Lead Software Engineer
Lead Software Engineer
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Job Description
Are you an experienced software engineering leader who would like to make a positive difference to a critical public service
Were looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join an established team of software engineering professionals within our Chief Digital Office. The successful candidate will lead a team of 20 permanent staff who have specific responsibility for supporting and improving our enterprise case management system Social Program Management (SPM).
With a lifetime budget of over 300m Social Security Scotland is delivering a social security system that will support the people of Scotland for decades to position is central to our ability to build and maintain robust and secure technical services for our organisation.
We aim to develop a positive and inclusive culture within Social Security Scotland by embedding a working environment where we all treat each other with dignity fairness and respect and recognise each others contributions.
We believe in supporting our team members growth and development through their work the successful candidate will also have access to formal training courses and team learning projects to enhance their technical and non-technical skills.
ALead Software Engineerleads development on one or a small number of related project teams.
At this role level you will:
- Guide the ways in which the team works;
- Be proficient in a wide range of technical systems
- Be involved in identifying appropriate technology and approaches deciding when software should be written
- Contribute to the developer community
- Provide technical leadership coaching and mentoring your team
- Promote knowledge sharing and adoption of good practice
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
Identify availability and capacity issues; stipulate and implement necessary changes.
Initiate remedial action when performance targets are not met.
Recognise and implement opportunities to optimise processes.
Lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements.
Evaluate and establish requirements for change implementation by setting policy and standards.
Participate in the information security process.
Design and embed security controls within solutions and services.
Apply modern standards and practices; coach and guide others accordingly.
Advise on applying standards and methods to ensure compliance.
Maintain technical responsibility throughout all stages and iterations of software development.
Provide technical advice to stakeholders; set team standards for programming tools and techniques.
Engage in team prototyping and advocate for testing with others.
Establish and iterate design patterns using appropriate prototyping methods.
Identify locate and rectify faults.
Design systems with medium levels of risk impact and technical or business complexity.
Select and effectively apply suitable design standards methods and tools.
Review others system designs to ensure appropriate technology choices resource efficiency and system integration.
Define the integration build and coordinate build activities across systems.
Support and undertake integration testing activities.
Collaborate with user researchers and represent user interests internally.
Champion user research to encompass all users.
Prioritise and define approaches to understand user stories; guide others in the process.
Recommend the most suitable tools and methods.
Qualifications
Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called Success Profiles which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of out more about how we assess the Success Profile elements
Essential Experience
- You have experience of developing and deploying Social Program Management (SPM) systems with the ability to establish monitoring alerting and operational procedures to consistently identify locate and resolve faults.
- You have proven managerial experience with a track record of developing team members to their full potential and effectively managing performance issues.
Behaviours
Making effective decisions (Level 4)
Leadership (Level 4)
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours ()
Technical / Professional Skills:
This role is aligned to Lead Developer - Management within the Digital Data and Technology Profession. These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage. Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Software developer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework
How to apply
Apply online you must provide a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profiles above. Be sure to provide specific examples of work that youve done that showcase your relevant experience.
In the event that we receive a high volume of applications we may conduct an initial sift using the CV and Supporting Statement based on the first Experience criteria. Candidates who successfully pass this initial sift will have their applications fully assessed.
Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to attend an Interview and Technical Assessment. The interview will further assess the Experience and Behaviours listed in the job advert and the technical assessment will evaluate the technical skills relevant to the role.
Candidates who pass the sift and are invited to the Interview and Technical Assessment stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack which will outline the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods to be used.
Following the application sift there may be a telephone interview as part of the assessment process before the main interview.
We aim to provide feedback on request. However if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment.
Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift w/c 27th June
Interview w/c14th July
Location In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow
Reserve List
In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.
About us
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find more about us here.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
DDaT Pay Supplement
This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development post currently attracts a 5000 annual DDAT pay supplement applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.
Working pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location which will be either Glasgow or you have specific questions about the role you are applying for please contact us.
Equality Statement
Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process please contact us at
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
Further information
Find out more about our organisation what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.
Social Security Scotlands recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission ()
If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles you can make a complaint by contacting Social Security Scotland at in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.
If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form please contact the Resourcing Team via
Apply before Thursday 26th June 2025 at 23:55
Contact Name- Resourcing Team
Contact email
Employment Type
Full-Time
