At a Glance
- Tasks: Enhance and maintain a public-facing Drupal platform while ensuring security and accessibility.
- Company: Join a dynamic public sector team focused on impactful digital solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive daily rate, fully remote work, and potential contract extension.
- Other info: Flexible working hours with a supportive team environment.
- Why this job: Make a difference in public service by improving user experiences with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Strong Drupal development skills and experience in live production environments.
We are seeking an experienced Drupal Developer to support a public sector / government client in maintaining and enhancing an established public-facing digital platform. This is a hands-on contract combining Drupal development, live service support, security maintenance and accessibility improvements. You will work alongside UX, user research, content and accessibility specialists to improve the user experience while ensuring the existing platform remains secure, stable and reliable.
Key Responsibilities
- Maintain and enhance an existing Drupal CMS, including custom modules, themes, templates and front-end functionality.
- Manage Drupal core and contributed module updates, security patches, dependency checks and controlled releases.
- Troubleshoot production issues, investigate incidents and implement preventative measures.
- Develop and maintain accessible, maintainable code using PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
- Support WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, identifying and resolving accessibility issues across navigation, forms, templates and published content.
- Build and maintain REST APIs and third-party integrations, including authentication, error handling and monitoring.
- Manage version control, code reviews, automated testing and CI/CD processes using Git and modern development practices.
- Monitor website performance, availability, response times, errors and security patching.
- Maintain backup, restoration, disaster recovery and operational documentation.
- Collaborate with UX designers, user researchers and content specialists to translate user feedback into prioritised technical improvements.
- Support user acceptance testing, knowledge transfer and technical documentation.
- Provide technical estimates, manage dependencies and communicate delivery progress, risks and resource requirements.
Essential Experience
- Extensive, recent hands-on experience developing and supporting Drupal websites in live production environments.
- Strong PHP development skills, including custom Drupal modules, themes, templates and configuration.
- Proven experience managing Drupal upgrades, security patching, regression testing, deployments and rollback procedures.
- Experience maintaining secure and resilient web services, including monitoring, logging, incident management, performance optimisation and backups.
- Practical understanding of WCAG 2.2 AA, accessible HTML, keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility.
- Experience with Git, pull requests, code reviews, CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.
- Experience integrating REST APIs and third-party web services.
- Understanding of web security, vulnerability management, access controls and secure development practices.
- Experience working within Agile delivery teams, managing technical backlogs, estimates and dependencies.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to report progress clearly to stakeholders.
Desirable Experience
- Previous Drupal development experience within central government, local government or other public sector organisations.
- Familiarity with Composer, Drush, PHPUnit, Behat, Cypress, Docker or Jenkins.
- Experience with cloud hosting environments, particularly Google Cloud Platform or AWS.
- Knowledge of CDN, caching and website performance optimisation.
- Experience with analytics, service-level reporting and performance dashboards.
- Understanding of open-source governance and software supply-chain security.
Working Arrangements
- Fully remote working within the UK.
- 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
- Core contactable hours of 10:00-16:00 UK time.
- Initial two-year contract with the potential for a further two-year extension.
- BPSS baseline, with valid SC clearance required only where assigned duties necessitate it.
Drupal Developer employer: X4 Group
Join a forward-thinking engineering team that values innovation and flexibility, offering a majority remote working environment with the opportunity to engage in high-performance projects. With a strong focus on employee growth, you will benefit from a comprehensive benefits package and long-term career progression while collaborating with skilled professionals in Hampshire. This role not only promises technical challenges but also fosters a supportive work culture that encourages creativity and teamwork.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Drupal Developer
✨Get Involved in Open-Source Projects
Diving into open-source projects is a brilliant way to showcase your skills and connect with other developers in the community. Not only will you beef up your GitHub profile but you might also catch the eye of someone at X4 Group who values hands-on experience over just theory.
✨Attend Local Tech Meetups
Tech meetups are gold mines for networking and discovering job opportunities, especially in the fast-paced world of software engineering. Check out local listings for events in your area and don’t shy away from introducing yourself. This could lead directly to a temporary position at X4 Group!
✨Showcase Your Work Online
With temporary roles, it’s all about standing out in a short space of time. Create a portfolio website where you highlight your projects and skills. Talk about your code, and provide links to your GitHub repositories. This will not only demonstrate your abilities but will also make it easier for recruiters at X4 Group to see what you bring to the table.
✨Leverage Temporary Job Boards
Don’t forget to check specialised job boards for temporary software development roles. Websites like We Work Remotely or Remote OK often list short-term gigs that can be a perfect fit. Apply directly through our website as well, making sure your application is sharp—temporary roles can move fast!
We think you need these skills to ace Drupal Developer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Tech Skills:Make sure your CV highlights your tech stack and any programming languages you’re proficient in. Include specifics about any frameworks or technologies you’ve worked with; they can make you stand out in the sea of applicants. It’s all about showing that you have the chops we need at X4 Group!
Portfolio 2.0:Since you’re applying for a temporary gig, it’s super important to showcase a portfolio that highlights your best projects. Include links to GitHub or any personal projects that demonstrate what you can do in a real-world environment. This gives us a taste of your style and your problem-solving approach!
Keep It Brief and Relevant:With a temporary position, we want to see your ability to hit the ground running. Be concise in your CV and cover letter; stick to experiences that directly relate to the role. Highlight any previous temporary roles or freelance gigs that show your adaptability and quick learning!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Don’t just send a generic cover letter. Personalise it for Drupal Developer at X4 Group! Mention why this temporary role excites you and how you see yourself contributing in the short run. Show us what you've got and why you're the one for this quick turn-around!
How to prepare for a job interview at X4 Group
✨Nail the Technical Skills
For a software engineering role, you'll likely face technical questions or coding tasks during your interview. Brush up on the relevant programming languages and frameworks that X4 Group uses, and don’t forget to practice some coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank. Showing your coding prowess can really make you stand out!
✨Prepare for System Design Questions
Even for a temporary role, having a grasp of system design principles can be crucial. Be ready to discuss how you would architect a software solution, including discussing trade-offs, scalability, and performance considerations. Having examples from previous projects can really show off your analytical thinking.
✨Demonstrate Your Adaptability
Since this is a temporary role, you'll want to emphasise your ability to hit the ground running. Highlight experiences where you quickly adapted to new technologies or teams. Let’s make it clear to the interviewers at X4 Group that you can learn on the job and deliver results in a short timeframe!
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
Make sure to have a portfolio or GitHub ready showcasing your projects. Having tangible evidence of what you've done—be it personal projects, contributions to open-source, or previous work—can convey how capable you are. Tailor this for what might interest X4 Group, so it's relevant and sparks conversation during your interview.
