At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our agile team to enhance user experiences for over one million students annually.
- Company: UCAS, the leading admissions service connecting people to higher education.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid work, 30 days leave, and wellness support.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for training and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education while developing your skills with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in PHP, Drupal, and web development standards required.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 55000 £ per year.
Location: South West, Gloucestershire, Rosehill - Hybrid
About UCAS: UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education and supporting our customers on their journey. UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers. We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers, they're at the heart of everything we do.
Business Unit description: The Digital Services business unit is at the heart of UCAS’ technical innovation, data and infrastructure. It focuses on leveraging data science, technology, and enterprise architecture to enhance UCAS' digital products and services. The unit is dedicated to developing and improving customer-centric digital solutions, ensuring seamless and secure online experiences for all users. By providing insightful data and analysis, often made available to anyone with free-to-use intuitive dashboard, Digital Services empowers the Higher Education sector and those interested in the sector with valuable information to make informed decisions. By working in collaborative, expert led, multi-disciplinary teams, Digital Services drives UCAS’ mission to connect students with their next opportunities through advanced technological solutions.
About the role: We're on the look-out for a Senior Drupal Developer to join our self-managing, agile team within the Product Engineering unit where you’ll drive developments which enhance the user experience for over one million students looking to go into further and higher education every year. You’ll take a proactive approach in development of services for our customers, as well as identifying and resolving issues, and working closely with all stakeholders to help define requirements, and to provide technical input. You will be passionate about the production of high quality, reusable, and extensible code, and will champion this amongst the team, encouraging high development standards and practices. The role would be expected to take an active interest in all technologies used at UCAS, how they can be used to improve customer experience, and the effectiveness of the team.
Core requirements:
- Experience developing and maintaining websites using PHP and Drupal
- Ability to gather, challenge and document requirements with stakeholders
- Strong knowledge of web development standards, HTML5, JavaScript and accessibility
- Experience testing, deploying and supporting web applications and infrastructure
- Understanding of web servers, databases, caching solutions and application management
- Ability to produce technical documentation and collaborate across technical and non-technical teams
- Committed to quality assurance, continuous improvement and adopting new technologies.
Skills, qualifications, and experience:
- Substantial experience of working in a development environment
- Experience of working with - Object-oriented MVC development patterns / JavaScript / HTML 5/ Drupal 10+/ Drush/ Twig / Composer package management/ git, git flow, git merge, git subtree/ AMP stack/ Apache configuration and administration / PhpUnit, Behat, linux, WSL, Playwright PHP CodeSniffer, ESLint, stylelint / Jetbrains PhpStorm / xdebug
- Ability to extract and translate user/stakeholder requirements into suitable documentation and to communicate with colleagues clearly and without unnecessary jargon
- Excellent understanding of functional requirements frameworks and concepts with good analytical and problem-solving skills
- Experience of delivering within an agile environment
- Comfortable working in a dynamic, large-scale, agile change initiative with multiple technologies
- An interest and a willingness to learn and develop skills in new technology outside of their direct role.
Package:
- Fixed Term Contract - 18 months / Salary £55,000 + below benefits and a fantastic work environment
- Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity
- Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies
- Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts
- 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave
- Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools
- Onsite facilities including a subsidised gym, café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office
- Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders
- Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond
Working Arrangements: Is fully remote working an option? Yes
Senior Drupal Developer employer: UCAS
UCAS is an exceptional employer, offering a purpose-driven work environment that connects individuals to higher education opportunities. With a strong commitment to employee growth through internal training and access to industry-recognised certifications, UCAS fosters an inclusive culture supported by various employee networks and wellbeing initiatives. The hybrid working model, generous leave policies, and onsite facilities further enhance the overall employee experience, making it a rewarding place to work in Cheltenham.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Drupal Developer
✨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 UCAS 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 UCAS.
✨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 UCAS.
✨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 UCAS 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 Senior Drupal Developer
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 UCAS.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at UCAS 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 UCAS
✨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 UCAS 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.
