Software Developer SPM

Scottish Government; Glasgow, Dundee; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental agency in Scotland is seeking a Software Developer to create software that meets user needs. The role includes managing service components and improving development processes in a collaborative environment. Candidates should have experience in software development and a commitment to a positive and inclusive organizational culture. This position offers a competitive salary with a £5,000 Digital, Data, and Technology pay supplement.

Benefits

£5,000 Digital, Data and Technology pay supplement

Inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Experience in software development and modern standards.
• Ability to identify deficiencies in development processes.
• Participation in information security processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop software to meet user needs.
• Manage service components to meet business needs.
• Support activities to improve development processes.

Skills

Develop software to meet user needs

Write clean, secure and well-tested code

Coach and mentor junior colleagues

Collaborate with user researchers

Design systems with managed levels of risk

Job description

Overview

Salary - £36,944 - £42,244 (plus a £5,000 Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) pay supplement after a 3 month qualifying period)
Location - Dundee or Glasgow
Hours - 35 hours per week
Closing Date - 12th November 2025 at 23:55
Reference - 2671
Employment Type – Permanent

The Software Developer role will sit within Social Security Scotland’s Chief Digital Office (CDO), which has a remit to provide infrastructure and systems to support both the wider social security programme and Social Security Scotland.

A developer delivers software components that form part of a product.

At this role level, you will:

• develop software to meet user needs
• follow best practice guidelines and help to improve those guidelines
• write clean, secure and well-tested code
• coach and mentor more junior colleagues
• operate the services you build and identify issues in production

We aim to develop within Social Security Scotland, a positive and inclusive culture, which supports our people to flourish, by embedding a working environment where we all treat each other with dignity and respect, and recognise each other’s contributions.

Social Security Scotland, an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, delivers 17 major benefits, reaching around 2 million people across Scotland. With an annual benefit budget of £6.7 billion for 2025–26, Social Security Scotland plays a central role in supporting low-income and disabled individuals, carers, and families, while contributing to the Scottish Government’s statutory child poverty targets. Our Charter affirms the agency’s values and commitments, ensuring that clients are treated with dignity, fairness and respect, and that their feedback informs service enhancements.

Social Security Scotland embeds a positive and inclusive organisational culture. This focuses on employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, professional development, and performance improvement. The agency recognises that its workforce is key to delivering high-quality public services and is committed to creating an environment where staff are empowered to grow and contribute meaningfully.

DDaT Pay Supplement

This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a £5,000 annual DDAT pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months 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.

Main Duties

• You manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets.
• You support specific activities to improve development processes.
• You identify obvious deficiencies in development processes.
• You participate in the information security process.
• You design and implement embedded security controls in solutions and services.
• You competently apply a modern standards approach and guide others to do so.
• You collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications.
• You use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.
• You participate in team prototyping.
• You advocate for the use of prototypes and testing with others.
• You establish design patterns and iterate them.
• You use a variety of prototyping methods and choose the most appropriate.
• You help fix faults following agreed procedures.
• You carry out agreed maintenance tasks on infrastructure.
• You translate logical designs into physical designs.
• You produce detailed designs.
• You effectively document all work using required standards, methods and tools, including prototyping tools where appropriate.
• You design systems characterised by managed levels of risk, manageable business and technical complexity, and meaningful impact.
• You work with well understood technology and identify appropriate patterns.
• You build and test simple interfaces between systems.
• You work on more complex integration as part of a wider team.
• You collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally.
• You champion user research to focus on all users.
• You prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so.
• You offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

Further Information

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail].