Lead Developer

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton Job Summary MHCLG is looking for up to three Lead Developers (dependant on the skills mix of those that apply) to lead the technical delivery of one of the following services: Register your rental property, the Funding Service and the Fire and Rescue Data Analytics Platform (FaRDaP). Register your rental property is a new service currently in private beta. It aims to register landlords and their properties to enhance transparency and help renters to make informed decisions when starting a new tenancy. The Funding Service is in private beta. The team is responsible for helping grant teams deliver funding quickly and consistently, saving time and money. The service allows users to build complex forms without developer intervention or configuration. FaRDaP is in public beta. It's a secure national platform used by Fire and Rescue Services to record incident data consistently and reliably across England, Scotland and Wales. As a Lead Developer, you’ll guide engineering teams to build a robust, scalable and secure service. This is predominantly a management position with a degree of hands-on development. We use a range of programming languages at MHCLG because we think using the right tool for the job gives us the best chance of building services that best meet users’ needs. Register your Rental Property service is written in Kotlin with Spring Boot. The Funding Service uses Python and Flask. FaRDaP uses Java with SOAP/XML and REST/JSON data exchange. You’ll help plan the technical work and own decisions, ensuring they meets user needs, policy goals and standards. This is a leadership role requiring the implementation of effective ways of working, workflow practices and team support. Beyond your core team, you’ll be working closely with a principal architect, the service owner, product managers, delivery managers and wider user centred design professionals to ensure technical excellence and delivery at pace. Find out more about how we build software in the MHCLG Way: https://communitiesuk.github.io/mhclg-way/ or read our blog: https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/ Job Description As a lead developer, you’ll: • Provide architectural and technical leadership across the design, development and maintenance of the service and moving into iterative enhancement and long‑term evolution. • Guide and shape the ways in which the team works – offering hands‑on technical leadership, coaching and mentoring developers, promoting knowledge sharing, and embedding good engineering and architectural practices. • Ensure that implementation aligns with the target architecture and required standards, including government-aligned frameworks such as the Cyber Assessment Framework and GDS digital and security standards. • Focus on delivering secure, scalable and resilient design, particularly across incident recording, data stewardship and data quality, reporting workflows, and integrations with external systems. • Line manage and mentor developers, supporting their professional development through coaching, constructive feedback and structured knowledge sharing. • Work closely with service owners, product managers, delivery managers, data and operations colleagues, providing governance and assurance for changes and releases in an agile environment. • Provide leadership across cloud‑based architectures, including AWS multi‑account setups, microservices, RESTful web services, SOAP/XML and REST/JSON data exchange, and integrations with external datasets and government platforms, such as GOV.UK One Login. • Ensure robust approaches to security and access management, including Role‑Based Access Control (RBAC), 2FA/reauthentication, and comprehensive logging, auditing and event history. • Support the adoption of modern tooling and technology stacks, including cloud migration patterns, open-source technologies (e.g., analysis tools, GIS, webforms) and Microsoft products where used alongside AWS. • Apply senior‑level software engineering experience across modern languages and frameworks. As a Lead Developer, You’ll • Provide architectural and technical leadership across the design, development and maintenance of the service and moving into iterative enhancement and long‑term evolution. • Guide and shape the ways in which the team works – offering hands‑on technical leadership, coaching and mentoring developers, promoting knowledge sharing, and embedding good engineering and architectural practices. • Ensure that implementation aligns with the target architecture and required standards, including government-aligned frameworks such as the Cyber Assessment Framework and GDS digital and security standards. • Focus on delivering secure, scalable and resilient design, particularly across incident recording, data stewardship and data quality, reporting workflows, and integrations with external systems. • Line manage and mentor developers, supporting their professional development through coaching, constructive feedback and structured knowledge sharing. • Work closely with service owners, product managers, delivery managers, data and operations colleagues, providing governance and assurance for changes and releases in an agile environment. • Provide leadership across cloud‑based architectures, including AWS multi‑account setups, microservices, RESTful web services, SOAP/XML and REST/JSON data exchange, and integrations with external datasets and government platforms, such as GOV.UK One Login. • Ensure robust approaches to security and access management, including Role‑Based Access Control (RBAC), 2FA/reauthentication, and comprehensive logging, auditing and event history. • Support the adoption of modern tooling and technology stacks, including cloud migration patterns, open-source technologies (e.g., analysis tools, GIS, webforms) and Microsoft products where used alongside AWS. • Apply senior‑level software engineering experience across modern languages and frameworks. Person specification As a Lead Developer, You’ll Have Experience Of • A wide range of modern technical systems, with senior-level experience in software development using Kotlin, Python or Java , as well as cloud‑based, microservices architectures built on AWS, RESTful services, and integrations with external APIs. • Leading software engineering teams in an agile environment to deliver services aligned to a defined product roadmap, providing architectural leadership to ensure solutions are secure, scalable, resilient and support long‑term evolution • Supporting and influencing product, delivery, data and operations leaders to make technically informed design decisions, with clear guidance on feasibility, risk, and alignment to standards (including GDS-aligned digital and security standards). • Flexing communication approaches to engage effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, offering governance, assurance and clear translation of architectural intent. • Implementing and overseeing CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, monitoring, alerting and operational readiness, ensuring high-quality, reliable delivery and smooth release management across multi‑team environments. • Experience integrating with external services and datasets, including modern REST/JSON and legacy SOAP/XML interfaces, geospatial APIs (e.g., Ordnance Survey), and future integrations , as well as government platforms such as GOV.UK One Login, Notify and Pay. • Managing the delivery of digital services, ensuring compliance with digital standards, accessibility requirements and user‑centred design principles, alongside robust approaches to logging, auditing, RBAC, and authentication (including 2FA/reauthentication). Desirable • Experience with a mix of the following: Spring Boot, Thymeleaf, Flask, Terraform, AWS, PostgreSQL and CSS, plus open‑source tooling (e.g., analysis, GIS, webforms) and Microsoft products used alongside cloud services. Alongside your salary of £66,620, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £19,299 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. • At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here. Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Selection process details Application and Selection The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles: Behaviours , Experience , Technical Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information. Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link. Stage 1: Sift (CV) Experience & Technical : Your CV should be no more than 2 pages and will be assessed on the Experience & Technical success profile. Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors. Stage 2: Interview • Behaviours: Developing Self and Others, • Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description. Sift and Interview Dates Sifting is envisaged to take place from 10th April 2026 Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change. Group 1 Digital & Data Roles MHCLG has implemented the Digital and Data capability framework for Group 1 roles. Applicants that are successful and have been offered a position will be required to complete a capability assessment after the interview. MHCLG will honour completed capability assessments for this role from other Government Departments for existing civil servants on level transfer only. Please provide a copy of your capability assessment to the Hiring Manager when applying. If you have any queries on pay, please contact the Hiring Manager. Each experience or technical skill is assessed between 1-3, representing working towards, at or above the job level requirements. You are awarded a proficiency level accordingly, and you will be given opportunity to annually re assess your capability and potentially increase your overall remuneration, through payment of allowances, depending on level of assessed capability. Candidates moving from another government department have the option to retain their current basic pay if this is within our pay band for the relevant grade. Grade 6 Group 1 Digital and Data salary • The basic pay for this role will be between £73,423 – £85,727 (London), £66,620 – £78,907 (National).   Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale. • A digital allowance may also be payable depending on the level of assessed capability, in order to meet the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating. • For applicants in receipt of existing allowances, we will assess each case individually, but we would seek not to exceed the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating for existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply, subject to the statements above. How We Recruit Find out everything you need to know before applying here.. • Applying • Sifting • Interview • Interview Results & Feedback • Reserve List • Near Miss • Civil Service Grades • We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer • Reasonable Adjustments How To Apply What you need to know before applying. You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly. • Security Clearance Requirements • Civil Service Nationality Requirements • Right to Work • Artificial Intelligence • Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles • CV Declaration • Sponsorships • Salary and Grade • Existing Civil Servants • Conflict of Interest • Location and Flexible Working • Fixed Term Contracts • Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register • Appeals and Complaints • Conflict of Interest Security Clearance Requirements National Office: BPSS + SC London Office: BPSS + SC Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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. 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 Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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). 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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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). 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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. 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). 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 : Digital Data Jobs • Email : digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk Recruitment team • Email : digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk