About the job

Job summary

Diverse Perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

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.

This role will support HSE’s mission to prevent death, injury and ill-health in Great Britain's workplaces through the analysis of text data.

This is an exciting opportunity to support innovative work within government. Together, with the widest range of health and safety specialists in Britain, you’ll be helping to protect thousands of people, whilst working in an inclusive environment where all our people can thrive and be themselves.

Job description

As a Junior Software Developer, you will help deliver HSE’s analytical functions by creating tools and techniques to help analyse and model health and safety data. You’ll be part of an analytical team that works alongside other HSE technical and regulatory specialists to ensure that HSE is able to access and synthesise data from several text rich data sources. This work helps to generate and enhance the available evidence to support decisions made in health and safety across a wide range of industry sectors.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

There will be a need to travel to the Buxton office once per month for team meetings. Additionally, there is an expectation to attend your local office up to 3 times per week. For more information on our offices, see here.

Part-time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:

• Support to designing, developing, and refining scientific software that exposes models developed by mathematical modellers within HSE.
• Supporting approaches and technologies to extract value from free text sources.
• Supporting an overall strategy to converge on text mining tools and approaches within HSE.
• Working closely with programme leads and stakeholders to ensure that approaches are sensible, and outputs are in line with end user expectations.
• Presentation, documentation, and visualisation of findings to key decision makers.

In line with the Digital, data and technology (DDaT) Junior Developer role, the applicant 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

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Previous experience in programming and software development, with a working knowledge of Python or similar programming language.
• Understanding of approaches to develop web applications, approaches to testing, databases and the full software design process.  
• Able to communicate at all levels to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience of working as part of a project, defining and working to agreed deliverables and timeframes.
• Passionate about continuous professional development.
• An honours degree in a numerate or IT discipline, Computer Science, Physics or a Level 6 equivalent which demonstrates core software development skills, or in an IT-related subject.
• The applicant will also need to demonstrate knowledge in-line with Digital, data and technology (DDaT) Junior Developer role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,802, Health and Safety Executive contributes £8,857 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.

Application Information

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete an anonymised CV of your career history and experience and a Personal Statement of no more than 500 words which should detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role. 

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a personal statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/  

Sift Information

A sift will take place during week commencing 4th March 2024, where your application will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement.

Interview Information

Interviews will take place via MS Teams from the 21st March 2024 onwards where you will be assessed on the advertised behaviours and your technical skill.

Please note that these dates could be subject to change.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.

For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.   

Any move to HSE 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 here 

If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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.