About the job

Job summary

The Opportunity

As technical lead you’ll bring the perfect blend of strong technical and people skills allowing you to guide, coach and mentor others, review development work, and oversee quality to keep standards very high.

We’ll look to you to lead on many complex issues, helping to refine the systems that allow Members to vote in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, improving the tabling systems that allow MPs to submit questions, and much more.

Among your other responsibilities, you’ll:

• understand the differences between needs and wants, and maintain a strong focus on benefits, outcomes and value for money in all the work we do
• ensure the skills of all the developers in our team are sufficient
• provide coaching, pairing and mentoring to your colleagues, or recommend learning and training areas
• oversee the adequate transfer of knowledge between Principal Developers and the Development and DevOps teams, in line with the overarching strategic direction and our departmental standards
• represent teams in decisions to evolve processes, structures and policies

What You Need

• strong leadership skills with effective teambuilding skills and the ability to motivate and develop a multi-disciplinary team while adhering to wider technical direction in a complex environment, then we want to hear from you. You should also have:
• experience across C#, .NET Core and .NET Framework, web frameworks including MVC and Web API, SQL / SQL Server with proven experience in designing database schemas to satisfy data storage and retrieval requirements, designing and creating RESTful APIs, performing profiling of applications and writing performant code, Git, abstracting code into core libraries and creating reusable components, debugging and systems analysis, HTML5, CSS
• SASS & Javascript and TypeScript, familiarity with a frontend framework such as Angular / React / Vue (Angular preferred) a strong understanding and application of the most appropriate modern standards and practices
• the ability to design systems characterised by medium levels of risk, impact and business or technical complexity, and a readiness to review the system designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources, secure design and the integration of multiple systems and technology
• a good understanding of information security and can build systems with information security included as a core part of the design
• the ability to define the integration build, coordinate build activities across systems and understand how to undertake and support integration-testing activities

Job description

• Acting as a technical leader in the team who takes localised decisions in line with our overarching strategic direction and orchestrates the technical work of a squad, working to motivate and develop squad members.
• Understanding the needs of users and keeps them in mind when taking actions or making decisions.
• Being cognisant of the differences between needs and wants, and maintaining a strong focus on benefits, outcomes, and value for money in all the work we do.
• Ensuring the skills of developers in our team are sufficient for the needs of the products and services being developed, including providing coaching, pairing and mentoring to colleagues, or recommending learning and training areas.
• Overseeing adequate transfer of knowledge between Principal Developers and the development and DevOps teams, in line with the overarching strategic direction and our departmental standards.
• Representing operational teams in decisions to evolve processes, structures and policies to ensure maximum effectiveness based on current organisational need.
• Leading on ways of working and collaboration across a multidisciplinary team that is forming, ensuring changes are introduced at the right pace to be sustainable.
• There are no immediate line management responsibilities, but this may change in time.

The above list of key responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and banding of the post.

Person specification

Criterion 1 – Technical Experience
Demonstratable experience across C#, .NET, .NET Core and .NET Framework, web frameworks including MVC and Web API, SQL / SQL Server with proven experience in designing database schemas to satisfy data storage and retrieval requirements, designing and creating RESTful APIs, performing profiling of applications and writing performant code, Git, abstracting code into core libraries and creating reusable components, debugging and systems analysis, HTML5, CSS / SASS & Javascript and TypeScript, familiarity with a frontend framework such as Angular / React / Vue (Angular preferred).

Criterion 2 - Leadership
You are a strong leader and will have effective teambuilding skills with the ability to motivate, lead and develop a multidisciplinary team whilst adhering to wider technical direction in a complex environment. 
 
Criterion 3 - Standards
You demonstrate strong understanding and application of the most appropriate modern standards and practices and can advise and coach others on the right way to apply these standards and methods, ensuring compliance.
Criterion 4 – Systems Design
You can design systems characterised by medium to high levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity and can review the systems designs of others to ensure selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources, secure design, and integration of multiple systems and technology. 

Criterion 5 – Information Security 
You have a good understanding of information security and build systems with information security included as a core part of the design.

Criterion 6 - Systems Integration
You can define the integration build, can coordinate build activities across systems and understand how to undertake and support integration-testing activities. 

Criterion 7 - User Focus
You can champion the user and represent users internally and can build meaningful relationships with users to support high-quality development and delivery, ensuring to uphold the values of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include:

• up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay
• great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory)
• on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP
• flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. You will need to upload your CV to show how you meet up to the first five criterion. Our application process is anonymous, so please remove any personal information from it.

Apply By: 24th January 2024 at 23:55

Interviews: Introductory calls 30th-31st January
Take home coding exercise – 31st January – 7th February
Pair programming task and Interview: WC 19th February

Format: Assessment + Panel Interview (Remote)

Our Culture

For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success.

We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist 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.