Senior Software Developer

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton
Job Summary
We are MHCLG
Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & 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 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 are looking for up to two senior software developers to work on the design, build and run of the Register your rental property service. The large, public facing service is currently in development and will launch at the end of 2026. It will register landlords and their properties to enhance transparency and help renters make informed decisions before entering a new tenancy. To enable tenants to view landlord information, in 2027 a tenant service will be developed.
The service is built using Kotlin and Spring Boot, deployed on AWS, and integrates with a range of government platforms including GOV.UK One Login. We use modern engineering practices including pair programming, automated testing and continuous delivery. You will work across the full software lifecycle, from discovery and design through to operating and improving services in production.
You will be joining a large multidisciplinary team providing you with the opportunity to work on features from design through to build and run. The department has a strong developer community of practice focused on sharing learning and building expertise across our broad range of services. Find out more about how we build software in the MHCLG Way: https://communitiesuk.github.io/mhclg-way/ or read our blog: https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/
Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog. Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment.
Job Description
As a senior software developer, you’ll:
Design, build and maintain high-quality software across backend services, databases, and external integrations
Design, build and improve user-facing services and user interfaces that meet user and accessibility needs
Follow development best-practice, including regular pair programming and test-driven development
Work together with service owners, product managers, delivery managers, and user centred design professionals to develop software that meets the needs of the organisation and our users
Improve service reliability, resilience, performance and security * Coach, mentor and share learning with the developer community
Operate services in production, including monitoring, observability, incident response, troubleshooting and continuous improvement.
As a Senior Software Developer, You’ll
Design, build and maintain high-quality software across backend services, databases, and external integrations
Design, build and improve user-facing services and user interfaces that meet user and accessibility needs
Follow development best-practice, including regular pair programming and test-driven development
Work together with service owners, product managers, delivery managers, and user centred design professionals to develop software that meets the needs of the organisation and our users
Improve service reliability, resilience, performance and security * Coach, mentor and share learning with the developer community
Operate services in production, including monitoring, observability, incident response, troubleshooting and continuous improvement.
Person specification
As a senior software developer, you’ll have experience of:
Developing backend web applications using Kotlin, Java or similar JVM-based technologies
Designing, building and operating cloud-based services on AWS
Designing, building and integrating with external APIs and services
Designing applications data models and developing software using PostgreSQL or other relational databases
Building accessible user interfaces, ideally using the GOV.UK Design System
Designing, building and maintaining secure services in line with cyber security standards
Version control systems, CI/CD tooling and practices, and deploying services into production environments
Working within agile, multidisciplinary teams
Communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Alongside your salary of £64,811, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £18,775 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
Application and Selection
The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:
Behaviours , Experience , Technical
Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.
Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.
Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.
Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)
Experience: Your covering letter should be no more than 2 pages referencing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
Stage 2: Technical Test
Candidates will be invited to a short Technical test.
Stage 3: Interview
Behaviours: Working Together
Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
Sift and Interview Dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 19th October with technical test and interview dates to follow.
Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.
Group 1 Digital & 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 £70,677 (London), £64,811(National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale.
A digital allowance of up to £12,894 (National) or £12,736 (London) may also 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.
How We Recruit
Find out everything you need to know before applying here..
Applying
Sifting
Interview
Interview Results & Feedback
Reserve List

Work arrangement
Yes