Process Improvement Engineer (Forecasting Budgets)

Introduction

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) Research Computing Platform (RCP) is seeking dedicated interns to research and evaluate ways to forecast budgets, given the complexity of funding restrictions.

The ideal candidates will leverage their backgrounds in finance, R/Shiny, or mathematics/statistics to contribute to a multi-disciplinary team.

This project will seek to improve on a proof of concept that streamlines the processes of data creation, updates, and finalisation for budget forecasting. The goal is to maximise flexibility and minimise the potential for human error that could output an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis.

To integrate seamlessly into the existing infrastructure, the initial concept involves creating a user-friendly application that can read in an ERP spreadsheet, allowing users to efficiently create, update, and finalise budget forecasts in a consistent approach.

Duties while on Placement

The role of the Process Engineer Intern will include:

• Since the internship will operate without direct input from researchers, interns will need to gather insights solely from online resources, employing a best-effort approach.
• Reviewing and discussing ways to improve the process and identify consistent approaches that could be streamlined.
• Reviewing available options for building a proof-of-concept application based on discussion of consistent approaches, focusing on maintainability and extensibility.
• This project offers flexibility, allowing the intern to contribute their own ideas and introduce new features and functionalities.

Skills and Pre-requisites

We are aiming to build a multi-disciplinary team where each person would have at least one of these skill sets:

• basic knowledge or ability to learn quickly R/Shiny/Javascript/CSS and Linux command-line
• basic knowledge or ability to learn quickly finance or budgeting
• basic knowledge or ability to learn quickly high level mathematics/statistics
• basic knowledge or ability to learn quickly organisational, project management, and communication skills

All people in this multi-disciplinary team should:

• have the ability to synthesise data, understand software usability, and critically analyse code to identify and address performance issues,
• be motivated to work alongside a diverse team, sharing ideas and tackling challenges collectively,
• be able to tolerate or learn to tolerate complexity, and
• be able to tolerate or learn to tolerate ambiguity.

General Expectations of interns

• 1 hour a week for a project meeting with your supervisor and your teammates,
• 1 hour a week for a co-working session with your teammates,
• 1 hour a week keeping track of emails and organising yourself, and
• the rest working on projects in your own time and asking 10+ questions a week at standups that run twice a day but are not mandatory
• email a group weekly report before your meeting each week,
• keep an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and a technical diary,
• keep on top of the emails sent about your internship (there are a lot!),
• keep an up to date calendar so you can plan your week, and
• let your supervisor by email if you are unable to work on the internship.

Benefits for students

Basic knowledge or a willingness to learn R/Shiny, JavaScript, CSS, databases, and Linux command-line. Ability to quickly grasp high-level concepts and apply them effectively.

• Capacity to work independently while also collaborating with the team to discuss theories and results.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data accurately.
• Familiarity with version control systems like Git would be advantageous.