Manager, Application, Development, Delivery & Support

Job Purpose 

Under the direction of the Chief Information Officer, the Manager, Application Development, Delivery & Support, is responsible to: 

• ? Design, develop, install and maintain quality-assuring software applications that satisfy the Agency’s business needs and agreed specifications.  
• Provide application software support to Customs business units to implement the ICT software functionality required to support the Agency’s business processes. 
• Coordinate and maintain core customs operational systems and corporate services applications to boost productivity.  

Key Responsibilities? 

Technical / Professional Responsibilities? 

• Defines business functional and technical requirements by: 
• Conducting a feasibility study/impact assessment in respect of implementing proposed business requirements. 
• Establishing processes for integrity/currency of requirements. 
• Identifying, documenting and analysing business process risk. 
• Assessing IT operational and business benefits of proposed solutions. 
• Developing a requirements approval process and follow-through procedure for sign-off on approved solutions. 
• Translate business requirements into high-level design specifications. 
• Prepare detailed design and technical software application requirements. 
• Specify application controls within the business solution. 
• Customises and implements acquired automated functionality by: 
• Developing formalised methodologies and processes to manage the application development process. 
• Creating a software QA plan for the projects. 
• Tracking and managing application requirements. 
• Develop a plan for the maintenance of software applications. 
• Develops a strategy to operationalise the solution. 
• Develops a knowledge transfer methodology and deliver training. 
• Develops end-user procedure and technical support documentation for operations and support staff. 
• Evaluates training results and enhance documentation as required. 
• Develops and implement a process to consistently record, assess, and prioritise change requests. 
• Assesses impact and prioritise changes based on business needs. 
• Ensures that any emergency and critical change follows the approved process. 
• Authorises changes. 
• Manages and disseminates relevant information regarding changes. 
• Builds and reviews implementation plans. 
• Defines and reviews a test strategy (entry and exit criteria) and an operational test plan methodology. 
• Builds and maintains a business and technical requirements repository and test cases for accredited systems. 
• Performs system conversion and integration tests on a test environment. 
• Deploys a test environment and conduct final acceptance tests. 
• Recommends promotion to production based on agreed-upon accreditation criteria. 

Management/Administrative Responsibilities 

• Reviews major service requests and identify impacts on current and planned resources. 
• Establishes general schedules and priorities for system development projects and support services. 
• Ensures the effective use of human and financial resources in meeting the Branch’s plans, user needs and corporate goals. 
• Serves as the final arbiter in matters such as appropriate measures for avoiding potential cost overruns; divergent approaches to program design and problem resolution issues vis-à-vis user needs, ‘best practices’, and impact of additions or modifications on operations and support services. 
• Enforces policies and standards. 
• Monitors key aspects/stages of work-in-progress and, takes action as necessary (e.g., assisting Project Managers to overcome obstacles likely to cause completion delays). 
• Provides planning, consultation and advisory services on systems development to JCA departments & stakeholders. 
• Facilitates the Branch’s responsiveness to client concerns and evolving needs by maintaining dialogue with user management. 
• Ensures that all required processes, systems, and controls are in place within the Section to enable the achievement of its objectives effectively and efficiently and ensure the effective and efficient use of resources. 
• Ensures the timely delivery of the Section’s responsibilities to the JCA’s annual corporate planning and budgeting process. 
• Ensures that appropriate communication and knowledge management systems are in place within the Section and with other internal or external Divisions/Branches to facilitate the sharing of relevant information in an accurate and timely manner. 
• Ensures that the work of the Section is adequately documented to facilitate the development of operational manuals, outlining applicable policies and procedures for the operational activities, with the view to amalgamating them into a single Operations Handbook for Jamaica Customs. 
• Establishes and maintains a culture that fosters teamwork, employee empowerment and commitment to the Sections and organisations’ goals. 
• Prepares reports and project documents as?required.??? 
• Develops, monitors, and coordinates budget preparation and monitoring and signs off on related requisitions for the Section. 

Human Resources Responsibilities 

• Provides day-to-day guidance and manages the section activities and operations. 
• Monitors and evaluates the performance of direct reports, prepares performance appraisals, and recommends and indicates corrective actions where necessary to improve performance and attain established personal and organisational goals. 
• Undertakes human resource management-related functions, including staff selection, training, and discipline by the Agency’s policies and procedures, and convening staff meetings to discuss issues and matters/challenges that impact the Section’s performance to determine appropriate solutions. 
• Participates in recruiting staff for the section and recommends transfer, promotions, terminations, and leave according to established human resource policies and procedures. 
• Provides leadership and guidance to direct reports through effective planning, delegation, communication, training, monitoring, and coaching. 
• Ensures the welfare and development needs of skills in the unit are identified and addressed. 
• Recommends disciplinary action where necessary in respect of direct reports. 

Customer Service Responsibilities 

• Maintains customer service principles, standards, and measurements. 
• Identifies and incorporates the interests and needs of customers in business process design.   
• Ensures critical success factors are identified and meet expectations.  

Other Responsibilities 

• Performs all other duties and functions as may be required from time to time.  
• May be required to provide witness statements, attend court proceedings, and give evidence. 
• Enforces Health & Safety Policies & Procedures and mitigates and minimises workplace hazards.  

Required Skills/Competencies? 

Core 

• Strong judgment and problem-solving skills? 
• Ability to communicate, interact and work effectively and cooperatively with technical and non-technical staff, including executive management, in a fast-paced environment. 
• Effective oral and written communication skills, especially in terms of interaction with professional colleagues and non-technical users. 
• Excellent leadership and staff management skills 
• Excellent time-management, planning and organizational skills.  
• Excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills. 
• Keen attention to detail and accuracy 
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills 
• Excellent organizational and communication skills 
• Ability to work under pressure and respond professionally to multiple crises. 
• Keen commitment to providing superb customer service. 
• Ability to display high ethics, confidentiality, professionalism, and integrity. 

    Technical 

• Working knowledge of UNIX/LINUX and Windows operating environments. 
• DBMS, preferably IBM DB2 & MS/SQL. 
• Knowledge of coordinating, planning and organizing upgrades of systems and technology. 
• Experienced with planning changes in a timely way so that the overall organization can make progress before completion. 
• Ability to use a smartphone, standard office equipment and applications, servers, database management system software, database user interface and query software and/or object or component-oriented development software. 
• Sound knowledge in: 
• Application Maintenance  
• Information Security Technologies 
• IT Vendor / Services Management 
• Sound knowledge of Customs operations and policies. 
• Strong knowledge of relevant computer applications and systems. 
• Knowledge of ICT operations management. 
• Working knowledge in the application of the Customs Act and related legislation. 

? Minimum Required Education and Experience? 

• ? Master’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Management Information Systems or related field with at least six (6) years of experience in Application Design and Development of Software development projects and/or teams with three (3) years at the managerial level. 

OR 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Management Information Systems or related field with at least ten (10) years of experience in Application Design and Development of Software development projects and/or teams with five (5) years at the managerial level. 
• Supervisory Management Training/Experience 
• Project Management Training/Experience 

? ? 

Special Conditions Associated with the Job? 

• Work will be conducted in an office equipped with standard office equipment and specialized software.  
• The environment is fast-paced with ongoing interactions with critical stakeholders and meeting tight deadlines which will result in high degrees of pressure, on occasions.  
• Required to be on call out of office hours. 
• May be required to work beyond normal working hours. 
• Fair degree of travelling is required (>30%) periodically to assess ICT business needs.