About the job

Job summary

• Are you an expert in development processes and procedures?
• Are you fluent in code and able to test and analyse our developers' output?
• Do you want to help ensure charities perform at their best?

Development operations engineers support the development and operation of software through tools, environments, and practices.  In this role, you will be responsible for underpinning good development processes including managing tools and testing environments, central code control, maintaining development standards and writing software that automates systems.

You will aid the development of end-to-end Digital Services for Charities and members of the public within an agile environment, as well as maintain existing digital services and products.

It is essential that you work collaboratively within the multi-skilled DDaT function and across the wider Commission and ensure the software meets the product vision, GDS.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Building and setting up new development tools and infrastructure. For example, Building the new deployment pipeline in Azure and looking for a best development IDE for both coding in java and unit testing.
• Identifying and engaging with stakeholders, understanding their needs, identifying risks, issues and dependencies and conveying agreed requirement  to developers.
• Working on ways to automate and improve development and release processes through consideration and recommendation of best options.
• Testing and examining code written by others, interpreting and analysing results.
• Ensuring that systems are safe and secure against cybersecurity threats.
• Identifying technical problems and developing software updates and ‘fixes’.
• Working with software developers and software engineers to ensure that development follows established processes and works as intended.
• Planning out projects, providing technical and contextual advice to support good project management decisions.

 Methods & Tools

• Follows organisational policies, standards, and guidelines for methods and tools.
• Follows approved techniques, methodologies, and tools, to match overall business requirements, ensuring consistency across all user groups.
• Ensures the design of users’ digital, interactions and interfaces meet usability and accessibility requirements.
• Refines designs in response to user-centred evaluation and feedback and communication of the design to those responsible for design, development, and implementation.
• Carries out analysis and prioritisation of stakeholders’ user experience needs.

Person specification

Ability

• Availability and capacity management: You can define, analyse, plan, forecast, measure, maintain and improve all aspects of the availability of services, including power. You know how to control and manage service availability to meet the needs of the business in a cost-effective manner, including managing the capability, functionality, and sustainability of service components (including hardware, software, network resources and software/infrastructure as a service).
• Information security: You know how to maintain the security, confidentiality, and integrity of information systems through compliance with relevant legislation and regulations. You can design, implement, and operate controls and management strategies to allow this.
• Modern standards approach: You use a modern standards approach throughout automation and testing.

Experience

• Software skills: Designing, coding, testing, correcting, and documenting programs or scripts within and across the full development stack including the use of Java/JavaScript.
• Collaboration: Experience of working within a multi-disciplined team in a software development/engineering context.

Technical

• Programming and build (software engineering): You know how to use agreed security standards and specifications to design, create, test and document new or amended software.
• Prototyping: You can apply your technical knowledge and experience to create or design workable prototypes, both programs and physical outputs. You understand parameters, restrictions and synergies.
• Service support: You can maintain and support services.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,086, Charity Commission contributes £9,473 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 and Experience.

To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following: 

• A blind CV setting out your Job History/Full Qualifications/Previous skill and experiences.
• A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) demonstrating how you meet the Essential Criteria for the role outlined on the Job Description.
  

Sift ­- 21/02/2024

• We will assess you on your CV and Personal Statement.

Interviews, Face to Face - Liverpool 06/03/2024, Newport 08/03/2024.

At interview you will be assessed on your Technical knowledge and experience and the behaviours as listed in the job advert.

Interview Arrangements

Interviews will be taking place Face to Face in our Liverpool and Newport Offices.

• We will assess you on the behaviours listed in the job description, and experience.

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. 

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills. 

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process to manage numbers. 

Behaviours

The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge, and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 (Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and should be referred to when making this application. 

You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation. 

You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills, and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people. 

When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did, what your thought process was and what was the result. 

This post is full time however those applicants who do or wish to work an alternative working pattern are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled persons, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Reserve Lists

If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 12-month reserve list as standard. 

During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.

Applying

We recognise everyone as an individual, accepting people for who they are and treating everyone fairly. 

All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 

Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions. 

Please note that late applications will not be accepted. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Concerns/Complaints

The Charity Commission’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. 

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance hrselfservice@charitycommission.gov.uk.

 If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web page here.

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.