Do you have a passion for delivering user focused digital services and using the latest technology to deliver solutions to a global audience of millions?

Are you enthusiastic about clean code, well designed software and mentoring others to enable them to work at their best?

If the answer to the above is yes, we would love you to join us as a Senior Software Developer and be part of our team to help us build the future of our Digital Services!

The majority of our teams are primarily based in our Cardiff head office. The teams are a mix of hybrid and fully remote workers. We are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work. Remote contracts will only be offered to successful candidates who are not within a commutable distance to our Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh offices. If you are located in a reasonable distance to one our offices, you will receive a hybrid contract aligned to one of our offices. Our approach to hybrid working provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life.

Job description

As a Senior Developer you'll join one of our many Agile Software Development teams. A typical team is made up of an agile delivery manager, developers, testers, user researchers, analysts and a product owner.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Designing efficient and maintainable solutions
• Contributing and adhering to our technical standards
• Mentoring software engineers in your team and the wider software development community
• Maximising the automated test coverage to help move to continuous delivery
• Ensuring code quality through code reviews

What it is like to work in Companies House:

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. Wherever possible we offer flexible working arrangements. We'll support you to meet other commitments and help you strike a better work-life balance. We’re keen to create an environment that works for everyone, and we particularly encourage applications from different underrepresented demographics.

Half a day a week is devoted to Innovation time where everyone in digital can work on whatever they choose, be that building new applications, trying new technologies or working towards certifications, it’s up to you. In addition to this we offer lots of opportunities to have training as and when it is needed. We trust and empower our staff to work in a way which best suits them.

Companies House is an award-winning employer, With an Investors in People Platinum Award we are at the forefront in ensuring our staff reach their full potential in building brilliant services on cutting-edge technology. You’ll be joining our Software Engineering Profession at a time of transformation and you will be a part of shaping the future of our department. We use Agile Methodologies and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

Person specification

We are looking for the following experience and technical skills, which will be assessed at sift and interview. Please refer to the bullet points below when writing your personal statement.

Experience - please refer to this in your personal statement

• You'll have extensive software engineering experience of more than 3 years, with excellent technical skills and the ability to complete detailed design. A degree in computing or similar would be an advantage
• You'll have a passion for high quality, well-crafted code, and associated tooling
• You embrace continuous integration and have a continuous delivery mindset
• You are patient and can help support and mentor others with different degrees of expertise to maximise their potential
• You have excellent communication skills and can help explain complicated technical issues to individuals who don’t share the same technical experience

Essential:

• Recent experience as a Java or JavaScript/Node developer in an agile software engineering environment
• Experience of coaching and mentoring junior developers – including through techniques such as pair programming
• Experience of developing software throughout the delivery lifecycle

Desirable:

• You have experience designing and building RESTful APIs and supporting them in a live production environment

We will also be assessing the following technical skills - please refer to this in your personal statement

Essential:

• Strong knowledge of programming tools, frameworks, and techniques in at least one of the following ecosystems: Java and/or Node (you will be expected to learn the other once in post as required according to business needs)
• Application of good working practices such as test-driven and behaviour-driven development (TDD/BDD), pair programming, version control/branching strategies, and application of design patterns
• Knowledge of all key full stack web technologies, including use of relational and noSQL databases

Desirable:

• Knowledge of any of the following technologies/approaches: Golang, TypeScript, Kafka, Deployment pipeline tooling (e.g. Concourse), Infrastructure as Code, Elasticsearch, MongoDB
• Knowledge of cloud-first micro-service driven architecture
• Knowledge of WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines, and experience implementing to meet at least “AA” standard

Technical skills

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

• Development Process Optimisation
• Programming and build
• System design
• User focus and systems integration

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,134, Companies House contributes £8,946 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Join us at Companies House and experience the difference of working within a culture that values you, not only as an employee, but as an integral part of our Companies House team.

We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.

Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment (companieshouse.gov.uk) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

Next Steps

Click 'Apply Now' to be taken to our main advert Civil Service Jobs where you can see more details regarding the role, the incredible benefits we have to offer and what it's like to work in Companies House.

If you have any questions about the role or process, please reach out to kjones6@companieshouse.gov.uk.

This role closes on 2 June 2024.