AMS PSR

On behalf of the CPS we are looking for a Lead .NET Developer (Inside IR35) for a 6 month contract. Remote working with travel to London or Wakefield as and when required. 

The CPS prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. The CPS is independent, and they make their decisions independently of the police and government.

The primary focus of this role is about building capability and foundations, not delivering features.

We’re looking for a highly experienced backend .NET developer who wants to use their expertise to support shaping software development in CPS and to grow our first cohort of in house back-end developers.

What the role is really about

There are two core priorities:

1.Mentoring and developing four backend apprentice developers.

2.Reviewing standard in place across teams to refine and document CPS software development standards.

At the moment, CPS relies almost entirely on suppliers for software development. We have very limited permanent, hands-on coding capability in house. The apprentices are the first step in changing that, and this role is critical to making that investment successful. You won’t be embedded in a delivery team shipping features day to day. Instead, you’ll work alongside the Head of Software Development to build out standards and create consistency.

Mentoring apprentices

You’ll be the technical anchor and manager for four backend apprentices who are learning:

•C# and the .NET framework.

•Modern backend development practices.

•How to work safely and effectively on business-critical systems.

This includes:

•Coaching them through real technical problems.

•Reviewing code and guiding design decisions.

•Teaching good habits: test driven development, security, maintainability, and operational awareness.

•Helping them understand how systems should look when done well.

You don’t need to be a formal “teacher”, but you do need to enjoy explaining, guiding, and raising the bar. These apprentices are already embedded within supplier delivery teams so you will need to understand that work and support and complement.

Defining development standards

A major part of the role is to discuss and document an initial set of software development standards for CPS.

These standards will:

•Set expectations for quality, security, consistency, and maintainability.

•Apply across supplier delivered and in house development.

•Be pragmatic and usable, not theoretical or academic.

This covers areas such as:

•Backend coding standards (.NET / C#).

•Use of Azure, particularly Azure Functions.

•Secure development practices in line with government principles on Secure by Design and NCSC coding standards.

You’ll work closely with the Head of Software Development and other technical leaders to make sure these standards are aligned with how CPS operates and can realistically be adopted.

Essential:

• An active SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. (Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.) 
• Proven experience developing applications using .NET and C#.
• Demonstrated leadership and mentoring capability, with experience supporting and guiding junior developers.
• Experience establishing and evolving engineering standards and best practices.
• Good working knowledge of GDS principles and standards.
• Hands-on experience working with Microsoft Azure.

Desirable:

• Public Sector experience.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, the CPS guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

The CPS guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".