Software Engineering Manager (Platform Engineering)
Software Engineering Manager (Platform Engineering)
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Job Description
Do you want to transform the way software is built deployed and run in the Scottish Government Do you want to enable the delivery of better technology to serve the people of Scotland
The newly created Platform Engineering team is initially responsible for the development and operation of the platform supporting the ScotAccount Digital Identity Service. It will later broaden its scope to the provision of an Internal Developer Platform to enable the wider Digital Directorate software engineering team and potentially teams across the Scottish Government.
In this role you would be the line manager for the team providing both people and technical leadership enabling the team to deliver against its roadmap. You will be instrumental in building platform engineering capability within the team and collaborating across the division to best enable other engineering teams.
Technology Stack
The team currently uses Kubernetes (EKS) and AWS. AWS technologies include CloudFormation using Python Lamda DynamoDB Kinesis Data Streams S3 CloudFront CloudTrail CloudWatch Athena Grafana and Prometheus. Gitlab is used for CI/CD. The team also works with Helm charts VPNs backup processes and patching processes with a very strong emphasis on security.
The platform team will be initially supporting teams that develop applications using Java and JavaScript/Typescript. As the teams scope broadens additionally technologies are likely to be added such as GitHub and Azure.
Responsibilities
Delivery & Quality
- Technical responsibility for all the stages and iterations of assigned software development projects providing technical advice to stakeholders and set the team-based standards for programming tools and techniques.
- Line management responsibilities for a team mentoring and developing them to deliver service improvements you identify and implement opportunities to optimise processes; identify availability and capacity issues identify and instigate the required changes.
- Applying the most appropriate modern standards and practices coaching and guiding others in these standards advising on the right way to apply standards and methods to ensure compliance.
Design
- Designing systems characterised by medium levels of risk impact and business or technical complexity.
- Establishing and iterating design patterns selecting appropriate design standards methods and tools and ensure they are applied effectively.
- Reviewing the systems designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology.
Prototyping
- Advocating for participating in the use of prototypes and testing with others using a variety of prototyping methods and choose the most appropriate.
Systems Integration
- Defining the integration build co-ordinate build activities across systems and understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities.
User Focus
- Collaborating with user researchers and representing users internally championing user research to focus on all users.
- You prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story guiding others in doing so and offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.
Responsibilities
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of experience skills and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.
Experience:
- Lead Criteria 1 You Lead - Your experience as a manager enables you to lead improvements to the operation of the engineering organisation leading initiatives to improve overall engineering team performance.
- Lead Criteria 2 - You run it - Your experience developing and deploying live systems allows you to define the monitoring alerting and operational procedures of an application in order to consistently identify locate and fix faults.
- You Design - Your experience engineering systems with a variety of technologies and patterns allows you to design systems choosing appropriate technology approaches and embedded security controls.
- You write it - Your experience building solutions to problems of high complexity using modern web technologies allows you to use agreed specifications to independently design code test and document programs or scripts of high complexity using the right standards and tools.
Experience is assessed at sift along with a more in-depth assessment at interview.
Technical Skills:
This role is aligned to the Lead Developer Management role within the Software Engineering/Development job family.
You can find out more about the skills required here.
These skills are assessed by technical assessment designed to represent the role. Candidates reaching this stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack which outlines the specific skills to be assessed plus the method of assessment.
Behaviours:
- Making Effective Decisions Level 4
- Working Together Level 4
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.
Behaviours are assessed at interview. Full details will be shared in advance with all candidates invited to this stage.
How to Apply
Apply online providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet each of the 4 Experience criteria listed in the Success Profile above.
Candidates will have their applications assessed against all Experience criteria. If a large number of applications are received an initial sift will be conducted on the Lead Criteria highlighted above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application but all statements and examples provided must be truthful factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others or generated by artificial intelligence and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.
If invited for further assessment this will consist of an interview and DDaT Technical assessment where the behaviours experiences and technical skills outlined in the Success Profile will be assessed.
The sift is scheduled for w/c 1st September.
Interviews and DDaT Technical assessments are scheduled for w/c 15th September however these may be subject to change.
Qualifications
About Us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including education health the economy justice housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.
Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
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.
Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week we offer truly flexible working including full-time part-time flexitime and compressed hours depending on the needs of the role.
From October 2025 the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time either in an office or other agreed work location.
DDaT Pay Supplement
This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital Data and Technology (DDAT) profession as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a 5000.00 annual DDAT pay supplement applicable after a 3-month 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.
Security Checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks Identity Right to work Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on theUK Government website or read about the different levels of security checks in ourCandidate Guide.
Equality Statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
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.
Apply before 31/08/2025
Required Experience:
Manager
Employment Type
Full-Time
