Roles and skills Digital health care job roles reference
Illustrative Reference profiles for a generic digital health care organisation, not official job descriptions. About this reference.

Lead application operations engineer

Band 7 · Application operations engineer · 490 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Lead application operations engineer

Most often performed at Civil Service grade SEO or G7.

A lead application operations engineer defines the application strategy and the strategy for security administration.

At this role level, you will:

  • liaise with leads within IT operations on how applications are performing and changes that need to be put in place
  • potentially manage and maintain certain aspects of an application (depending on the complexity and size of a project, and the likely impact it will have on the business)
Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Skills

SkillExpected levelWhat this level means
Asset and configuration managementUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • maintain secure configuration and accurate information
  • control IT assets in one or more areas
  • verify the location and state of IT assets
Availability and capacity managementUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators (KPIs)
Change managementUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • manage high impact, complex change requests
  • ensure that release policies, procedures and processes are applied
Continual service improvementUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance, and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions
Incident managementUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • lead the investigation and resolution of incidents
Ownership and initiativeUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems
  • achieve excellent user outcomes
Problem managementUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends to resolve problems
  • effectively consult specialists where required
  • determine the appropriate resolution and assist with its implementation
  • determine preventative measures
Service focusUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • take inputs and establish coherent frameworks that work
Service management framework knowledgeUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • show you have a Level 3 service management framework qualification
  • demonstrate knowledge of the life cycle or capability elements of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
Technical specialismUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • draft and maintain procedures and documentation
  • set standards for the definition, security and integrity of objects, and ensure conformity to these standards
Technical understandingUK GDaD PCFWorking (2)

You can:

  • understand the core technical concepts related to the role, and apply them with guidance
TestingUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • manage the planning of system and acceptance tests, co-ordinating both functional and non-functional specifications
  • provide authoritative advice and guidance on test planning
  • identify process improvements and contribute to the definition of best practice
User focusUK GDaD PCFPractitioner (3)

You can:

  • collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally
  • explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user
  • champion user research to focus on all users
  • prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so
  • offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use
Understanding health and care servicesThis referencePractitioner (3)

You can:

  • analyse how a service fits into care pathways across organisations
  • work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services
  • explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Information governance and data protectionThis referencePractitioner (3)

You can:

  • lead data protection impact assessments and information sharing agreements
  • advise teams on lawful basis, consent, confidentiality, and retention
  • investigate incidents and recommend improvements
Identity and access managementThis referencePractitioner (3)

You can:

  • design and run identity and access services
  • review access regularly and fix problems
Clinical risk managementThis referenceWorking (2)

You can:

  • take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log
  • follow the clinical risk management process for your work
  • provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
Health data interoperabilityThis referenceWorking (2)

You can:

  • read and use FHIR resources, profiles, and APIs
  • build or test simple integrations under guidance
  • check messages against a specification
Medical device software regulationThis referenceAwareness (1)

You can:

  • explain that some health software is regulated as a medical device
  • know who to ask when a product might be a medical device
Organisational risk managementThis referenceWorking (2)

You can:

  • record and update risks for your area
  • suggest controls and track actions
People managementThis referenceWorking (2)

You can:

  • supervise day-to-day work and give feedback
  • take part in recruitment and induction
  • hold regular one-to-one conversations

Typical qualifications and experience

Band 7 outline

Knowledge
Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy
Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope
Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership
Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability
Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

FactorLevelLevel summaryPoints
Communication and relationship skills5Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.45
Knowledge, training, and experience6Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).156
Analytical and judgemental skills4Judgements on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.42
Planning and organisational skills4Plans a broad range of complex activities or strategies, adjusting them as needed.42
Physical skills3Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.27
Responsibility for patient and client care1Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.4
Responsibility for policy and service development3Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources3Authorises payments, buys some assets or supplies, monitors or holds a delegated budget, or maintains assets.21
Responsibility for people3Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.21
Responsibility for information resources5Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.34
Responsibility for research and development2Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.12
Freedom to act4Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.32
Physical effort1Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.3
Mental effort4Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.18
Emotional effort1Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.5
Working conditions2Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)490

Self assessment

Rate what you do regularly now, add a short example as evidence, and plan an action for your most important gaps. Your answers are saved in this browser only.

Rated 0 of 21 skills: 0 meet the expected level, 0 below, 0 above.

Asset and configuration management Expected: Working
Availability and capacity management Expected: Working
Change management Expected: Practitioner
Continual service improvement Expected: Working
Incident management Expected: Practitioner
Ownership and initiative Expected: Practitioner
Problem management Expected: Working
Service focus Expected: Working
Service management framework knowledge Expected: Working
Technical specialism Expected: Practitioner
Technical understanding Expected: Working
Testing Expected: Practitioner
User focus Expected: Practitioner
Understanding health and care services Expected: Practitioner
Information governance and data protection Expected: Practitioner
Identity and access management Expected: Practitioner
Clinical risk management Expected: Working
Health data interoperability Expected: Working
Medical device software regulation Expected: Awareness
Organisational risk management Expected: Working
People management Expected: Working
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