Developer - HO - SEO

Location

Croydon CR0 2WF, Liverpool L3 9AF, Manchester M5 3LZ, Sheffield S3 8NU, Southport PR8 2HH.

About the job

Job summary

We are looking for people who are passionate about Engineering to join our community led team in Shared Applications Service (SAS). You will work in agile multidisciplinary teams with over 200 engineers in a modern cloud environment using the latest technologies. Our purpose as a team is to bring technical understanding in-house for over 600 Home Office applications. 

You could be creating and maintaining some of the most critical public services in the United Kingdom and transforming how we use data and technology to improve these. We are responsible for designing, building and supporting solutions for citizens and Home Office teams. You could also be working on critical IT systems that support policing and counter terrorism, which helps protect UK borders. 

Where business needs allow some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. 

Watch this short video to hear from members of Home Office Digital talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here: Working for Home Office Digital. 

Job description

The Developer works on software components that form part of a product. You will be involved in designing, running and improving software that meets user needs. You will typically work under the guidance of senior colleagues in your team. You will work to our technical standards writing clean, secure code following a test-driven approach, ensuring the code is open as far as possible and can be re-used. 

Tools and Technologies we use: 

We are keen for Engineers to continue learning new technologies, we have a large range in the Home Office including: 

• Backend: Node.js, Python
• Frontend: React, JavaScript, Typescript, Angular  
• Data: Redis, Mongodb
• DevOps/Platforms: AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform
• AI: Github Copilot, OpenAI 

Person specification

Main responsibilities 

• Delivering secure, reliable and scalable software in your team; undertaking a breadth of development tasks.
• Designing new software using appropriate tools and in line with standards, proving designs through prototyping.
• Reporting on system performance and supporting test activities; keeping documentation up to date.
• Supporting services, you have delivered through regular maintenance activities, balancing your work with your leadership.
• Working with other engineers to deliver new capability, for instance improved CI/CD pipelines or test approaches.

Essential skills criteria

As a Developer you will have experience of:

• Ability to design modular, secure, and maintainable JavaScript/Node.js components using recognised design principles and tools, validating designs through prototyping. (SWDN) 
• Proficient in developing reliable JavaScript and Node.js applications, writing clean code, and following best practices for collaborative development and CI/CD workflows. (PROG) 
• Skilled in creating and executing automated tests for JavaScript/Node.js applications (unit, integration, end-to-end) using tools such as Jest or Mocha to ensure quality and performance. (TEST) 
• Capable of integrating Node.js services with APIs, databases, and external systems securely and efficiently, and contributing to build and deployment automation through CI/CD pipelines. (SINT) 
• Knowledge of managing and validating data in JavaScript/Node.js applications, including working with relational and NoSQL databases and ensuring data integrity. (DATM) 
• Able to support and maintain Node.js applications post-deployment, including troubleshooting, performance monitoring, and applying regular updates to keep services reliable. (ASUP) 

SFIA capability framework 

Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) is the technical framework that sets the standard capability and development of all levels in the Home Office. This is a link to the capability framework:  All skills A - Z English (sfia-online.org). 

We use set SFIA technical skills to form our interview questions and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process. 

The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework (based on the industry standard SFIA framework).  Use the SFIA levels of responsibility to understand what would be expected for each technical skills listed below. 

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Software design (SWDN) - Level 3
• Programming/software Development (PROG) - Level 3
• Testing (TEST) - Level 3
• Systems integration and build (SINT) - Level 3
• Data management (DATM) - Level 3
• Application support (ASUP) - Level 3