Software Engineer Birmingham, England
Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Engineering
Information Technology
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
Do you have experience of using COBOL?
Can you lead teams and influence stakeholders across multiple teams?
If so, these roles may be perfect for you.
We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer and Software Engineers who want to build and maintain our core systems, contributing to DWP goals to support some of the most vulnerable people in society by building demanding and exciting future digital services for the UK Government.
You will be part of changing the face of public services with the potential to dramatically transform the future of millions of people.
Job description
As a Senior Software Engineer (Grade 7- 1 role available), you will lead a team of engineers to develop and maintain software products that make up citizen services and contribute towards their design.
As a Software Engineer (SEO- 2 roles available), you will develop and maintain software products that make up citizen services and contribute towards their design.
As part of either role;
- You will be responsible for the operational stability of the products you build and be in a position to effect change in the on-going robustness and resilience of those products.
- You will work within, and contribute to, the overall Software Development Lifecycle Process as part of a multi-functional delivery team focused on one or more products.
- You will support and develop our legacy services that pay ~£150 Bn to over 15 M customers each year. The core systems are based on Microfocus COBOL although we also use other core languages in the wider infrastructure, eg C and Java and packages such as Autosys and Tuxedo. You will need to demonstrate your experience and knowledge of programming in COBOL.
- You will focus on operational stability, efficiency, robustness, resilience, availability and quality, and be accountable for the code you and your teams produce.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include but are not restricted to, the following.
- Leading a team of engineers.
- Collaborating across teams and providing leadership and direction to a multi-functional team supporting our applications.
- Flexibility to support across other applications and based on need and workload.
- Transform business requirements into production ready code.
- Deliver software products which make up services.
- Identify and resolve issues preventing delivery or continuation of software engineering activities.
- Carry out agreed infrastructure maintenance tasks.
- Provide 3rd line support on products developed, including out of hours support as and when required.
- Coaching and mentoring across the team and wider engineering practice.
Person specification
The essential criteria are outlined in the selection process details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact [email protected].
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
Benefits
- An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
- Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
- Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
SEO Salary for this role is from £38,469 (Band min) to £41,480 (Band max).
Where the maximum salary of £41,480 is offered, a Digital Allowance of up to £15,000 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.
Grade 7 Salary for this role is from £50,155 (Band min) to £60,781 (Band max).
Where the maximum salary of £60,781 is offered, a Digital Allowance of up to £15,000 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion will move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or a 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of three parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.
3. Behaviour statements (up to 250 words) on the Leadership behaviour.
4. Personal statement up to 750 words.
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with the technical based Essential criteria below:
- Knowledge and experience of COBOL/MicroFocus COBOL.
- Awareness/knowledge of products such as Tuxedo, RHEL and scripting languages.
- Awareness/knowledge of open source technologies and tools such as Python, Java, Ansible, Jira, Object orientation and Cloud-based environments like AWS.
- Knowledge of SQL.
- Awareness of test-driven development and business driven development.
- Awareness of automated test suites and how they support a continuous deployment environment.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit our blog Getting Hired at DWP Digital .
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the technical essential criteria as well as the Leadership behaviour.
Interviews will take place from Early April onwards.
Other information:
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.
Important Information- 2 of these roles (1 Grade 7 and 1 SEO post) will require you to have an additional security level- Security Clearance (SC). The remaining post require you to have Baseline Personal Security Standard (BPSS).
As part of our process you will be asked to indicate whether you wish to be considered for a Security Clearance (SC) role.
For more information regarding clearance please see National security vetting: clearance levels.
Please note- Failure to pass either check (whichever is applicable) may affect you taking up employment within DWP.
For meaningful Security checks to be carried out individuals you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Further information:
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Any move to DWP 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Find out more about Working for DWP
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
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) (opens in a new window)
- 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
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
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.
