What does being an RPA developer mean?
RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation. It does not involve robots in the form of machines, but software that carries out human actions. In other words, RPA developers develop software robots.
Reading Time 2 Minutes
Reading Time 2 Minutes
Created on 30.07.2020
IT jobs: what does an RPA developer actually do?
Reto Santschi, Team Leader Automation Center of Excellence at PostFinance, explains what tasks an RPA developer carries out and what skills are needed for this IT job.
What an RPA developer does
“RPA developers work with object-based configurations to automate processes that require human interaction,” says Reto Santschi, Team Leader Automation Center of Excellence at PostFinance. Here is an example: “PostFinance sends out millions of letters. There are also large numbers of returns. These are scanned and digitized. Then the software takes over. It searches for the new address in the system and triggers a new dispatch.” This represents a huge reduction in workload for thousands of letters. This is precisely the objective of RPA: “Our aim is to increase efficiency and reduce costs by automating repetitive work.”
How to become an RPA developer
In general RPA involves configuring rather than coding. It therefore does not necessarily require developer skills, simply a high affinity with IT. “A qualification in business informatics is ideal, as we operate in the area of conflicting priorities between IT and business,” explains Reto Santschi. “Although we work a lot with objects and drag and drop , programming skills are important because we still sometimes have to access the technical side via interfaces.”
What an RPA developer needs to offer
To successfully improve processes, you need to be a developer and an analyst, and you must like working on business processes and feasibility studies. You must also be able to map complex situations quickly and feel happy addressing different stakeholder groups. “People who enjoy combining business and IT will find RPA a very interesting and multifaceted activity which gives them an insight into a variety of business units.”
