About the job

Job summary

It is an exciting time in Home Office Digital Data and Technology; we have a number of great new initiatives coming together which are laying the basis for our future operating model – reshaping and truly redefining how we manage our delivery and services to citizens.

This is a really great opportunity, you’ll be joining and supporting our development teams in picking up new work, supporting to build mature delivery pipelines in a multi-disciplinary team. You’ll be using a number of our cloud platforms (AWS focus, using native tools as well as our ACP and EBSA platforms) to enable rapid delivery, whilst working to our standards (must be secure, robust, accessible).

As a DevOps Engineer you’ll work alongside our architects, technical leads and product leaders to ensure all of this is in place. This is a mid-level developer role.

We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from women, people with disabilities and LGBT+ as they are currently under-represented in the Home Office at this grade level. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office.  Applicants can discuss any specific questions with the Vacancy Holder.

Job description

As a DevOps Engineer you will be responsible for the design and implementation of applications' build, release, and deployment and configuration activities.

Other responsibilities include working within multi-functional teams to gather requirements, evaluate tools, implementing/updating solutions, building and executing test plans, provision environments, application performance reviews, assist migration of legacy systems, and triaging and fixing operational issues.

You will be involved in building, managing and updating a shared Kubernetes platform, as well as creating reusable pipelines for automated testing and deployment.  

Whilst this is not a leadership role, you will have the opportunity to support the build of the team around you, mentoring others or being mentored yourself and getting hands on in recruitment activities.

To sweeten the offer, we are one of the largest consumers of cloud services in the UK, and we make use of many vendors and technologies. We understand that continuous learning is extremely important to you as an engineer. To support you we will give you the materials and time to grow yourself. Additionally, you will have the support of a rapidly growing engineering community!

You can also take a look at our recent blog post on DevOps within the Home Office - Home Office Digital - what are we doing in DevOps 

Here is a link to our digital careers guide - https://careers.homeoffice.gov.uk/role/digital-data-and-technology 

And for those that prefer, here is a link to our guide on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_q_RYC3y4c

Person specification

You will help design, expand and maintain our infrastructure, engaging with the rest of the team to arrive at solutions that help them perform better, deploying product updates, identifying production issues and implementing integrations that meet user needs.

Your main day to day will involve 

• Writing scripts to automate build, deployment or monitoring of applications.
• Investigating and resolving incidents and configuration issues. 
• Working with developers and other professions to develop CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code or containerisation configuration.
• Automating and improving development and release processes.
• Implementing security best practices and tooling.
• Like most businesses we need to maintain our services 24/7, therefore, on occasion there may be a requirement to work out of hours, for which you will be paid.

Essential Criteria

We’re more interested in people who understand the methodology and fundamentals rather than specific tools. You’ll be ideal for this role if you have a demonstrable passion for automation and collaboration, with skills or experience in some of the below:

• Experience deploying applications to AWS or Azure, following best practices.
• Managing code and configuration using Git.
• Experience developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience developing scripts to automate build, deployment or monitoring of applications or infrastructure.

Like most businesses we need to maintain our services 24/7, therefore, on occasion there may be a requirement to work out of hours, for which you will be paid. 

The technical skills listed below are reflective of the Home Office DDaT Profession Skills and Competency Model (based on the industry standard SFIA framework), Please review the Role Description attached which highlights the expected technical skills and required levels for this role. 

Benefits

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, plus 8 days public holidays and 1 day for the King’s Birthday, rising further with service
• Flexible working options to enable you to achieve the work life balance that right for you including part-time, flexi time and job sharing
• Training and development opportunities tailored to your role
• An in-year bonus scheme
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please note your CV should include all relevant experience that relates to our Essential skills criteria listed in the advertisement and role description.

Please remove information from the CV that would identify you (for example your name, age or place of education), so that your CV can be judged on merit alone and not your background, circumstances, race, or gender.

(Do NOT include e-mail addresses or links to online profiles, resumés, or prior work, either personal or business. Active links or e-mail addresses will result in your application being rejected)

 Application tips

1. It’s crucial that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria set out in the job advert. Do not just give us a list of languages/platforms - do show context & give descriptions.
2. You should include enough information and describe examples that demonstrate your skills and experience.
3. You should give yourself plenty of time. You can start an application and come back to complete it before the job advert closes.

More guidance can be found here – completing your application

Sift stage 

The sift will be held on the CV. Please read the essential skills criteria for this position carefully. We will only consider those who meet the listed requirement.

Candidates who pass the sift will be provided with a programming/coding Technical Exercise to complete, details will be provided prior to the interview.

Technical exercise

This coding test will assess your ability to effectively perform in the advertised role. You will be sent detailed instructions along with an invitation to take the test. Please make us aware if you require any reasonable adjustments in order to participate in the test.

A technical test is a great opportunity for you to show us your technical capability in a structured and transparent way. We have an assortment of tests to assess different skills depending on the role.

Interview stage

Candidates reaching the required standard from the Technical Exercise will then be invited to attend a final interview. The interview will assess your Technical Skills (SFIA Framework), behaviours and experience using technical and experience-based questions.

Regrettably, candidates who fail to complete the test and those candidates not reaching the required standard should note that their applications will not be progressed further.

Sift and interview dates

Sift will be conducted from 28th February 2024.

Interviews will be held week commencing 18th March 2024 (subject to panels operational requirements/priorities).

Interviews will be conducted remotely via MS Teams.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Further information

Please read the essential skills for this position carefully. We will only consider those who meet the listed requirement. 

If you have previously made an unsuccessful application for a role with the same essential skills and are not able to demonstrate how you have developed these skills since your last application please reconsider applying as your application is unlikely to be successful.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

UK residency and security requirements

• You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years. This is because this post requires the successful candidate to have Security Check (SC) clearance, and you need to have been a resident in the UK long enough for sufficient checks to take place. These checks will only take place after the job offer has been accepted. 
• Visa sponsorship - we are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License. 

This post is eligible for a DDaT Recruitment Retention Allowance this allowance is subject to an initial review within six months of taking up the post and thereafter an annual review in line with the departmental priorities and could be reduced or withdrawn at any time. 

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills. 

A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.   

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.