Summary
A principal developer leads and plans development across large or multiple teams. At this role level, you will:
be an expert in many technical areas or a specialist with very deep knowledge in a particular technical area
use this knowledge, and work with related disciplines, to keep multiple teams working effectively
develop capability by facilitating internal mobility, shaping career paths and recruiting talent, ensuring they collaborate
identify, test and champion the adoption of emerging technologies
Background
| Description | Background |
|---|---|
| Takes a logical, analytical approach to problem solving and pays close attention to detail. Has acquired an understanding of information systems concepts and practices, particularly those used within own organisation, and development standards in use across the industry. Has a good knowledge of own organisation's policy framework, management structures and reporting procedures for all aspects of systems development. | Prior Knowledge and Skills |
| Has gained expertise in the alignment of performance setting and assessment with organisational goals. Understands processes and procedures of performance management. Manages projects and organises the work of others. Demonstrates a responsible and disciplined approach, even under pressure. Has excellent and developed 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 |
|---|---|
| Assessment (EMRG)(Level 5) | Assesses and documents the impacts, threats and opportunities to the organisation of specific technologies, products, services, methods and techniques. Considers their applicability within business and IT strategy, and their potential to influence strategy. |
| Policy, standards and guidelines (PROG)(Level 6) | Develops organisational policies, standards and guidelines for software construction and refactoring. |
| Reviews and monitors (PROG) (Level 6) | Assesses effectiveness of organisational policies, standards and guidelines for software delivery. |
| Planning and leadership (PROG)(Level 6) | Plans and leads software construction activities for strategic, large and complex development projects. |
| Lead, manage and supervise(PEMT) (Level 5) | Manages, supports and guides the work of groups of staff in line with organisational strategy. |
| Probationary period and contract (PEMT)(Level 5) | Defines and manages 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 (PEMT) (Level 5) | Allocates responsibilities, including supervisory and assigns packages of work to groups of staff. Ensures that work packages are aligned with the particular skills and abilities of teams. Supports teams in the delivery of work packages. Delegates work to individuals and teams, taking full account of skills and capabilities. |
| Guidance, performance and feedback (Level 5) | Optimises the performance of people, measuring and reporting on performance against agreed quality and performance criteria. Collects data on the performance of groups of staff. Gives regular feedback to teams and senior staff as to team performance on work packages. |
| Formal appraisals (Level 5) | Conducts formal appraisals of the performance of team members. Facilitates a dialogue with team members about expectations, progress, performance and development needs. Participates, as appropriate, in formal processes such as compensation negotiations, grievance procedures, and disciplinary procedures. |
| Empowerment and role model(PEMT) (Level 5) | Facilitates effective working relationships within and between teams of staff. Motivates groups of staff and teams towards a high level of performance. Engages with, and empowers groups of staff. Acts as a role model for groups of staff, setting a standard, acting professionally at all times and working to a professional code of conduct and ethics. |
| Team dynamics (PEMT) (Level 5) | Integrates staff into teams to perform packages of work, taking account of individual and team capabilities. Consider the importance of skill mix within teams. Is sensitive towards team dynamics. |
| Career paths and mentoring (Level 5) | Advises individuals on career paths, and encourages pro-active development of skills and capabilities. Provides mentoring to support professional development. |
| People processes (Level 5) | Participates, as appropriate, in formal processes such as compensation negotiations and disciplinary procedures. |
| Transformation and change (PEMT) (Level 5) | Manages teams involved in significant transformation projects and/or during times of change, aligning change programmes with staff skills and capabilities. Supports staff, through difficult and challenging change programmes. |
| Development needs (Level 5) | Determines development needs for a professional practice area. Aligns development activities with organisational priorities, learning and development strategies and career pathways. |
| Communities of practice (Level 5) | Promotes the establishment and ongoing development of one or more community of practice (CoP). Encourages participation and ensures alignment with organisational needs. |
Behavioural Skills
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Conceptual Thinking | Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses. |
| Creativity | Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions. |
| Organisational Awareness | Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers. |
| Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness | Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions. |
| 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. |
| Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact | Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority. |
| Teamwork | Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal. |
| Leadership | Clearly articulating goals and objectives, and motivating and leading others towards their achievement. |
| Providing Direction | Directing others to undertake specified tasks within a defined timescale. |
| Delegation | Delegating tasks, responsibilities and authorities effectively. |
| Follow-up and Monitoring | Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary. |
Technical Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Application Systems | Technical or functional understanding of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications and/or other bespoke software deployed within the organisation in order to provide system configuration, audit, technical, and/or functional support. | Expert in |
| Application Development Tools | Software tools which automate or assist part of the development process. | Expert in |
| Configuration Management | The discipline that gives precise control over IT assets and components by recording and maintaining information about the 'configuration items', including hardware devices, computer programs, software licences, documentation, network devices, and data centre facilities (virtualised and static). | Proficient in |
| Programming Languages | 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. | Expert in |
| Operational/Service Architecture | Knowledge of the IT/IS infrastructure and the IT applications and service processes used within own organisation, including those associated with sustainability and efficiency. | Proficient in |
| Structured Reviews | Methods and techniques for structured reviews, including reviews of technical work products, test plans, business cases, architectures and any other key deliverables. | Expert in |
| Software Testing Tools | Software tools which automate or assist any part of the testing process across all or part of the testing lifecycle. | Expert in |
| Product Evaluation and Selection | The analytical comparison of IT products against specified criteria (including costs) to determine the solution that best meets the business need. | Expert in |
| Middleware | Software which forms part of the operating platform infrastructure. | Expert in |
| DevOps | 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. | Expert in |
| Agile | A collection of methods, practises, tools and techniques, underpinned by the Agile Manifesto, that enable teams to deliver high value products and services in small, workable, increments. An Agile culture typically encompasses concepts such as Servant-Leaders; ceremonies, Stand-Ups, Sprints and Retrospectives; and the deployment of tools and techniques such as Backlogs and A/B Testing. | Expert in |
Other Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Appraisal Techniques | Methods and techniques for appraising an individual's performance and potential. | Proficient in |
| Techniques for Effective Meetings | Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants. | Proficient in |
| Coaching Techniques | Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, which could include use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans. | Proficient in |
| Standards Writing Techniques | Principles, methods and techniques for establishing, documenting, and maintaining standards. | Proficient in |
| Project Planning and Control Techniques | Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects. | Proficient in |
| Own Organisation's Learning and Development Procedures | The procedures used within own organisation for staff learning and development. | Familiar with |
| Resource Allocation | The effective and efficient routine deployment of resources, (but also including reassessment and reallocation in a dynamic multi-project environment), to achieve optimum results. | Proficient in |
| Performance Monitoring | 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). | Proficient in |
| Disciplinary Issues and Procedures | 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. | Familiar with |
| Team Dynamics | Knowledge and understanding of the psychological and environmental forces that influence the direction of team behavior and performance and the tools and techniques to improve team cohesion and performance. | Familiar with |
Training
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Corporate Policies, Standards, Procedures, Guidelines and Tools | Policies, standards, procedures, guidelines, software tools and operating system facilities used in everyday work. |
| Coaching | Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model). |
| Human Resource Planning | Techniques and practices involved in planning the numbers and types of personnel needed over time by a particular skillset, department or function within an organisation. |
| Career/Talent Development Methods and Tools | The background, purpose and approach of the organisation's career/talent development strategies and programmes. Their fundamental elements competency and L&D frameworks, such as SFIAplus; talent management and development planning processes and tools; scheme administration and management; roles and responsibilities; and communication of the benefits. |
| Mentoring | Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals. |
| Latest Cyber Security Threats for Senior Execs | Short, high-level, up-to-date and to-the-point briefing on the latest threats and vulnerabilities in cyber security. |
Professional Development Activity (PDA)
| Title | Details | PDA Group |
|---|---|---|
| Job Shadowing and Special Assignments | Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures. | Broadening Activities |
| Project Assignments | Participating in a project team, working group or task force established to deliver a solution to a specific problem or issue - especially valuable if the group is inter-disciplinary. | Broadening Activities |
| Mentoring | Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development. | Broadening Activities |
| Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues | Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation | Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation | Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Participation in Professional Body Affairs | Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level. | Participation in Professional Activities |
Organisational Skill Name and Description
| Framework | Skill | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Availability and capacity management Availability and capacity management involves ensuring services are available with as little down-time or disruption as possible, whilst making sure we have sufficient resources to support emerging business needs. |
Practitioner Availability and capacity management You can: ensure the correct implementation of standards and procedures identify capacity issues, and stipulate and instigate the required changes initiate remedial action |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Development process optimisation (management) Process optimisation involves ensuring your processes are accurately defined and capture the most efficient way to complete a task by monitoring modified procedures. |
Expert Development process optimisation (management) You can: set the strategy and manage resource allocation for solution development programmes work with client functions to establish business requirements and identify, propose, initiate and lead these programmes |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Information security Information security involves maintaining the security, confidentiality and integrity of information. |
Expert Information security You can: demonstrate in-depth knowledge of information security design, quality review and quality assure solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Modern standards approach Modern development standards involves using the latest technologies and best practices to improve the quality of the software development process. |
Expert Modern standards approach You can: demonstrate a strong understanding of the most appropriate modern standards and practices, and how they are applied coach and guide others in these standards |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Programming and build (software engineering) |
Practitioner Programming and build (software engineering) You can: collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Prototyping Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design. |
Expert Prototyping You can: use a variety of prototyping methods share best practice and coach others look at strategic service design end to end |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Service support Service support involves fixing service faults and maintaining the underlying infrastructure, ensuring processes are in place to keep the service running efficiently. |
Practitioner Service support You can: identify, locate and fix faults |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Systems design IT systems analysis involves assessing current systems and implementing new ones, to improve the performance and efficiency of an organisation's applications. |
Expert Systems design You can: design systems characterised by high levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity control system design practice within an enterprise or industry architecture influence industry-based models for the development of new technology applications develop effective implementation and procurement strategies, consistent with business needs ensure adherence to relevant technical strategies, policies, standards and practices |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
Systems integration |
Practitioner Systems integration You can: define the integration build co-ordinate build activities across systems understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities |
| Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework |
User focus User focus involves understanding the user needs to develop a detailed understanding of the problems that need to be solved. |
Practitioner User focus 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 |
Qualification Components
| Title | Awarding Bodies |
|---|---|
| FEDIP Leading Practitioner | The Federation for Informatics Professionals |
| Chartered IT Professional (CITP) | BCS The Chartered Institute for IT |
The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is BCS. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.