Software Developer - DBT - HEO
Government Digital & Data -
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence
Further information can be found on our website here.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
Job description
About the Team
We are the OPSS Digital and Technology team, and we build digital services focused on product safety and regulation.
Our team is a mixed team of civil servants and contractors that collaborate in agile service teams working on user centred designs.
We have an exciting portfolio of services that have internal and external users and there are already further services in our pipeline for future development.
This is an exciting time to be at OPSS Digital. As a fast-growing area of the Department for Business and Trade, we’re raising compliance standards across the board and making a real-world impact on millions of lives nationwide.
This is a mid-level role for an experienced software developer who will have the opportunity to develop and grow in the profession.
OPSS has sites in Birmingham, London and Teddington. This role can be based in either our Birmingham or London office. There will be a need to travel to our other sites on occasions.
About the Role
Software developers are integral to the development, deployment and maintenance of our services to ensure they meet user and business needs. You’ll work within an agile delivery team to design, code, test and document programs to enable our services function as required.
We are seeking a Power Platform developer to work on new features, and support business as usual functionality for our internal case management system. Our CMS supports all OPSS operational teams who need to communicate effectively with regulated entities, capture and manage enquiries and cases relating to any regulatory concerns over regulation, use an organisational data set to profile risk effectively, procure and test products to assess legislative compliance, or provide accurate reports on OPSS activities. As a result, we have the provision of a single source of data that not only allows for case management in a consistent manner, but provides staff across the business with a consolidated view of data according to their needs. You will be working in a well-established team that employs Agile methodologies to onboard new features swiftly, whilst attending to live user needs in tandem. You must therefore be confident to contribute to discussions regarding solution options, as well as proactively assist in live support issues.
Our flexible working policy ensures a healthy work-life balance. We also nurture talent and offer a broad range of learning and development opportunities that will help you flourish in your role.
We work hard to maintain a positive working culture and are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. We value diversity and provide an open, inclusive and supportive environment to help you do your best work.
If you're interviewed, you will be tested on technical skill, behaviours and strengths.
Key Responsibilities
Due to the iterative nature of our delivery model, you must:
- Be confident in your ability to produce quality outcomes that withstand scrutiny according to acceptance criteria.
- Support your peers in their efforts to achieve a clean release.
- Be confident in pivoting your focus in the event of a live support issue that may take priority over known work.
- Ensure pipeline releases between environments are achieved successfully.
- Be comfortable working alongside users, business analysts and user researchers to reach a common consensus on a solution that will satisfy user needs, or be proficient in explaining where a user need cannot be resolved.
You can find out more about what we expect from a software developer here: Software developer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk)
Person specification
The below is a list of characteristics which may be helpful in this role. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but are laid out to help candidates understand more about the role.
Essential criteria
The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage.
Our case management system is based on a Microsoft Dynamics Customer Service foundation. You will have good knowledge of the following components;
- Power Apps to quickly build low-no code user interfaces to support existing and new business applications, primarily model driven.
- Power Automate to provide automation tasks, or to enable system to system interconnection.
- Data-verse to house our business data and associated security models
- SharePoint features to supplement data storage and aid the overarching user experience
Additionally, you will;
- Have experience in working within an Agile environment where collaboration is crucial,
- Be comfortable contributing to communities of practice to share knowledge and experiences for dissemination to the Digital team.
Our AI Usage Guidelines
We welcome the use of AI tools during your application process, as they can assist you in crafting your CV and personal statement. However, it is crucial that all submitted information is factually accurate and genuinely represents your own ideas and experiences.
Your application may be rejected, and you could face disciplinary measures if plagiarism is detected. Plagiarism includes presenting others’ ideas and experiences, or content generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.
The information in your CV and personal statement will be verified during both the sift stage and your interview.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Software Development Practices
