Associate Software Engineer Level II

Job summary

Are you starting your career in software engineering and want to work on automation solutions that improve lives?

If so, The Garage has an exciting opportunity for you to work on automation solutions that directly improve services used by millions of citizens.

The Garage, DWP's strategic automation team, has built over 75 solutions that have processed over 50 million transactions in the last 8 years. Recognised as a government leader in intelligent automation, The Garage is also acknowledged as leading the way across industry.

As a Junior Software Engineer, you will work closely with experienced software engineers to build your technical skills. Your focus will be on learning modern development practices, delivering high-quality code, and contributing to automation solutions that make a real
difference.

Job description

As a Junior Software Engineer in The Garage reporting to a Software Engineer, you will develop features and components for automation solutions within a single scrum team. You will be assigned a specific mentor who will guide your development, while also working with multiple technical colleagues across different levels to broaden your skills.

The Garage team is primarily co-located, creating a strong collaborative environment that supports effective hybrid working and regular in-person interactions.

You'll be joining at an exciting time as we scale our technical capabilities to support rapid growth in automation solutions across DWP. We focus on modern automation approaches using cloud-native APIs and emerging Agentic AI technologies, using RPA where required for legacy applications. Your focus will be predominantly on building new solutions and features from the ground up, with minimal time spent on existing system enhancements. You'll be building strong coding fundamentals, learning AWS and automation technologies, and delivering quality features under guidance. Recent projects include agent-facing web applications, robotic process automation for case processing, and AI-based communication triage.

You will learn by doing, working on real automation solutions and receiving support from senior engineers through pairing, code reviews, and regular mentoring sessions.

To ensure products meet the highest quality standards, you will work with modern cloud architectures and, where applicable, robotic process automation and AI/ML technologies.

You'll have access to modern tools and equipment: We plan and track work in Jira, we document in Confluence, we communicate using Teams and Slack, we commit, build and deploy code with GitLab, we use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our cloud platform, and we do it all on MacBook Pro devices.

To support you in your role, you'll have access to some fantastic learning and development resources; conferences with industry expert speakers, comprehensive instructor-led training, and subscriptions to digital training solutions such as Cloud Academy. You'll also have access to support through direct Slack channels with our partners such as AWS, UiPath and MongoDB for day-to-day learning and problem-solving. The Garage has a strong track record of recognising and developing talent, with engineers progressing based on merit and demonstrated performance.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop features and components under guidance from senior engineers following team
  standards.
• Write clean, tested code following best practices and coding standards.
• Fix bugs and resolve defects in development environments, learning debugging techniques.
• Participate in code reviews, reviewing others' code and learning from feedback on your own.
• Write and maintain unit tests for your code to ensure quality.
• Create technical documentation for the features you build.
• Learn AWS services, automation platforms, and modern development practices through
  hands-on work.
• Collaborate with team members in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and other agile
  ceremonies.
• Ask questions and seek guidance when blocked or unsure, developing problem-solving skills.
• Build your skills through pairing with senior engineers, training courses, and hands-on
  development.

Person specification

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:

• Demonstrable programming fundamentals using JavaScript/TypeScript and Node.js, with experience of at least one modern framework (e.g. React, Next.js, or Express).
• Knowledge and experience of at least one SQL or NoSQL database technology (e.g. Postgres, MySQL, or MongoDB).
• Awareness of and some practical exposure to cloud platforms (e.g. AWS or Azure).
• Awareness of automated testing and CI/CD pipelines.
• An understanding of the software development lifecycle and experience working as part of a collaborative development team.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact aisha.gultasab@dwp.gov.uk

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,772, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £11,232 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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 (pro–rata 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 year’s 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 Women’s 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

New entrants to the Civil Service will join on band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer will maintain their 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 to determine your 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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of four parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed based on the essential criteria.

3. Personal statement - up to 750 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria listed in the Person specification.

4.Behaviour statement (up to 250 words each). These include:

• Working together
• Communicating and Influencing

Ensure that all examples provided in your statement 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 statement, you must follow the guidelines outlined in the Artificial intelligence and recruitment guide.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history personal statement and behaviour statements to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs 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 face to face interview at:

DWP Digital, Benton Park View, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE98 1YX

There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.

You will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Interviews will take place from the end of July 2026 / early August 2026. Interview dates to be confirmed.

Other information:

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.

For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

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.

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 DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page.

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 theCivil 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).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Aisha Gultasab
• Email : aisha.gultasab@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : digital.recruitmentupdates@dwp.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/.

Attachments

DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 17kB)Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB)