Information Systems Specialist Automation and AI

Westfield Secondary School; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking a specialist technical lead to design, develop and govern Power Platform solutions, automated workflows and AI-enabled services for residents and staff. You will work with technical colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders to deliver secure and compliant automation and AI capabilities.

The role focuses on governance, solution design and continuous improvement, contributing to digital public services and transformation across council services in Sheffield.

Qualifications

• Specialist development skills in Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse and Copilot Studio.
• Strong understanding of business process analysis and automation using low-code and AI.
• Experience integrating systems via APIs, connectors and Microsoft 365 services.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, support and improve Power Platform solutions and AI-enabled services.
• Provide expert advice on automation, systems integration, governance and service improvement.
• Ensure solutions are reliable, scalable, accessible and compliant with security and governance.
• Lead complex investigations, support project delivery and mentor colleagues.
• Contribute to testing and quality assurance across the team.
• Troubleshoot defects and performance issues across apps and integrations.

Skills

Power Apps

Power Automate

Dataverse

Copilot Studio

Tools

APIs & Connectors

Job description

Sheffield City Council is on an exciting digital transformation journey, transforming how we deliver services through innovative digital solutions, automation and emerging technologies. As we continue to modernise and improve services for our residents, this is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of digital public services.

The role

The postholder will act as a specialist technical lead, designing, developing, supporting and improving Power Platform solutions, automated workflows, digital services and AI-enabled capabilities that help streamline business processes, reduce manual effort and improve services for residents and staff. This includes supporting the development and governance of Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, Power Apps and other emerging technologies in accordance with approved standards, governance frameworks and organisational policies. Working collaboratively with technical colleagues, suppliers and business stakeholders, the role provides specialist technical advice, solution design, troubleshooting and support to ensure the successful delivery, adoption and continuous improvement of automation and AI solutions. The postholder will play a key role in helping the Council realise the benefits of digital innovation, intelligent automation and responsible AI while maintaining security, compliance and service quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, support and improve Power Platform solutions, automated workflows, digital services and AI-enabled service.
• Provides expert advice on automation technologies, systems integration, governance and service improvement.
• The role ensures that solutions are reliable, scalable, accessible and aligned with security, information governance and technical design requirements.
• Leads complex technical investigations, supports project delivery, mentors colleagues and ensures solutions comply with security, accessibility, information governance and organisational standards.
• Contribute to testing and quality assurance activities across the team.
• Troubleshoot defects, performance issues and technical problems across websites and applications.
• Support the ongoing improvement of accessibility, usability, performance and security.
• Work collaboratively with other specialists, officers, business change managers, team managers and stakeholders to understand user needs and deliver effective solutions.
• Contribute technical expertise throughout the solution lifecycle, from proof of concept through to deployment and ongoing support.
• The role supports the evaluation of emerging technologies and contributes to proof-of-concepts, pilot projects and continuous improvement activities, helping identify opportunities to enhance existing services and introduce innovative digital capabilities.
• Working collaboratively with technical colleagues, suppliers and business stakeholders, the role provides specialist technical advice.
• Troubleshooting and support to ensure successful delivery and adoption of automation and AI solutions.
• Participate in technical discussions, service improvements and continuous development activities.
• Provides expert advice on automation technologies, systems integration, governance and service improvement.

Skills And Knowledge We Are Looking For

• Specialist development skills in Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse and Copilot Studio, including the ability to design, build and maintain scalable solutions.
• Strong understanding of business process analysis and automation, identifying opportunities to simplify and improve services through low-code and AI technologies.
• Experience integrating systems using APIs, connectors, Microsoft 365 services, SharePoint and external applications.
• Knowledge of Dataverse, SQL and data modelling, ensuring solutions are secure, reliable and support effective reporting and decision-making.
• Ability to design and configure Copilot Agents, including knowledge sources, actions, orchestration, prompt design and conversation flows.
• Strong understanding of information governance, GDPR, security, DLP policies and role-based access controls within Power Platform and AI solutions.
• Knowledge of application lifecycle management (ALM), environment management and Dev/Test/Production deployment practices.
• Experience monitoring, troubleshooting and supporting apps, flows, agents and integrations to meet operational and service expectations.
• Ability to provide technical leadership, mentoring and expert advice, supporting project delivery and the adoption of automation and AI solutions.
• Awareness of emerging technologies, responsible AI, governance frameworks and continuous improvement, with the ability to evaluate and introduce new digital capabilities.

For further discussion about this opportunity, please e-mail Avril Grant or Richard Smith to arrange an informal discussion [e-mail] or [e-mail]

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we'll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.