HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Directorate: Digital Technology Services (DTS)

Pay Band: SEO

Job Title: Software Developer

Location: National

Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 3 days per week in any HMCTS Office (subject to business availability). The frequency may increase in the future. The role may require occasional travel between sites for meetings or events.

Term: Permanent

Interview: Video conference via Teams

Important salary details:

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).

GDD:

Roles will be recruited using a combination of the Government Digital and Data (GDD) and Success Profile Frameworks. Using GDD we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary. This role is aligned to the Technical Job Family, is a Software Developer role at Developer level, but carries the title Software Developer within DTS.

Reserve List:

HMCTS run a Reserve List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months. You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Reserve List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.

Introduction:

These are exciting times at HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we support the judiciary across England and Wales to deliver justice by running courts and tribunals and processing outcomes, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve our ambitions. It will be challenging, important and rewarding.

HMCTS Digital and Technology Services (DTS) is a specialist technology directorate which provides support to HMCTS in the use of IT and Digital.

DTS is creating a place in which it is great to do work and part of our offer is brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. As well as that you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture, and a place where your opinion is valued.

Please follow the link below for further information about HMCTS. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service

Job Description:

As a Developer on the Video Hearings team at HMCTS you will work with a wide range of stakeholders such as user researchers, product managers, designers, business analysts, content specialists, delivery managers and digital architects, all of whom share a vision for making better government through smarter use of technology. You will innovate to radically transform public services for the better.

You will be placed in our Video Hearings team who are building the capability for our users to attend Court hearings remotely. Examples of products can be found in our GitHub repositories:

• https://github.com/hmcts

• https://github.com/hmcts/vh-video-web

• https://github.com/hmcts/vh-video-api

Technologies We Use:

• Backend: C#

• Frontend: Angular, TypeScript

• Deployment: Azure Pipelines

• Monitoring: Dynatrace

• Containerization: Kubernetes, Docker

• Infrastructure: Azure

• Databases: SQL Server (via Entity Framework), Redis

• Web Interfaces: GOV.UK Design System

• Development Environment: Macs

We also explore and adopt new technologies to improve how we deliver services to our users.

Most of our software services across HMCTS are built on Java, PostgreSQL, and Jenkins, and the Video Hearing services may also adopt these technologies in the future.

Key Responsibilities:

• Write, refactor, and document code for moderately complex applications/scripts, adhering to internal processes and development standards.

• Continuously improve your technical skills, stay updated with industry trends, and ensure high-quality, well-engineered products.

• Ensure software is secure, protecting against security threats and upholding confidentiality and integrity. Identify and raise risks as needed.

• Support and maintain software in live environments, troubleshooting issues using modern tools. Some tasks may require out-of-hours work per the organization’s policy.

• Plan development tasks, collaborate on system integrations, and contribute to the selection of software development approaches (e.g., agile, iterative).

• Optimize development processes, prototype solutions, and guide others in adopting best practices.

• Manage service availability, ensuring it meets business needs cost-effectively.

• Build and test system interfaces, including more complex integrations within the team.

• Apply a test-driven approach to software development, write automation tests, and collaborate in code reviews.

• Coach and mentor junior developers, offering guidance in technical areas.

• Participate in recruitment and procurement activities as needed.

• Translate user stories into technical solutions that meet user needs.

Skills & Experience:

• Experience in C# and JavaScript for the development of enterprise and public facing applications.

• Sound knowledge of HTTP, at least one web development framework (for example .Net or Angular) and at least one RDBMS (e.g. PostgreSQL).

• Sound knowledge in a wide range of technologies and libraries used in an enterprise, such as logging and monitoring, ORM, authentication/authorisation, cloud hosting environments, systems integration, source control, package management etc.

• Experience of mentoring, coaching or leading other developers

• Experience of working with modern tools and techniques

• Knowledge of common security issues and how to mitigate them

• A passion for making a positive impact on the communities we serve.

• Enthusiasm for tackling new technical and leadership challenges.

• Ability to work effectively in teams and foster a collaborative environment.

• A commitment to learning and helping others succeed.

• Strong problem-solving skills with a systematic approach.

Application process:

The following areas of the Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and score your application during the sift, and interview.

Experience - As demonstrated in your application form.

Technical - As demonstrated in your application form and interview. Successful sift candidates will be invited to a pre-interview technical online test. If successful, you will move on to the interview stage, which will include a coding challenge that you will have time to prepare for.

GDD Assessment - During the interview, you will be assessed against the GDD framework

Behaviours - You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at Level 3

• Communicating and Influencing

• Delivering at Pace

Level of Clearance - To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Security Clearance (SC) level as a condition of appointment.