Senior Software Developer

Government Recruitment Service; Manchester; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service in Manchester is seeking a Senior Software Developer to help shape and deliver digital government services. You will join a multidisciplinary agile team to design, develop, and improve critical platforms, ensuring security, reliability, and scale.

You will contribute to modern development practices, mentor colleagues, and collaborate across sites, supporting live services and transformation initiatives aligned with the government's digital strategy.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience designing, developing, and implementing complex software solutions for critical government functions.
• Strong collaboration with multidisciplinary agile teams and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to design secure, scalable, and reliable digital services.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, run, and improve high-quality, secure, accessible digital services in line with government standards.
• Write clean, well-tested code and maintain clear technical documentation."
• Establish robust CI/CD pipelines for new and existing sites and services.
• Guide others on software development standards and best practices and mentor teammates.

Job description

Senior Software Developer

The Senior Software Developer role is part of the Technical Live Services team within Cabinet Office Digital. Help shape the future of UK Government Digital Services as a Senior Software Developer, leveraging senior-level hands-on software development experience to push the boundaries of technology and make a tangible difference to the lives of millions. The Cabinet Office sits at the heart of the UK Government, driving a groundbreaking digital transformation to set a new global benchmark for public services. Over the next three years, our mission is to deliver world-class digital offerings, making public services digital by default, simpler, clearer, and faster to use.

As a Senior Software Developer in CO Digital, you will bring extensive, proven experience in designing, developing, and implementing customised solutions that support critical business functions and meet core project objectives. You will work closely with multidisciplinary agile teams, technical architects, and key stakeholders to gather requirements, integrate complex systems, and ensure the reliability, security, and scalability of our public-facing platforms.

In this role, you will help the government manage and reduce its reliance on legacy technology by designing, building, running, and continuously improving user-friendly digital services aligned with the government's digital strategy. You will bring a strong passion for well-crafted code, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) mindsets, and a proactive approach to problem-solving and innovation across the digital and data ecosystem.

We value both breadth and depth of technical capability. Above all, you will be motivated by truly important work that puts users first, thrive in collaborative environments, share knowledge patiently with peers, and demonstrate a drive to make government better—even when that means challenging the status quo.

Our business support hours are 8 am to 6 pm, and we ask that you be flexible with your shifts to cover these hours.

As a Senior Software Developer, your core responsibilities will include:

• Design, build, run, and improve high-quality, secure, and accessible digital services in line with government standards.
• Writing clean, secure, and well-tested code, including supporting technical documentation and clear code commentary.
• Helping to establish robust development and deployment pipelines (CI/CD) for new, existing, and previously unsupported sites and services.
• Adhering to internal processes and procedures, while advising and guiding others on software development standards and best practices.
• Delivering integrated, user-focused solutions that align strategically across multiple teams, systems, and platforms.
• Supporting and maintaining software in live production environments, using modern diagnostic tools to troubleshoot and resolve faults effectively.
• Packaging and deploying software releases (some deployment activities may occasionally occur outside core office hours in line with organisational policies).
• Collaborating across multidisciplinary teams and varying technical disciplines to deliver high-value outcomes.
• Build and transfer skills across the team, take personal responsibility for mentoring others, and continuously enhance technical expertise.
• Travelling between government sites for meetings, collaborative events, and workshops as required.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £59,207 to £70,958 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Manchester

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 16 Oct 2026

Closing date: 1 Nov 2026