Lead Developer

Can you lead agile teams, coach developers, and shape better engineering practices that deliver excellent public services?

Do you thrive providing technical leadership, mentoring teams, and improving how software is built through continuous improvement?

Our Lead Developers provide technical leadership, leading our continual improvement cycle for software engineering. Your time will be split between leading work in agile teams to build solutions & developing our capability, improving how we work through new tools and adapting ways of working & building our developer community.

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

We are looking for a Lead developer, with the drive and passion to join a talented, experienced delivery team in shaping the future of our delivery our digital and data services.

Our current tech stack is based around .Net and C#, hosted on Google Cloud Platform.

Find out more about what it's like working at DfT: Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers, Working as part of a talented team, at this role level, you will:

• Guide the ways in which the team works.
• Be proficient in a wide range of technical systems.
• Be involved in identifying appropriate technology and approaches, deciding when software should be written.
• Contribute to the developer community.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching and mentoring your team.
• Promote knowledge sharing and adoption of good practice.
• Provide governance, identify appropriate metrics to inform reporting and decision making.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public., * Role model positive behaviours and support the embedding of the new target operating model and the changes to the ways of working.

• Develop and implement effective development plans and demonstrate continuous professional development.
• Effectively line manage a team embedding the civil service line management standards and consistently applying the line management policies and processes expected, g. managing performance, career conversations, team development, succession planning.
• Develop and implement clear and effective team development.
• Be expected to become a trained Service Assessor and take part in Service Assessments., As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes., Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback 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 .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * 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)
• 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

Do you have experience in Presentation skills?, This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills., Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited word count) and personal statement (1000 words). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:

• Proficient skills set in a wide range of technical systems.
• Experience in identifying appropriate technology and approaches, deciding when software should be written.
• Experience of leading and improving development team capability.
• Evidence of contributing to the developer community.

Alongside your salary of £57,515, Department for Transport contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
• DfT prioritises investing in our project delivery professionals, because successful projects begin with skilled people. We offer funding for industry recognised qualifications e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2, and MSP, alongside leadership programmes. You will have access to targeted technical training, support for project delivery accreditation, and potential funding toward Chartered Project Professional (ChPP). From day one, mentoring, coaching, and the Government Online Skills Tool (GOST) are available to support your learning and development throughout your career in DfT.

Please be aware that some elements of the benefits package are expected to change upon transfer to DFTO. The details of the relevant measures are currently the subject of consultation with the trades unions.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies, At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours - Changing and Improving, Working Together, Managing a Quality Service.
• Technical - Software developer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

You will also be required to take part in a Technical Assessment to assess against the Government Digital and Date Profession Capability Framework. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.