Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lead Software Developer
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Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Reading, Warrington, York
Job Summary
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.
We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.
Find Out More About DDTS:
- Defra digital, data and technology blog
- Defra Jobs
Job Description
Using your experience and skills, you may be asked to work on our ‘Flood services’ - developing government digital services, to share information about current and future flood risk with the public. It could be your job to ensure that they are accessible to all, especially in times of severe weather!
Alternatively, you could be involved with our Farming and Countryside Programme, which is about delivering services to make farming sustainable, increase biodiversity, promote high animal health and welfare standards, and contribute to the Government’s Net Zero commitment, ensuring public money for public good.
A wide range of other projects requires us to maintain and develop externally facing digital services and internal applications. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will have responsibility for ‘owning’ the functionality that you develop.
If you would like to join us in building great solutions for Defra and our Arm’s Length Bodies, then this could be the job for you. As a Lead Developer, you will also play a key role in shaping modern development practices across teams, including the adoption of AI‑assisted coding tools such as GitHub Copilot. You’ll use these tools to support faster delivery, improved code quality and better outcomes for users, whilst ensuring that strong engineering judgement, code review, testing and security remain central.
You will review colleagues design and development thinking, helping teams to make good technical decisions to select the most appropriate technologies. You will lead the integration of multiple systems and services, collaborate with senior stakeholders and suppliers, and provide direction and constructive challenge to ensure that solutions are secure, maintainable and sustainable.
This is an opportunity to be part of an organisation actively modernising how software is built in government, combining strong engineering fundamentals with the responsible use of new tooling, including AI, to improve delivery at scale.
We use a modern, cloud‑based technology stack, and follow continuous delivery and DevSecOps best practice.
Our Current Technologies Include:
- Runtime & web development: Node.js, HAPI
- API development: REST, OpenAPI
- Databases & caching: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
- Unit testing: Jest, Lab
- Source control: Git, GitHub
- Cloud hosting: Azure and AWS
- Containerisation & orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes, ECS
- CI/CD & release management: Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions
- Work management: Jira, Azure DevOps
- Developer productivity tools: AI assisted coding tools such as GitHub Copilot (where appropriate), alongside established code review and quality controls
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Please note for this role you will require SC Clearance. To gain SC clearance all applicants are required to have been a UK resident for a minimum of 5 years. If this requirement is not met, the individual will not be able to progress their application further.
Person specification
Responsibilities:
- A dedication to learn new technologies and to explore new industry concepts, including AI‑assisted software development tools.
- Leading more junior developers on the team, including both permanent staff and suppliers, translating requirements into viable system designs.
- Putting users first, identifying needs based on evidence, developing services to meet those needs, and engaging in meaningful interactions and relationships with users.
- Create code that is open by default and easy for others to reuse.
- Working with common Defra technologies including Node.js, and PostgreSQL, applying knowledge and experience to investigate and resolve issues and establishing relationships and embedding ways of working across projects.
- Demonstrating a strong understanding of secure software development practices, including the use of vulnerability scanning tools and alignment with OWASP standards and principles.
- Supporting teams in the responsible use of AI‑assisted coding tools, ensuring appropriate human oversight, code quality, security and compliance with Defra standards.
Skills And Experience:
- Ability to provide leadership and direction to a team of software developers and to communicate clearly and with confidence to senior stakeholders. Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
- Work management, including, refining and breaking down tasks and defining acceptance criteria.
- Awareness of Clean Coding practices and approaches to mitigate and address technical debt - refactoring, test coverage.
- Software architecture - layers, separation of concerns and microservices.
- Experience of using AI‑assisted development tools to improve developer productivity, code quality and delivery outcomes.
- Understanding of the strengths, limitations and risks of AI coding tools, and how to apply appropriate controls such as code review, testing and security scanning.
- Experience of shaping or supporting the adoption of AI‑enabled tools and practices within software delivery teams.
- Experience of using continuous integration tools to automate testing and integration, supporting rapid and reliable software delivery.
- Lead Developer Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework skills. Please see the Technical skills below for further information on these.
For further information please see the Capability framework.
The Civil Service marks each element of the selection process on a merit basis. You can visit the gov.uk website for further information on the Civil Service rating scale.
Ensure you have tailored your CV and Personal Statement to the 'skills and experience' section of the job advert by providing examples on how you are suitable for the role using the STAR method.
Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements, as the information you provide will form a key part when the panel is scoring your application.
For further information on STAR, you can check out our Hints and Tips document.
Application process
As Part Of The Application Process, You Will Be Assessed On Your experience. This Will Be Evaluated By Looking At Your CV And Personal Statement, So Please Provide The Following And Ensure Your Experience Is Clearly Demonstrated:
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- A CV
- A Personal Statement of no more than 750 words: Referring to the 'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Sift will begin shortly after the advert closes.
Should there be a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted using your personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to the technical assessment.
Technical Assessment
Those who pass the sift will be invited to complete an online technical assessment. Further details of the Technical Assessment will be provided after the sift is completed
Interview
If successful at sift and Technical Assessment you will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Technical Skills listed below, as well as Experience and Strengths.
As part of the recruitment process you will be required to do a presentation. Full details will be provided later within the process.
Sift and Interview dates are to be confirmed. Please note that these may be subject to change.
Interviews will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams.
For further information on Success Profiles, you can visit the links below and watch our videos on Defra Jobs.
Behaviours
Experience
Technical Skills (for further information around these and what is assessed please see the Capability framework)
Strengths
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Development Process Optimisation
- Modern Standards Approach.
- Programming and Build
- Systems Design
- Information Security
- Prototyping
- User Focus
Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 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).
- 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%
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.
For further information on the selection process for this role, please refer to the person specification section of the job advert.
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will
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