Senior Software Developer (Hybrid) - Lead & Innovate

Grade: Senior Executive Officer

Total remuneration: £60,291 – £70,987

Pay Supplement: The base salary for this role is £50,243-£59,156. This job qualifies for Digital, Data and Technology Annual Pay supplement 20% is included in the total remuneration above.

Pension: 28.97% of base salary (RoS contribution)

Annual leave: 38 days annual holiday, increasing to 42 days with length of service.

Duration: Permanent

Working Pattern: 35 hours per week. We are a flexible employer and will consider a variety of working patterns on a case-by-case basis. For example, compressed hours, term-time working or part-time working.

Location: Hybrid working model. Contractual base either at Meadowbank House, Edinburgh (EH8 7AU), or St Vincent Plaza, Glasgow (G2 5LD). You will be expected to attend one of these locations as required by the role.

Department: IT Development

Directorate: Digital, Data and Technology

Role Reports to: IT Development Manager

Closing date: 20 August at 11.59pm

Number of vacancies: 2

About Registers of Scotland (RoS): Join an award-winning organisation recognised for its technology and innovation. Registers of Scotland is a world-leading pioneer in land and property registration. Our full-stack teams design, architect, and build all our registration products in-house. We work to create digital solutions for the people of Scotland. You will get an opportunity to nurture your creativity and develop with us through access to the latest data, software engineering and product delivery techniques.

Our Tech stack:

• Backend: Java, Python and related frameworks Spring Boot, Flask
• Frontend: JavaScript, TypeScript and related frameworks React, Next.js
• DevOps: AWS, OpenShift, GitLab CI/CD
• Data: PostgreSQL, PostGIS, MongoDB, Informix

The Role: Join our innovative tech team as a Senior Software Developer and help shape the future of RoS! We’re looking for a passionate and experienced developer to lead exciting projects, solve complex challenges, and create top-tier software. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a talented, collaborative team where your ideas and contributions will truly make a difference. You will work on cutting-edge projects that leverage the latest technologies and methodologies and have clear pathways for career progression and opportunities to take on leadership roles.

On a typical day you will…

• Design, build, and maintain high-quality, scalable software systems
• Lead the development of new features, from concept to production, ensuring quality and performance standards
• Troubleshoot and resolve software defects, ensuring minimal disruption to users
• Review and improve code written by team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning
• Actively contribute to technical discussions and decisions regarding architecture and design
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, Design, and DevOps to create seamless, impactful software experiences
• Stay ahead of industry trends and actively contribute to the improvement of our development practices
• Mentor junior developers and help them grow through code reviews, pair programming, and sharing knowledge
• Participate in community events, department meetups run by the developers, software developers led communities of practice, and contribute to shared projects
• Provide line management for software developers, including regular 1:1s and performance reviews
• Set clear objectives and expectations for direct reports

This job is for you if you want…

• Work with purpose: working for the people of Scotland to set the bar for land and property registration worldwide.
• Flexible and hybrid working: depending on the role and team requirements, work when and where it’s best for you and your stakeholders.
• Benefits: enjoy pay progression, pension contributions of up to 28.97%, up to a year’s parental leave, and 38 days annual holiday, increasing to 42 days with length of service.
• Investment in professional development: we invest in all our people so that they have the right skills to be productive and confident in their job.
• Diversity and Inclusion: We are an ‘Investor in People’ and a ‘Disability Confident’ employer. We are inclusive, stronger together, and committed to putting our people first.
• Positive work culture: RoS is an agile, digital organisation using leading-edge technology. Colleagues understand their role in achieving our strategy and have the autonomy to deliver.

Essential Criteria – Skills and Attributes for Success: We will assess you against the following Experience and Technical skills during the application and the assessment process:

• Significant experience as a software engineer
• Proven ability to take ownership of complex development projects and deliver quality solutions on time
• Comfortable working in agile environments, collaborating with diverse teams, and adapting to change
• You can demonstrate commitment to producing high-quality, efficient, and maintainable code
• You have a curious mindset and are eager to tackle complex problems and find creative solutions
• You enjoy collaborating with others, whether it’s pairing with teammates or brainstorming with cross-functional groups
• Experience of line management, including supporting the professional development of direct reports
• Experience in managing performance and resource allocation within a technical team
• You value growth, both personally and professionally, and enjoy mentoring others
• You want to make an impact; your work directly contributes to the organisation’s success and provides a service to the people of Scotland

Technical:

• Strong experience with programming languages (Java, Python, TypeScript) and related frameworks (Spring Boot, Flask, React)
• Experience with container platforms (Docker, OpenShift)
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and modern DevOps tools
• Experience with version control tools (GitLab) and building CI/CD pipelines
• Familiarity with database technologies (SQL, NoSQL)
• Solid understanding of designing and developing RESTful APIs or microservices

Behaviours/Competencies: At assessment stage, you will be assessed against the all Behaviours below:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Stage two – assessment: If successful at application stage, you will be invited to an in-person interview which will include the following:

• Behaviour based interview
• Technical exercise and case study scenario (no prior preparation required)
• Behaviour-based interview questions will be shared with candidates 15 minutes before the assessment begins. This will allow you time to review them and think about the examples you want to use, and how to position them. You are permitted to bring brief notes from your preparation into the interview to support your responses.

Information on Success Profiles: For further information on success profiles, visit our Success Profiles.

Recruitment timeline:

• Closing date: 20 August
• Online Assessment: 21-23 August
• Application sift: Week commencing 24 August
• Invites to assessment: Week commencing 31 August
• Interviews: Week commencing 7 September (subject to change)
• Feedback: Feedback will only be provided if you progress to interview stage.
• Reserve List: In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 12 months.

Nationality and immigration status: In general, only nationals from the following countries (and associations of countries) are eligible for employment in the Civil Service: the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Commonwealth. EU nationals (with settled or pre-settled status), certain EEA nationals, Swiss and Turkish nationals are also eligible for employment.

Security: Successful candidates must undergo a Basic Level 1 Disclosure check. Individuals working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

DDaT supplement: This post is part of the Digital, Data and Technology profession (DDAT) and attracts a pay supplement. This is a tool which RoS uses to benchmark our salaries against current market rates. A review of the benchmark is undertaken every two years, this means that the supplement may go up or down depending on market activity. Advance notice will be given of any changes.

Diversity and inclusion: As a proud member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We’re not as diverse as we’d like yet, and we’re working on it. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups – people who are disabled, minoritised ethnic groups, and younger people (16-24 years of age).

To learn more, please see our EDI strategy. As part of the application process, we would like to invite you to please complete our diversity monitoring form. This information is not shared with recruitment panels but will allow us to further improve our processes to increase diversity.

Reasonable adjustments: We want everyone to have the chance to perform at their best. If you need any adjustments (for example, extra time, a hearing loop, materials in large font) in any part of our recruitment process, please get in touch via talent@ros.gov.uk. We will discuss adjustments individually with any candidates who request these.

Find out more about reasonable adjustments on this page.

Further information: For further information relating to RoS, including: Additional details on pay & benefits, The Civil Service Code, Complaints process, Use of AI in the application/recruitment process, Please view our additional information page online. If you have any questions, please contact talent@ros.gov.uk.