The Government Digital Service (GDS) is part of the Cabinet Office. We lead the digital transformation of the UK government so that it works better for everyone.
Following our Government Design Principles, we deliver platforms, standards and digital services to help departments transform how they work and meet the needs of their users.
Our work is user-focused, dynamic and forward-looking, making our organisation an exciting and innovative place to work.
Find out more at the GDS Blog or the Design in Government blog.
You’ll share the responsibility for the digital transformation of government. You’ll ensure high quality code is delivered in line with project goals and delivery cycles. You’ll thrive using agile methods and enjoy working openly, collaboratively and as part of a multidisciplinary team focused on one or more projects. Above all, you’ll want to make government better, which may sometimes involve challenging the status quo. Also, as part of the Data Standards Authority you’ll lead by example adopting and promoting data standards.
To learn more about what Developers do in government please review the DDaT Capability Framework
As a Senior Developer in GDS you’ll:
lead the implementation of our central API catalogue.
shape the technical solution of a federated API catalogue
support wider technical needs from the Data Standards Authority and across Data and Innovation
take responsibility for solving complex issues, and for the quality of the code produced
work in multi-disciplinary teams to ensure our software puts user needs first
build automated tests to support our continuous deployment environment
share knowledge of tools and techniques with your wider team, both developers and non-developers
act as a digital ambassador across government, supporting recruitment, identifying good practices for GDS to adopt and sharing experiences, e.g. through blog posts, tech talks at conferences
be involved in helping recruit developers and, where appropriate, helping sift and interview
We’re interested in people who:
have experience in back-end development, with detailed knowledge of Ruby
understand software design principles
research and learn new programming tools and techniques
take a systematic approach to solving problems
have experience of using testing to validate solutions
understand agile environments and version control
understand web security and accessibility
have an awareness of technologies used for web applications, e.g databases, backups, CDNs and search, and of Unix-like operating systems, e.g. Linux, Mac OS
have experience working with web technologies
In the Civil Service, we use our Success Profiles. For each role we advertise we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We will be looking at your experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the specific job role.
For this role we will be assessing your ability, strength, experience, technical/specialist skills and behaviours, the following behaviours are the most relevant:
working together
changing and improving
making effective decisions
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.
You can find out about the application process and practical details like our office locations on the things you need to know page.