Senior Software Developer

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Senior Software Developer

Permanent

Home Based - (1-2 visits per month to Bristol office as well as other AQA offices on occasions)

Salary: £55,775 - £62,856

Imagine coding the future of educational assessment technology. Think about crafting innovative solutions that directly impact millions of learners worldwide. If you’re passionate about software development and ready to contribute to a groundbreaking product, this is your opportunity to join AQA- GradeMaker's dynamic team.

At AQA GradeMaker, our mission is to revolutionize how assessments are created, managed, and delivered. As a Software Developer, you’ll play a critical role in developing reliable and scalable solutions that drive our cutting-edge platform. Collaborating with a team of talented professionals, you’ll engage in all stages of the development lifecycle—from reviewing user stories and proposing solutions to participating in sprint planning and peer reviews. Your code will be pivotal in ensuring GradeMaker continues to meet and exceed business objectives.

In this role, you’ll be responsible for producing high-quality code, building unit tests, and adhering to rigorous quality frameworks. With your expertise in PHP, Laravel, and modern JavaScript frameworks like ReactJS or Angular, you’ll be instrumental in delivering features that enhance the GradeMaker platform. You’ll also have the chance to mentor other developers, engage in continuous improvement, and support live systems to ensure smooth operation.

What will I need to succeed:

Proficiency in the following technologies:

• PHP 8+ with Laravel 8+
• Front-end framework/library: ReactJS / Angular2+ / Vue
• Javascript ES7+
• Database layer: NoSQL / SQL
• Version control: GIT

What you’ll get:

• Generous Annual Leave: 25 days, increasing to 30 days with service, plus all Bank Holidays and additional Christmas office closure.
• Flexible Working: A 35-hour week with the empowerment to deliver the requirements of your role when it suits everyone.
• Develop yourself at work: Receive sponsorship for apprenticeships and other qualifications.
• Competitive Pension Scheme: Excellent contributory pension plan (6% - 11.5% based on your contribution).
• Your health and wellbeing: BUPA private medical insurance, cycle to work scheme and free access to the Headspace app.
• Other benefits: Life assurance, electric car salary sacrifice and an enhanced maternity/paternity scheme.

Ready to apply?

If the role looks of interest and you would like to apply, please do so via our portal. Every application will be provided with a written response!

The closing date for applications will be Wednesday 12th February. We are reviewing applications as they come through and reserve the right to close this role early.

AQA is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes people unique.

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place. Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

The Software Developer will develop, build, and support reliable solutions that achieve GradeMaker's business objectives. They will also be naturally open and collaborative and enjoy helping make a team succeed. They are inquisitive, reliable and good problem solvers. They will share our strong personal values and commitment to excellence. Senior Software Developers report to the Software Development Manager within the GradeMaker product team that is part of the Assessment Technology department.

Activities:

1. Software Development
2. Review user stories
3. Propose solutions and designs to meet the requirements
4. Participate in Sprint Planning, SCRUMs, Retrospectives and Peer reviews
5. Work with Business Analysts, Architects and QC together with own initiative to produce quality code with good unit test coverage.
6. Completing all changes identified at code review or Functional testing, first time.
7. Building unit tests that prove the correct operation of the code to a specified level of coverage
8. Adhere to documented departmental procedures and methods.
9. Be responsible for the management of implementation through effective breakdown into tasks, estimates and timely updates in VSTS
10. Take ownership of defects in coded areas and resolve these before Sprint completion
11. Engage cooperatively with peers and mentor more junior team members
12. Support production use of systems through customer fixes, including on-call and some out of hours support.

Quality framework

Adhere to documented company and departmental quality procedures, standards, and help to evolve the documented departmental procedures and methods. Create efficiency in development through promoting continuous process improvement.

Team working

Report progress and provide regular feedback to the Software Development Manager and team. Work closely with other team members, e.g. peer programming and code reviews.

Other responsibilities associated with the role:

1. Risk Management - Participate in the identification, assessment, planning and management of threats and opportunities as appropriate.
2. Information Security – take an active part in the preservation of confidentiality, availability and integrity of information assets used in conducting the role and follow additional security procedures associated with specific activities where applicable.
3. Business continuity and incident management – Participate in identification, assessment, planning, testing and implementation of incident management processes to support recovery of key business processes in the event of a disruption to our normal operations.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have:

Proficiency in the following technologies:

• PHP 8+ with Laravel 8+
• Javascript ES7+
• Front-end framework / library: ReactJS / Angular2+ / Vue
• Database layer: NoSQL / SQL
• Version control: GIT

Experience with the following technologies is desirable but non-essential:

• CSS and SASS
• MongoDB
• ReactJS with Redux
• REST APIs
• Unit tests: JestJS, PHPUnit

You will also:

• Have a problem-solving mindset and be willing to take ownership of system and support issues
• Able to work to tight deadlines and deal with competing priorities
• Have experience of working with stakeholders and introducing changes to systems or processes