Senior Software Engineer

GCHQ

Apply before 10:00 pm on Tuesday 22nd October 2024

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Details

Reference number

371878

Salary

£46,448 - £55,412

Dependent on skills and experience (package includes basic salary and skills payment.

You’ll also receive a one-off recruitment bonus of £3,500, (split into 2 payments, £1,750 on arrival & £1,750 on successful completion of probation) plus the opportunity to qualify for a skills payment of up to £19,113 once you’re in role, following a successful skills assessment.

Job grade

Higher Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Engineering

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

Location

Manchester

About the job

Job summary

GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

Job description

As a Senior Software Engineer using your experience of a range of software engineering methods, you’ll work with and often lead a team, working to solve mission problems. Excited by innovation and eager to discover new techniques, you’ll bring fresh ideas to the team, influencing leaders and working diligently to build close relationships as you work with customers and stakeholders. Your work is at the core of our operations. Put simply, your contribution will directly or indirectly help our ongoing mission to keep the UK safe.

You’re familiar with a range of software engineering methods, languages, and frameworks, such as JavaScript, Java, C++, Node, Python, Rust, Go and .NET. You’ll set the standard for what good looks like, sharing digital and innovative ways of working, framing problems and setting priorities for the team, growing them through recruitment and upskilling. A clear and engaging communicator, you’ll be comfortable working with technical and non-technical customers, and you’ll love solving problems, sharing your knowledge, and mentoring other colleagues.

Whether you’re reviewing pull requests or defining review, branching and deployment strategies, you’ll assist key projects and in doing so, influence the wider engineering community. This is a practical role with plenty of opportunity to develop yourself and others. And whilst this role is uniquely complex and requires a level of sensitivity due to the nature of the work, it will always be rewarding.

Person specification

As a  Senior Software Engineer, you’ll demonstrate your knowledge of modern computer languages and frameworks such as C++, Golang, Java, JavaScript, NET, Node, Python, Rust, or Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) enabling you to contribute to the architecture and design of new and existing systems – and deliver positive outcomes for the business.

We welcome applications from experienced candidates who currently work within a related role, such as multi-skilled Software Engineering, Cloud Engineering and Security, UX, Site Reliability Engineering, Front-End design, Agile, Solution Architecture, RF Software Engineering, Data Engineering, and Machine Learning Operations.

You don’t need to be the “finished product”, but we’ll want you to show us your potential and aptitude. You may have experience working in, and leading, Agile project teams. This isn’t an ordinary software engineering job; you’ll often be required to be creative and innovative to solve problems with no precedent in other industries.

And, with your previous experience in technology, you’ll establish best working practises and confidently evaluate customer business requirements. And you’ll keep up with new and emerging technologies, looking to lead in their adoption to solve mission problems.

A resilient problem-solver and self-motivated, you’re comfortable thinking strategically, and bringing innovation to the team, you can work with minimal guidance and can critically assess your outputs, as well as the work of others inside and outside the team.

Benefits

Training and Development

At GCHQ, we’ll invest in your skills and adapt to the way you like to learn, we’ll support and encourage you every step of the way, helping you to become an integral part of our world-class team. If you have an affinity for technology, a keen desire to learn and the ability to adapt to the ever-evolving challenges and adversaries we face, we’ll give you all the training and development you need to thrive.

We’re dedicated to allowing you the space and resources for development, innovation and experimentation and we encourage you to spend up to 30% of your time to achieve this. We value your ability to learn and adapt to new challenges, so we’ll invest in you: from books, study, courses, and conferences to stretching work with the support of the team.

When you start, you’ll have a full induction to our organisation, which will give you knowledge on how we operate. You’ll be encouraged to drive and shape your own personal development and you’ll have access to learning and development opportunities tailored to your role. We’ll cover the cost and provide you with the time and support to gain professional qualifications and certifications. 

Our training covers a multitude of software disciplines including Front end design, RF Software Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, Data Engineering, Solutions architecture, Machine Learning Operations, UX, Agile, Cloud Engineering & Security. 

From day one, you’ll have access to mentors and subject matter experts. We’ll help you create a structured development and career plan that’s right for you.

Our culture is centred on embracing a growth mindset, equality, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day.

During the recruitment process, you may be given access to a funded and dedicated training programme, though the Cloud Academy.

Examples of potential training for a Senior Software Engineer once in role include:

AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification

AWS Developer Certification / AWS Solution Architect Certification

Certified SCRUM Master

Microservices Architecture Training

Advanced Fundamentals / Patterns

Advanced Linux & CLI

User Experience

Internal Training – for example Team Leadership (difficult conversations, leading a team etc.)

Cloud Academy / Pluralsight / O'Reilly Subscription.

Rewards and Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £46,448 - £55,412 dependent on skills and experience with an additional one-off recruitment bonus of £3,500, plus other benefits including:

25 days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays

Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme

Interest-free season ticket loan (parking and travel)

Excellent pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Facilities such as a gym and restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)

Paid parental and adoption leave.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

We’re Disability Confident

GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme.  This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people.  Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a person-to person interview to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role.  This is our “Offer of Interview” (OOI).  To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

You can evidence where you’ve taken ownership of a technical project or piece of work

Ability to understand several modern languages/frameworks, such as C++, GoLang, Java, JavaScript, .Net, Node, Python, Rust

Experience of working in an Agile Technical Project team

Provide evidence of competency as a Software Engineer.

What to Expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

Application form sift

Technical and competency-based interview, including a presentation

If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process in order to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

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 developed vetting (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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

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.

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

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 : careers@recruitmentteam.org.uk
Email : careers@recruitmentteam.org.uk

Recruitment team

Email : careers@recruitmentteam.org.uk