Length of employment:
Job Summary:
Are you an experienced talented Java Script/Node.js Engineer looking for the next challenge?
Would you like to join our Software Engineer team to help DWP Digital modernise the way it delivers public services?
We're looking for outstanding Software Engineers, who wants to contribute to demanding and exciting digital services for the UK Government. Be part of changing the face of public services with the potential to dramatically transform the future of millions of people.
Our Engineers will build and run applications as part of a multi-functional agile delivery teams. What really excites the successful candidate is problem-solving and the opportunity to deliver innovative technology that carries real value for users. The candidate will be expected to draw value from collaboration with others, actively seek input from colleagues and value a multidisciplinary team over hierarchy.
Payments are core to DWP. We are the biggest payer in the UK, serving 22m citizens which is 34% of the total UK population and make circa £230bn in payments annually generating 1/3 of the UK's BACS traffic.
As part of the team, you will aide in delivering an ambitious transformation programme to reimagine and make best use of emerging future technologies in the banking industry to continue to ensure that people who get paid by DWP receive the right amount of money, at the right time into the right bank account.
Job Description:
As a Software Engineer you will develop and maintain software products that make up citizen and organisation facing services and contribute towards their design.
You will be responsible for the operational stability of the products you build and be able to affect change in the on-going robustness and resilience of those products.
You will work within, and contribute to, the overall Software Development Lifecycle Process as part of a multi-functional Agile delivery team focused on one or more products.
Our Software Engineers are skilled practitioners and role models for software craft within DWP.
You will:
* Work as part of multidisciplinary teams, in collaboration with architects and engineers, to design software products that make up services used by millions of people.
* Building robust and accessible User Interfaces (UIs) that work for as many users as possible, regardless of their needs.
* Building and consuming APIs, with a focus on an API first design approach.
* Monitoring system robustness, resilience and stability.
* Collaborating with other areas to help build comprehensive suites of automated tests to improve product quality.
* Participating directly in agile ceremonies and contributing ideas.
* Help make sure we follow best practice and will guide our teams on how to deliver quality software products.
* Help design and support the strategies for building reusable libraries and services.
* Support Software Engineering teams providing technical leadership and guidance.
* Contribute to setting strategic direction for product team and the wider Software Engineering community.
Occasional travel between the Digital hubs for business purposes will be required.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
* Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
* Generous annual leave - at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro-rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
* Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
* Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
* Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year's continuous service.
* Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
* An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women's Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £42,614 to £58,347.
The maximum salary for the grade is £45,081, however a Digital Allowance of up to £13,266 per annum is available for exceptional candidates. Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could be retained, amended, or removed.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
See selection process for further details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact akhtar.ali1@dwp.gov.uk.
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of four parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.
3. Personal statement - up to 1000 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:
* Knowledge and experience of APIs, RESTful services and Microservice Architectures.
* Demonstrable experience in developing on cloud-based environments such as AWS or Azure.
* A good understanding of Test Driven Development(TDD) and Behaviour Driven Development(BDD).
* Experience of SQL or NoSQL database applications such as Postgres, MySQL, and MongoDB.
* Experience and the skills to build up a useful, robust automated test suite to support a continuous deployment environment.
4. Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of System Design (as per the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework: Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework ):
* Please provide evidence of your knowledge and proven experience of developing large scale systems using open-source technologies JavaScript/Node.js.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.
Important Information
* You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
* Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
* If your employment history, personal statement or technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
* We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.
Stage 2: Coding Test
Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be sent a coding test to complete remotely. The exercise will focus on the technical skills listed in the Essential Criteria in this advert. Full details will be sent to candidates when the exercise is issued. Candidates will have 7 days to complete the test from the date of receipt. Candidates that are not successful in the technical exercise will not progress to the interview stage.
Please add: to your safe senders list or monitor your spam folder to ensure safe receipt of the code test via email.
Stage 3: Interview
If you're successful at Coding Test stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.
Interviews will take place from mid July 2025. Sift and Interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information:
Find out more about Working for DWP
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the "Reasonable Adjustments" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.