Lead Developer - DESNZ - G7
Government Digital & Data -
Location
Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
About the job
Job summary
The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a new shared corporate service, launched in July 2023. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
Our team of just over 300 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field.
We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Find Out More
You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/
Job description
Join ICS Digital, where innovation meets expertise to create digital solutions. We are a cohesive digital community who work in the open, solving problems together and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to user-focused design and data-driven decision-making ensures that we deliver accessible services tailored to the needs of our customers.
As a Lead Developer, you will be responsible for the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of services within ICS Digital. You will lead technical projects and collaborate closely with stakeholders to deliver high-quality, scalable, and efficient solutions that meet the needs of our customers in the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
This is a pivotal new role within our Software Developer team. You will work alongside Civil Servants and Contractors in a multidisciplinary environment to develop and support a range of services across our data and development platforms. Our team operates in the open, values transparency, and embraces agile ways of working.
You will be working with a diverse technology stack, including cloud platforms such as Azure and AWS, and programming languages such as C#, Python, and TypeScript. This environment offers the opportunity to apply and expand your technical expertise while contributing to the delivery of robust, secure, and innovative digital services.
Visit our blog to learn more about us and our work: https://icsdigital.blog.gov.uk/
Person specification
- Lead the design and development of tailored digital solutions across platforms like Salesforce, Azure, and AWS using languages such as C#, Python, and TypeScript.
- Own technical planning and delivery, ensuring alignment with architectural standards, coding best practices, and project timelines.
- Collaborate with stakeholders and technical teams to gather requirements, translate them into specifications, and provide strategic guidance throughout the development lifecycle.
- Oversee data modelling, migration, and integration, ensuring seamless interoperability between systems and services.
- Develop and maintain reusable components and APIs, supporting scalable service integrations across cloud and enterprise platforms.
- Mentor developers and conduct code reviews, promoting technical excellence, continuous learning, and collaborative problem-solving.
- Resolve complex technical issues and support robust deployment, working closely with QA and DevOps to ensure system reliability, performance, and maintainability.
The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and the post holders may be required to undertake some additional tasks not listed above, within the remit of their grade, to support the team.
As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.
Essential Criteria
- Strong hands-on coding skills in Python, C#/.NET, and TypeScript, with experience building secure, scalable solutions across cloud platforms.
- Cloud delivery expertise on AWS and/or Azure, including deployment, workload identity, networking fundamentals, and core service integration.
- DevOps and automation proficiency, including CI/CD pipeline design (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps), infrastructure as code (Terraform, Bicep/ARM), and versioning strategies.
- Robust testing mindset, with experience in automated unit, integration, and end-to-end testing using frameworks like pytest, xUnit/NUnit, and Jest, embedded within pipelines.
- Architecture and security-by-design, translating business needs into scalable, API-first solutions, applying OWASP principles, OAuth2/OIDC, and secure coding practices.
- Operational excellence and technical leadership, including observability (logs, metrics, traces), incident response, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA), mentoring, and adherence to government service standards.
Desirable Criteria
- Cross-cloud and container experience, including operating in both AWS and Azure, and building/running services with Docker.
- Advanced engineering practices, such as reusable Terraform modules, performance/accessibility/security testing in CI, and modernising legacy systems into cloud-native architectures. Experience with designing and developing data platforms.
- Public sector and leadership impact, with experience delivering to GDS standards, holding relevant certifications (e.g., AWS/Azure/Terraform), and contributing through coaching, communities of practice, and technical direction.
It is unusual that all candidates will meet all the desirable criteria. If your skills and experience look slightly different from what we have identified, and you think you can bring value to the Lead Developer role and the team, we strongly encourage you to apply. We'd love to hear from you!
Please, no recruitment agencies.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Systems Design - Practitioner
- Programming and build - Expert
