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Salary
Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Type of role
Architecture and Data
Information Technology
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Contents
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About the job
Job summary
Job Title Senior Software Developer
Profession– Software Developer
Directorate Data Operations
Full Time equivalent – 37.5 hours
No of Roles 1
Contract Type Permanent
Location Role available at all core and scientific locations with home working available
Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Porton Down, Colindale, Chilton or home working subject to approval
You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.
The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business needs and in line with departmental policy.
*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available. *
Working Pattern Full Time /Part Time / Flexible Working/ Hybrid Working/ Job Share
Grade & Salary Grade 7. National banding -£51,824- £61,414 per annum. Outer London -£53,812- £63,252 per annum. Inner London – £55,799- £65,089 per annum.
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/.
Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.
Closing Date 03/12/2023. 23:55pm. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered
Interview Date W/C 18/12/2023 Please note, these dates are subject to change.
Introduction
We are looking for a Senior Software Developer to work as part of the Surveillance Systems and Bioinformatics Division of the Data Operations Directorate, UKHSA. You will be part of a team responsible for developing and supporting systems that support the organisations clinical and scientific teams in the delivery of our Health Protection capabilities.
UKHSA is building on the legacy of the COVID-19 response to ensure resilient and scalable infrastructure to secure the UK in the strongest position to protect the public from future threats to health.
The UKHSA mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. To achieve our objectives effectively and fairly, we commit to representing modern Britain and all its diversity. UKHSA recognises that diversity of background and life experience brings different insights, creates challenge and encourages change and innovation. This in turn produces more accountable and trusted public services and better decisions; better because they are more attuned to the needs and interests of all our communities. Differences of thought and outlook are not only respected but expected. We want all of our employees to feel that they can be themselves at work and that they are valued.
Job Overview
The appointee will be required to:
- Lead and manage the technical aspects of the production of system interfaces allowing integration of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) with databases and other repositories
- Design solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature. Demonstrate a clear understanding of information security and cyber considerations and share this with members of their team.
- Ensure that software is flexibly developed so that it can be variably hosted on a range of computational environments including UKHSAs servers, high performance computer infrastructure, and commercial cloud providers such as Amazon or Azure.
- Identify, diagnose and investigate technical problems, methodically applying appropriate tests and gathering sufficient information to enable a solution. Applying local and organisational methodologies for managing and documenting issues.
- Use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.
- Plan and lead development on sets of related stories. Collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally. Prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so. Offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.
- Write database code to modern standards including the advanced SQL and Oracle PL/SQL scripts that enable optimised complex processing of data within and between information systems and for egress of data from these systems for onward use
- Understand the whole application and take responsibility for teaching this to others.
- Co-ordinate build activities across systems. Understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities
- Be responsible for software and database code hosted on multiple platforms that is used to ensure quality of data collected, stored and extracted and to contribute to the wider quality assurance work of the team.
- Be responsible for defining quality metrics for software development and the creation of test plans for applications prior to submitting for testing.
- Ensure software code which is created, developed and maintained by the team is managed appropriately through the implementation of an appropriate source code repository which is aligned to the UKHSA technology strategy of UKHSA.
- Ensure that all live services deployed into production have an appropriate level of operational support. Manage service components with colleagues to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets
- Take a lead role in the delivery of safe and secure services. Ensuring all those involved in the development and delivery of systems are supported to improve system robustness, resilience and stability by identifying opportunities to optimise existing processes.
- Competently apply modern standards approach and guide others to do so, providing technical advice and guidance to other developers in all aspects of design and development.
- Coach and mentor more junior colleagues.
Job description
Lead the creation and support of database and software application pipelines used to process and transform laboratory test results for onward use by surveillance teams. This will include a drive towards automation and more resilient, reliable infrastructure.
- Coordinate with colleagues the development of code using appropriate languages, established modern software engineering principles and design patterns, including the development of prototypes. You will select and implement modern RAD (rapid application development) tools for prototyping and where appropriate, for implementation of minimal viable products. You will contribute to the creation of standards and policies relating to these.
- Be responsible for ensuring that system availability, performance and data flow is monitored and to seek ways to make continuous improvements to improve resilience, data quality and to shape improvements in service delivery
- Lead software engineering practices that ensure compliance with information security and quality policies and procedures, designing solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature
- Lead work with Technology group colleagues to coordinate and implement multidisciplinary approaches to data pipeline production and application/database hosting on various platforms, where necessary migrating current software solutions to new architectures. You will select appropriate system designs characterised by medium levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity.
- Coordinate and direct activities with colleagues to ensure that current best practice for software development, testing and implementation is followed across the software development activities of the Division. You will horizon-scan for appropriate technologies to ensure that UKHSA LIMS and surveillance systems are developed with the future in mind.
- Lead collaborations to guide users in formulating requirements, advise on alternatives and on the implications of new or revised computer systems/applications technology. This includes analysing user project proposals to identify omissions, recommend optimum approaches and develop system designs.
- Lead code reviews and testing of software applications and databases to ensure that development is to agreed specifications, uses appropriate tools and adheres to commercial and UKHSA standards.
- Identify, locate and fix faults in systems both during development and after deployment to production environments including working with infrastructure colleagues to resolve issues that could cause loss of service. You will prioritise your work and that of others in order to ensure that organisation key services are kept available.
- Be an expert reference across the Division and build constructive relationships in order to advise on the choice of technology, efficient use of resources and systems integration. You will lead and organise integration testing and software deployments of release versions defining the integration build and co-ordinating build activities across systems
- Undertake training as required by UKHSA or for the specific requirements of projects and undertake any other duties commensurate with your grade
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Degree in an appropriate discipline or equivalent professional experience
- Extensive experience of designing, developing and delivering large and complex software solutions
- Proven ability to write high quality software documentation and implementation of quality standards for coding among a team.
- Expert knowledge/experience of Microsoft development technologies including, Visual Studio .Net., SQL Server suite
- Experience of implementing a containerised approach to code deployment across development teams and a moving from on premise to cloud native development.
- Experience of SQL , Transact-SQL, Oracle PL/SQL development
- Proven expert skills in at least one object-oriented programming language, such as C#, and intermediate knowledge of Python
- Knowledge of deploying code to enterprise architectures and the cloud, including the use of containers. Experience of OpenShift and/or Kubernetes
- Experience of Internet Information Services (IIS), web application deployment, administration and security
- Experience of the use of Git, GitHub actions and associated tools for version control, integration, deployment or another industry standard version control and CI/CD tools.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems
- An understanding of software Change Control practices
Desirable Criteria:
- Knowledge of Agile software development methodologies
- Previous work with Azure AD
- Experience of JIRA and Confluence
- Experience of SQL Server stored procedures, SSIS packages, SQL Server Agent and jobs, SQL database administration
- Experience of software used for pipeline development
- Proven skills in developing and modifying code used for data analysis and the production of reports in SQL Server Reporting Services, Power BI and other reporting tools
- Experience of PowerShell
- Experience of working in healthcare or biomedical sciences
- Experience in industry or academia of delivering multi-disciplinary projects within deadlines
- Experience of managing large software projects
- Knowledge of PostgreSQL/MSSQL/MariaDB would be a distinct advantage as well as the ability to work across a range of technologies
- Knowledge of NoSQL DBs, e.g., MongoDB, Cosmos DB and Elastic
Benefits
£13,992 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application & Sift
This vacancy is advertised using Success Profiles and will assess your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability using no more than 1000 words. This should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential and desirable criteria (outlined in the person specification section).
You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history, education, and learning. This will be used in the sift process but will not be scored
If you are successful in the sift, you will be invited to interview where you will be asked a mixture of questions based on your experience, the behaviours listed in the advert and some strength-based questions.
Stage 2: Panel Interview
All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours and experience using the success profiles and their strengths and technical abilities.
When assessing strengths, we want to find out whether you and the job role are a good fit. We will look at what you enjoy doing and what you do well and often. By ensuring that the role is the right fit for you, you are more likely to enjoy it and perform well.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
You will be required to prepare a 10 minute presentation for the role
Reserve List:
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.
If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Range of health and wellbeing support
Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK
DBS – People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS clearance and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.
This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Government baseline personnel security standard
Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role
Complaint process:
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.
Contact Details Sophie.rigney@reed.com
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : sophie rigney
- Email : sophie.rigney@reed.com
Recruitment team
- Email : hradmin@phe.gov.uk
