.NET Developer/Engineer

Job summary

We are seeking two skilled .NET Developer/Engineers to join our Digital and Technology team.

In this role, you will provide technical expertise to ensure Microsoft Azure Platform Services meet user needs, align with the Government Service Standard, and deliver value for money. You will work collaboratively with colleagues and partners across the organisation and wider public sector to support the ongoing development of innovative, user-focused solutions.

You will play a key role in developing and enhancing our Common Data Platform Service, supporting the organisation’s target architecture and Digital, Data and Technology Strategy. This includes building and maintaining .NET applications hosted in Azure, developing REST and GraphQL APIs, and working with SQL Server and Cosmos DB to enable efficient data integration across services.

This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted’s well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to amazing benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays. We offer a hybrid working model, so you may also choose to spend a proportion of time working from home.

Job description

Please refer to the job specification for further information.

Person specification

Please refer to the job specification for further information.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Experience of sharing knowledge with, as well as providing technical guidance to team members learning new skills.
• Demonstrated the ability to learn new technology with little guidance.
• A methodical and organised approach to their work, including effective prioritisation.
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience and practical knowledge of common cloud platforms, patterns and services, specifically Microsoft Azure.
• Experience and practical knowledge of maintainable, testable .NET (C#) based API development with an understanding of REST and/or GraphQL as a query language.
• Knowledge and experience of working with Microsoft Azure SQL/SQL Server and/or Cosmos DB.
• Proven working knowledge of Azure DevOps, including Git and pipelines. Making Infrastructure as Code (IaC) changes with a consistent approach, per environment, for predictability and safety.

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Experience and practical knowledge of common cloud platforms, patterns and services, specifically Microsoft Azure.
• Experience and practical knowledge of maintainable, testable .NET (C#) based API development with an understanding of REST and/or GraphQL as a query language.
• Knowledge and experience of working with Microsoft Azure SQL/SQL Server and/or Cosmos DB.
• Proven working knowledge of Azure DevOps, including Git and pipelines. Making Infrastructure as Code (IaC) changes with a consistent approach, per environment, for predictability and safety.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,490, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £13,468 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Ofsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities,Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this.

Ofsted is committed to maintaining employee health and wellbeing, whether it is physically, emotionally, financially or socially, and offers a range of benefits to support employees in this. Such benefits include the option to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme, professional and personal development opportunities, 32.5 annual leave days per annum (plus eight days public holiday) and access to counselling and advisory services.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Application and shortlisting

The selection panel will assess your application based on the evidence you have provided against the essential and desirable criteria outlined in the job specification.

You will also be required to upload a CV detailing your employment and education history.

Interview

Candidates who pass the benchmark at the shortlist stage will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed against a mixture of the Civil Service behaviours and on the technical/experience skills as detailed in the job specification.

Interviews will be held during the week commencing 13 July 2026 at 23 Stephenson Street, Birmingham and/or 10 South Colonnade, London.

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 : People Services Delivery Team
• Email : jobs@ofsted.gov.uk
• Telephone : 03000 131 487

Recruitment team

• Email : jobs@ofsted.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should email Ofsted recruitment at jobs@ofsted.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recrutiment

Attachments

Job specification - .Net Developer Engineer Opens in new window (pdf, 219kB)