RESEARCH ENGLAND REF LEAD DEVELOPER SALARY: £68,525 GRADE: UKRI BAND G LOCATION: BRISTOL (HYBRID) CONTRACT: FIXED TERM (CONCLUDING DEC 2029) HOURS: FULL TIME CLOSING DATE: 12 Jan 25 At the end of the assignment candidates will move into the UKRI redeployment pool and be supported in finding suitable alternative work within the organisation. About the Research Excellence Framework (REF) The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, with the most recent exercise concluding in 2021. It is a peer review assessment process involving submissions from higher education institutions across the UK. Research England delivered REF 2021 on behalf of the four UK funding bodies and the results have driven the annual distribution of approximately £2 billion of research funding to UK universities. Purpose of the role An exciting opportunity to lead and shape the design, development, and delivery of the UK's next research assessment exercise. We require systems to be delivered to support: Administration of the exercise The submission of large volumes of research data from all participating HEIs The distribution and assessment of all elements of the research data submitted Working in an agile development team following a user centered design approach. We require passionate and innovative full-stack developers working with a combination of bespoke software and off the shelf products to produce a robust, accessible, and performant suite of systems to support the exercise over the next 5 years. About you A leader and a mentor, your team will be made up of developers who you will be able to coach and mentor to increase resilience within the team. Previous experience of working in a user centered design framework is desirable and ability to balance user needs with technical implementation is a must. As lead developer you will be expected to have skills at the cutting edge of technology and capacity for continuous improvement. Working with both bespoke developments and integrating with existing infrastructure and architectures within the wider organisational environment. You will: guide the ways in which the team works be proficient in a wide range of technical systems lead the identification of appropriate technology and approaches, deciding when and how software should be written contribute to the developer community provide technical leadership, coaching and mentoring your team promote knowledge sharing and adoption of good practice Key areas of accountability Development process optimisation You will identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions. Stakeholder Management You will mediate between senior stakeholders and build relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels. You will manage stakeholder expectations and moderate discussions about high risk and complexity, even within constrained timescales. You can speak on behalf of and represent the community to large audiences inside and outside of government Programming and build (software engineering) You can advise on the right way to apply standards and methods to ensure compliance. You will maintain technical responsibility for all the stages and iterations of a software development project. You can provide technical advice to stakeholders and set the team-based standards for programming tools and techniques Availability and capacity management You can manage the service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets Information security You understand information security and can design solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered as mitigation against security threats as a core part of the solutions and services Prototyping You approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others. You can establish design patterns and iterate them. You can use a variety of prototyping methods and choose the most appropriate Service support You will identify, locate and fix faults. Systems design You will design systems characterised by medium levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity. You will select appropriate design standards, methods and tools, and ensure they are applied effectively. You will review the systems designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology Systems integration You will define the integration build. You can coordinate build activities across systems and can undertake and support integration testing activities. User Focus You will collaborate with user researchers and sell or represent users internally. You can explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user. You can champion user research to focus on all users. You know how to prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so. You can offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to be used. Modern standards approach You can demonstrate a strong understanding of the most appropriate modern standards and practices, and how they are applied. You can coach and guide others in these standards Assessment criteria Essential: Extensive experience of Agile software development and working in SCRUM teams (S/I) Extensive experience of developing with NodeJS, TypeScript, NextJS, React. (S/I) Evidence of contributing to the design of integration solutions between various systems within our architecture (S/I) Demonstrable experience designing, coding and debugging secure systems including NodeJS/express, RESTful APIs, React (S/I) Excellent skills in web front end technologies and methodologies such as React, CSS, Tailwind, Styles Components, Atomic Design, etc. (S/I) Excellent knowledge of relational databases including data modelling, SQL, stored procedures, postgres(S/I) Extensive experience with source control systems, including branching, merging, etc. (S/I) Experience with continuous integration and continuous deployment (S/I) Experience designing and working with n-tier architectures (UI, Business Logic Layer, Data Access Layer) along with experience with microservice oriented architectures (S/I) Experience of working in AWS/Azure and setting up complex programmes/projects (S/I) Extensive experience of design patterns such as SOLID and TDD (S/I) Desirable: DevOps experience desirable (I) Line management experience desirable (I) Previous experience of REF (I) Active Directory integration experience (I) Experience with Hono, React, govuk-react (I) Modern systems design experience (I) APPLICATIONS Online applications only for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter to the attachments section (ignore free textbox for cover letter under 'Experience' section) which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'Experience' section of the application process. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEVELOPING TALENT : We are committed to developing employees in their roles throughout their career. Learning and development plans enable employees to continue their professional development through training and development opportunities such as e-learning, classroom training and on-the-job experiences. We encourage our employees to share their learning across teams and organisations. BENEFITS: UKRI can offer the successful candidate: - Flexible Working - 30 days annual leave Public Holidays - Access to Civil Service Pension Scheme - Various everyday discounts through our dedicated provider Visit our dedicated benefits webpage for more info: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) SOC GRANTED Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitmentukri.org About Research England Research England is one of the nine Councils within UK Research and Innovation. As a key component of the research funding system, Research England will oversee UKRI's England-only functions in relation to university research and knowledge exchange (KE). This includes providing grant funding to English universities for related activities; developing and implementing the Research Excellence Framework in partnership with the UK Higher Education funding bodies; supervising the sustainability of the Higher Education research base in England; guide the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund; and coordinate the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). Research England will build and sustain the conditions for a healthy and dynamic research and KE system in English universities. They also work closely with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations. For more information about Research England, click here. About UK Research Innovation (UKRI) UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org. Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. How we support EDI in the workforce At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'. Disability Confident Employer As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. How to apply Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application. UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us. Additional Information Organisation: Research England (RE) Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract External Closing Date: Jan 12, 2025 Minimum Salary: Pound Sterling (GBP) 68,525 Hours: Part-time