Technology Lead – Application Development

About the job

Key information

• Based in Taunton
• 37 hours per week
• Permanent
• 33 days annual leave

Are you a forward-thinking developer ready to support and help shape the future of digital services in local government?

Somerset Council is looking for a Technology Lead in Application Development to drive innovation, lead a talented development team, and deliver impactful digital solutions that make a real difference to our communities.

What will I be doing?

As a Technology Lead, you’ll be the go-to expert in application development, integrations and interface and development standards across the council providing product ownership and guidance. You will lead and mentor a development team, providing a clear vision and direction, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, learning and growth within the team.

You’ll provide insights and expertise to support decision making, ensure the delivery of high-quality, scalable software solutions and provide technical support and quality assurance to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the council’s ICT systems.

Bringing a deep knowledge of ICT systems and technologies, you will oversee the software development lifecycle, from supporting planning and prioritisation to deployment and maintenance, from integrating data across platforms to designing intuitive user experiences.

Through a strong grasp of cyber security and data protection principles, and a passion for quality assurance and continuous improvement, you’ll ensure our applications are secure, compliant, and built with purpose.

You’ll also play a key role in shaping policy, and establishing development practice standards and a best practice approach. In addition your role will include evaluating vendors and staying ahead of industry trends to keep Somerset Council at the cutting edge of digital innovation.

The above is just a snapshot of the wide-varying work you will be undertaking in this role. If you think you meet the criteria we have listed for this position, then we’d love to hear from you.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• In-depth understanding of ICT technologies, systems and industry trends / practices.
• Proven experience in a similar development role, including experience in research and analysis, technical support and quality assurance.
• Knowledge of data integration: Understanding how to integrate data from various sources into low-code applications.
• User experience (UX) design: Basic knowledge of UX design principles to create user-friendly applications.
• Experience in solution design & development of Power Platform products such as canvas apps, model driven apps, agents, cloud automations, RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and custom connectors
• Experience of ICT transformation and maintenance projects.
• Understanding of quality assurance development, policy and procedure development.
• Understanding of cyber security principles, security and compliance requirements.
• Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to provide expert guidance.
• A relevant professional certification is essential for this role, and a bachelor’s degree in ICT, computer science or a related field would also be desirable.
• You may also have a certificate in project management, quality assurance or risk management.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Sarah Moore via email at sarah.moore@somerset.gov.uk

The salary for this role is £49,282 per annum

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button – we can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now