Senior Platform Engineer - Python
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before Midday on Monday 21st October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
If you would like to find out more about the role, the Platform Engineering team and what it’s like to work at DBT, we are holding a Hiring Manager Q&A session for this role where you can virtually 'meet the team' on Wednesday 9th October at 12:30pm. To book a spot please use this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/platform-engineering-at-dbt-meet-the-hiring-manager-and-qa-tickets-1031024821997?aff=oddtdtcreator
About us
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has a clear mission - to grow the economy. Our role is to help businesses invest, grow and export to create jobs and opportunities right across the country. We do this in three ways.
Firstly, we help to build a strong, competitive business environment, where consumers are protected and companies rewarded for treating their employees properly.
Secondly, we open international markets and ensure resilient supply chains. This can be through Free Trade Agreements, trade facilitation and multilateral agreements.
Finally, we work in partnership with businesses every day, providing advance, finance and deal-making support to those looking to start up, invest, export and grow.
The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate develops and operates tools and services to support us in this mission.
About the role
We are on a mission to build a new cutting-edge developer platform in AWS and migrate existing DBT services from GOV.UK PasS in the process. Are you up to the challenge of building something new? We need Platform Engineers to make sure our Internet services are hosted the most performant, secure and feature rich platform to meet at the developer experience.
Job description
Main responsibilities
As a Senior Platform Engineer - Python, you will work to give development teams the tools for their job, including application performance monitoring, exception, log and metrics aggregation, dashboards, and declarative CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery) pipelines.
You’ll evangelise product teams about service-level indicators, objectives, and error budgets, and negotiate them. You’ll help build and scale our global product platform and participate in an on-call rota for which you will receive an additional allowance.
You will be using:
- Amazon Web Services
- Azure
- AWS CodePipelines and AWS CodeBuild
- Terraform & AWS Copilot (CloudFormation)
- Docker, Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Elastic Container Registry (ECR)
- ElasticSearch/OpenSearch
- Python and Django framework
- PostgreSQL as a service (Amazon RDS)
- Sentry
- Redis/Elasticache
Person specification
Skills and experience
It is essential that you have:
- Experience and fluency in Python, writing clean and effective code.
- Cloud experience with either Amazon Web Services, Azure or Google Cloud.
- Ability to build code-defined, reliable, and well tested infrastructure on top of cloud computing systems (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi).
- Experience in designing, analysing, and troubleshooting distributed systems.
- Knowledge of Linux/Unix fundamentals and TCP/IP networking.
- Ability to see user impact in the infrastructure changes.
It is desirable that you have:
- Experience in designing and implementing Docker images through containerisation
- PaaS, Kubernetes, Django, oauth2/saml2 integrations in Python
- Experience in prototyping through reuse of existing Open-Source components
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a 2-page CV which outlines your experience, skills and fit for the role, and to complete a short, pre-recorded video screening interview (alternately you can provide written answers to questions). Inspire People will assess your application against the essential criteria listed above to compile a longlist of applications, which will then be sifted by DBT hiring managers. If you are successful, you will be invited to interview.
Sift will be from week commencing 28th October 2024
Interviews will be from week commencing 4th November 2024
Please note these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.
How we interview
At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant Technical Skills and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework. A role-specific list of these can be found below.
The technical element within the interview, where you will be asked a series of questions to demonstrate your specific professional skills and knowledge related directly to the job role and context, will assess against capabilities which are outlined under DevOps engineer within the DDaT framework which can be found here. As part of this process, you will be asked to complete a technical problem-solving exercise during your interview. More details will be provided following sift.
Technical Skills
- Availability and capacity management
- Development process optimisations
- Information security
- Modern standards approach
- Programming and build (software engineering)
- Prototyping (with MVP and POC)
- Systems integration
- User focus
Behaviours
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
We’re also running a campaign for a Senior Platform Engineer in conjunction with this role. If you apply for both roles and are invited to interview, you will only be required to attend one interview which will cover both roles.
How we offer
Offers will be made in merit order based on location preferences. If you pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring you will be held on a 12-month reserve list in case a role becomes available. If you are judged a near miss at interview, you may be offered a post at the grade below the one you applied for.
This role requires SC clearance. DBT’s requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet this requirement will result in your application being rejected and your offer will be withdrawn.
Checks will also be made against:
- departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- security services record
- location details
More about us
This role can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. If you are based in London, you will receive London weighting. DBT employees work in a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
You can find out more about our office locations, how we calculate salaries, our diversity statement and reasonable adjustments, the Recruitment Principles, the Civil Service code and our complaints procedure on our website.
Find out more about life at DBT, our benefits and meet the team by watching our video or reading our blog!
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : DDaT Recruitment
- Email : ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Further information
