Specialist Roles
Compliance, security, operations, and UX/design roles in NUP
NUP defines specialized roles to address the unique requirements of regulated industries, security-critical systems, and user-centered design. These roles extend the core development team with domain expertise essential for compliance and operational excellence.
Specialist Role Categories
Compliance & Security Roles
Security Advisor
The Security Advisor serves as the first point of contact for security support and additional resources. This person serves as the security advisor for the project.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Advise on security requirements and design decisions
- Review security aspects of architecture and implementation
- Identify security risks and mitigation strategies
- Coordinate with security testing team
- Ensure security best practices are followed
Tasks Performed:
- Design the Solution (security aspects)
- Find and Outline Requirements (security requirements)
- Implement Developer Tests (security tests)
- Implement the Solution (security controls)
- Plan Project (security planning)
Artifacts Modified:
- Build
- Design
- Developer Test
- Glossary
- Implementation
- Project Plan
- Risk List
- Supporting Requirements Specification
- Use Case
- Use-Case Model
- Work Items List
When This Role is Needed:
- Projects with sensitive data
- Systems facing external threats
- Regulated industry applications
- Internet-facing applications
Security Tester
The Security Tester conducts security testing and vulnerability assessment to identify security weaknesses before deployment.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Perform penetration testing
- Conduct vulnerability assessments
- Test authentication and authorization
- Verify security controls
- Report security findings
Key Activities:
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Vulnerability Scanning | Automated scans for known vulnerabilities |
| Penetration Testing | Manual testing to find security gaps |
| Code Review | Security-focused code analysis |
| Configuration Review | Security of system configurations |
| Compliance Verification | Test against security standards |
Safety Assurance Analyst
The Safety Assurance Analyst ensures that safety requirements are identified, documented, and properly addressed throughout the development lifecycle.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Identify safety hazards and risks
- Define safety requirements
- Review designs for safety compliance
- Ensure safety testing is adequate
- Maintain safety documentation
Applicable Domains:
- Medical devices and healthcare
- Automotive systems
- Industrial control systems
- Aviation and aerospace
- Critical infrastructure
Safety Tester
The Safety Tester validates that safety-critical functionality meets requirements and does not introduce unacceptable risks.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Execute safety test cases
- Verify hazard mitigations
- Test failure modes and recovery
- Document safety test results
- Report safety anomalies
Testing Focus Areas:
- Failure mode testing
- Boundary condition testing
- Recovery testing
- Error handling verification
- System degradation testing
Information Assurance Analyst
The Information Assurance Analyst ensures that information security controls are properly implemented to protect data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Define information security requirements
- Review security architecture
- Assess compliance with security standards
- Monitor security controls effectiveness
- Coordinate security incident response
Security Domains:
| Domain | Focus |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Data protection, access control |
| Integrity | Data accuracy, change control |
| Availability | System uptime, disaster recovery |
| Authentication | Identity verification |
| Authorization | Access permissions |
| Audit | Logging, monitoring, forensics |
HIPAA Compliance Officer
The HIPAA Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring that all HIPAA requirements are met and that periodic audits are performed to verify compliance.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Ensure HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance
- Ensure HIPAA Security Rule compliance
- Conduct periodic compliance audits
- Manage HIPAA training programs
- Respond to compliance incidents
HIPAA Focus Areas:
| Rule | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Privacy Rule | PHI use and disclosure controls |
| Security Rule | Administrative, physical, technical safeguards |
| Breach Notification | Incident response and reporting |
| Enforcement | Penalties and compliance verification |
Related Guidelines:
- HIPAA Compliance guidelines
- PHI handling procedures
- Security incident response
Regulatory Compliance Assurance (RCA) Analyst
The RCA Analyst ensures that regulatory requirements are properly identified, documented, and addressed in the system design and implementation.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Identify applicable regulations
- Define compliance requirements
- Review designs for regulatory compliance
- Track compliance artifacts
- Support audit activities
Compliance Frameworks:
| Framework | Domain |
|---|---|
| HIPAA | Healthcare |
| PCI-DSS | Payment cards |
| SOX | Financial reporting |
| FISMA | Federal systems |
| GLBA | Financial services |
| GDPR | EU data protection |
| FDA | Medical devices |
Regulatory Compliance Verification (RCV)
The RCV role verifies that compliance requirements have been properly implemented and documented.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Verify compliance implementation
- Review compliance documentation
- Conduct compliance testing
- Prepare audit evidence
- Track compliance gaps
Verification Activities:
| Activity | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Control Testing | Verify controls are implemented |
| Documentation Review | Ensure required docs exist |
| Evidence Collection | Gather audit evidence |
| Gap Analysis | Identify compliance gaps |
| Remediation Tracking | Monitor gap closure |
Reliability Engineer
The Reliability Engineer ensures system reliability through design review, testing, and operational practices.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Define reliability requirements
- Review designs for reliability
- Implement reliability testing
- Monitor system reliability metrics
- Drive reliability improvements
Tasks Performed:
- Design the Solution
- Find and Outline Requirements
- Implement the Solution
- Run Developer Tests
Artifacts Modified:
- Build
- Design
- Glossary
- Implementation
- Supporting Requirements Specification
- Test Log
- Use Case
- Use-Case Model
- Work Items List
Reliability Focus Areas:
| Area | Activities |
|---|---|
| Availability | Uptime targets, redundancy |
| Fault Tolerance | Graceful degradation |
| Recovery | Backup, disaster recovery |
| Scalability | Load handling, performance |
| Monitoring | Health checks, alerting |
Operations & Infrastructure Roles
Operations Engineer
The Operations Engineer ensures the setting up of development, test, and production environments with help from the development teams.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Set up development environments
- Configure test environments
- Prepare production infrastructure
- Automate deployment processes
- Support DevOps practices
Primary Task:
- Ensure the involvement of the DevOps Team
Environment Types:
| Environment | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Development | Developer workstations, local testing |
| Integration | Continuous integration, automated tests |
| Staging | Pre-production validation |
| Production | Live system |
DevOps Activities:
Release Engineer
The Release Engineer manages build, release, and deployment processes to ensure consistent and reliable software delivery.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Manage build systems and processes
- Coordinate release activities
- Maintain deployment automation
- Ensure release quality gates
- Document release procedures
Release Management Activities:
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Build Management | CI/CD pipeline maintenance |
| Version Control | Branching and tagging strategies |
| Artifact Management | Package and store releases |
| Deployment | Automated deployment execution |
| Rollback | Revert failed releases |
UX/Design Roles
Interaction Designer
The Interaction Designer designs how users interact with the system, focusing on workflows, navigation, and user tasks.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Design user workflows
- Create interaction patterns
- Define navigation structures
- Prototype user interfaces
- Validate designs with users
Deliverables:
- Wireframes
- Interaction flows
- User journey maps
- Prototype designs
- Interaction specifications
Usability Designer
The Usability Designer ensures that products are easy to use by applying usability principles and conducting user research.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Conduct usability testing
- Perform user research
- Define usability requirements
- Review designs for usability
- Recommend usability improvements
Usability Methods:
| Method | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Usability Testing | Observe users completing tasks |
| Heuristic Evaluation | Expert review against principles |
| A/B Testing | Compare design alternatives |
| Survey/Interview | Gather user feedback |
| Analytics Review | Analyze usage patterns |
User Interface Designer
The User Interface Designer creates the visual design of user interfaces, including layouts, colors, typography, and visual elements.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Create visual designs
- Define style guides
- Design UI components
- Ensure visual consistency
- Maintain design systems
Deliverables:
- Visual designs (mockups)
- Style guides
- Component libraries
- Design specifications
- Asset files
Sensory Designer
The Sensory Designer addresses multi-sensory aspects of user experience, including visual, auditory, and haptic feedback.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Design multi-sensory experiences
- Define audio feedback
- Design haptic responses
- Ensure accessibility
- Consider sensory limitations
Sensory Considerations:
| Sense | Design Elements |
|---|---|
| Visual | Colors, contrast, motion |
| Auditory | Sounds, alerts, voice |
| Haptic | Vibration, touch feedback |
| Accessibility | Alternative modalities |
Role Involvement by Phase
Compliance & Security Roles
| Role | Strategy | Envision | Inception | Elaboration | Construction | Transition | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Advisor | C | A | A | A | A | A | C |
| Security Tester | - | C | C | A | A | A | C |
| Safety Analyst | C | A | A | A | A | A | C |
| Safety Tester | - | C | C | A | A | A | C |
| HIPAA Officer | A | A | A | C | C | A | A |
| RCA Analyst | A | A | A | A | C | A | C |
| RCV | - | C | C | A | A | A | A |
Legend: A = Active, C = Consulting, - = Not typically involved
Operations Roles
| Role | Strategy | Envision | Inception | Elaboration | Construction | Transition | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Eng. | C | C | A | A | A | A | A |
| Release Eng. | - | C | C | A | A | A | A |
| Reliability Eng. | C | C | A | A | A | A | A |
UX/Design Roles
| Role | Strategy | Envision | Inception | Elaboration | Construction | Transition | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interaction Design | C | A | A | A | C | C | - |
| Usability Design | C | C | A | A | A | A | C |
| UI Designer | - | C | A | A | A | C | - |
| Sensory Designer | - | C | C | A | A | C | - |
Team Structure with Specialists
Small Team (with compliance needs)
Medium Team (regulated industry)
Large Team (enterprise, heavily regulated)
Best Practices
Compliance Roles
- Engage early in the project lifecycle
- Document compliance requirements explicitly
- Track compliance evidence continuously
- Plan for audit readiness from the start
Security Roles
- Security by design, not afterthought
- Conduct threat modeling early
- Test security throughout development
- Monitor security in production
Operations Roles
- Automate everything possible
- Plan for failure and recovery
- Monitor proactively
- Document runbooks
UX/Design Roles
- Involve users early and often
- Iterate on designs based on feedback
- Test with real users
- Maintain design consistency
Related Resources
Compliance
This section fulfills ISO 13485 requirements for responsibility and authority (5.5.1), competence (6.2), and risk management (7.1), and ISO 27001 requirements for security roles (A.5.2), compliance responsibilities (A.5.31), and information security risk management (6.1).
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