Software Engineer (Components Team)

Scottish Government; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in Scotland is seeking a Software Engineer to build applications for public services. You will develop software and manage services on AWS, using technologies like Java, Node JS, and React Native. The role offers opportunities to work on front and back-end development in a hybrid environment. Ideal candidates should have experience in coding and a familiarity with cloud services and security practices. This position also provides a £5,000 annual pay supplement after qualifying. Applications close on January 18, 2026.

Benefits

£5,000 annual pay supplement

Flexible working hours

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Experience in developing and deploying applications and fixing faults.
• Proficiency in writing programs and scripts of medium-to-high complexity.
• Familiarity with the technologies and patterns used by the team.

Responsibilities

• Develop software to meet user needs and write clean and efficient code.
• Manage service components to ensure they meet business needs.
• Collaborate with user researchers to focus on all users.

Skills

Java

Node JS

Typescript

React Native

Kubernetes

AWS

Tools

Gitlab

Grafana

Prometheus

Job description

• Job Family Software Engineering/Development
• Locations Glasgow, United Kingdom Edinburgh, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
• Working Pattern Full Time
• Number of Openings 5
• Apply Before 01/18/2026, 11:59 PM

Would you like to help build and run the platforms underpinning public services in Scotland?

The Digital Directorate is building a mobile app and associated services to allow the people of Scotland to access public services via their mobile phones. The app will provide users with a convenient, accessible way to perform tasks, access personalised information, and interact with services directly from their smartphones, making best use of inherent mobile phone capabilities such as push notifications.

The software engineering team that develops those services, and the companion web application, builds and runs applications on AWS using Kubernetes and Lambda. Backend services are written in Java, with Node JS and Typescript used for front-end applications. Persistence is provided by S3, DynamoDB, and Redis. We use Grafana/Prometheus for metrics and dash-boarding, and Gitlab for CI/CD. The apps themselves are built in React Native.

The Role

As Software Engineer, you will: develop software to meet user needs, writing clean, efficient, secure, documented and well tested code; operate the services you build and identify issues in production: observe best practises contribute to their improvement; and have awareness of common security vulnerabilities and how to mitigate them.

We welcome developers interested in working across both the front and back end (recognising you may be stronger in one of the areas, and will try to assign to teams accordingly).

We don’t require experience of our specific tech stack and will support you to learn it or refresh your skills.There will also be opportunities to work with additional technologies beyond those listed above.

Responsibilities

Availability and capacity management

• Managing service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets.

Software engineering (Programming and build)

• Collaborating with others when necessary to review specifications.
• Using agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.
• Collaborating with user researchers and representing users internally, you champion user research to focus on all users.
• Prioritising and defining approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so.
• Offering recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

Development process optimisation

• Supporting specific activities to improve and identifying obvious deficiencies in development processes.

Information security

• Participating in the information security process.
• Designing and implementing embedded security controls in solutions and services.

Prototyping

• Participating in team prototyping, advocating for the use of prototyping, and testing with others.
• Establishing and iterating design patterns.
• Using a variety of prototyping methods and choosing the most appropriate.
• Designing systems characterised by managed levels of risk, manageable business and technical complexity, and meaningful impact.
• Producing detailed designs and working well with understood technology and identify appropriate patterns.

Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job, and they include the mix of experience, skills and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Experience

• You run it - Your experience developing and deploying an application allows you to help identify and fix faults following agreed procedures and carry out agreed maintenance tasks.
• You design it -Your experience of the technologies and patterns used by your team enables you to produce detailed designs of components and data structures using well understood technology, appropriate patterns, and security controls embedded.
• You Write it - Your experience writing programs and scripts allows you to use agreed specifications to independently design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.

Experience is assessed at sift, along with a more in-depth assessment at interview.

Technical Skills

This role is aligned to the Developer role within the Software Developer Job Family.

You can find out more about the skills required, here .

These skills are assessed by technical assessment, designed to represent the role. Candidates reaching this stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack which outlines the specific skills to be assessed, plus the method of assessment.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions - (Level 3)
• Communicating and Influencing - (Level 3)

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here .

Behaviours are assessed at interview. Full details will be shared in advance with all candidates invited to this stage.

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet each of the 3 Experience criteria listed in the Success Profile above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application but all statements and examples 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, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and DDaT Technical assessment where the behaviours, experiences and technical skills outlined in the Success Profile will be assessed.

The sift is scheduled for w/c Monday 19th January 2026.

Interviews and DDaT Technical assessments are scheduled for w/c Monday 2nd February 2026, however these may be subject to change.

About us

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including education, health, the economy, justice, housing, and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service , working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer .

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week, we offer flexible working including full-time, part-time, flexitime, and compressed hours depending on the needs of the role.

From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time either in an office or other agreed work location.

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession, as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a £5,000.00 annual DDAT pay supplement, applicable after a 3-month 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.

Equality Statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website .

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

Apply Before: 18th January 2026 (23:59) - This role is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only.