Senior Developer

Job summary

Help people find the evidence they need.

Join The National Archives’ Digital Archiving team to build and run services that open government and court records for everyone. Our Access to Digital Records products increase transparency and support open justice, while setting best practice for access to digital records.

What you’ll work on:

• Access Your Records (AYR) – secure, self service access for government departments to born digital records transferred to The National Archives (currently in private Beta).
• Find Case Law (FCL) – the public site for judgments and tribunal decisions, including data feeds under an innovative licensing approach—an important step towards open justice.

Both services are growing: AYR is moving beyond MVP, and FCL is expanding with richer metadata and new publishing workflows. Your work will help us scale features while keeping services robust and secure.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

What you’ll do:

• Deliver end to end features across AYR and FCL—set technical direction, write high quality code, and work with external suppliers when needed.
• Operate production services—monitor, troubleshoot, and improve resilience, robustness and stability.
• Coach and mentor developers; line manage a junior colleague.
• Champion secure engineering and consistent standards; contribute to code reviews and quality practices.
• Stay curious and share—engage with the wider dev community, evaluate new technologies, and help colleagues keep up with digital preservation developments.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong experience delivering production applications in Python.
• Solid web fundamentals (HTML, CSS/SASS, JavaScript) with an “open by default” mindset that makes reuse easy.
• Working knowledge of Agile/TDD; confidence with JSON, SQL, XML and different data models.
• Understanding of cloud services, design patterns, infrastructure as code, and preventing common security vulnerabilities.
• Experience operating live services and explaining complex systems clearly to others.

Nice to have: Experience building accessible interfaces (WCAG 2.2 AA) and working to the Government Digital Service Standard.

Working here:

• Hybrid working: We typically ask colleagues to be on site around 60% of the time—especially early on—so you can meet users and teammates. (We can discuss home based options for this role.)
• Security: SC clearance (or willingness to obtain) is required. This requires candidates to have been resident in the UK for at least the past three years. (Please do not apply if you have been resident in the UK for less than three years as your application will be rejected).
• Inclusive culture: We’re committed to improving the diversity of our workforce and warmly encourage applications from under represented groups

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department.

Application Process

• Please submit your CV and a short statement highlighting relevant projects (links welcome). If you’ve built open source tools or public services, we’d love to see them.

• Interview: Interviews will be held on-site and will include a technical test

Selection for interview will be based on the ‘essential’ requirements as listed below.

• Strong track record in technical development and in delivering complex, production-quality applications in Python.
• Understanding of cloud services, design patterns and infrastructure-as-code principles
• Knowledge of common security vulnerabilities and how to prevent them, with experience implementing security controls in software
• Practical experience with JSON, SQL, XML and understanding of different data models (e.g. document, relational, graph)
• Ability to understand complex systems and explain technical concepts to others

Sponsorship:

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,000, The National Archives contributes £17,382 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development.

Any move to The National Archives 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;

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

Reasonable adjustments:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance required” 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

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 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.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 : The Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk
• Telephone : 02083925313

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@nationalarchives.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, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Attachments

Job Description - Senior Developer Access - Nov 2025 Opens in new window (docx, 44kB)