Senior Product Developers x2

Job summary

We are looking for two Senior Product Developers to join our growing Product team within the Food Standards Agency. This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping digital products that directly support our mission to ensure food is safe, healthy, sustainable and accurately described. You will be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment where your expertise will help turn complex business needs into reliable and user-focused digital solutions.

Working within Openness, Data and Digital, you will contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of services used across the organisation. The role offers variety, professional challenge and the chance to work with modern technologies in a supportive and forward-looking setting. If you enjoy solving problems, working with a wide range of colleagues and making a tangible difference through digital delivery, this role offers a rewarding next step in your career.

Job description

In this role, you will work closely with product teams, stakeholders and suppliers to design, build and enhance digital applications, primarily using the Microsoft Power Platform and associated technologies. You will take agreed requirements and user stories and translate them into well-structured, secure and accessible components, often working with non-technical users to ensure solutions meet real needs. You will also design and prototype solutions to help visualise end-to-end business processes.

You will apply application lifecycle management practices to ensure services are stable, resilient and easy to maintain, documenting technical decisions and promoting reusable patterns. Alongside delivery, you will support live services by helping to identify issues and trends, contributing to incident resolution and knowledge sharing. You will also coach and support colleagues, sharing good practice and working in line with agile principles and user-centred design approaches.

Working pattern guidance

If applying as a job share partnership you should both complete separate application forms on Civil Service Jobs but should make it clear that you are applying as job sharers. Further details on job sharing can be found here JSF – What is the recruitment process for job sharers? , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Applicants who wish to work compressed hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Person specification

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Qualifications

To effectively support and evolve the services, postholder will require strong capability across the current technical stack, including:
•JavaScript (Node.js and React)
•C# and .NET Framework/.NET Core
•Microsoft SQL
•Azure cloud services (e.g. App Services, Logic Apps, Cosmos DB, Windows VMs)

While experience across the full current technical stack would be ideal, we welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate strong capability in either Node.js and React with a NoSQL database, or C#/.NET Framework / .NET Core and SQL, and who are willing and able to develop skills across the wider stack over time.

Technical skills

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

• Please provide evidence of how you meet the following Technical criteria. You do not need to follow the instruction to provide your answer in a STAR format

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,596, Food Standards Agency contributes £12,340 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.

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 Experience and Technical skills.

Full details of the selection process can be found in the attached candidate pack.

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

Technical: You will be asked a question to confirm that you meet the Technical requirements of the role.

To effectively support and evolve the services, postholder will require strong capability across the current technical stack, including:

• JavaScript (Node.js and React)
• C# and .NET Framework/.NET Core
• Microsoft SQL
• Azure cloud services (e.g. App Services, Logic Apps, Cosmos DB, Windows VMs)

While experience across the full current technical stack would be ideal, we welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate strong capability in either Node.js and React with a NoSQL database, or C#/.NET Framework / .NET Core and SQL, and who are willing and able to develop skills across the wider stack over time.

If you cannot answer yes to this question – you will not be able to proceed further with your application.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.

Essential criteria

Experience

• Lead criteria: Experience of using agreed specifications to design, build, test and document programs or scripts of medium‑to‑high complexity, applying appropriate standards, tools and best practices.
• Experience in identifying, diagnosing and resolving service faults, including working on live services to minimise user and business impact.
• Experience in managing service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators, and contributing to the identification and implementation of service optimisations.
• Demonstrable experience of working with a range of stakeholders, communicating clearly and regularly, tailoring engagement to different needs, and building effective working relationships.

Lead Criteria An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience.

Experience

• Experience of using agreed specifications to design, build, test and document programs or scripts of medium‑to‑high complexity, applying appropriate standards, tools and best practices.
• Experience in identifying, diagnosing and resolving service faults, including working on live services to minimise user and business impact.
• Experience in managing service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators, and contributing to the identification and implementation of service optimisations.
• Demonstrable experience of working with a range of stakeholders, communicating clearly and regularly, tailoring engagement to different needs, and building effective working relationships.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 7th June

Sift: Expected to take place w/c 8th June

Final panel interview: Expected to take place from 24th June

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Food Standards Agency 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

Reserve List

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not offer visa sponsorship and cannot provide advice on visa applications

Making a complaint

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated fairly in accordance with the principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should email the FSA’s Director of People atjo.bushnell@food.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

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 developed vetting (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.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 : Anna Nikiel
• Email : anna.nikiel@food.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk

Further information

If you wish to raise a complaint then please email hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk in the first instance.

Attachments

Candidate_Pack-Senior_Product_Developer_x2_(SEO)-461541 Opens in new window (pdf, 1002kB)Terms and Conditions as at April 2020 Opens in new window (pdf, 42kB)