About the job

Job summary

GDS exists to help government make brilliant public services that empower people in the UK. We work at the very centre of government to drive digital transformation, focused on users. We build and maintain common platforms, products and tools for others to use and create great public services that are accessible, inclusive and easy to use. We also work with departments to identify patterns, share learning and create change to make government more efficient.

Our teams are organised around delivering on our priorities, which are to:

• make it easier for people to find what they are looking for on GOV.UK
• build common service platforms to make it simpler and cheaper to build quality digital services
• promote agile, user-centred design practices both in the UK and across the world

The GOV.UK strategy is focused on growing the reach and impact GOV.UK has for users. A key part of the GDS GOV.UK strategy is in the development and delivery of the first GOV.UK App creating a more persistent, personal and proactive way to support users. 

The delivery of the GOV.UK App is underway, with a growing team focussed on version 1.  We’re hiring Mid and Senior iOS Developers to join the development team. These roles are exciting and rare opportunities to join the GOV.UK App programme at an early stage and shape the direction of development.  

We exist to make it simple for everyone to interact with the government, and we're putting growth at the heart of our strategy.  Almost all of GOV.UK's code is open source, developed in the open on GitHub.  Teams work in agile ways, using best practices such as continuous delivery and test driven development. You can read more about our work on the Inside GOV.UK Blog.

To learn more about life at GDS and for some tips on the application process, take a look at our video guides

Job description

As a Mid iOS Developer on GOV.UK App programme, you’ll:

• work as part of a multi-disciplinary agile team, getting involved with every part of the lifecycle of the application, from user research to releasing the application
• build accessible iOS apps, taking responsibility for the quality of code you produce
• build automated tests to maintain software quality
• share knowledge of tools and techniques with your wider team, both developers and non-developers
• support the live operation of the services we run, and participate in out-of-hours support rotas where necessary - you'll be paid an allowance, and a further hourly payment, for any duties you perform when on call
• be involved in helping recruit developers and, where appropriate, helping sift and interview
• use your learning and development budget to develop your career
• take responsibility for solving complex issues

Person specification

The skills we would expect a Mid iOS Developer to have: 

• experience in iOS development, with knowledge of Swift
• familiarity with Apple Human Interface Guidelines and App Store Review Guidelines
• an understanding of software design principles, and an ability to apply them
• familiarity with modern software development approaches such as automated testing, test driven development, continuous integration, pair programming, code review and version control
• an understanding of common mobile security risks and corresponding mitigations
• experience working in a collaborative environment, and an understanding of the benefits of agile and multi-disciplinary approaches
• a desire to use their skills and experience to make a genuine difference, and to work on important services that are used by millions of people

In addition to the above Senior iOS Developers will also:

• provide technical leadership within a team, advising and working with developers to identify the best approaches and solutions
• take responsibility for solving complex issues, drawing upon a broad knowledge of mobile technologies
• have proven experience of modern software development approaches including automated testing, test driven development, continuous integration, pair programming, code review and version control
• share knowledge among the GDS teams, ensuring that your team is understood by others and understanding the working of the wider organisation

If you meet a few of those criteria but think that you might not meet every last one then don’t let that stop you from submitting an application

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to Government Digital Service 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 20 minute telephone interview (may not be required depending on the volume of applicants)
• a 45 minute pair programming technical exercise - you'll work with a GDS engineer to solve a self-contained programming problem given to you in writing. You'll be asked to discuss the problem with the GDS engineer, devise a plan for solving it, and then to write code to solve the problem. As well as your programming and unit testing skills we'll be evaluating how you communicate and collaborate, and how you break down the problem. You'll use your own development environment for this (conducted over video conferencing)
• a 1 hour 15 min face-to-face interview (conducted over video conferencing)

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours: 

• working together
• changing and improving
• making effective decisions

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework for the DDaT Developer and DDaT Senior Developer role

• programming and build (software engineering)
• modern standards approach
• systems design
• development process optimisation
• information security
• availability and capacity management
• service support
• systems integration

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.

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.