Senior Software Engineer (Computer Services Officer 4)

Nova Scotia; Halifax; On-site; CAD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Cyber Security & Digital Solutions is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to enhance government digital services. This role involves backend development using .NET Core or Node.js and requires collaborative efforts with various teams to drive forward technology initiatives that enhance user experience. A competitive salary and a variety of benefits highlight this opportunity.

Benefits

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Health and Dental Benefits

Employee and Family Assistance Program

Career Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in backend development, primarily with .NET Core or Node.js.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure as code.
• Proficient in Agile methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain backend services for digital platforms.
• Write infrastructure-as-code and manage cloud infrastructure.
• Ensure services are secure and optimized for performance.

Skills

.NET Core

Node.js

Terraform

Agile methodologies

Test Driven Development

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

Job description

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Senior Software Engineer (Computer Services Officer 4)

Competition # : 46517

Department:Cyber Security & Digital Solutions

Location:HALIFAX

Type of Employment:Permanent

Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG

Closing Date:28-Jul-25 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

AtCSDS , we prioritize people—both within our team and in the communities we serve. Our mission is to redefine how Nova Scotians engage with government by creating accessible, reliable digital solutions centered around user needs.

In today’s tech-driven world, CSDS empowers government departments with essential digital solutions to meet Nova Scotians’ expectations. As a trusted partner across government, we enable departments to fulfill their mandates with secure, user-friendly services. From healthcare and education to public safety, we collaborate to transform how services are designed and delivered.

We don’t just implement technology; we modernize outdated systems and reimagine processes. Our agile, data-driven approach ensures that digital services are both efficient and adaptable to Nova Scotia’s evolving needs.

Joining CSDS means contributing to work that makes a real difference. From providing vital tech support to healthcare professionals to strengthening cybersecurity and developing scalable digital platforms, you’ll play a key role in building a more inclusive, responsive government for Nova Scotians.

Together, we’re setting new standards for digital public service, delivering resilient solutions that meet today’s needs—and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.

About Our Opportunity

We’re seeking aSenior Software Engineer with strong backend development experience (e.g., .NET Core or Node.js) and familiarity with cloud infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform). While this is primarily a software engineering role, experience with deploying, configuring, and managing infrastructure in a cloud environment (e.g., Azure) is highly valued.

You will join our Emerging Platforms Team, a collaborative and empowered group responsible for researching, designing, building, and supporting digital platforms across government departments. You’ll work alongside product managers, delivery leads, operations teams, and business partners to continuously improve digital services that are secure, scalable, and user-centered.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of digital platform services used by thousands of users across government.
• Design, build, and maintain front end and backend services using modern technologies such as React, Angular, .NET Core (C#) or Node.js.
• Write infrastructure-as-code using Terraform to provision and manage cloud infrastructure (primarily in Azure).
• Design and implement automated tests, including unit, integration, and end-to-end (E2E) tests to ensure code quality and service reliability. Familiarity with frameworks such as, NUnit, and Playwright is considered an asset.
• Contribute to CI/CD automation and deployment pipelines in GitLab for both code and infrastructure components.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and team rituals, contributing to planning, retrospectives, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to understand user and business needs and translate them into technical solutions.
• Ensure services are secure-by-design and aligned with cybersecurity best practices and OWASP standards.
• Optimize systems for performance, scalability, and reliability, with automated testing and monitoring as part of delivery.
• Provide mentorship and/or coaching for Junior and intermediate software engineers.
• Write and maintain clear technical documentation, such as architecture diagrams, API specs, developer guides operational runbooks.
  
  

Qualifications and Experience

As the successful candidate, you will have a related Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science plus five (5) years of related experience; or graduation from a recognized Information Technology Program plus five (5) years and six (6) months of related experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience may be acceptable.

• Recent, extensive experience with backend technologies preferably dotnet core C# (must have). Candidates with experience in Java, NodeJS and other programming languages will also be considered.
• Recent, experience writing and managing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools such as Terraform to provision and configure cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred).
• Experience with Agile-Scrum and/or Kanban methodologies.
• In-depth understanding of SOLID and DRY principles, and ability to write clean and maintainable code.
• Practice Test Driven Development such as writing unit tests and ensuring code coverage while building the functionality.
• Hands-on experience with containerization & orchestration, such as Docker and Docker-Compose.
  
  

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with platform engineering practices and the ability to bridge software development with cloud infrastructure provisioning
• Experience building and scaling high-traffic websites and/or high-volume transaction processing and analysis platforms
• Knowledge of OWASP Security standards and Cyber security best practices.
• Open to switch between different programming languages and technologies.
• Familiarity with Azure Services such as App Services, Key Vault, Blob Storage, etc.
• Familiarity with observability practices (logging, monitoring, metrics) using tools like Azure Monitor

What is our Stack?

• Backend - C# .NET Core (Primary), NodeJS (NestJS)
• Frontend – Razor pages (ASP.NET), Angular and React (Typescript)
• Architecture – Microservices and multi-tiered architecture
• Source Control – Gitlab and Github (for open-source projects)
• CI/CD - Gitlab & Github pipelines.
• IAC - Terraform
• Atlassian Jira for Project management and issue tracking.
• OS – Windows or MacOS for development.
  
  

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as aDefined Benefit Pension Plan , Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees .

Additional Information

Join the Department of Cyber Security & Digital Solutions and experience the benefits of a fulfilling career, supported by comprehensive perks, career development opportunities, and a diverse range of paths to explore within our department and across the government.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths

Pay Grade: PR 17

Salary Range: $3,107.16- $3,649.33Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement:

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Womenin occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

Accommodation Statement:

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Candidates may request accommodations based on any grounds protected by the Human Rights Act.If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail].

This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link:

Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued.

External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates.PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concernsmay be directed [e-mail].