Senior Software Developer - Python

Government Recruitment Service; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 69,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service is seeking a Senior Software Developer specialized in Python to design, build and run robust software services from requirements through to production support. You will work in a multidisciplinary team to translate user needs into practical digital solutions, ensuring reliability and maintainability.

You will contribute to continuous engineering improvements, review code, and help shape architecture and deployment pipelines for services used across government

Qualifications

• Experience designing, building and maintaining robust software solutions.
• Strong collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to deliver user-focused digital services.
• Familiarity with modern development practices and debugging live production systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test and maintain high-quality software following architecture and coding standards.
• Work across the full software development lifecycle including deployment and production support.
• Collaborate with architects and developers to translate user needs into working software.
• Develop and maintain REST APIs, web applications and containerised services.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of engineering practices and code quality.

Skills

Python

REST APIs

CI/CD

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) helps businesses invest, innovate, export and grow across the UK. The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate helps to deliver this by designing, building and running the services, platforms and technology that businesses and colleagues rely on every day.

Our teams work on a wide range of services and technologies, including:

• digital services that help businesses access government support, guidance and opportunities
• data and AI products that support decision making and enable innovation
• internal tools and services that help colleagues work more effectively
• secure technology and platforms that support critical government services
• cyber security services that protect systems, data and users

By joining DDaT, you'll work on services used by businesses, colleagues and citizens across the UK. You'll be part of multidisciplinary teams focused on improving services, solving complex problems and delivering better outcomes for users.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace. In recognition of this, we were named Best Public Sector Employer at the Women in Tech Employer Awards 2025!

As a Senior Software Developer, you will play a key role in designing, building and running robust, maintainable software that meets the needs of our users. You will work across the full software development lifecycle, from understanding requirements and shaping technical solutions through to development, deployment and supporting services in production.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary agile team, you will develop a strong understanding of the wider service and use this to solve complex technical problems, improve system reliability and make informed technical decisions. You will work closely with developers, technical architects, designers, user researchers and analysts to turn user needs into practical, high-quality digital solutions.

You will also contribute to our wider engineering culture by reviewing code, sharing knowledge and supporting colleagues. You will help us continually improve how we build and operate software, championing maintainable code, modern development practices and resilient services.

Main responsibilities

You will:

• Design, build, test and maintain high-quality software, delivering new functionality and improving existing services in line with agreed architecture and coding standards
• Work across the full software development lifecycle, including development, testing, deployment, monitoring and production support
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues to translate user needs and designs into working software, iterating services based on evidence and feedback
• Work closely with Technical Architects and other developers to make informed technical decisions and identify appropriate solutions to complex problems
• Develop and maintain REST APIs, web applications, microservices and containerised applications
• Build a strong understanding of the wider service, including dependencies, data and system interactions, to improve reliability and resolve underlying technical issues
• Investigate and resolve live service incidents, identifying root causes and implementing sustainable improvements
• Build and maintain continuous integration and deployment pipelines that support reliable software delivery
• Review code, share technical knowledge and support colleagues to improve quality and consistency across the team
• Contribute to continuous improvement of engineering practices, including exploring and prototyping potential solutions where appropriate

• Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

Senior Software Developer - Python

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £68,732 to £88,423 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Edinburgh

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 23 Oct 2026

Closing date: 9 Nov 2026