At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop innovative software solutions and enhance user experiences with cutting-edge technology.
- Company: Join Essex County Council, a forward-thinking digital leader in local government.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive salary, and support for personal development.
- Other info: Embrace a dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth and learning.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in your community while advancing your tech skills.
- Qualifications: Degree-level education or equivalent experience in software development required.
Fixed Term / Secondment (12 months), Full Time £52,571 to £61,848 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Anywhere worker
Closing Date: 30th July 2026
This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. You will work from the Chelmsford office at least one day per month, depending on business need.
The role is to help us implement and use a new Placecube Low Code system to create new resident-facing services. We are recruiting a number of Developer roles to cover the following:
- JavaScript / Type Script
- HTML/CSS
- Java (Spring OSGi modules)
- REST API's
- API design
- Middleware / ESB patterns
Experience of Liferay front end frameworks would be highly desirable.
Essex County Council is ambitious and by 2030 it will be one of the most forward-looking, effective and financially sustainable Councils in the country. ECC will be a leading-edge digital council that drives excellent customer service with transformation at the heart of service excellence.
The Product and Delivery team will provide product leadership and direction for essex.gov.uk. They will develop a bold product vision, translating this into a roadmap of prioritised deliverables, planning and managing the different phases of the product delivery lifecycle, iterating a product over time to meet user needs, and ensuring products are built effectively, on time and to budget, setting high standards to ensure products meet user needs.
The team will also be responsible for artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation capabilities. This role will lead, monitor, optimise and continuously improve the delivery of software components so that the Council can provide simple user experiences and achieve better outcomes for people and businesses.
They will be responsible for leading the team writing clean, accessible code that is open by default and easy for others to reuse, developing software which meets user needs and creates meaningful interactions and relationships with users.
Role responsibilities:
- Provide oversight for in-house product development to ensure it is contributing to delivering a secure, high performing and sustainable software engineering platform which continues to reduce risk, optimise performance and cost, and support innovation.
- Delivering secure, easy to use, high performing and sustainable frontend services and APIs that support rapid development and regular iteration of services that meet user needs.
- Leading a robust architecture approach that delivers effective, sustainable use of cloud services and that makes provision for future portability.
- Delivering secure, easy to use, high performing and sustainable components and microservices that support rapid development and regular iteration of services that meet user needs.
- Develop quality solutions which are supportable and maintainable, break down complex issues and business problems into elegant and simple solutions, adhere to good development practices and keep in mind opportunities to build common services and components that can be reused.
- Work closely with the Test Team to produce test plans.
- Evaluate supplier integration portals to understand the technical feasibility with our existing infrastructure and tech stack.
- Set the engineering standards and provide assurance that ECC’s software solutions, micro services and solutions architecture continue to meet good practice standards and evolve to adopt practices role-modelled by digitally-native organisations globally.
- Work with the other senior members of the architecture, design and delivery teams to identify risks, assist in risk assessment, manage agreed actions, and monitor the status of risks on an ongoing basis.
- Actively review outcomes and feed these into future improvements.
- Use Agile methodology and apply an agile mindset to all aspects of your work.
- Create a fast-paced, evolving environment and use an iterative method and flexible approach to enable rapid delivery.
- Coach and lead teams in Agile practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project, acting as a recognised expert and advocate for Agile approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team, promoting the generous sharing of expertise and creating opportunities for continuous learning and development.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent in experience in a relevant subject.
- Experience of delivering digital projects and products/prototypes within a complex and diverse context.
- Evidence of delivering and using agile methods balancing multiple priorities, dealing with ambiguity and evidencing impact.
- Knowledge of relevant programming language, an understanding of UI/UX principles and strong problem-solving skills.
- Knowledge and practical application of the Government Service Standards, Government Accessibility Regulations and Information Governance principles.
- Excellent written, verbal communication and presentational skills.
- Excellent customer service skills.
- Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
To read more about us please visit: Corporate Services - Working for Essex
Benefits:
Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
EEO & Equality:
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.
For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
Contact & Additional Information:
If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.
Developer in Chelmsford employer: Essex County Counci
Essex County Council is an exceptional employer for Adults Social Workers, offering a community-focused work environment in the diverse areas of Colchester and Tendring. With a commitment to employee wellbeing, ongoing professional development, and flexible working options, we empower our staff to make a meaningful impact while enjoying a supportive culture that values collaboration and innovation. Join us to be part of a passionate team dedicated to helping individuals achieve independence and live fulfilling lives.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Developer in Chelmsford
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Essex County Counci or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Essex County Counci.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Essex County Counci.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Essex County Counci that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Developer in Chelmsford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Essex County Counci.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Essex County Counci and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Essex County Counci
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Essex County Counci uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
