Lead Software Engineer

Our Lead Software Engineers are experts in their field, skilled in multiple disciplines, role models in software craftsmanship and have proven experience in the design, development and support of software products. Responsible for defining medium to long term strategies for product lines, defining guidelines for the Engineering community and leading their adoption across teams in order to deliver quality software products. You will lead the design of complex software products that make up citizen services in collaboration with Architecture. There are two teams that successful candidates might join:

• Within Working Age Services Digital, we support a range of critical services, including the Departments highest profile benefit service, Universal Credit. These services sit at the heart of society, helping millions of people every day. In addition, we have the green field Jobs and Careers Service which is the governments new 'Get Britain Working' initiative which moves DWP to having a customer base beyond benefit claimants. Through all of this we need the highest skilled engineers guiding the teams through cutting edge technology decisions working with Product and Delivery leads throughout.
• Digital Payment Services: Payments are core to DWP. They are the biggest payer in the UK, serving 22m citizens which is 34% of the total UK population and make circa 230bn in payments annually generating a third of the UKs BACS (Bankers Automated Clearing System) traffic. We are delivering an ambitious transformation programme to reimagine and make best use of emerging future technologies in the banking industry to continue to ensure that people who get paid by DWP receive the right amount of money, at the right time into the right bank account.
Please note: As part of the role, you maybe requiredto travel regularly to the other digital hubs. The frequency of this will be discussed further should you be successful., The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups:
• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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) . 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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) . Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .

Are you capable of leading & mentoring engineering teams while helping to shape and deliver services?,
• An experienced leader with strong influencing skills, able to grasp complex technical concepts and communicate, both written and verbal, to a wider range of non-technical stakeholders. You will have evidence of a strategic mindset, working effectively with senior leadership teams in a complex technical environment.
• Experience of leading multiple teams and driving changes in technology and ways of working alongside other roles and disciplines within the team.
• Expert knowledge and extensive experience of open-source technologies like Java, JavaScript and Node.js.
• Expert and extensive knowledge and experience of developing on cloud-based environments such as AWS and Azure to deliver APIs, RESTful services and Microservice Architectures.
• Extensive experience and knowledge of Test-Driven Development.
• Knowledge and experience of SQL and noSQL database applications such as Postgres, MySQL, and MongoDB.
4. Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of Relationship Management. This statement should be used to provide example(s) of how you meet the criterion below:
• An experienced leader with strong influencing skills, able to grasp complex technical concepts and communicate, both written and verbal, to a wider range of non-technical stakeholders. You will have evidence of a strategic mindset, working effectively with senior leadership teams in a complex technical environment.
Ensure that all examples provided in your statements are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. If you choose to use gen-AI to support your statements, you must follow the guidelines outlined in the Artificial intelligence and recruitment guide., You will also be asked to do a 15-minute presentation on Relationship Management. There will be a further 10 minutes for questions. The use of visual aids such as PowerPoint is allowed. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview., You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. You must have resided continuously in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years, 2 of which must have been the immediately preceding years from the point of applying for this job.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Digital and Transformation Group is seeking twoexceptional Lead Software Engineers to drive the next phase of one of the UKs largest and most complex digital transformations. This is a rare opportunity for highly experienced engineers to step into a senior, influential role where deep technical expertise meets strategic leadership. Youll lead and inspire multiple engineering teams, work shoulder-to-shoulder with senior leaders, and translate complex technical concepts into clear, compelling outcomes for non-technical stakeholders, all while building modern, cloud-native services using open-source technologies such as Java, JavaScript and Node.js, AWS and Azure, TDD, robust CI/CD pipelines, API-driven microservice architectures, and SQL and NoSQL data platforms. If you thrive in complex environments, enjoy setting technical direction, and want your work to have national scale and purpose, this role offers influence, challenge and genuine impact. We are looking for outstanding Lead Software Engineers who can make a positive impact and want to contribute to one of the most demanding and important Government services for the UK. Lets be clear about the impact of your work the products we build are the changing the face of public services with the potential to dramatically transform the future of millions of people.

Alongside your salary of 75,026, Department for Work and Pensions contributes 21,735 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (prorata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 years continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Womens Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Hybrid Working This 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. If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office. If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert. Salary Information Pay for this role is from 75,026 to 92,522. The maximum salary for the grade is 80,267, however a Digital Allowance of up to 12,255 per annum is available for exceptional candidates. Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could beretained, amended, or removed. Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience asdemonstratedat interview. Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer willmaintaintheir current substantive salary. Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion will move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase applied to their current substantive salary, whichever is greater. Any temporary allowances that you are currently in receipt of will not form part of the calculation todetermineyour pay. Any allowances that are in payment will cease when you move into your new role. Things you need to know Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.