Job responsibilities
Person Specification
- You will have a high standard of knowledge of Python and be able to work to agreed security standards and specifications using the best tools for the job to design, create, test and document new or redeveloped software.
- You will be capable of building software of medium to high complexity, specifying and designing systems to meet defined business needs.
- You will need the ability to explore and propose different approaches to solving problems and ensure you select appropriate technology and use resources efficiently to integrate multiple systems and technologies.
- You will be skilled at integrating and testing multiple components, systems and their interfaces.
- You will have the ability to take ownership of projects and the desire to take them through to production.
- The role requires good troubleshooting skills with an ability to identify locate and competently fix bugs and errors.
- You will need a strong ability to collaborate with user researchers, sell and represent users internally and champion user research to focus on all users. This means an ability to understand users and identify them and their needs based on evidence.
- You should put users first, manage competing priorities and offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to be used.
- You will have experience of using modern standards for process automation and testing and be able to guide others in doing so.
Main Duties of the Job
- Implement new Python software products using modern development standards and techniques/technologies including test-driven and behaviour-driven development (TDD/BDD).
- Support and fix bugs in existing applications, using standard debugging tools to track down and identify root causes. Work independently to find solutions to identified problems and to work with the multi-disciplinary team to solve more challenging issues
- Design, create and test software sub-systems and component using proven software engineering practices. Integrate existing and proposed systems with other systems to promote interoperability between disparate systems
- Work in sprints in a multi-disciplinary Scrum team, collaborate and liaise with delivery managers, product owners and other stakeholders to identify business requirements and implement user stories
- Collaborate and work with multi-disciplinary team members, including technology and cloud service providers to ensure that knowledge is shared among members of the project team
- Continuously seek to improve your own knowledge of work areas and embrace the agile framework of software delivery methodology and aim to reach full agility with continuous integrations, delivery and deployment
- Research and recommend proven open-source tools and platforms that will support the ongoing delivery of UKHSAs products and developing functional and technical specification documentation for them
- Design systems that model processes that are characterised by different levels of risk, impact and business/technical complexity through selecting appropriate design standards, methods and tools. Review existing system design and identify ways to improve or adopt efficient use of resources
- Attend local and national meetings with key stakeholders and UKHSAs partner organisations
The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include:
Internal
- Digital team
- ICT department
- Product owners across UKHSA
- Users within UKHSA including key business sponsors
External
- Software suppliers and design agency representatives
- Representatives of other bodies with NHS and Department of Health
- Government Digital Service
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.
Essential Criteria:
- Understanding of front-end development technologies: HTML, CSS and JavaScript
- Strong understanding and experience of Python and ecosystem of packages
- Understanding of modern containerised deployment via CI/CD on the cloud
- Both SQL and NoSQL data manipulation experience
- Experience of developing and consuming RESTful APIs and web services
- Knowledge of object-oriented concepts and design patterns
- Experience of the principles and practices of agile development and the project lifecycle, and agile tools such as Jira or Redmine
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
Desirable Criteria:
- Postgraduate or professional qualification or equivalent experience in relevant technologies
- Additional languages, or frontend technologies (React, Vue etc)
- Pytest
Selection Process
Stage 1: Application & Sift
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement / Statement of Suitability in no more than 500 words. We will be assessing 3 behaviours at sift:
Changing & Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating & Influencing
So please make sure you address all 3 behaviours in your statement of suitability
This should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the Experience criteria or the essential 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. This will be used in the sifting process and will be scored.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview
Stage 2: Panel Interview
. All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours / experience / technical / ability through Success Profiles.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making effective decisions
- Changing and Improving
You will also be required to complete a technical coding test during interview
Please note that feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview
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.
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 however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared 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 athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis 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 theEuropean 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
Contact Details Sophie.Rigney@reed.com
