Senior Programmer - Analyst, Learning Systems

Okanagan College • Kelowna, BC

3d • CA$36 - CA$41

About The Position

Under the direction of the Manager, Learner Digital Experience, the Learning Systems provides technical leadership and subject-matter expertise for the institution’s learning and educational technologies. This role is responsible for the administration, integration, support, and continuous improvement of the Learning Management System (LMS) and related platforms that enable teaching, learning, and student success. The position balances strategic oversight with hands-on delivery, including LMS administration, systems integration, technical triage, data analysis, and client support. The incumbent ensures the availability, security, compliance, and usability of learning systems while collaborating closely with Information Technology Services (IT Services), instructional designers, institutional partners, and external vendors. Key responsibilities include managing and monitoring third-party integrations, performing technical assessments, supporting system maintenance and configuration updates, and providing proactive client coaching to minimize disruption and enhance the user experience. Success in this role requires strong LMS expertise, analytical and problem-solving skills, a service-oriented mindset, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Graduation from a four-year university or college program in Computer Science or a related field, plus a minimum of 6 years of progressive, directly related experience supporting and administering LMS platforms in a post-secondary environment.
• Extensive experience with Brightspace required.
• Advanced Learning Management System (LMS) administration, configuration, integration, and troubleshooting, ideally with Brightspace, Banner integration for eLearning, and RabbitMQ.
• Strong Technical Systems Analyst capabilities, including deep understanding of teaching and student business processes, inter-system data flows, integrations, scheduled and ad-hoc jobs, and cross-departmental use of learning systems to support institutional goals.
• Proven ability to apply Business Analysis, Software Deployment, Project Management, Change Management, and Quality Assurance principles across the full lifecycle of learning systems and software products.
• Strong database knowledge with advanced query and reporting skills.
• Advanced Windows and Linux system administration, including system configuration, command line tools, and scripting (e.g., Bash/Shell, PowerShell, Python).
• Solid understanding of networking and web application architectures, including DNS, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP/S, SSL/TLS, IP addressing, ports, and web sockets.
• Very strong understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Agile/Scrum methodologies, with the ability to apply best practices and lead teams and projects to successful outcomes.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership or acting as a technical lead is an asset.
• Additional training or certification in Project Management, LMS Administration, Systems Administration, or Software Development is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coordinate and monitor the work of IT team members, departmental Okanagan College staff, and third-party resources on projects and operational tasks within the Learning Systems domain.
• Ensure the overall quality, accuracy, security, reliability, and standards compliance of all work delivered within the Learning Systems area.
• Review and approve changes to production learning systems, including regulatory compliance updates, software releases, configuration changes, new components, permissions and data access, integrations, and system design or functionality enhancements.
• Define learning system product roadmaps, implementation schedules, priorities, and work breakdowns for internal teams and third-party resources related to system implementation, maintenance, upgrades, testing, and verification.
• Conduct risk assessments and lead change management and communications related to service outages, maintenance windows, system updates, regulatory requirements, and major functionality changes.
• Design, implement, and support LMS integrations and API-based solutions (e.g., SIS, CRM, identity, analytics, and third-party learning tools) to improve data flow, reduce friction, and enhance the end-to-end student experience across the digital learner ecosystem.
• Perform and mentor others in daily Learning Systems operations, including installation, configuration, administration, maintenance, deployment, updates, security, access control, high availability, and emergency support for critical platforms such as LMS, Banner, CRM integrations, custom applications, batch processing, and related services.
• Collaborate with clients and technical teams to provide systems analysis, including requirements gathering, process optimization, workflow and data mapping, documentation, testing, implementation planning, and release coordination.
• Oversee reporting, database usage, and data management practices, ensuring data integrity, appropriate access, governance, and effective use in support of institutional objectives.
• Support the Manager and IT Services leadership in defining and executing short- and long-term technical strategy, platform selection, and service direction; provide recommendations to improve innovation, operational efficiency, reliability, and service excellence.
• Recommend, adopt, and leverage cloud services and emerging technologies to enhance application delivery, maintainability, cost effectiveness, scalability, and security.
• Perform related duties as assigned

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior