Heriot-Watt University
Digital Solutions Analyst – Trusted Research and Secure Innovation
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Role: Digital Solutions Analyst - Trusted Research and Secure Innovation
Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389 per annum
FTE and working pattern: Full-time, 35hrs per week
Contract: Fixed Term until 31 July 2027 (part-time or job sharing arrangements will be considered)
Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)
Department: Information Services
Reporting to: Academic Technology Support Manager
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a global institution with campuses in the UK, Dubai, and Malaysia. We are known for our strong industry links and research that drives real-world impact. Our collaborative culture and international outlook make us a leader in innovation and education. Learn more about our values and opportunities at Careers at Heriot-Watt.
Purpose of Role
Heriot-Watt University is leading a collaborative project involving universities across Scotland to develop a shared Trusted Research Toolkit and establish the foundations of a potential national digital shared service for Trusted Research and Secure Innovation.
Working with partners across the Scottish higher education sector, the project aims to improve how institutions manage due diligence, risk assessment, trusted research processes, information sharing, training and compliance activities. The ambition extends beyond the creation of guidance and templates, seeking to develop sustainable digital capabilities that can be adopted and shared across the sector.
We are seeking a Digital Solutions Analyst who will work at the intersection of stakeholder engagement, business analysis, technology innovation and solution design. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the project Business Analyst, sector partners and technical specialists to understand user needs, develop technical requirements and help shape the future direction of the service.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a nationally significant initiative and influence how emerging technologies including cloud services, workflow automation, data-driven decision support and artificial intelligence can support Trusted Research and Secure Innovation at scale.
The ideal candidate will be technically capable, adaptable, curious and confident working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Whilst cloud technologies, particularly Microsoft Power Platform and AWS, are expected to play an important role in the future service, we are equally interested in candidates who can bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and a passion for using technology to solve complex organisational challenges.
Professional development opportunities, including support towards certification and other relevant technical accreditation, will be available for the successful candidate, so a passion for learning new technologies and approaches will be essential.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Summary
- Work alongside Business Analyst to analyse business requirements and translate them into functional and technical specifications.
- Design and develop prototype solutions using a combination of standard technologies, such as; Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, Power BI and other appropriate technologies.
- Design and develop prototype integrations with in-scope systems.
- Apply security, governance, compliance and lifecycle management standards.
- Co-lead workshops, process reviews and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Work collaboratively with Scottish universities to identify reusable solutions, shared services opportunities and common standards.
- Tailor solution design and implementation approaches to organisations with varying levels of digital maturity.
- Assist the support of communities of practice, training and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- Maintain technical documentation and contribute to project delivery activities.
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Requirements Gathering and Discovery
- Work alongside the project Business Analyst using Agile methodologies and approaches to identify, document and prioritise business requirements into digital solutions.
- Engage with technology representatives from universities and sector bodies across Scotland to understand current technical practices, challenges and opportunities.
- Analyse existing processes, systems and workflows to identify opportunities for improvement and standardisation.
- Translate business requirements into clear technical and functional specifications.
Digital Service Design and Innovation
- Contribute to the design of shared digital services in support of Trusted Research.
- Evaluate technology options and recommend appropriate solutions to meet project objectives.
- Research possible digital solutions and technologies aligned to technical requirements.
- Explore opportunities to apply automation, analytics, artificial intelligence and digital workflows to improve service delivery and user experience.
- Support the development of prototypes, proof-of-concepts and pilot services.
- Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, accessible and aligned with sector requirements.
Solution Architecture and Technology
- Support the design and implementation of cloud-hosted services, with a particular focus on AWS and Power Platform.
- Contribute to integration activities involving institutional systems, APIs and identity services.
- Promote good practice in security, governance, data management and service design.
- Keep abreast of developments in cloud platforms, digital transformation and AI-enabled services.
- Ensure proposed solutions are maintainable, secure, accessible and aligned with project requirements.
- Build effective working relationships with colleagues across participating institutions.
- Present technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Contribute to the development of a collaborative community of practice across the project consortium.
Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
- Build effective working relationships with colleagues across participating institutions.
- Present technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Contribute to the development of a collaborative community of practice across the project consortium.
Project Delivery
- Support project planning and delivery activities.
- Work independently to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
- Contribute to project reporting, documentation and governance activities.
- Assist in preparing recommendations, business cases and technical documentation.
Essential Criteria
Essential
Qualifications and Experience
- Educated to degree level, equivalent professional qualification, or able to demonstrate substantial relevant experience.
- Experience of requirements synthesis into technical solution design or service discovery activities.
- Experience of working with diverse stakeholder groups and translating business needs into practical technical solutions.
- Experience of designing, implementing or supporting digital services.
- Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.
- Experience producing clear documentation, specifications and reports.
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Skills and Knowledge
- Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills.
- Demonstrates sound judgement and the ability to articulate, justify and defend decisions and recommendations using evidence, analysis and strategic insight.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to work effectively in a complex and evolving project environment.
- Understanding of digital service design principles.
- Understanding of information security and governance considerations.
- Ability to manage priorities and deliver outcomes with minimal supervision.
Desirable
The following are desirable, but will be supported to develop as required by the project:
- Knowledge of Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse and Power BI. Knowledge of Azure, APIs, integrations, application lifecycle management and governance.
- Experience designing knowledge management, knowledge discovery or information retrieval solutions.
- Experience working with data-driven platforms, analytics or workflow automation technologies.
- Experience contributing to innovative digital transformation projects.
- AWS certification or demonstrable AWS experience.
- Experience working within Higher Education, Research or the Public Sector.
- Experience of systems integration, APIs and identity management.
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 23rd of August 2026.
Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/.
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
About Heriot-Watt University
At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
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