Job Description

Job ID:43761

Location:Birmingham : 1 Trinity Park : Bi

Position Category:Information Technology

Position Type:Employee Regular

Role Purpose

The Application Support Lead reports into the Application Support function and is responsible for the operational ownership, support, and technical stewardship of an important CRM, Audit and Invoicing System supporting EMEA Business operations.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role requiring strong expertise in Delphi / Object Pascal, focused on ensuring the ongoing stability, performance, and resilience of a business-critical platform. The role holder will act as the technical owner and subject matter expert, maintaining high levels of service reliability while driving continuous improvements in maintainability, security, and long-term sustainability.

The platform forms a key part of LRQA’s core technology landscape and operates within a well-established operational environment. The role will work closely with DevOps and platform teams to support the evolution of delivery and hosting practices, aligning with organisational standards and modern engineering approaches while ensuring uninterrupted service.

The current technology stack is predominantly Delphi (approximately 75%), complemented by .NET technologies (including .NET Core and C# MVC). While strong Delphi expertise is essential, experience with — or an interest in developing skills in — modern .NET technologies will be highly valued.

Close collaboration with IT Operations, Cloud, Infrastructure, and Business stakeholders will be critical to ensure the platform continues to deliver value, meets evolving business needs, and aligns with LRQA’s technology and security standards.

Accountabilities

Application Ownership & Operational Stability:

• Act as the technical owner of the KVS / KVSIFS platform within the Run organisation, primarily responsible for the Delphi / Object Pascal codebase.
• Ensure high availability, stability, and resilience of the application
• Own incident and problem management, including root cause analysis
• Provide 2nd and 3rd line support for complex application issues
• Drive improvements in service reliability and incident resolution times

Application Maintenance & Technical Support:

Maintain and support the existing Windows-based desktop application, including:

• Defect resolution
• Minor enhancements
• Technical debt management
• Support the codebase which comprises associated third-party components
• Manage application releases, patches, and controlled deployments
• Ensure changes are implemented safely and in line with operational standards

Database & Performance Management:

Support and optimise the Azure SQL database, including:

• Stored procedures
• Data integrity
• Performance tuning

Work with infrastructure and cloud teams to:

• Diagnose performance issues
• Resolve latency and throughput challenges
• Support high-volume transactional processing

Hosting, Infrastructure & Runtime Environment:

Work collaboratively with infrastructure, cloud, and DevOps teams to:

• Improve scalability, resilience, and observability
• Support the transition to more modern hosting patterns where appropriate
• Ensure the application remains performant and stable during any architectural or deployment model changes

Hands-on experience with Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services), including:

• Deploying and configuring websites and web applications
• Managing application pools, bindings, and site configurations
• Troubleshooting application and server-level issues (e.g. HTTP errors, app pool failures)
• Supporting secure configurations (SSL certificates, authentication methods)

Integration & Interface Support:

Support and monitor all application integrations, including:

• REST APIs
• External audit and certification platforms
• Invoicing and payment systems

Troubleshoot and resolve:

• Data synchronisation issues
• Integration failures impacting business operations

Security, Risk & Compliance:

• Ensure the platform operates within LRQA security and network controls

Validate:

• Secure data access
• API-based external communications
• Technical & security posture
• Support audit, compliance, and assurance activities

Documentation & Knowledge Management:

Maintain comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, including:

• Architecture diagrams
• Support runbooks
• Known errors and recovery procedures

Reduce key-person dependency by ensuring knowledge is:

• Documented
• Shared
• Accessible across teams

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication:

Act as a trusted technical partner to:

• Business stakeholders
• IT Operations
• Cloud and Infrastructure teams

Provide clear communication on:

• Incidents and risks
• Technical limitations
• Platform sustainability

Skills

Professional Skills:

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex issues across application, database, and integration layers.
• Self-motivated and proactive, able to work independently with minimal supervision while driving continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating technical concepts into clear business language.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex and legacy environments
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands and deliver within deadlines.
• Resilient and pragmatic approach to technology challenges

Technical Skills:

• Strong, hands-on experience with Delphi / Object Pascal in enterprise or business critical applications
• Proven experience supporting and maintaining legacy or long‑lived codebases
• Strong SQL Server / Azure SQL capability, including performance tuning and troubleshooting
• Experience supporting and developing web applications and API endpoints.
• Experience operating applications in production environments with high availability and reliability requirements
• Solid understanding of incident, problem, and change management in a Run / Operate model

Desirable / Nice‑to‑Have Technical Skills

• Ability to read and converse in Dutch language
• Exposure to .NET Core, C#, and MVC‑based application patterns
• Familiarity with mixed‑technology stacks (Delphi and .NET)
• Awareness of modern DevOps practices, including:
• CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps preferred)
• Containerisation concepts
• Kubernetes‑based hosting models
• Willingness and ability to learn new technologies and modern delivery approaches alongside core Delphi responsibilities

Experience and qualification

Essential Experience:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Delphi / Object Pascal.
• Strong experience with SQL Server / Azure SQL
• Experience keeping versions up-to-date and ensuring applications remain within vendor support.
• Demonstrable experience as both a developer and administrator of a Delphi-based codebase environment.
• Proven experience supporting business-critical applications in production environments
• Experience maintaining VCL‑based applications
• Experience delivering solutions using Agile methodologies, working alongside Product Owners and Business Analysts.
• Experience managing application releases, user communications, and training for a commercial user base.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience with DevExpress or similar frameworks
• Experience working with or supporting .NET‑based applications alongside other technology stacks
• Experience with CRM, audit, or invoicing platforms
• Experience supporting high-volume transactional systems
• Experience working in a professional services, certification, or testing/inspection business context.
• Experience working with third-party vendors and development partners.
• Hands‑on use of FireDAC for database connectivity.

Education & Qualifications

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Certifications (Desirable):

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
• Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
• SQL / Data certifications (Microsoft Data Platform)

#LI-REMOTE

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a role with us, we will carry out preemployment checks in accordance with what is permitted under local law.

These checks may include, where legally allowed: right to work, identification, verification of employment history, education, and criminal record checks.

We will engage our thirdparty background screening provider, Cfirst to conduct these checks on our behalf. Cfirst performs all processing in full compliance with applicable data protection laws and adheres to strict legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations in handling personal data.

Any personal information collected for the purpose of these checks will be used solely for evaluating your suitability for employment and will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil these purposes and meet legal requirements.

Your data will be stored securely and managed in accordance with all relevant privacy legislation.

If you have any questions or concerns about the preemployment checks please contact us at Onboarding@lrqa.com

If you have any questions or concerns on how your data will be handled, please contact us as dataprotection@lrqa.com

Diversity and Inclusion at LRQA:

We are on a mission to be the place where we all want to work and we are passionate about embracing different perspectives because we understand the value this brings to our business, our clients and each other. We are all about creating a safer and more sustainable future and our inclusive culture is right at the heart of our business.

Together our employees make our communities better and we want you to be part of our diverse team!

LRQA is a leading global assurance provider. The integrity and expertise we bring to our partnership with clients support their journey to a safer, more secure and more sustainable future. ( Group entities).

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