Lead Infrastructure Operations Engineer

Summary

A lead infrastructure operations engineer ensures the service and the contractual and regulatory requirements of the organisation are met.

At this role level, you will:

manage operational support of IT solutions and services
manage workload, performance and development of a team of IT operations specialists by building capability to deliver services as required
manage third party provision of IT operations services
manage provision of expertise to programmes and projects
manage the development of architectural solutions for IT operations solutions, throughout the service life cycle

Background

Background Components

Description	Background
Displays a responsible attitude to following procedures, keeping records, and caring for equipment and other assets. Is thoroughly familiar with the installed hardware and software and the procedures in use in the IT Infrastructure area.	Prior Knowledge and Skills
Understands the concepts and practices of human resources and people management. Is familiar with processes and procedures of performance management. Is capable of planning small assignments and organising their own and their team’s work effectively. Demonstrates a responsible and disciplined approach, even under pressure. Has good communication and negotiation skills. Understands the legal and best practice requirements of human resource management. Has a positive attitude towards diversity principles.	Prior Knowledge and Skills

Description

Background

Displays a responsible attitude to following procedures, keeping records, and caring for equipment and other assets. Is thoroughly familiar with the installed hardware and software and the procedures in use in the IT Infrastructure area.

Prior Knowledge and Skills

Understands the concepts and practices of human resources and people management. Is familiar with processes and procedures of performance management. Is capable of planning small assignments and organising their own and their team’s work effectively.

Demonstrates a responsible and disciplined approach, even under pressure. Has good communication and negotiation skills. Understands the legal and best practice requirements of human resource management. Has a positive attitude towards diversity principles.

Prior Knowledge and Skills

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Implementation and controls	Ensures implementation of information, and records management policies and standard practice, ensuring that information is protected, available and accessible, and can be retrieved as required. Complies with all relevant information and data security policies and procedures.
Operations/control	Carries out the full range of defined tasks associated with operating and controlling the installed (or virtual) hardware and software. This may involve the use of multiple hardware and software platforms, and both local and wide area networks.
Monitoring and reporting	Uses infrastructure management tools to determine load and performance data and statistics. Where appropriate gathers and records service level information.
Operational procedures	Provides technical expertise to enable the correct application of operational procedures. Provides instruction to less-experienced colleagues in all aspects of current and correct operational
Maintenance and installation	Contributes to the planning and implementation of installation and maintenance work associated with the installation as a whole, including building and configuring infrastructure components in virtualised environments. Implements agreed infrastructure changes and maintenance routines, using the appropriate tools and test equipment. Ensures procedures are followed, including those relating to safety and security.
Problem management	Conducts investigations of operational problems –provides reports and proposals for improvement to specialists, users and managers. Participates in reviews of infrastructure performance, provides advice, and assists specialists or other system or service providers to plan amendments and other improvements to infrastructure and its operation.
Service levels	Ensures that all tasks and procedures are carried out effectively and efficiently to agreed levels of service or specific requirements of Service or Operational Level Agreements. Gathers and records service level information.
Automation tools	Configures tools to automate the provisioning, testing and deployment of new and changed infrastructure.
Development needs	Supports the identification and prioritisation of development needs for a professional practice area. Identifies development activities that align with organisational priorities, learning and development strategies and career pathways.
Communities of practice	Provides advice, guidance and, where appropriate, support for the establishment and organisation of communities of practice.
Lead, manage and supervise	Supervises, supports and guides the work of individuals and/or small groups in line with organisational strategy.
Probationary period and contract	Defines and supervises probationary periods, setting out the requirements of the job, monitoring progress (e.g. regular interviews) and reacting to variances from expectations, organising training and development as required within appropriate timescales.
Work allocation, support and delegation	Allocates routine tasks and assigns project work to individuals, according to their particular skills, capabilities, and development needs.
Guidance, performance and feedback	Provides direction, support and guidance as necessary, in line with individual’s skills and abilities setting appropriate and effective boundaries. Sets achievable goals, monitoring and acknowledging performance and supporting individual and team development. Collects data on individual and team performance. Gives regular feedback to team members and leads them to
Formal appraisals	Conducts formal appraisals of the performance of team members. Facilitates a dialogue with team members about expectations, progress, performance and development needs.
Empowerment and role model	Facilitates effective working relationships between team members. Motivates team members to maintain a high level of performance. Engages with and empowers team members. Acts as a role model for individuals and team members, setting a standard, acting professionally at all times and working to a professional code of conduct and ethics.
Team dynamics	Integrates staff into teams to perform packages of work, taking account of individual and team capabilities. Considers the importance of skill mix within teams and is sensitive towards team dynamics.

Knowledge/Skills

Knowledge/Skills Components

Title	Depth	Details	Type
Improvisation		Dealing effectively with unexpected situations in a timely manner, taking advantage of opportunities and overcoming problems.	Behavioural Skills
Attention to Detail		Applying specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete.	Behavioural Skills
Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness		Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions.	Behavioural Skills
Interacting with People		Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.	Behavioural Skills
Teamwork		Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.	Behavioural
Providing Direction		Directing others to undertake specified tasks within a defined timescale.	Behavioural
Follow-up and Monitoring		Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary.	Behavioural Skills
Infrastructure Architecture	Proficient in	The frameworks and principles on which networks, systems, equipment and resources are based both on premises and cloud based.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Operating Systems	Proficient in	System software that controls activities such as input, output, dynamic resource allocation, and error reporting, within the operation of a computer configuration.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Programming Languages	Proficient in	A set of codes and syntax (supported by software tools) that enables the unambiguous translation of specified functionality into source code for the creation of computer programs.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Telecommunications Protocols	Proficient in	Rules for the inter-operation of networking components.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Operational/Service Architecture	Proficient in	Knowledge of the IT/IS infrastructure and the IT applications and service processes used within own organisation, including those associated with sustainability and efficiency.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Middleware	Proficient in	Software which forms part of the operating platform infrastructure.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Infrastructure Configuration	Proficient in	Knowledge and understanding of infrastructure configurations.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Cloud/Virtualisation	Proficient in	The principles and application of cloud/ virtualisation (including ownership, responsibilities and security implications). Use of tools and systems to manage virtualised environments.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Equipment Installation	Expert in	Installation, testing and commissioning of supplier specific equipment and software in all legitimate operational environments.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Infrastructure/System Security	Proficient in	The security threats and vulnerabilities that impact and/or emanate from system hardware, software and other infrastructure components, and relevant strategies, controls and activities to prevent, mitigate, detect and resolve security incidents affecting system hardware, software and other infrastructure components.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
DevOps	Proficient in	The collaborative approach consisting of agile practices, processes, and procedures designed to facilitate rapid IT service and product delivery. DevOps emphasizes people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with the aim of shortening the systems development life cycle to provide continuous release of high-quality software.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Presentation Techniques	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Appraisal Techniques	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for appraising an individual’s performance and potential.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Operations Management	Familiar with	Methods, techniques and tools for planning, organising, resourcing, directing, co- ordinating and monitoring ongoing (non-project) activities.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Budgets	Aware of	Principles, methods, techniques and tools for the preparation and monitoring of budgets to manage costs and ensure cost-effectiveness and value for money.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Risk Management	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for the assessment and management of business risk including safety-related risk.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Coaching Techniques	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, including use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Aware of	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Own Organisation’s Learning and Development Procedures	Familiar with	The procedures used within own organisation for staff learning and development.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Resource Allocation	Familiar with	The effective and efficient routine deployment of resources, (but also including reassessment and reallocation in a dynamic multi-project environment), to achieve optimum results.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Service Level Agreements	Familiar with	The purpose and composition of a service level agreement (SLA); the relationship between an SLA, an OLA (Operational Level Agreement) and an underpinning contract for the supply of services.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Performance Monitoring	Familiar with	Identifying, agreeing and monitoring (usually by face-to-face interviews) objectives and deliverables with individuals. Identifying under-performance issues against agreed quality standards and performance criteria. Identifying gaps in capability and causes, disciplinary or ability-related (needing assistance, training or other support).	Other Knowledge and Skills
Disciplinary Issues and Procedures	Familiar with	Managing episodes of unsatisfactory behaviour or performance in accordance with appropriate policies and legislative conformance. Includes changes to circumstances, such as sickness, disability and other personal issues.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Team Dynamics	Aware of	Knowledge and understanding of the psychological and environmental forces that influence the direction of team behaviour and performance and the tools and techniques to improve team cohesion and performance.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Information Assurance	Proficient in	Information assurance methods, tools and techniques (including the Caldicott Principles) used to protect the integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation and confidentiality of user data and manage the risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information.	Other Knowledge and Skills

Training Activities

Training Components

Title	Details
Programming Tools	High-level language, software tools or operating system facilities used in the normal course of development work.
Stakeholder Relationship Management	Negotiation, presentation and engagement skills to adapt and address the needs of different stakeholders to develop and maintain strong stakeholder relationships.
Coaching	Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model).
Data Protection and GDPR	Data protection legislation, regulatory framework and compliance, including GDPR (General Data Protection Act).
Networking Protocols	The rules for the inter-operation of networking components.
Software Security and Vulnerability Assessment	The process of identifying, quantifying and prioritizing (or ranking) the vulnerabilities in a system by assessing the threats from potential hazards to the organisation and infrastructure.
Mentoring	Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals.
Security Awareness	Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk.
Health and Safety	Understanding statutory health and safety requirements relating to the working environment and/or the tools and techniques to promote, communicate, implement and maintain a health and safety culture.

PDAs

PDA Components

Title	Details
Deputising	Standing in for supervisor or manager on a temporary basis during periods of absence.
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, inside or outside IT, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.
Research Assignments	Exploring a topic which is not part of own normal responsibilities and presenting findings to colleagues and/or management
Gaining Knowledge of Activities of Employing Organisation	Developing an understanding of the potentially diverse range of activities (service, governance, administrative, regulatory, commercial, charitable, industrial, etc.) undertaken by the employing organisation.
Gaining Knowledge of IT Concepts and Techniques	Undertaking study, learning and, where possible, practice in IT concepts and techniques external to own function.
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.
Negotiating and Influencing	Undertaking learning and practice of negotiating with and influencing others.

Qualifications

Qualification Components

Title	Awarding Body
Registered IT Technician (RITTech)	BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT
IT Apprenticeship – Network engineer (ST0127, Level 4)	Institute for Apprenticeships
FEDIP Advanced Practitioner	FEDIP

Organisation Skills

Framework » Organisation Category » Subcategory	Skill Name and Description	Level
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Asset and configuration management You can conduct life cycle management for assets including hardware, software, intellectual property, licences and warranties. You can manage usage, disposal, compliance, inventory, sustainability, cost optimisation and protection of the asset portfolio. You can help to improve investment decisions and capitalise on opportunities. You can comply with international standards for asset management. You can document information relating to assets including identification, classification and specification of all items, and information related to storage, access and versions. You can apply status accounting and auditing in line with	2 – Working You can maintain secure configuration and accurate information, controlling IT assets in one or more significant areas. You can verify the location and state of assets.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Availability and capacity management You can define, analyse, plan, forecast, measure, maintain and improve all aspects of the availability of services, including power. You can control and manage service availability to meet business needs cost-effectively, including managing the capability, functionality and sustainability of service components (such as hardware, software, network resources, and software or infrastructure as a service).	2 – Working You can manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Change management You can manage service changes, configuration items, organisational change, supplier change and associated documentation. You can request changes in response to incidents or problems that provide effective control and reduction of risk to security performance and availability. You can ensure compliance of the business services impacted by the change. You can understand policy, principles and approach. You can apply understanding and knowledge in project or programme activities. You can develop experience in the use of change management tools and processes.	3 – Practitioner You can deal with high impact, complex change requests. You can ensure that release policies, procedures and processes are applied.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Coding and scripting You can understand the limitations of software or product technology, and why coding is important. You can prototype code, but you won’t necessarily have to make production-ready code. You can talk to developers and know when to switch code. You can understand security, accessibility and version control.	2 – Working You can interact with and read code. You can carry out baseline repair activities.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Continual service improvement You can identify and explore opportunities for service and business improvement. You can produce analysis and identify, prioritise and implement improvements and efficiencies, ensuring that the organisation derives maximum value from services. You can recognise the potential for automation of processes, determine costs and benefits of new approaches, and manage change or assist implementation where	2 – Working You can identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance, and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Incident management You can co-ordinate the response to incident reports, ensuring relevant prioritisation and detail to allow effective investigation. You can identify the correct procedures or channels for resolution and monitor resolution activity and progress updates for customers. You can understand the relevant change management tools and processes.	3 – Practitioner You can lead the investigation and resolution of incidents.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Ownership and initiative You can take ownership of problems and proactively resolve technical problems, ensuring that technical solutions continue to meet business requirements. You can take full accountability for the actions taken and decisions made.	3 – Practitioner You can take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems. You can achieve excellent user outcomes.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Problem management You can understand and identify problems, analysing and helping to identify the appropriate solution. You can classify and prioritise problems, document their causes and implement remedies.	2 – Working You can initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends to resolve problems. You can effectively consult specialists where required. You can determine the appropriate remedy and assist with its implementation. You can determine preventative measures.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Service focus You can maintain focus on the whole life of service delivery (designing, developing, delivering and operating). You can ensure that a set of IT products, suppliers and vendors come together to deliver an IT service.	2 – Working You can take inputs and establish coherent frameworks that work.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Service management framework knowledge You can show an in-depth understanding of service management framework principles and processes. You can apply the technical knowledge in project or programme activities.	2 – Working You have a Level 3 service management framework qualification. You can demonstrate knowledge of the life cycle or capability elements of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Technical specialism You can demonstrate in-depth knowledge of, for example, code (application), messaging and batch management. The technical specialisms will differ for each role and will be defined in a job description.	3 – Practitioner You can draft and maintain procedures and documentation. You can set standards for the definition, security and integrity of objects, and ensure conformity to these standards.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Technical understanding You can demonstrate knowledge of the specific technologies necessary to fulfil the responsibilities and tasks of the role. You can apply the required breadth and depth of technical knowledge. You can actively keep informed of industry developments to make cost-effective use of new and emerging tools and technologies.	2 – Working You can understand the core technical concepts related to the role and apply them with guidance.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Testing You can plan, design, manage, execute and report tests, using appropriate tools and techniques. You can work within regulations. You can ensure that risks associated with deployment are adequately understood and documented.	3 – Practitioner You can manage the planning of system and acceptance tests, co-ordinating both functional and non-functional specifications. You can provide authoritative advice and guidance on test planning. You can identify process improvements and contribute to the definition of best practice.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – User focus You can understand users and identify who they are and what their needs are, based on evidence. You can translate user stories and propose design approaches or services to meet these needs. You can engage in meaningful interactions and relationships with users. You can show that you put users first and can manage competing priorities.	3 – Practitioner You can collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally. You can explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user. You can champion user research to focus on all users. You can prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so. You can offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

Framework » Organisation
Category » Subcategory

Skill Name and Description

Level