Learning Technologies Developer

Responsible for the design, development, deployment and ongoing operational support of bespoke web based systems that support teaching and learning for the Faculty, University, and partner organisations.

This involves leading the technical delivery of digital services through the full system lifecycle including requirements gathering, system design, development, testing, deployment, documentation, support and continuous improvement. The postholder works closely with academic, administrative and technical stakeholders to translate University needs into secure, scalable and sustainable technical solutions ensuring alignment with University standards and digital strategy.

Key Accountabilities

- Translate stakeholder requirements into clear technical specifications and deliver scalable, sustainable and secure solutions
- Lead or contribute to the full service lifecycle, including discovery, requirements analysis, solution design, development, testing, documentation, deployment and ongoing support and review
- Lead the technical delivery of appropriate projects, working closely with colleagues and representing the team in project environments
- Develop and maintain systems embedded within operational teaching environments, including services delivered across NHS and external partner sites where applicable
- Integrate institutional and external data sources in collaboration with central IT services, ensuring secure data handling and compliance with University governance and information security policies
- Ensure services remain reliable, resilient and maintainable through structured deployment processes, version control, monitoring and effective incident response
- Provide expert technical advice to academic and administrative colleagues regarding system functionality, enhancements, feasibility and future development opportunities
- Contribute to project planning, prioritisation, release management and coordinated delivery across multiple concurrent services
- Produce and maintain comprehensive technical and user documentation to support sustainable and transferable service delivery
- Promote good development practice, coding standards, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the team
- Support the ongoing enhancement, sustainability and stability of the Faculty's learning technology infrastructure
- Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as reasonably required

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

- Excellent knowledge and proven ability to work productively within Python including Web Frameworks such as Django
- Strong experience of working with databases such as MySQL and source code Management Tools specifically Git
- Proven experience developing and supporting live operational web-based systems in a complex enterprise environment
- Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript/JQuery and JSON
- Experience integrating web services and APIs to enable secure and effective data exchange between systems
- Ability to prioritise workload effectively and manage multiple concurrent workstreams
- Ability to gather, analyse and translate stakeholder requirements into effective technical solutions
- Experience contributing to structured deployment, testing and incident response processes
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Desirable

- Experience of working with Web technologies (Apache, Memcache, WSGI) and Linux based servers
- Experience delivering services across cross-organisational environments (e.g. NHS or external partners)
- Experience utilising open-source technologies to deliver secure web-based services
- Experience of the higher education environment
- Experience of planning, researching, designing, implementing and testing system modifications, enhancements and custom built solutions

Attributes and Behaviours

- Generates practical and sustainable technical solutions aligned with Faculty and University objectives
- Works collaboratively with academic, administrative and technical colleagues to deliver high-quality services
- Demonstrates initiative and takes ownership of service stability and improvement
- Manages time and resources by prioritising and organising effectively
- Communicates effectively with a range of stakeholders and builds positive working relationships
- Promotes continuous improvement and adopts new approaches where beneficial

Qualifications

- Degree or equivalent qualification in relevant discipline, or significant relevant practical experience

Benefits

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.