Top Careers in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA creates opportunities for jobs that allow employees to focus on tasks with greater added value. The spread of this technology may also foster innovative and interesting career paths for people who want to enter the IT industry.   Careers in RPA remain an open field. As robotization develops, further opportunities are emerging and will continue to emerge, as predicted by the Institute for Robotic Process Automation & Artificial Intelligence, founded in 2013. To illustrate this phenomenon more clearly, we examine the positions currently available and the scope of their responsibilities.  

Jobs & RPA: does robotic process automation require new professions?

  By influencing a company’s digital development, RPA opens the way to new professions and therefore new jobs. First, automating time-consuming activities such as data entry allows companies to focus on more meaningful tasks, including customer service. Moreover, the development, implementation, and maintenance of RPA technology will itself provide new challenges and career opportunities for technical professionals and so-called evangelists.   Below, we present the most popular careers in robotic process automation today.  

RPA developer: role overview

  As the name suggests, an RPA developer’s main task is to build, design, develop, and implement RPA systems. In doing so, the developer uses various robotization tools and technologies, such as UI Automation and Blue Prism, which enable processes to be analyzed and configured for automation.   An RPA developer’s responsibilities therefore include:  

• designing automation processes in line with the organization’s operational needs,
• solving automation problems using scripts, code, and RPA tools,
• reviewing code and projects and providing expertise on the necessary development and systems integration,
• configuring new deployments,
• documenting automation procedures.

 

RPA architect: role overview

  An RPA architect is a cornerstone of robotization implementation. The architect ensures that the implemented solution fulfills its purpose and that automation runs without disruption.   The role’s responsibilities therefore include:  

• overseeing the initial infrastructure setup for development, test, and production environments, including investigating RPA deployment options such as servers,
• establishing appropriate coding standards and guidelines, developing best practices, and securing stakeholder support for them,
• working with the business analyst on feasibility and optimization,
• estimating process time and costs, including hidden costs,
• planning the necessary technical meetings,
• identifying reusable components that can reduce effort,
• defining how configurable parameters, queues, and robot schedules will be managed to optimize costs and working time,
• monitoring development work and assisting with troubleshooting and debugging,
• overseeing reports in accordance with established guidelines,
• documenting additional requirements if they arise,
• conducting code audits,
• maintaining the solution and providing support in the production environment.

 

RPA analyst: role overview

  A long-term RPA strategy requires an in-depth understanding of business processes in order to develop a well-considered solution. An RPA analyst provides this expertise. The analyst can correctly identify a business problem and then translate it into technological terms while taking the adopted strategy into account. The role therefore serves as a bridge between project stakeholders and the creators of the final solution.   Understanding existing business processes and a particular working environment requires industry knowledge and skills. An RPA analyst must also have excellent communication skills in order to identify all problems and systems integration gaps and then present a proposed roadmap to stakeholders. One of the analyst’s main responsibilities is to help organizations realize the full potential and benefits of a long-term RPA strategy.  

RPA tester: role overview

  As might be expected, an RPA tester is responsible, among other things, for checking implemented solutions and ensuring that they meet functional and non-functional requirements.   The tester’s work therefore includes:  

• conducting user acceptance testing and working with organizations to verify the results,
• working with deployment coordinators, known as Release Managers, and IT departments on RPA implementation, including in the production environment,
• troubleshooting and resolving errors,
• creating and documenting plans and test scenarios carried out before the UAT phase,
• analyzing the opportunities RPA offers within particular business processes,
• reporting bugs to developers and working with them to resolve those bugs.

 

Are jobs available in robotic process automation professions?

  RPA is currently one of the fastest-growing employment markets. The integration of artificial intelligence and other cognitive technologies is expanding both the range of activities that can be automated and the scale of the benefits. People with skills in these fields are therefore sought after by many organizations, as can be seen on LinkedIn. Demand for these competencies is also reflected in various courses, training programs, and postgraduate degrees offered by institutions including the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Yet the sector is still developing faster than potential candidates are expanding their skills. As a result, lead developers and system architects are particularly attractive prospects for future employers.   Ultimately, it all comes down to experience. During recruitment, it often becomes apparent that few applicants have had an opportunity to apply their robotization skills across different industries. The most sought-after specialists are those who, in addition to the aforementioned experience with cognitive solutions, can also demonstrate knowledge of related technologies such as cloud computing and Natural Language Processing. Business analysts who want to stand out from the competition, meanwhile, should understand vendor ecosystems and solutions such as task mining and process mining.