About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)

Pay Band:  SEO

Job Title:  7 x Software Developer in Test 

Location: London / National

Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 2 days per week in any HMCTS Office (subject to business availability). The frequency may increase in the future

Term: Permanent

Interview: Video conference via Teams

Important salary details: 

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).

DDaT:

Roles will be recruited using a combination of the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) and Success Profile Frameworks. Using DDaT we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary. This role is within the Technical Job Family, is a Software Developer role at Developer level, but carries the title Software Developer in Test within DTS.

Reserve List:

HMCTS run a Reserve List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months. You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Reserve List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.

Introduction: 

These are exciting times at HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we support the judiciary across England and Wales to deliver justice by running courts and tribunals and processing outcomes, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve our ambitions. It will be challenging, important and rewarding.

HMCTS Digital and Technology Services (DTS) is a specialist technology directorate which provides support to HMCTS in the use of IT and Digital.

DTS is creating a place in which it is great to do work and part of our offer is brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. As well as that you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.

Please follow the link below for further information about HMCTS. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service

Our community 

We currently have over 500 experienced developers across MoJ and its agencies who make up the broader software engineering community. You will be able to learn from others, share your knowledge and take part in informal support networks with your peers. You can also take a look at the MoJ developer blog. 

As a Software Development Engineer in Test at HMCTS, you will have access to extensive training and development opportunities through our Testing Centre of Excellence. Our commitment to your growth means that you will receive in-depth, in-house training designed to enhance your skills and knowledge, making you proficient in the latest testing methodologies and tools. Whether you are looking to sharpen your testing capabilities, deepen your technical expertise, or expand your leadership skills, our training is tailored to help you succeed in your role and advance your career. This commitment to continuous learning is a core part of our culture, ensuring that you have the tools and knowledge you need to excel in your position and contribute to our ongoing success.

The key purpose of the role: 

As a Software Development Engineer in Test, your responsibilities will encompass not only writing, debugging, and refactoring test code but also leading test automation in CI/CD environments. You will collaborate closely with software developers to ensure a common understanding of the code base and test coverage at the unit test level.

You will play a pivotal role in helping to shape the culture and best practices throughout the Test Centre of Excellence at HMCTS. Your strong technical skills will be essential in ensuring the highest quality standards for our test automation.

Additionally, mentoring, and coaching Junior Software Development Engineers in Test is a crucial aspect of this role. You will guide the team to achieve excellence in test automation and support their learning journey.

The development squad you are placed on will be agreed closer to your start date, but examples of products can be found in our github repositories: 

• https://github.com/ministryofjustice 
• https://github.com/hmcts 
• https://github.com/CJSCommonPlatform 

Technologies

We use a range of cutting-edge technologies, including:

• Java/Javascript
• Playwright
• Puppeteer 
• Cypress 
• CodeceptJS
• Express.js framework (Node.js) 
• Angular 
• PostgreSQL 
• Microservices 
• Azure cloud infrastructure 
• Gatling 
• Saucelabs
• Pa11y, WAVE, aXe 
• Jenkins for deployment 
• Dynatrace for application monitoring 
• Kubernetes and Docker to run our services 
• Jira/Confluence 

We're here to support your learning journey within our tech stack when you become a part of our team.

Key responsibilities: 

• Promote and champion shift-left testing principles, emphasising unit and integration testing, to ensure early detection of issues and higher quality software.
• Lead the development and implementation of test automation strategies in CI/CD environments.
• Write, amend, and refactor test automation code, adhering to internal software development standards.
• Lead in "3 Amigos" sessions as an integral part of the development and testing process.
• Estimate your effort for planning and follow the agreed methodology.
• Understand the impact of business processes on the project and systems.
• Analyse test results and identify patterns and trends, translating findings into business impact.
• Collaborate on designing and building secure products with a focus on information assurance.
• Maintain full traceability of defects, tests, and requirements. Report issues found through the appropriate channels.
• Provide mentoring and coaching to Junior Software Development Engineers in Test to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Contribute to the development of a culture of excellence in test automation within the team.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in leading test automation in CI/CD environments.
• Expertise in writing automated testing programs/scripts, particularly in our core technology stack.
• Expertise in the Software Development Lifecycle, ensuring alignment with project objectives and quality standards.
• Strong understanding of REST web services and API inspection tools.
• Familiarity with bug tracking software and experience in using it effectively.
• Ability to identify and manage issues and risks associated with testing, with a focus on analysing and reporting test activities and results.
• Exposure to applying Agile principles in practice, facilitating seamless integration into project workflows.
• Proficiency in defining and implementing test tooling, test environments, and test data across various phases of testing.
• Proven ability to design and execute non-functional test cases in diverse environments.

Application process:

The following areas of Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and score your application during the sift, and interview.

• Experience – As demonstrated in your application form.
• Technical – As demonstrated in your application form and interview. Successful sift candidates will be invited to a pre-interview technical on-line test. If successful, you will move on to the interview stage 
• DDaT Assessment – During the interview, you will be assessed against the DDaT framework
• Behaviours – You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at Level 3
• Behaviours – We will be using the behaviours below.

o Communicating and Influencing 
o Making Effective Decisions

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,868, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £10,804 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.