Lead Software Developer

Job summary

Are you a curious, adaptable and experienced Scrum Team Lead and Java developer, committed to continuous learning?

If you are looking for a place where you can focus on your own development as well as support others to succeed and perform at their best, then this is the role for you.

We're looking for talented Lead Software Developers to join Companies House and play a key role in transforming corporate governance through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.

Our modern digital services are built primarily using Java with Spring Boot and TypeScript with Node.js and Express, alongside the GOV.UK Design System. We're also modernising a number of legacy applications as part of an ambitious transformation programme.We are currently looking for expert developers in Java using the Spring Boot framework. We like to hire inquisitive developers who value continuous learning, and we will support you in learning all the development technologies we use at Companies House. As a Lead Developer, over time you will be expected to be familiar with all the technologies in use at Companies House, including multiple languages and frameworks (Typescript, Node, Express, Go and others).

Watch this video to find out more about working in Digital at Companies House

Companies House offers a flexible and welcoming culture that promotes a healthy work life balance as well as a proactive approach to wellbeing that allows us to be our best at work. We recognise that people are the key to our success so offer a fantastic benefits package including flexible working with no core hours, 30 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 1 privilege day as well as enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme with a contribution rate averaging 28%.

Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work

Please note:

• Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
• Security Clearance is an essential requirement for this campaign. You'll need to have been in the UK for at least 3 out of the last 5 years to be eligible to apply for SC.

Job description

As a Lead Developer, you'll manage and develop a Scrum team of around eight developers of varying experience levels. Working in a multidisciplinary agile team, you'll provide technical leadership, coaching and mentoring, helping your team deliver high-quality services that sit at the heart of our organisation.

As a Lead Developer, you will:

• Provide technical leadership to your team
• Coach and support your team to upskill their technical capabilities and ensure they design and deliver efficient and maintainable solutions
• Advocate and lead the adoption of developer AI tooling within your team
• Take technical ownership of release increments for services your team is responsible for
• Communicate between the product owners and developers to ensure key deliverables are achieved and understood by both parties
• Work with the wider developer community to define and document technical standards
• Work to ensure your services are up to date by resolving security vulnerabilities according to our security policy
• Help and encourage your team to maximise their automated test coverage
• Work closely with the Architects for design and the Platform team who manage our development pipeline using Concourse CI SonarQube, AWS, Terraform and Artifactory. We use Docker containers and AWS ECS
• Take the lead in sharing your knowledge and experience within our software development and lead software developer communities

We actively invest in learning, innovation and professional development. Developers are given dedicated time to explore new ideas, develop their skills and keep pace with industry trends. You'll have access to online learning, instructor-led training, conferences (subject to budget), and a thriving developer community of practice.

You will be joining a passionate team of Developers with varying levels of technical abilities. There are many other experienced Lead Developers and Principal Developers within Companies House, so you will be surrounded by a friendly community of experts who will fully support you.

You can read more about a career in Digital and Data within the Civil Service in the Government Digital and Data Candidate Information Pack.

Person specification

We're looking for the following experience and technical capabilities, which will be assessed at sift and at interview.

• Excellent coding skills which must include demonstrable experience of Java and Spring Boot for Enterprise or microservice architectures
• Experience of leading a scrum team.
• Strong communication skills where you can translate technical jargon into simple, clear descriptions so understanding is achieved.
• Experience of using agile techniques/methodologies.
• Understanding of full stack web technologies,
• Practical knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases,
• Application of industry standard software development working practices such as test-driven and behaviour-driven development (TDD/BDD), pair programming, version control and branching strategies,
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Development,
• Application of software design patterns.
• Knowledge and understanding of developing and running applications securely in Cloud environments.
• AWS/Docker/Terraform.
• Knowledge of industry standard security practices.
• If you have knowledge of Typescript / Express / Node that will be considered a bonus.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Developing Self and Others
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• REST Interfaces
• Web
• Security
• Containers
• Programming and Build

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,923, Companies House contributes £12,434 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).

We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.

Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment (companieshouse.gov.uk) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

We celebrate diversity...

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we’re representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and