This role exists within the Group Systems Department of PA Consulting Group. Group Systems is the internal IT support and development function for PA Consulting Group globally.

The role is based at our Cambridge site.

Purpose of Role:
- To provide research and investigation into Infrastructure related technologies.
- To provide and lead architectural guidance and best practice on all projects that require IT infrastructures.
- To provide development of Infrastructure related technologies.
- To provide a view of interoperability between infrastructure technology and architecture.
- To own and deliver major elements of the strategy for infrastructure technology and product roadmaps.
- To participate in projects within specific roles, such as Technical Lead.

Dimensions of Role:
- Assist and participate in researching and investigating up and coming and new technologies. These technologies will be drawn from the Infrastructure group of technologies such as Desktop & Server, Operating Systems, Applications, Tools, Hardware, Web, Performance management and Security. This investigative work should be represented in a format so that senior management can make easy decisions about its future adoption, and that its relevance has been considered next to the Business Strategy. This will involve environment scanning and genuine blue sky thinking.

- Assist and participate in developing new or re-developing existing systems that make use of the research drawn from the research in this area. Systems should be developed so that the owner of the live environment can make an informed decision as to systems acceptance. Systems should be developed to the point where they can be handed over to be implemented.

- Ensure that Infrastructure proposals and managed from visualisation through to delivery, including benefits management, and ensure ongoing benefit realisation.

- Work with Operations to ensure Infrastructure developments are performing to plan, and to identify future development opportunities.

- Work with Enterprise Architecture to ensure Infrastructure and Architecture are aligned, and that system dependencies are understood and managed.

- Participate in project activities, as and where required. But mainly around providing Technical Lead role where that technology has been developed.

- Assist and participate in the formulation of the global infrastructure technology strategy and roadmap.

- Work with project services to provide project management to various degrees for Infrastructure activities.

Qualifications:
- Degree /HND – In an IT or management related topic (study in progress is acceptable) is desirable.
- Microsoft certification (MCSE or equivalent) is essential.
- Other software/hardware certifications are desirable.
- A security related certification is desirable
- BCS membership is desirable.

Skills/Personal Qualities:
- Ideal candidate will have had a variety of roles in IT, both in support and development of Infrastructure.

- Must be able to demonstrate in depth architectural working knowledge of operating systems (Windows 2000/2003, Open Source), messaging products, hardware and design strategies.

- Must be able to demonstrate the ability to build a business case.

- Must be able to demonstrate techniques for building a strategy for technology adoption.

- The ability to work flexibly and constructively when faced with changing priorities.

- Must be able to demonstrate some project management technique.

- Must be able to demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills.

- Ability to build respect within the business and Group Systems as an authority on new technology.

- Ability to communicate exceptionally well at all levels.

- Ability to be a team player in many formal and informal cross functional teams.

- Ability to think about security aspects and be able to apply them to development and architecture.

About PA Consulting Group:
We are an independent, employee-owned, Global firm of 3,000 talented individuals, operating from offices across the world. We have won numerous awards for delivering complex and highly innovative assignments, run one of the most successful venture programmes in our industry, have technology development capability that few firms can match, deep expertise across key industries and government, and a unique breadth of skills from strategy to IT to HR to applied technology.

Working in Corporate:
PA Consulting Group’s business support team is critical to the company's success and the delivery of its ambitions. The team help support day-to-day operations, build the PA brand, ensure our technology is leading-edge, attract and motivate the best consultants into PA, and deliver support wherever it is needed. In this way, we ensure our consultants are best placed to deliver what is most important at PA -- client value.

We are committed to our business support team’s personal and career development. All employees -- not only consultants -- have the opportunity to become shareholders in PA, and so we all think and act as owners of the firm, rather than just 'employees'. As a result, we have a highly motivated, delivery-focused, 'can do' culture, and we look to attract like-minded people who want to build a career at the leading-edge of the consulting industry.

Diversity:
PA is a meritocracy. We are committed to recruiting, promoting and remunerating our employees solely on the basis of their ability to contribute to PA’s objectives, without regard to their sex, race, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, national origin, ethnicity, age, marital or civil partnership status or part-time or fixed-term status unrelated to the job involved. Diversity is something which makes PA a stronger company; it is something which we value and want to continue to enhance.