At a Glance
- Tasks: Support and enhance critical applications in a dynamic housing organisation.
- Company: Join a Manchester-based housing organisation with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on continuous improvement and problem-solving.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by improving user experience and application performance.
- Qualifications: Hands-on experience with Aareon QL and strong SQL skills required.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
Location: Manchester
Salary: £44,399.10 per annum
Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract
Working arrangement: Hybrid, with the office and home-working split to be agreed with the hiring manager
Department: IT
Reports to: Operations Team Lead
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are recruiting an experienced Application Specialist to support and maintain a range of business-critical applications for a Manchester-based housing organisation. This is a hands-on position covering core housing systems, mobile solutions, digital applications and online services. The successful candidate will help maintain application performance, availability and user satisfaction while providing effective second-line support and delivering continuous system improvements.
Proven hands-on experience with Aareon QL and practical SQL knowledge are both essential. Candidates must be able to explain how they have supported Aareon QL in day-to-day operation and provide clear examples of personally writing SQL queries to interrogate, analyse, reconcile or manage application data.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support, maintain and improve core housing, mobile, digital and online applications.
- Provide effective second-line support for incidents, problems and service requests.
- Investigate technical and functional issues through to resolution and service restoration.
- Take ownership of application incidents and keep users informed throughout the process.
- Identify recurring operational problems, complete root-cause analysis and implement improvements.
- Configure application fields, workflows, parameters, permissions and other system changes.
- Use SQL to query, analyse, reconcile and manage application data.
- Monitor application availability, capacity, security and performance.
- Support application patching, upgrades, testing, deployment and release activities.
- Prepare and complete system testing and support user acceptance testing where required.
- Coordinate application changes with internal IT teams, business users and external suppliers.
- Work with third-party vendors to investigate issues and ensure timely resolution.
- Maintain application procedures, technical documentation and knowledge-base articles.
- Provide guidance and training to users on application functionality and processes.
- Support change, release, incident, problem, availability, capacity and risk-management processes.
- Ensure the security, confidentiality and integrity of organisational systems and information.
- Contribute to continuous improvement, automation and the effective lifecycle management of applications.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
- Demonstrable hands-on experience supporting Aareon QL.
- Strong practical SQL skills, including personally writing and executing queries.
- Experience supporting complex or business-critical applications.
- Experience diagnosing and resolving application incidents and recurring problems.
- Understanding of relational databases and application data structures.
- Experience undertaking application configuration and system changes.
- Ability to prioritise competing incidents, requests and business requirements.
- Experience working with internal stakeholders and third-party suppliers.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to explain technical information to non-technical users.
- Aware of information security, data confidentiality and system integrity.
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
- Previous experience within social housing, a housing association or a local authority.
- Knowledge of housing-management processes and systems.
- Experience with Aareon QL workflows, modules, configuration or administration.
- Experience writing SQL queries directly against Aareon QL data.
- Exposure to application patching, upgrades, deployments and releases.
- Experience producing test scripts and supporting UAT.
- Knowledge of ITIL-aligned incident, problem, change and release management.
- Experience automating scheduled application monitoring or maintenance activities.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The successful candidate will be an experienced and proactive applications professional who can combine technical problem-solving with strong customer service. You should be comfortable taking ownership of issues, investigating underlying causes and working with colleagues, users and suppliers to deliver reliable solutions. You must be able to provide detailed examples demonstrating both your Aareon QL and SQL experience.
CONTRACT AND WORKING ARRANGEMENT
This position is offered as a 12-month fixed-term contract paying £44,399.10 per annum. The role offers hybrid working in Manchester. The precise office and home-working split will be agreed with the hiring manager, so applicants must be able to attend the Manchester workplace when required.
HOW TO APPLY
Please apply with an up-to-date CV clearly detailing:
- Your hands-on Aareon QL experience.
- The Aareon QL modules, functions or workflows you have supported.
- Examples of SQL queries you have personally written.
- Your application-support and incident-resolution experience.
- Your involvement in configuration, testing, patching, upgrades or releases.
- Your current salary, notice period and availability.
- Your ability to work on a hybrid basis in Manchester.
Applications without clear evidence of both hands-on Aareon QL and practical SQL experience may not be progressed.
Application Specialist in Manchester employer: South Africa Tempest Resourcing
Join our vibrant primary school in Hackney, where we prioritise a supportive and inclusive work culture that fosters personal and professional growth. As a Primary Sports Coach, you will not only inspire young minds through engaging PE lessons but also benefit from competitive salary packages and opportunities to lead extracurricular activities that promote teamwork and healthy lifestyles. Our commitment to employee development ensures that you will thrive in an environment dedicated to nurturing talent and passion for sports education.
Contact Details:
South Africa Tempest Resourcing Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Application Specialist in Manchester
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We think you need these skills to ace Application Specialist in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Tech Skills:Make sure your CV highlights your tech stack and any programming languages you’re proficient in. Include specifics about any frameworks or technologies you’ve worked with; they can make you stand out in the sea of applicants. It’s all about showing that you have the chops we need at South Africa Tempest Resourcing!
Portfolio 2.0:Since you’re applying for a temporary gig, it’s super important to showcase a portfolio that highlights your best projects. Include links to GitHub or any personal projects that demonstrate what you can do in a real-world environment. This gives us a taste of your style and your problem-solving approach!
Keep It Brief and Relevant:With a temporary position, we want to see your ability to hit the ground running. Be concise in your CV and cover letter; stick to experiences that directly relate to the role. Highlight any previous temporary roles or freelance gigs that show your adaptability and quick learning!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Don’t just send a generic cover letter. Personalise it for Application Specialist at South Africa Tempest Resourcing! Mention why this temporary role excites you and how you see yourself contributing in the short run. Show us what you've got and why you're the one for this quick turn-around!
How to prepare for a job interview at South Africa Tempest Resourcing
✨Nail the Technical Skills
For a software engineering role, you'll likely face technical questions or coding tasks during your interview. Brush up on the relevant programming languages and frameworks that South Africa Tempest Resourcing uses, and don’t forget to practice some coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank. Showing your coding prowess can really make you stand out!
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Since this is a temporary role, you'll want to emphasise your ability to hit the ground running. Highlight experiences where you quickly adapted to new technologies or teams. Let’s make it clear to the interviewers at South Africa Tempest Resourcing that you can learn on the job and deliver results in a short timeframe!
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Make sure to have a portfolio or GitHub ready showcasing your projects. Having tangible evidence of what you've done—be it personal projects, contributions to open-source, or previous work—can convey how capable you are. Tailor this for what might interest South Africa Tempest Resourcing, so it's relevant and sparks conversation during your interview.
