Senior Software Engineer

Job summary

The Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) directorate has recently been established in UKEF, drawing together the expertise in digital currently within the organisation to provide representation of digital services, user centred design, analytics and technology at the highest levels. The areas with the directorate work closely with all areas of the business such as the Business Group, Operations and Strategy and Policy.

Job description

UKEF is committed to be a more customer-centric organisation, making it easier for customers to deal with us, offering improved response times, quicker decision-making and improved case-processing. To enable this, UKEF is committed to using digital as a primary means for managing relationships with a wider range of stakeholders. Focusing on developing end-to-end services that meet user need and enable business outcomes, this is an exciting new role showing the growth and drive of UKEFs digital ambition.

This role requires you to work with other leads and senior management to develop NodeJS applications. This role also requires you to integrate NodeJS applications with other systems, develop microservices and serverless applications and create and maintain technical documentation. Effective communication with project stakeholders is also an essential aspect of the role.

Main Activities

In this role, you will:

• Work with other discipline leads and senior management to proactively plan technical delivery work, making sure to balance long term engineering sustainability with short term delivery pressures, advocating for technical quality and bringing practical considerations to high level designs
• Advocate user-centric, agile approaches which focus on rapid, effective delivery of high-quality digital services
• Build and maintain a diverse, inclusive culture across the development community, growing awareness, inclusivity, and balance
• Develop NodeJS applications using frameworks like Express.js or Nest.js.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for NodeJS applications.
• Ensure that NodeJS applications are optimised for scalability and maintainability.
• Develop APIs and integrate with third-party APIs.
• Integrate NodeJS applications with other systems using APIs, webhooks, or other technologies.
• Develop microservices and serverless applications using NodeJS.
• Ensure that NodeJS applications follow best practices for security and data protection.
• Develop unit tests and integration tests for NodeJS applications.
• Create and maintain technical documentation for NodeJS applications.
• Stay up to date with the latest NodeJS and web development trends and technologies.
• Communicate effectively with project stakeholders, including customers, product managers, and other engineers, to ensure alignment on technical decisions and project goals.

This role Is aligned to the DDaT Capability Framework - Software Developer.

This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business need.

Person specification

UK Export Finance is looking for motivated individuals with a desire to learn about the business. Successful candidates will be provided not only with functional training to enable them to do well in their role, but also with personal development to help them to achieve their career ambitions. Please note that the person specification below outlines at which stage(s) you will be assessed on how you meet the criteria for the role(s) including:-

A = assessed at application stage I = assessed at interview stage

Essential

Qualifications

• Graduate-level education or demonstrable equivalent professional experience, along with evidence of ongoing professional development. (A)

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the Technology Code of Practice.(A)
• Knowledge of SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). (A, I)
• Knowledge of Automated Testing and CI/CD techniques. (A, I)

Skills/Ability

• Information security (A)
  • You can understand information security.
  • You can design solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature.
• Modern standards approach (A)
  • You can competently apply modern standards approach and guide others to do so.
• Programming and build (software engineering) (A)
  • You can collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications.
  • You can use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.
• Systems design (A, I)
  • You can design systems characterised by medium levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity.
  • You can select appropriate design standards, methods and tools, and ensure they are applied effectively.
  • You can review the systems designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology.
• Service support (I)
  • You can identify, locate and fix faults
• Systems integration (I)
  • You can define the integration build. You can co-ordinate build activities across systems.
  • You can understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities.
• Prototyping (A)
  • You can approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others.
  • You can establish design patterns and iterate them.
  • You can use a variety of prototyping methods and choose the most appropriate.
• User focus (I)
  • You can collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally.
  • You can explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user. You can champion user research to focus on all users.
  • You can prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so.
  • You can offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

Experience

• Experience in most of the following areas; (A, I)
  • JavaScript, NodeJS and Express.JS.
  • Azure Cloud Computing.
  • NoSQL and SQL Databases, including MongoDB and MSSQL.
  • RESTful and GraphQL API Development.
  • Containerised Microservices (i.e. using Docker).
  • GitHub, Azure DevOps or GitLab.
  • GDS/MOJ Components.

Qualifications

oGraduate-level education or demonstrable equivalent professional experience, along with evidence of ongoing professional development. (A)

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Technical Question
• Technical Question
• Technical - Questions- This will be technical questions designed to evaluate your skills, knowledge, and experience in software development, including areas such as algorithms, data structures, and design patterns.

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

• Technical Question
• Technical Question

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,475, UK Export Finance contributes £16,360 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

We are assessing candidates using Success Profiles (see Appendix 1) and across the whole process we will assess your Experience, Technical, and Behaviours as highlighted below.

The application must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification.

Please ensure that you read through the Candidate Information Pack attached to this advert, before applying.

• Qualification
  • Graduate-level education or demonstrable equivalent professional experience, along with evidence of ongoing professional development. (A)
• Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 750 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack.
• Technical Questions - 250 Words
  • Based on your experience, describe a NodeJS application or microservice you have designed or contributed to.
    • What frameworks and integration patterns did you use, and why?
    • How did you ensure the application was scalable, secure, and maintainable?
    • What challenges did you encounter integrating with databases or third-party APIs, and how did you address them?
  • Drawing on your experience, explain how you have implemented automated testing and CI/CD pipelines for NodeJS applications.
    • What types of tests did you prioritise, and which tools did you use?
    • How did your approach to CI/CD improve code quality, security, or delivery speed?
    • Can you share any lessons learned or improvements you made to your testing or deployment processes?

For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:

1. Experience - Application and Statement of Suitability
2. Technical - Questions, 250 Words
   • Based on your experience, describe a NodeJS application or microservice you have designed or contributed to.
     • What frameworks and integration patterns did you use, and why?
     • How did you ensure the application was scalable, secure, and maintainable?
     • What challenges did you encounter integrating with databases or third-party APIs, and how did you address them?
   • Drawing on your experience, explain how you have implemented automated testing and CI/CD pipelines for NodeJS applications.
     • What types of tests did you prioritise, and which tools did you use?
     • How did your approach to CI/CD improve code quality, security, or delivery speed?
     • Can you share any lessons learned or improvements you made to your testing or deployment processes?

In the event of a high volume of applications, there will be a pre-sift on the following:

• Technical Questions - 250 Words
  • Based on your experience, describe a NodeJS application or microservice you have designed or contributed to.
    • What frameworks and integration patterns did you use, and why?
    • How did you ensure the application was scalable, secure, and maintainable?
    • What challenges did you encounter integrating with databases or third-party APIs, and how did you address them?
  • Drawing on your experience, explain how you have implemented automated testing and CI/CD pipelines for NodeJS applications.
    • What types of tests did you prioritise, and which tools did you use?
    • How did your approach to CI/CD improve code quality, security, or delivery speed?
    • Can you share any lessons learned or improvements you made to your testing or deployment processes?

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial technical interview; this will include the following assessment:

1. Behaviours / Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all one behaviours
   • Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
2. Technical - Questions
   • This will be technical questions designed to evaluate your skills, knowledge, and experience in software development, including areas such as algorithms, data structures, and design patterns.

Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview.

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 : UKEF Recruitment
• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Further information

Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk and include “Complaint” in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF’s investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission - http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint.

Attachments

Information Pack - Senior Software Engineer G7 - Mar 26 Opens in new window (pdf, 4371kB)