Location

City of Westminster, London, SW1P 4DF

Overview of the area of work

To build a good service, you need to start with user needs. MHCLG’s ambition is not just to apply this thinking to building digital services, but to influence policy making right at the beginning. We’re working with policy teams to apply digital, user-centred thinking to big important problems like homelessness, job creation, and getting onto the property ladder for the first time. In some cases, we’ll build new digital services – in others we expect to discover from our users that digital isn’t the answer. We want to build an agile, multidisciplinary team to help us find out which is which.

We are looking for developers who will work as part of the team responsible for the digital transformation of the department. You’ll ensure high quality code is delivered in line with project goals and delivery cycles. You’ll thrive using agile methods and enjoy working openly, collaboratively and as part of a multidisciplinary team focused on one or more projects.

Key responsibilities

• Building digital services to serve a variety of citizen and government needs, taking responsibility for the quality of code you produce

• Implementing services and APIs for purposes such as collecting, processing and presenting data to our users, building prototypes and integrating backend services

• Sharing knowledge of tools and techniques with your wider team, both developers and non-developers

• Acting as a digital ambassador, supporting recruitment, identifying good practices for others to adopt and sharing experiences through blog posts, talks at conferences etc.

• Participating in workshops, retrospectives, design crits, user research testing and feedback workshops, and other collaborative work usual in a digital team

• Providing technical leadership within the team advising and working with developers to identify the best solutions

• Taking responsibility for solving complex issues

Key skills/criteria

Successful candidates should be able to demonstrate the following skills & experience:

• Good software development skills, specialising either in front-end development, or backend development with an emphasis on processing data

• An understanding of how to build accessible, progressively enhanced web services

• Knowledge of how to build automated tests to support our continuous deployment environment

• Experience of HTML, CFS and javascript to develop front end prototypes experience of backend development, ideally using a variety of different programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Javascript, Go, or R.

• The ability to quickly research and learn new programming tools and techniques

• Experience in line management, helping colleagues with their career development and coaching more junior staff members

Selection process details

Please submit your CV and statement of suitability outlining how your skills are suited to the role. Please follow the link to Be Applied to submit your CV and to answer the suitability question. Your CV and suitability question should outline how your skills are suited to the role thinking about the key criteria as listed in the job description.

Your CV and statement of suitability will be assessed on: Experience in model software technologies (such as Javascript, Python, Ruby etc), Agile working, Working in a multidisciplinary team, Understanding of software design principles

At interview you will also be assessed on the above.

An initial sift of your CV will be conducted against the key criteria. Longlisted candidates may then be invited to a preliminary interview.

Final interviews may also include an additional assessment exercise or presentation exercise. Please note that your CV must demonstrate evidence of the key criteria for you to be progressed to the next stage.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Contact point for applicants

For further information about this role, please contact the vacancy manager Lindsey Dodd on 0303 444 1527 or via email Lindsey.Dodd@communities.gov.uk