Job summary
Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?
Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?
Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.
- Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
- Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.
DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
DBS has recently undertaken a review of its operational locations in the North West, and have consolidated all activities in Norcross, Blackpool. A further move, to the new Government Hub at Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, is scheduled to take place in 2027.
Come and join the DBS community today!
https://youtu.be/gUw0ToaRGgk
Job description
A software developer designs, runs and improves software that meets user needs. In this role, you will:
- Be responsible for writing clean, secure code following a test-driven approach
- Create code that is open by default and easy for others to reuse
In this role, you will be responsible for writing clean, secure code following a test-driven approach. You will create code that is open by default and easy for others to reuse. You will be able to integrate APIs such as gov.uk/pay and gov.uk/notify and develop services in line with the Government Digital Service Standard. You will test and document code releases and support the team at GDS Service Assessments.
As a Senior Software Developer, you will:
Technical
- Designs, codes, tests, corrects, and documents user interfaces using the right standards and tools.
- Work with Typescript, Node.JS, Kubernetes (KubeMQ), Next JS, React, and Event-Driven Architecture
- Supports implementation of new systems or upgrades for Automation Garage solutions
- Finds ways to improve system robustness, resilience, and stability
- Maintains and supports open Gitlab repositories - deploying and managing code changes, as well as other DevOps tasks.
- Manage Amazon Web Service storage, domain naming services and DynamoDB
- Develops good practice, ways of working
- Collaborate with others (service manager, technical architects, design team) to understand and review software requirements.
- Keeps the service and project managers informed of the status of development / service support.
- Innovates and improve the way processes are delivered to the business, assessing, and championing the adoption of new technologies to meet the organisations automation requirements
- Develops knowledge and keeps up to date with latest vendor offerings across multiple technologies including RPA, Chatbot, Power Platforms, Cognitive, Cloud and Intelligent Automation
- Grows the digital community, activity encourage collaboration.
Stakeholder Management
- Build strong relationships with outside technical teams to ensure implementation success
- Seen by the Business and team as the Public Facing Services expert
- Builds productive relationships internally and externally
Person specification
Essential experience
- Experience of Typescript, Node.JS, Kubernetes (KubeMQ), Next JS, React, and Event-Driven Architecture
- Availability and capacity management: You can manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators (Skill Level: Working)
- Development process optimisation: You can work under guidance to identify process optimisation opportunities and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions (Skill Level: Working)
- Information security: You can design solutions and service with security controls included, specifically engineered to mitigate security threats (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- Modern development standards: You can apply modern development stands and support other in applying them (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- Programming and build (software engineering): You can collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications, and use the agree specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- Prototyping: You can approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with other; establish design patterns and iterate them; and use a variety of prototyping methos and choose ethe most appropriate (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- Service support: You can identify, locate and fix service faults (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- System design: You can design systems characterised by medium levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity; select appropriate design standards, methods and tools, and ensure they are applied effectively; and review the systems designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- System integration: You can define the integration build, co-ordinate build activities across systems, and understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities (Skill Level: Practitioner)
- User focus: You can collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally; explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user; champion user research to focus on all users; prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so; and offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use (Skill Level: Practitioner)
Desirable experience
It would be great if you also have:
- Experience of Government Digital Standard (GDS) Ways of Working and Secure by Design principles
- Knowledge or experience of Redhat OpenShift, Postgres, Azure and/or AWS, Flask, and/or Python
- Knowledge of gov.uk websites and service
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Programming and Build (Software Engineering)
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Information Security
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Systems Design
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: User Focus
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £44,590, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for HM The Sovereign's birthday
- Hybrid working where role permits
- An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition
- Family-friendly policies including - parental leave and adoption leave
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- Professional and personal development of skills
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
- Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
Allowances
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
This post is eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £11,400 per annum. Eligibility for this allowance will be assessed at interview against the 4 core technical skills only and reviewed annually in line with departmental policy.
Employment Hours
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.
Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the following success profile elements:
Primary: Career - Personal Statement
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Experience:
- Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience
- Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (Word count: 1000)
Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
Technical:
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Programming and Build (Software Engineering)
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Information Security
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: Systems Design
- DDAT Senior Software Developer: User Focus
Technical Skills Framework - https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/software-developer#senior-developer
In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:
1 - Technical - DDAT Senior Software Developer: Programming and Build (Software Engineering)
2 - Technical - DDAT Senior Software Developer: Information Security
3 - Technical - DDAT Senior Software Developer: Systems Design
4 - Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
5 - Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
6 - Technical - DDAT Senior Software Developer: User Focus
If candidate scores are still exact, the merit order will then be determined on the sift score in the below order or priority:
1 - Career - Job History
2 - Career - Previous Skills
3 - Career - Personal Statement
4 - Career - Qualification Details
We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.
Application sifting to take place week commencing: Mid August 2025
Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: MS Teams
Interviews will be conducted week commencing: Mid to late August 2025
A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews.
We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.
The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
To assist with your application please find attached -
DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
(26) UK Ministry of Defence: Life , LinkedIn
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name :
- Joanne Leach
- Email :
- Joanne.Leach420@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email :
- DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@MOD.gov.uk in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/
Attachments
Defence Civil Servant Offer 2024
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(pdf, 1562kB)
