About the job

Job summary

• Seeking a challenge? Do you thrive on transforming challenges into opportunities, leading a team to conquer complex coding feats and deliver unparalleled solutions? All the while fostering a culture of innovation and excellence!
• Dream of leading tech talents? Are you passionate about cultivating a team’s potential, unlocking their best work, and driving excellence in every line of code?

Your primary purpose as a Software Development Manager is to lead a dynamic team of software developers and oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of innovative software solutions.

• You will play a pivotal role in contributing to the software development life cycle by overseeing design and development phases and ensuring seamless integration of DevOps practices. Increasing innovation and the maturity of our software development lifecycle processes and controls and the timely delivery of software solutions.
• You will need extensive knowledge and experience of the full software development lifecycle, the design, development, management and maintenance of information systems and a wealth of experience in C#, .NET Framework, JavaScript frameworks and associated technologies and methodologies.
• You will be managing resources, relationships, vendors, and technology roadmaps ensuring capacity and skills for delivery. Building a team through coaching and developing colleagues in agile ways of working.
• You will need to be an excellent communicator, leader, and motivator with high standards that you inspire in others. You will take accountability for your team’s work and be comfortable making changes and leading them in new directions as necessary.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Team Management: You will lead and inspire a team of developers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. You will provide mentorship, guidance and support to team members, promoting professional growth and skill development.
• Strategic Planning: You will collaborate with stakeholders to understand organisational goals and translate them into a strategic software development roadmap. You will align software initiatives with the Commissions’ mission and regulatory objectives.
• Software Development Oversight: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of excellence and efficiency in software development and deployment, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality solutions. You will provide design and architectural options to key stakeholders, driving forward decisions and a longer term sustainable software architecture, ensuring software is properly monitored, supported and maintained.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: You will work closely with other areas to identify software needs, streamline processes and enhance overall organisational efficiency, ensuring the utilisation of user centred design and data driven iteration. You will collaborate with teams to ensure compliance with data protection and cybersecurity standards.
• Quality Assurance: You will implement and enforce best practice coding, testing and documentation to ensure the reliability and maintainability of software products.

The technologies we use: 

We have a range of tech and tools used in the Charity Commission, below are some of the main ones: 

• A mixture of SaaS, PaaS & IaaS.
• Azure for most of our infrastructure. 
•  C# to write our backend services (Java, Node.js, C#, Python, PHP, Scala, Power platform).
• Java , JavaScript and React to write our frontend services (React, JavaScript, Typescript, Angular). 
• Liferay Digital Experience Platform.
• Azure DevOps for deployment. 
• Application insights for application monitoring. 
• Microsoft Power Pages for some forms development.
• GOV.UK Design System (GDS) for our web interfaces.
• Kubernetes and Docker to run our services. 
• Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL).
• Azure SQL Databases and Managed Instances.
• Azure Synapse (Dedicated SQL Pool) manages the Data Warehouse.
• Azure Data Factory is used for ETL alongside Azure Synapse Link for data replication.
• Legacy applications in VB.net, VB6, top level.
• Powershell scripts.

Person specification

Ability:

• Strong understanding of software architecture, design principles and best practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across directorates.
• Track record of excellent staff management and leadership and proven resource management experience.
• Create a positive learning environment, developing training programmes to support team and individual development.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in leading test automation in CI/CD environments.
• Expertise in the Software Development Lifecycle, ensuring alignment with project objectives and quality standards.
• Significant demonstrable experience of managing development teams using AGILE methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban), sprints, retrospectives, and backlog management.

Technical:

• Degree in Computer Science (or related discipline) or significant equivalent demonstrable experience within a software development environment.
• Proven evidence of continued professional development to maintain relevant knowledge of emerging software development frameworks, trends, and technologies.
• SCRUM / Agile certification.
• ITIL Foundation (or working towards).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,657, Charity Commission contributes £11,787 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, and Previous skill and experiences.

• A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) - Please describe how you match the essential abilities, experience and technical skills on the attached job description.

At interview you will be asked to do a presentation on a prepared topic and assessed on your technical knowledge and experience and the following behaviours:

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Developing Self and Others

Interview Arrangements

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

The sift is due to take place on 28/02/2024

Interviews will be held 12/03/2024 - Liverpool, 13/03/2024 - Newport.

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.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

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.

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.

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.

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.