Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Developer

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Developer will be responsible for designing, developing, testing, implementing and supporting automation solutions across NHS Greater Manchester. The postholder will work with Finance, Digital, Data, Information Governance, Cyber Security and operational teams to understand complex processes and translate them into secure, reliable and maintainable automated solutions. The role will provide specialist technical expertise across the full automation lifecycle and will support NHS Greater Manchester to improve productivity, strengthen controls, reduce manual processing and make better use of resources. The main responsibilities of the role will include:

Automation development

Design, build, configure and maintain RPA and workflow solutions using Microsoft Power Platform and other approved automation, document-processing and low-code technologies. Where appropriate, use coding and scripting languages including Python, JavaScript, SQL and VBA and integrate solutions with databases, spreadsheets, web applications, APIs, shared mailboxes and other systems.

Process assessment and solution design

Work with process owners and subject matter experts to understand current processes, business rules, volumes, exceptions, controls and areas of inefficiency. Assess whether processes are suitable for automation and identify opportunities to redesign and standardise processes before automating them.

Testing and implementation

Develop appropriate test plans and undertake unit, system, integration, regression and performance testing. Support user acceptance testing and ensure solutions meet agreed requirements before they are released into the live environment.

Production support and continuous improvement

Monitor live automations, investigate failures and performance issues and implement sustainable solutions that address underlying causes. Maintain appropriate support, recovery and manual fallback arrangements and continually improve automations in response to system, process or user requirements. Governance, security and risk: Ensure automated solutions operate within NHS Greater Manchester requirements for information governance, UK GDPR, data protection, cyber security, access control, financial control and audit. Build appropriate controls, exception handling, logging, alerts and audit trails into solutions and ensure risks and approvals are properly documented.

Benefits and performance

Support the measurement and reporting of benefits arising from automation, including staff time released, reductions in errors, faster processing, improved compliance, cost avoidance and financial savings. Use performance information and user feedback to identify further opportunities for improvement and automation.

Planning and prioritisation

Manage a portfolio of automation activity, balancing development work, incidents, dependencies and competing priorities. Contribute to automation roadmaps, sprint planning, release schedules and resource requirements.

Stakeholder engagement

Build effective relationships across NHS Greater Manchester and with relevant NHS partners and suppliers. Explain complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical colleagues, facilitate workshops and provide clear updates, demonstrations, reports and presentations.

Technical leadership and development

Provide technical leadership, coaching and peer support to colleagues involved in automation. Support knowledge transfer and the development of good automation practice, reusable components, technical standards and a controlled automation knowledge base across NHS Greater Manchester.

Innovation

Keep up to date with developments in automation, artificial intelligence and low-code technologies, undertaking proportionate research and proof-of-concept work to assess where emerging technology could deliver safe and measurable benefits.

Value for money

Design solutions that support financial sustainability and effective use of NHS resources and provide technical information to inform business cases, investment decisions, supplier discussions and benefits assessments.

Patient and service impact

Although the role does not normally provide direct patient care, ensure that automation protects confidentiality, service quality and continuity and considers equality, accessibility and health inequality impacts. Appropriate human oversight and escalation must be retained where automated decisions or outputs require it.

General responsibilities

Work collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries and comply with NHS Greater Manchester requirements relating to confidentiality, data protection, equality and inclusion, safeguarding, health and safety and infection prevention and control.