We are looking for a motivated and forward-thinking GIS Platform Lead to join our IT & Digital team at Brighton & Hove City Council. This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role in transforming how the Council uses mapping and geospatial data to support services and decision-making.
There is full information about the role below and attached but, if you would like an informal discussion, please contact Chris Gurney IT&D Service Manager - Data Solutions via email
[email protected]
About the role
Reporting into the Data Solutions Manager, you will work closely with colleagues in the Data Solutions team and collaborate with teams across IT & Digital, including business intelligence, analytics, and digital development.
You will bring strong expertise in Geographical Information Systems and use this to drive improved use of GIS across the organisation. Working with a wide range of teams, including teams outside of IT&D, you’ll identify opportunities to innovate, enhance processes, and deliver practical, high-impact solutions using spatial data.
A key focus of the role is ensuring the quality, integrity, and effective use of geospatial data. You will take ownership of data standards and help ensure that information used across the Council is accurate, reliable, and fit for purpose.
Our core GIS platform is Esri ArcGIS, and strong experience with this is essential. Knowledge of additional geospatial or data tools would be an advantage, particularly where these can complement and extend our existing capabilities.
You will also play a key role in maintaining a stable and secure ArcGIS Enterprise environment through regular patching and upgrades. Strong experience in planning and delivering upgrades is essential, including managing dependencies, minimising downtime, and ensuring component compatibility. You will take a proactive approach to system health, using monitoring tools such as ArcGIS Monitor (or a similar tool) to identify performance or reliability issues early and address them before they affect users.
You’ll work with colleagues across the organisation, providing support, guidance, and training to users with a wide range of GIS experience. As this is a this a highly collaborative and customer-focused role, strong communication skills, a proactive approach, and the ability to manage competing priorities are all key to success.
We are continuing to increase our use of automation to drive efficiency and consistency. You will lead the development and implementation of robust automation processes for GIS data management, primarily using Python and the ArcPy module. As part of this, you’ll help the organisation move beyond routine processes and realise the full potential of geospatial technology.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead the support, maintenance, and development of the corporate GIS platform (ArcGIS)
- Create and maintain documentation essential to the success of GIS
- Manage geospatial data across the Council, ensuring it is accurate, up to date, and well governed
- Deliver mapping products and spatial analysis to support services and decision-making
- Provide high-quality support and guidance to GIS users across the organisation
- Define and promote GIS standards, best practices, and ways of working
- Deliver training and build GIS capability within teams
- Facilitate collaboration through GIS user groups and forums
- Identify and deliver innovative GIS solutions to meet business needs
- Develop and maintain automation processes using Python
IT and Digital teams are a diverse and talented group. You'll find us a very open and welcoming group of colleagues who encourage a respectful, supportive, and collaborative work ethic.
We completely endorse a flexible workplace, with our staff working full time, part-time, and compressed hours, to fit around care commitments and work life balance needs. The teams are currently working largely remotely, so you'll need experience of working with systems and people in this way. The successful applicant may work flexibly but may need to attend the office where service demands require it. Should working from home not be possible, office accommodation is available.
If this role interests you, we would love to hear from you.
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
Why work for us?
As a council, we want to:
- be connected
- be confident
- be innovative and creative
- be diverse and inclusive
- be healthy and psychologically safe
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development.
How to apply
Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.
As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
AI advice for candidates
We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application.
We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert.
All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process. Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants’ responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
Please note that this post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Criminal Records Check.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
