Lead Java Engineer

Job summary

We are looking for people who are passionate about Engineering to join our community led team in Shared Applications Service (SAS). You will work in agile multidisciplinary teams with over 200 engineers in a modern cloud environment using the latest technologies. Our purpose as a team is to bring technical understanding in-house for over 600 Home Office applications.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. Applicants can raise any queries to the email address at the bottom of the advert.

Watch this short video to hear from members of Home Office Digital talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here: Working for Home Office Digital.

Job description

This role is for leading Critical National Infrastructure applications within Migration and Borders Portfolio.

The Lead Engineer will drive the technical delivery of their team, managing their workload and ensuring the right skills are available. You will be responsible for the work undertaken by your Developers and DevOps staff and will be expected to work with Seniors and Principals to ensure that services produced are best practice. You should have a solid technical background and will be able to apply these skills if required to provide guidance to your team. You will also maintain a broad perspective, monitoring technology developments such that you can support strategy formation.

Along with the other Senior, Lead and Principal Engineers in your area you will be responsible for ensuring that all technical approaches being used are appropriate and endorsed, and will take part in planning with senior stakeholders to make sure that product delivery and maintenance is on a firm basis. Your remit may be across the engineering function but working closely with Architects and other professions.

Tools and Technologies we use:

We would particularly welcome applications from candidates with strong experience in:

• Backend: Java, Node.js, Kafka

• Frontend: React, JavaScript

• Data: PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Mongo DB

• DevOps: AWS, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Docker, Terraform, Github Actions

• AI: Github Copilot, OpenAI, Claude Code

Person specification

Main Responsibilities

Your main day-to-day responsibilities will be:

• Leading the day to day activities of engineers in your team, ensuring everyone is working effectively and efficiently; reporting any impediments.

• Coaching your team as well as Supporting Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and encouraging formal professional qualifications.

• Supporting capability build in your team and in the organisation.

• Taking a hands-on role with engineering delivery when necessary, blending your leadership and technical tasks to achieve team objectives.

• Ensuring appropriate methods are being used, as well as leading efforts to identify improved tools/technologies.

• Leadership of the Java and React software development in teams.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 3 days per week due to business requirements.

Essential Skills

As a Lead Java Engineer, you’ll have a demonstrable experience in:

• Managing multiple delivery focused teams with competing priorities and timelines, ensuring adherence to standards within the team. (PEMT)

• Software development using Java. (SWDN)

• Working with senior stakeholders to provide operational support to the portfolio in pursuit of challenging ministerial and legislative deadlines. (DLMG)

• Providing technical expertise and best practice across cloud management, FinOps, and end‑to‑end CI/CD processes, with the capability to interpret complex system designs and communicate them effectively to both technical and non‑technical audiences. (PROG)

• Creating, executing, and delivering detailed roadmaps that include appropriate quality management and business capacity to ensure successful outcomes. (QUMG)

• Mentoring colleagues in developing skills and capabilities in line with strategy, team, and personal goals. (PDSV)

SFIA capability framework

Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) version 8 is the technical framework that sets the standard capability and development of all levels in the Home Office. This is a link to the capability framework: All skills A - Z English (sfia-online.org).

We use set SFIA technical skills to form our interview questions and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process.

The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework (based on the industry standard SFIA framework). Use the SFIA Levels of responsibility to understand what would be expected for each technical skills listed below.

Technical skills

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

• Performance management (PEMT) - Level 3
• Software design (SWDN) - Level 4
• Systems development management (DLMG) - Level 4
• Programming/software development (PROG) - Level 3
• Quality management (QUMG) - Level 4
• Professional development (PDSV) - Level 4

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,732, Home Office contributes £18,173 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.