Senior Legacy Software Engineer (45,900 to 57,400) in Swansea

Senior Legacy Software Engineer (45,900 to 57,400)

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Location

Swansea

About the job

Job summary

Would you like to play a leading role in maintaining and evolving one of DVLA's most critical business systems?

We're looking for a Senior Legacy Software Engineer to help shape the future of Vehicle System Software (VSS), the UK's vehicle system of record. You'll use your technical expertise to support and enhance a complex application estate, while helping to improve service performance, resilience and engineering practices.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with specialised technologies, influence technical decisions, mentor other engineers and contribute to the delivery of services that support millions of customers every day.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• 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), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the Kings birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DVLA Home , Civil Service Careers.

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Legacy Software Engineer to join the team responsible for Vehicle System Software (VSS), the UK's vehicle system of record containing information on more than 48 million vehicles.

VSS underpins many of DVLA's critical services and includes client/server applications, overnight batch processing and web services integrated with numerous internal and external systems.

As a senior engineer, you will take ownership of technical challenges across the VSS estate, supporting the stability and performance of existing services whilst helping to deliver enhancements and improvements. You'll work closely with architects, engineers and delivery teams to develop solutions that meet user and business needs.

Alongside hands‑on engineering, you'll play an important role in developing team capability by mentoring colleagues, sharing knowledge and promoting engineering best practice. You'll also contribute to improving the robustness, resilience and long‑term sustainability of our legacy estate as we continue our technology transformation journey.

We are recruiting at both Senior Executive Officer (SEO) and Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grades.

Responsibilities

• Leading the investigation and resolution of complex application and service issues, undertaking root cause analysis and implementing sustainable solutions.
• Developing, maintaining and supporting software across the VSS estate, including client/server, batch and service‑based components, and working with relational databases to support service and business outcomes.
• Delivering technical changes and improvements, ranging from service enhancements to larger‑scale project work, working collaboratively with architecture, engineering and operational teams.
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve system resilience, performance, maintainability and operational efficiency, contributing to continuous improvement and engineering best practice.
• Supporting and mentoring engineers, sharing technical knowledge and helping to build capability across the team.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills set out in the Civil Service Line Management Standards.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only – whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Would you like to find out more about the role, the team and what its like to work in our department? If so, we are organising an open session where you can virtually 'meet the team' on 25th November at 12:00pm . Sign up here.

Person specification

Required experience

• experience developing and supporting business‑critical applications in a live service environment, including implementing technical changes and service enhancements.
• strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with experience diagnosing, investigating and resolving complex technical issues.
• experience working with relational databases to interrogate, maintain and analyse data in support of operational services.
• experience collaborating effectively with technical and non‑technical stakeholders to deliver successful outcomes.
• experience coaching, mentoring or supporting the development of colleagues, alongside a proactive approach to identifying and implementing service improvements.

Our technology stack is highly specialised. We recognise that not all candidates will have experience of the specific technologies we use. If you have worked with any of the following technologies, or similar technologies in a comparable environment, please tell us about your experience.

• On‑premise, non‑cloud systems.

• CA Gen, or other model‑driven/4GL development tooling.

• PL/SQL development.

• C and/or Pro*C development.

• Unix shell scripting, or other scripting skills.

• The AIX platform, or another Unix/Linux environment.

• Oracle databases.

• Java and application/web servers, such as IBM WebLogic.

• Crystal Reports, or other reporting tools.

Additional Information

Working for the DVLA Digital Team

At DVLA, licensing is just the start. Every project you implement, touch and deliver has a ripple effect thatll wash across the nation. Here the work youre doing has the capacity to change the way 53 million people interact with our services. As we aim to keep our roads some of the safest in the world, our innovative, transformative digital‑led services help optimise a nation of individuals and business every single day.

To see how our people are transforming our digital services, head over to our DVLA Digital Services Blogand, to understand more about the great opportunities and benefits of working at DVLA read our Inside DVLA blog.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non‑contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home‑based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Security Check

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, candidates will be required to have at least 5 years continuous residency in the UK. All applicants for this role must ensure that they meet this minimum residency requirement - if you do not, your application will be withdrawn.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data (or Government Security Profession Career Framework) profession and utilises an enhanced CapabilityBased Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.

The base pay is 45,900. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to 11,500. The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience.

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

• Senior Developer System Design (Skill Level Practitioner)
• Senior Developer Systems Integration (Skill Level Practitioner)
• Senior Developer Service Support (Skill Level Practitioner)
• Senior Developer Programming and build (software engineering) (Skill Level: Practitioner)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 45,900, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency contributes 13,297 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work‑life balance
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues
• Generous employer contribution of 28.97%, depending on chosen pension scheme
• Digital communities with clear career frameworks
• On‑site gym plus personal training available (membership applies)
• On‑site nursery, restaurants and coffee bar
• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), increasing by 1 each year (up to 30) & 1 extra day for the Kings birthday
• Free parking
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a minimum of 60% of their time in the office over a month, with flexibility dependent on balancing business and individual need.

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.

Things you need to know

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Further information on the selection process

We may hold a 12‑month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window).

Nationality requirements

• 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.

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).

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