Details
Reference number
430478
Salary
£59,586
The basic pay for this role will be between £64,979 - £70,011 (London), £59,586- £64,641 (National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 7### Contract type
Permanent### Type of role
Digital### Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time### Number of jobs available
3
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, WolverhamptonAbout the job
Job summary
Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all a part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda.
We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time. We have circa 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK.
The Digital Planning Programme is delivering a once-in-a-generation transformation of the planning system in England — making it faster, more accessible, data-driven, and fit for the future. The Funding Service team are responsible for helping grant teams deliver funding quickly and consistently, saving time and money. The Homes for Ukraine team are supporting a new caseworking system that helps local authorities support people fleeing the war in Ukraine. There may also be some roles in our data-collection and grant payment platform: Delta.
As a Senior Software Developer in one of these teams, you will be a hands-on technical leader, responsible for designing, building, and maintaining high-quality digital services. This role requires strong skills in both front and back-end development, with the ability to write clean, secure, and efficient code while guiding others to do the same. You will mentor and support developers at different levels, champion modern engineering practices, and help set the technical direction of the team. You will ensure services are user-centred, accessible, scalable, and aligned to government technology standards, delivering simpler, faster, and more transparent planning services for all users.
You can explore the Planning Data platform, and as we work in the open, you can find out what we do here at Digital Land. You can find out more about how we write software in The MHCLG Way.### Job description
As a Senior Software Developer you'll:
Lead the design, development, and maintenance of robust, scalable APIs and open data services to support digital planning tools and systems. (Fast API, Flask, Express.js)
Provide strategic technical leadership by setting software architecture, engineering practices, and technical direction across the Planning Data Team
Define and evolve scalable, secure design patterns and coding standards, ensuring alignment with GDS standards and cross-government platforms
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to select technologies, shape roadmaps, and deliver resilient, maintainable digital services that meet planning reform goals
Shape how planning data is modelled, shared, and integrated across local and central government, ensuring alignment with standards such as the Digital Land platform and UPRNs
Engage directly with planning authorities, digital providers, and GDS to deliver user-centred services that are reliable, secure, and accessible
Collaborate closely with policy, delivery, and data teams to align technical delivery with programme goals and policy outcomes
Manage and mentor a small team of developers and provide technical assurance across software workstreams
Represent the department at technical forums, open-source communities, and government working groups on digital planning and data standards
Ensure delivery aligns with the Service Standard, Technology Code of Practice, and departmental governance processes
Person specification
As a Senior Software Developer you'll have:* Significant experience in software engineering, including leading the development of production-level web services and APIs
Strong coding ability in one or more modern languages, e.g., Python, Node.js., javascript
Strong experience working with git as a version control system.
Experience of developing containerised applications and the capability to work with DevOps to deploy applications in the cloud.
Experience designing and implementing data models and services in distributed systems
Ability to engage with non-technical stakeholders and explain complex technical concepts in a clear, accessible way
Experience mentoring technical staff and leading delivery across multi-disciplinary teams
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £59,586, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £17,262 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.* Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
MHCLG want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
When writing your application, remember:
The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.
Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.
If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)
CV and Cover Letter Declaration
We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called anonymous recruitment.
Please remove references to your:
name/title
educational institutions
age
gender
email address
postal address
phone number
nationality/immigration status
You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead sift question listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview.
Lead Sift Question (Technical): Please provide an example of when you have led the design and delivery of a software solution or service. How did you ensure that it met user needs, was scalable, and complied with appropriate technical standards?
At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:
Experience
Technical
In your CV and covering letter, please include: a. why you are interested in the role; b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required.
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Behaviour
Experience
Ability
Technical
Please note, if you are invited to the interview stage, this will consist of two parts - a pair programming exercise in your preferred programming language and a question based interview. If you are successful in reaching the interview stage, instructions will be shared with you ahead of the pair programming exercise of what to expect.
In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification
Technical: Yes – Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification
Behaviours: ("Leadership", "Managing A Quality Service", "Working Together")
Ability
We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs:
Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.
Group 1 Digital and Data roles
MHCLG has implemented the Digital and Data capability framework for Group 1 roles. Applicants that are successful and have been offered a position will be required to complete a capability assessment after the interview.
MHCLG will honour completed capability assessments for this role from other Government Departments for existing civil servants on level transfer only. Please provide a copy of your capability assessment to the Hiring Manager when applying. If you have any queries on pay, please contact the Hiring Manager.
Each experience or technical skill is assessed between 1-3, representing working towards, at or above the job level requirements. You are awarded a proficiency level accordingly, and you will be given opportunity to annually re assess your capability and potentially increase your overall remuneration, through payment of allowances, depending on level of assessed capability.
Candidates moving from another government department have the option to retain their current basic pay if this is within our pay band for the relevant grade.
Grade 7 Group 1 Digital and Data salary
The basic pay for this role will be between £64,979 - £70,011(London), £59,586 - £64,641 (National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale.
An additional digital allowance may be payable depending on the level of assessed capability, in order to meet the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating.
For applicants in receipt of existing allowances, we will assess each case individually, but we would seek not to exceed the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating for existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply, subject to the statements above.
Benefits
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to MHCLG from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.
For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
Geographical Location:
London
Manchester
Bristol
Wolverhampton
Darlington*
There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service. This role is based at MHCLG and we will be joined on the campus by:
HM Treasury
Department for International Trade
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Office for National Statistics
Department for Education
For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.
Sift and Interview dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 20th October 2025 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
SC (Security Check):
Important note
Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the Security Check – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years. Please refer to the MHCLG Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Security Check (SC).
Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Internal Fraud Database
The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.
For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.### Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .
See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.### Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
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)
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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.### Contact point for applicants
Job contact :Name : Digital Data Jobs
Email : DigitalDataJobs@communities.gov.uk
Recruitment teamEmail : DigitalDataJobs@communities.gov.uk