The SickKids Research Institute (RI) is Canada's largest, hospital-based child health research institute, conducting and translating groundbreaking research, training the next generation of researchers, and supporting global scientific communities with knowledge and state-of-the-art facilities.
Research IT (RIT) is a specialized function within the SickKids Research Institute that enables and accelerates research through the delivery of advanced technology platforms, research computing infrastructure, and application support services. RIT supports a broad portfolio of research administration and scientific systems, providing expertise in areas such as high performance computing, systems administration, cyber security, research data management applications, information risk and project management. By partnering closely with researchers, clinicians, and operational teams, Research IT ensures that modern, scalable, and integrated technology solutions are in place to support the full research lifecycle and the increasingly data intensive nature of scientific discovery.
About the Program
The Research eHub is SickKids Research Institute's multi-year digital transformation program designed to modernize how research is administered across the institution. It integrates systems and aligns workflows to improve efficiency, digitize manual processes, and deliver a seamless experience for researchers.
The eHub ecosystem includes multiple streams such as data/document management, research ethics, contract lifecycle management, and workflow orchestration. Workflows focuses on re-engineering research administration processes using the Appian platform.
About the Role
The Senior Appian Developer is a newly created role within the Research IT department, established to support the implementation and operationalization of Appian as the workflow and process automation platform for the Research Institute. This role is responsible for the configuration, administration, low-code application development, and day-to-day operational support of the Appian platform. This is a greenfield opportunity: the right candidate will shape the platform's foundation, governance model, and delivery practices from the ground up.
The position sits within a team that includes full-stack developers, a DevOps engineer, a Business Analyst, a Product Owner, and alongside an App Support team with foundational technical skills. Custom code development, API integrations, and infrastructure concerns will be handled by existing engineering staff. Operating within an agile delivery environment, the team works iteratively to design, build, and refine solutions in close collaboration with business stakeholders, enabling rapid feedback, continuous improvement, and adaptive prioritization. The Senior Appian Developer is expected to own everything within the Appian platform boundary: design, configuration, bug fixes, performance tuning, process modelling, environment management, and end-user enablement.
Here's What You'll Get to Do
1. Solution Design & Delivery
- Design and deliver Appian applications using Records (Data Fabric), SAIL interfaces, Process Models, and business rules
- Translate business requirements into scalable, maintainable Appian-first solutions
- Balance speed, quality, and long-term platform sustainability in solution design
- Identify and prevent common Appian anti-patterns (e.g., overly complex workflows, excessive rule dependencies)
2. Platform Ownership & Governance
- Define and enforce Appian development standards, naming conventions, and best practices
- Contribute to platform governance including design reviews, release management, and quality assurance
- Establish reusable components, patterns, and accelerators to support scalable adoption
- Guide architectural decisions across multiple workflow solutions and use cases
3. Platform Administration
- Administer Appian environments including user access, security configuration, and deployment
- Monitor platform performance and coordinate with DevOps for infrastructure-related concerns
- Manage application promotion, versioning, and environment consistency
4. Integration Enablement
- Configure and manage Appian connected systems, integration objects, and web APIs
- Collaborate with engineering teams responsible for external integrations and middleware
- Support integration testing and troubleshooting at the Appian layer
5. Continuous Improvement
- Troubleshoot and resolve application issues, including process failures, data issues, and performance bottlenecks
- Optimize existing workflows and enhance solution performance and usability
- Continuously evolve platform maturity through best practices and reusable assets
6. Stakeholder Collaboration
- Partner with business analysts, product owners, and business clients to refine requirements into effective solutions
- Act as the Appian SME in agile ceremonies (planning, refinement, review)
- Provide guidance and mentorship to team members and support staff
- Collaborate with Appian vendor support and external partners as needed
Here's What You'll Need
Required
- 3+ years of experience designing and delivering solutions on the Appian platform
- Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or Sciences, or equivalent, with suitable amount of computing and systems-related curriculum.
- Strong expertise in:
o Records (Data Fabric) and data-centric application design
o Process Models, SAIL interfaces, business rules, and security models
- Experience translating complex business processes into scalable workflow solutions
- Working knowledge of Appian integrations (connected systems, APIs, web services)
- Familiarity with relational data concepts and basic SQL
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Experience working in agile delivery environments
- Excellent communication and documentation skills
- Demonstrated commitment and actions in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion objectives
Preferred Qualifications
- Appian certifications (Associate, Senior, or Lead Developer)
- Experience with enterprise integrations and modernization initiatives
- Exposure to regulated environments (e.g., healthcare, public sector)
- Familiarity with DevOps concepts and Continuous Improvement (CI)/Continuous Delivery (CD) pipelines
- Exposure to Appian Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) capabilities
Here's What You'll Love
- This position is eligible for employee benefits coverage including but not limited to; health, dental and life insurance. The full benefits package will be discussed at the time of offer.
- A focus on employee wellness with our new Staff Health and Well-being Strategy. Self-care helps us support others.
- A hospital that welcomes and focuses on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- The opportunity to make an impact. Regardless of your role or professional interest, you will be making a difference at SickKids and contributing to our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.
- For more on why you'll love working at SickKids, visit our careers site.
Employment Type:
- Permanent full-time
- 35 hours/week
- Hybrid working arrangement
