Lead Node Developer - DEFRA - G7
Government Digital & Data -
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.
We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.
Find out more about DDTS:
Defra digital, data and technology blog
Job description
Our team of Software Developers are passionate about making a difference to our environment and the lives of people in the UK and we are now looking for experienced Full Stack Node.js Developers to become a part of a close-knit development team.
What your day-to-day will look like:
Using the latest cloud technologies, you may be working on our ‘Flood services’ - developing government digital services to share information about current and future flood risk with the public. It will be your job to ensure they are accessible to all, especially in times of bad weather!
Alternatively, you could be involved with our Farming and Countryside Programme which is about delivering services to make farming sustainable, increase biodiversity, promote high animal health and welfare standards, and contribute to the Government’s Net Zero commitment, ensuring ‘public money for public good’.
Other projects require us to maintain and develop several externally facing digital services and internal applications. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will have responsibility for ‘owning’ the functionality you develop.
If you are as enthusiastic as us about building great solutions for Defra and our Arm’s Length Bodies, then this is the job for you. As Lead Developer you will review colleagues design and development thinking, making sure the most appropriate technology is selected, and that code is maintainable, performant and secure. You will be leading the integration of multiple systems and technologies whilst collaborating with senior stakeholders and suppliers, providing direction and challenge to find the most appropriate solutions.
What technology do we use?
Node.js
API development - REST, OpenAPI
Web development - HAPI
Databases - PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
Unit testing - Jest, Lab
Source Control – Git
Cloud hosting - Azure/AWS
Containerisation - Docker, Kubernetes, ECS
CI and release - ADO, Jenkins, Github Actions
Work Management - Jira, ADO
Please note for this role you will require SC Clearance. To gain SC clearance all applicants are required to have been a UK resident for a minimum of 5 years. If this requirement is not met, the individual will not be able to progress their application further.
Person specification
Responsibilities
- A dedication to learn new technologies and to explore new industry concepts
- Leading more junior developers on the team, including both permanent staff and contractors
- Translating requirements into viable system designs
- Putting users first, identifying needs based on evidence, developing services to meet those needs, and engage in meaningful interactions and relationships with users
- Create code that is open by default and easy for others to reuse
- Working with common Defra technologies including Node.js, PostgreSQL, Redis
- Applying knowledge and experience to investigate and resolve issues
- Establishing relationships and embedding ways of working across projects
- Awareness of secure development practices including vulnerability scanning and OWASP
Skills and experience
- Ability to provide leadership and direction to a team of software developers
- Ability to communicate clearly and with confidence to senior stakeholders
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience
- Work management including refining and breaking down tasks, and defining acceptance criteria
- Awareness of Clean Coding practices and approaches to mitigate and address technical debt - refactoring, test coverage
- Software architecture - layers, separation of concerns, microservices
- Lead Developer Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework skills. Please see the Technical skills below for further information on these
Selection process
The Civil Service marks each element of the selection process on a merit basis. You can visit the gov.uk website for further information on the Civil Service rating scale.
Ensure you have tailored your CV and Personal Statement to the 'responsibilities' and 'skills and experience' section of the job advert by providing examples on how you are suitable for the role. We would recommend using the STAR method.
For further information on STAR, you can check out our hints and tips document.
Application
As part of the application process, you will be assessed on your experience and will be asked to complete:
- A CV
- A 500 word personal statement - "Referring to the 'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples."
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Sift will begin shortly after the advert closes.
Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to the technical test, designed to test your Node.js skills and understanding. You will have 7 days to complete the test.
Should there be a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted using your personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment or interview.
Interview
If successful at technical test stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Technical skills listed below. You will be asked to do a presentation to assess the 'Leadership' behaviour.
The following behaviours will be assessed at interview:
- Leadership
The following technical skills will be assessed at interview:
- Development Process Optimisation
- Modern Standards Approach
- Programming and Build
- Systems Design
- User Focus
- Information Security
- Prototyping
The technical skills are aligned with the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for the (lead) software developer profession. To find out more about them, please visit the website.
Interviews will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. Sift and Interview dates are to be confirmed. Please note that these may be subject to change.
For further information on Success Profiles, please use the links below and watch our videos on Defra Jobs.
Behaviours
Experience
Technical
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Development Process Optimisation
- Modern Standards Approach
- Programming and Build
- Systems Design
- User Focus
- Information Security
- Prototyping
