About the job

Job summary

As one of our Lead Software Engineers, you will be leading a delivery team of between 6-8 software and test engineers.  You will have responsibility for leading the team on a range of projects that at the heart of all we do is keeping the mariner at sea safe.  The role alongside that of the delivery manager and product owner are key to the success to the delivery of projects.

The work we do really matters, both to safety of lives at sea, climate change, environmental management and the ecology of the sea.

As a lead you will also be involved in early project initiation, helping define the work, technical direction working alongside business analysts and solution architects.

As one of the lead engineers, you will also be part of the technical leadership group of software engineering, working with the Head of Software Engineering, helping shape policies, standards and driving forward the profession of software engineering.

We encourage and can facilitate involvement in wider government within Software Engineering, looking at how other depts work and what we can learn from them.

On a personal development level, we have a well-developed framework, access to a whole range of certifications (e.g. we offer all the Microsoft certifications), as well as wider range of other technical and leadership development. Investing in you is not just a buzz word, we really do it.

The contractual base location for the roles will be our office in Taunton, those individuals who live beyond a reasonable travelling distance from Taunton, will be able to work from home. 

For those individuals who live within a reasonable commuting  distance of the office, how often individuals attend the office will be agreed on a case by case basis. 

Please note there may be occasions when staff are required to travel into the office in Taunton for meetings, however this will be agreed on an individual basis. On these rare occasions the travel and any accommodation would need to be at their own expense.

Please note our Policy on informal hybrid working (arrangements available as agreed with the line manager) applies within the UK, and does not extend to working overseas.

Job description

• Technically lead an agile team designing and crafting software solutions, utilising methodologies such as unit testing and pair programming. The team will be focussed on both developing and enhancing a set of core services, as well as building resiliency and maintainability in. 
• Ensure effective use of automated testing and deployment tools to build and support a continuous delivery environment 
• Collaborate with others in the development community, by identifying good practices we can adopt and through sharing our experiences 
• Share knowledge of tools and techniques with the wider team
• Continually develop your own skills as part of a programme of continuous professional development 

Person specification

• A broad range of commercial experience, including crafting good quality code in .Net
• Experience in providing technical leadership
• Broad knowledge of design principles and patterns, able to lead the design of systems or components
• A good knowledge of DevOps principles, for example Continuous Integration  or Continuous Delivery 
• Working together
• Communicating and influencing
• Developing Self and others

Additional Information: 

Whilst we welcome applications from those seeking part time work, please note, that there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to work a minimum of 30 hours per week

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,686, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £15,575 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.

How to Apply:

Please upload a copy of your anonymised CV demonstrating your relevant experience to the role (see below) by clicking "Apply Now" at the bottom of this page. You will also be asked to complete a statement of suitability of up to 500 words where you can demonstrate how you meet the criteria detailed below. 

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications: 14th February 2024
• Shortlisting: week commencing 19th February 2024
• Interviews: week commencing 26th February 2024

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

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

 All applications are processed anonymously. Should we receive a high volume of applications they will first be assessed against the lead criteria below and only those that score highly enough will be fully sifted.

Your CV and statement of suitability will be scored against the following:

• A broad range of commercial experience, including crafting good quality code in .Net
• Experience in providing technical leadership (Lead criteria)

Interview Criteria: 

Interviews will include a technical coding test lasting 60 minutes. You will then be interviewed against the following criteria: 

Civil Service Behaviours (Level 4):

• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Communicating and Influencing 

Technical Skills (Assessed via a Technical Test):

• A broad range of commercial experience, including crafting good quality code in .Net 

 See here for further information: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

 

Process: 

• Single Stage Interview via TEAMS. You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted (see our Candidate Pack for further information)
• Interview will be with a panel of no more than 3 people and will last approx. 1 hour and 45 mins 

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. You will also need to apply for SC (Security Clearance), but you may be able to start your role before gaining this. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.

Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

SC – non reserved
This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and although open to UK, British Commonwealth and European Economic Area nationals, successful applicants will require a security clearance (SC) and therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 12 consecutive months within the last 5 years

Eligibility

Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities.

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 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.