About the job

Job summary

Are you currently engaged in a relevant IT-related degree programme and looking for a placement year in industry?  If so, we would love to hear from you. 

HM Land Registry (HMLR) are looking for two enthusiastic undergraduates to join a forward thinking organisation that recognises talent and encourages personal development.   

You’ll be working as part of our Software Development Practice, a 100-strong community of developers embedded as part of dozens of teams, with a focus on continuous learning, collaboration and career advancement.

It's an exciting time to join us as we continue on a major digital transformation programme. Our existing software systems form part of the critical national infrastructure, safeguarding land and property ownership valued at £7 trillion, enabling over £1 trillion worth of personal and commercial lending to be secured against property across England and Wales.

Job description

You will be joining HM Land Registry within our Transformation and Technology Directorate.  

A Junior Software Developer learns on the job by delivering software components. In this role you will:

• develop skills while working under supervision to deliver stories in a multidisciplinary team
• understand and be proficient in different types of testing
• be aware of but not responsible for security
• coach and mentor more junior colleagues

Your main duties will include:

• Actively participate and contribute to the developer community
• Continuously improve the quality of the software and systems produced
• Develop own skills and knowledge through agreed personal development activities
• Develop software by following industry best practice, aligned to HMLR standards and approved technologies
• Identify and implement optimisations to the development process
• Learn and understand legacy technology and systems as required
• Learn the basics of Land Registry operations, including casework and register data

What will you get from us?

A year tailored to meet your development needs and experience in a variety of different areas. We will work with you to ensure that you get the most out of your time working with us. We will support your development aspirations and offer flexibility in your working week, to enable you to achieve a positive work life balance.

HMLR believe that a blended approach to where you work may give you an improved experience and has clear business benefits.  We expect everyone to typically spend at least 60% of their working time in the office.  Please note in the training period, for the first 2 to 4 weeks, it will be expected that you spend 100% of your time in the office. 

Person specification

You must have completed the 2nd year of a relevant (IT-related) degree programme and are looking for a placement year in industry.  

You have the following Technical Skills: 

• Frontend web technologies 
• Operating systems and environments 
• Programming languages 
• Relational databases 

You can demonstrate an understanding of information security and the types of security controls that can mitigate security threats within solutions and services.  You can explain the most important principles of a modern standards approach and how they apply to the work you are undertaking.  You can design, code, test, correct and document simple programs or scripts under the direction of others.  You can understand when to use a specific prototyping technique or method.  

For more information about the role and HMLR, please see the attached candidate pack.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,484, HM Land Registry contributes £7,960 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 Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Please cut and paste an anonymous CV into the online application form and include your qualifications and career history. 

You will be asked to complete a personal statement (in no more than 1000 words).  This will be used to provide details of how you meet the 'Essential Experience' criteria listed below: 

• Information security - You can demonstrate an understanding of information security and the types of security controls that can be used to mitigate security threats within solutions and services
• Modern standards approach - You can explain the most important principles of a modern standards approach and how they apply to the work you are undertaking. You can apply these principles under guidance
• Programming and build - You can design, code, test, correct and document simple programs or scripts under the direction of others
• Prototyping - You can understand when to use a specific prototyping technique or method. You can show the value of prototyping to your team

Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ – once you have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure your application form is received by 23:55 on Sunday 10 March 2024. 

The sift will take place once we have received your application and if successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend a blended interview, in our Plymouth office.  Interviews will take place shortly after shortlisting stage. 

The blended interview will assess your technical skills, essential experience and strengths associated with the role. We want to hear your first, unrehearsed, natural response to the strength questions, and so we don’t advertise which strengths are being tested. The best way to prepare for strengths questions is to reflect on what you identify as your own personal strengths, and your preferred ways of working.

Candidates may refer to notes within their interview but they should be used as a prompt only.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confidence Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.
If any candidate requires the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else they would like the panel to take into consideration they are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

You can find more information on how we use your personal data on our website.

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. 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.