to have a digital background. Experience managing a team of staff or office administration can be helpful.

Where it can lead

Working on service desks can be a starting point for a wide range of digital roles as your experience of digital services grows.

You could move into delivery management or more specialist areas like application and software development.