Principal end user computing engineer

Band 8b · End user computing engineer · 594 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Principal end user computing engineer

Most often performed at Civil Service grade G6.

A principal end user computing engineer owns the strategy roadmap and leads on resourcing, learning and development for their team. At this level, you look at the bigger picture and understand trends in 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

Own the end user computing strategy and roadmap, including how staff will reach clinical systems in hospitals, clinics, patients' homes, and the community.
Make sure the device estate supports safe, fast access to patient information at the point of care.
Advise senior leaders on device investment, risks, and the costs of refreshes and new technologies.
Lead the response to estate-wide device risks, such as operating systems reaching end of support and resilience against ransomware.
Lead resourcing, learning, and development for end user computing teams.
Work with health and care partners on shared device and access standards.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Asset and configuration managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage configuration items and related information manage service compliance and risk
Change managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage high impact, complex change requests ensure that release policies, procedures and processes are applied
Continual service improvementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse current processes, and identify and implement opportunities to optimise them lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements help to evaluate and establish requirements for the implementation of changes by setting policy and standards
Incident managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead the investigation and resolution of incidents
IT service reportingUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: use data analytics skills to make decisions that enhance business performance
Ownership and initiativeUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems achieve excellent user outcomes
Problem managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: ensure that the right actions are taken to investigate, resolve and anticipate problems co-ordinate the team to investigate problems, implement solutions and take preventive measures
Service focusUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: see the bigger picture by taking groups of services and investigating how to get the best of underlying services
Technical specialismUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: understand the direction of future technologies deliver a model to support and maintain those future technologies and any databases that coexist in the current environment
Technical understandingUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: understand the core technical concepts related to the role, and apply them with guidance
TestingUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: manage testing activities within development or integration activities manage risks and take preventative action when risks become unacceptable manage customer relations
User focusUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: give direction on which tools or methods to use demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they're met by the business apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (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 reference	Practitioner (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 reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: design and run identity and access services review access regularly and fix problems
Vulnerability managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: prioritise vulnerabilities by risk, including to patient services scope and manage penetration tests and remediation
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (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
People managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: line manage a team, setting objectives and running appraisals support wellbeing and manage attendance, performance, and conduct plan the team's development and succession
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits

Typical qualifications and experience

Extensive experience of leading end user computing for a large, multi-site organisation.

Band 8b outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge across several disciplines or a large service.
Autonomy: Shapes policy and strategy for a large area.
Scope: Several services or teams, or a principal-level discipline.
Leadership: Manages managers, or is the principal authority in a discipline.
Accountability: Several services, their staff, and their budgets.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives 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 experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	4	Implements policy and develops policy or services for a service or several areas.	32
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programmes as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8b: 585 to 629)			594

The UK GDaD PCF suggests Band 8c for this level (G6). This reference places it at Band 8b, in line with principal roles in other technical families, because its scope is one technical area rather than a directorate.