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About the job
Job summary
Software Developer
Grade SEO (Inner) - £42,716 to £48,068
UKHSA Colindale
FTC Contract until 31st May 2025
We are looking for a Software Developer with experience of Ruby on Rails to work in the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU), which is part of the Public Health Microbiology Division of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The UKHSA is responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and other health threats. We provide intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage, to make the nation’s health secure. UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.
GBRU is one of UKHSA’s reference microbiology laboratories, dealing with bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter which cause gastrointestinal disease, and which pose a significant threat to public health.
Working to the Lead Bioinformatician in the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU), you will lead on the maintenance and development of Gastro Data Warehouse 2 (GDW2), ensuring that the system runs efficiently and smoothly. You will work within the Gastrointestinal Diseases Informatic Service (GIDIS) team in GBRU which is a small, multi-disciplinary team providing bioinformatics and data management support to the GBRU microbiology reference laboratory, and the Gastrointestinal Infections & Food Safety (One Health) (GIFSOH) unit.
This role offers the opportunity to further your skills as a Software Developer in the Ruby programming language and Ruby on Rails, and, potentially, Python. You will gain experience of maintaining and developing a key tool for the work of the unit, of the national epidemiology team, and for local and regional teams that investigate outbreaks of foodborne illness. GDW2 is web-based application built using Ruby on Rails and using a PostgreSQL database. You will be responsible for maintaining and developing the system under the guidance of the Lead Bioinformatician and Data Manager, in collaboration with colleagues in the team and senior managers in the unit. You will be expected to work proactively to identify and mitigate bugs and problems, as well as dealing quickly and effectively with issues that arise during the day-to-day running of the system. You will be expected to document your work and to devise testing processes for changes you make to the system.
Job description
UKHSA Colindale – Hybrid – 60% Office
*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.*
Working Pattern – Full Time – 37.5 Hours per Week
Responsibilities section:
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Develop and maintain the Gastro Data Warehouse 2 (GDW2) website using Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSON and JQuery.
- Plan and develop GDW2 tools and components using Ruby and Python languages.
- Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code, adhering to best practices and coding standards. Conduct regular code reviews to ensure quality and consistency.
- Work closely with product managers, team members and IT colleagues to understand project requirements and to ensure the smooth running of the GDW2 system.
- Identify and resolve issues, bugs, and performance bottlenecks. Conduct thorough debugging and troubleshooting to ensure seamless application functionality.
- Use version control systems (e.g. Git) effectively to manage codebase and collaborate with team members.
- Develop and execute comprehensive test plans to ensure the reliability and stability of applications. Implement automated testing processes where applicable.
- Create and maintain technical documentation for code and processes to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.
Please see job description attached for full list of duties and competencies associated with the post.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1000 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):
Essential
- Educated to degree level in a relevant subject such as computer science with core development element or equivalent level qualification, or experience of working at a similar level in a specialist area.
- Experience of web application development using Ruby on Rails, and of front-end web design and development technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Experience in using tools to validate CSS and HTML, and cross-browser testing to ensure adherence to Government guidelines.
- Experience of developing and maintaining W3C WAI-compliant accessible websites.
- Demonstrated capabilities in managing your own workload, making informed decisions, working to tight deadlines, and continually reviewing requirements.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems.
Desirable
- Experience of web application development using Python/Django.
- Experience of using Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform to publish websites.
- Experience of querying relational databases using SQL, ideally PostgreSQL.
- Knowledge of cyber security principles and methods, and experience of mitigating cyber security risks.
- Understanding of user experience design and responsive web-design.
Please ensure that your statement of suitability does not contain any personal identifiers such as Name, Gender, Location, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation or Religion. The UKHSA operates a fair and open recruitment policy.
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 average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Selection process details
STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT:
You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description – please do provide evidence of how you meet this.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.
STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW
This competition will involve a Teams interview.
As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.
As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Candidates will also be asked to participate in a session where they will be required to take a short coding test and to deliver a 5-10 minute presentation to the panel. This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment. The presentation will be designed to assess each candidate’s experience in line with the requirements of the role. Full details will be provided prior to the interview
Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).
You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.
The competency based framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate. The following behaviours will be used at the interview:
- Technical Skills
- Knowledge
- Experience
Expected Timeline:
Advert close: 23:55hrs on 7th April 2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Shortlist: 15th April 2024
Interviews: TBC
Please note these dates could be subject to change.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)
Nationality requirements
Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Security clearance level requirement
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.
For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
Please Note
This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/
Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.
Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.
