IT Specialist

Job Description

Develop new application systems to meet the needs of organizational policies and processes; maintain and enhance existing application systems.

• Work with departments to establish their requirements for new and enhanced application systems, including reviewing and completing AI-drafted requirement documents before development begins.

• Design, develop and implement new application systems using AI coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and similar) that meet user needs and system functionality to contribute to organizational policies and processes.

• Review and audit AI-generated code prior to deployment, covering correctness against stated requirements, access control, input validation, injection exposure, handling of credentials, dependency provenance and performance at production data volumes.

• Submit new and changed code for technical review before release, and act on review findings.

• Work within and maintain the institute's automated testing, type checking and continuous integration controls, and extend them to cover new systems.

• Work with users to test, debug and troubleshoot applications, assuring software and systems quality and functionality.

• Automate manual and duplicated workflows across departments, and support the migration, integration or replacement of legacy systems.

• Support the day-to-day operation of existing application systems.

• Offer technical support to staff on the in-house application systems, and troubleshoot problems reported against them. This role does not cover general IT support such as devices, user accounts or network.

• Deploy and operate application systems within the institute's AWS environments, including development, staging and production, with monitoring and attention to running costs.

• Apply and maintain security controls for data, network access and backup systems, including least-privilege access, patching, credential management and audit logging, and perform periodic tested restores.

• Work within the institute's obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act and its CPE registration, and support the IT aspects of EduTrust and other audits.

• Maintain system documentation, architecture notes and handover records for all systems developed.

Requirements

• Diploma or degree in Computer Science/Information Technology or related field, or equivalent demonstrable experience.

• Minimum of 2 years' experience in applications development or a comparable technical role.

• Demonstrated working experience with AI coding tools on production projects, including familiarity with their common failure modes.

• Ability to read, review and critically assess code written by others.

• Working understanding of application security, including common vulnerabilities such as injection and broken access control, authentication and authorization, handling of credentials, and dependency risk.

• Working knowledge of PHP or of TypeScript and Node.js, with familiarity with Next.js and React, and willingness to work across both as required.

• Working knowledge of SQL databases, including schema design, query performance and migrations.

• Experience deploying and securing applications on AWS cloud infrastructure.

• Ability to interpret user requirements, including identifying gaps, contradictions and unstated needs in requirement documents.

• Fast and willing to learn.

• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

• Good organization and time management skills. Able to work independently on assigned areas, set priorities appropriately, and raise problems and uncertainties early rather than working around them.

• Efficient troubleshooting abilities.

• Good communication, including writing, speaking and active listening.

• Excellent attention to detail.

• Experience in workflow automation, systems integration, and the replacement of legacy systems can also be advantageous.