Lead Developer

Summary

A lead developer leads development on one or a small number of related project teams.

At this role level, you will:

guide the ways in which the team works

be proficient in a wide range of technical systems

be involved in identifying appropriate technology and approaches, deciding when 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

Background

Description	Background
Takes a logical, analytical approach to problem solving and pays close attention to detail. Has acquired a broad understanding of information systems concepts and practice, particularly those used within own organisation.	Prior Knowledge and Skills

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Policy, standards and guidelines (PROG)(Level 5)	Contributes to the development of organisational policies, standards and guidelines for software development.
Reviews and monitoring (PROG)(Level 5)	Measures and monitors the application of project/team standards for software construction including software security.
Planning and leadership (PROG)(Level 5)	Takes technical responsibility across all stages and iterations of software development. Plans and drives software construction activities.
Development needs (Level 4)	Supports the identification and prioritisation of development needs for a professional practice area. Identifies development activities that align with organisational priorities, learning and development strategies and career pathways.
Communities of practice (Level 4)	Provides advice, guidance and, where appropriate, support for the establishment and organisation of communities of practice.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Conceptual Thinking	Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses.
Creativity	Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
Attention to Detail	Applying specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete.
Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness	Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions.
Follow-up and Monitoring	Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary.
Interacting with People	Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
Teamwork	Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.

Technical Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Application Systems	Technical or functional understanding of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications and/or other bespoke software deployed within the organisation in order to provide system configuration, audit, technical, and/or functional support.	Proficient in
Application Development Tools	Software tools which automate or assist part of the development process.	Expert in
Configuration Management	The discipline that gives precise control over IT assets and components by recording and maintaining information about the 'configuration items', including hardware devices, computer programs, software licences, documentation, network devices, and data centre facilities (virtualised and static).	Proficient in
Programming Languages	A set of codes and syntax (supported by software tools) that enables the unambiguous translation of specified functionality into source code for the creation of computer programs.	Expert in
Operational/Service Architecture	Knowledge of the IT/IS infrastructure and the IT applications and service processes used within own organisation, including those associated with sustainability and efficiency.	Proficient in
Structured Reviews	Methods and techniques for structured reviews, including reviews of technical work products, test plans, business cases, architectures and any other key deliverables.	Proficient in
Software Testing Tools	Software tools which automate or assist any part of the testing process across all or part of the testing lifecycle.	Proficient in
Middleware	Software which forms part of the operating platform infrastructure.	Proficient in
DevOps	The collaborative approach consisting of agile practices, processes, and procedures designed to facilitate rapid IT service and product delivery. DevOps emphasizes people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with the aim of shortening the systems development life cycle to provide continuous release of high-quality software.	Proficient in
Agile	A collection of methods, practises, tools and techniques, underpinned by the Agile Manifesto, that enable teams to deliver high value products and services in small, workable, increments. An Agile culture typically encompasses concepts such as Servant-Leaders; ceremonies, Stand-Ups, Sprints and Retrospectives; and the deployment of tools and techniques such as Backlogs and A/B Testing.	Expert in

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Familiar with
Standards Writing Techniques	Principles, methods and techniques for establishing, documenting, and maintaining standards.	Familiar with
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Familiar with
Coaching Techniques	Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, which could include use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans.	Familiar with
Own Organisation's Learning and Development Procedures	The procedures used within own organisation for staff learning and development.	Familiar with

Training

Title	Details
Corporate Policies, Standards, Procedures, Guidelines and Tools	Policies, standards, procedures, guidelines, software tools and operating system facilities used in everyday work.
Software Configuration	Installation, configuration and tuning of applications or systems software.
Security Awareness	Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk.
Coaching	Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model).
Mentoring	Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals.

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Title	Details	PDA Group
Deputising	Standing in for supervisor or manager on a temporary basis during periods of absence.	Broadening Activities
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.	Broadening Activities
Project Assignments	Participating in a project team, working group or task force established to deliver a solution to a specific problem or issue - especially valuable if the group is inter-disciplinary.	Broadening Activities
Mentoring	Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development.	Broadening Activities
Research Assignments	Exploring a topic which is not part of own normal responsibilities and presenting findings to colleagues and/or management	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues	Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation	Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues.	Increasing Knowledge
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.	Participation in Professional Activities
Negotiating and Influencing	Undertaking learning and practice of negotiating with and influencing others.	Developing Professional Skills

Organisational Skill Name and Description

Framework	Skill	Level
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Availability and capacity management Availability and capacity management involves ensuring services are available with as little down-time or disruption as possible, whilst making sure we have sufficient resources to support emerging business needs.	Working Availability and capacity management You can: manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Development process optimisation Training and capability improvement involves identifying and advocating ways to develop the skills, knowledge and performance of individuals or organisations.	Working Development process optimisation You can: identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Information security Information security involves maintaining the security, confidentiality and integrity of information.	Practitioner Information security You can: understand information security design solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Modern standards approach Modern development standards involves using the latest technologies and best practices to improve the quality of the software development process.	Expert Modern standards approach You can: demonstrate a strong understanding of the most appropriate modern standards and practices, and how they are applied coach and guide others in these standards
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Programming and build (software engineering)	Expert Programming and build (software engineering) You can: advise on the right way to apply standards and methods to ensure compliance maintain technical responsibility for all the stages and iterations of a software development project provide technical advice to stakeholders and set the team-based standards for programming tools and techniques
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Prototyping Prototyping a service or product involves exploring, testing and sharing different concepts before committing to the final design.	Practitioner Prototyping You can: approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others establish design patterns and iterate them use a variety of prototyping methods and choose the most appropriate
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Service support Service support involves fixing service faults and maintaining the underlying infrastructure, ensuring processes are in place to keep the service running efficiently.	Practitioner Service support You can: identify, locate and fix faults
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Systems design IT systems analysis involves assessing current systems and implementing new ones, to improve the performance and efficiency of an organisation's applications.	Practitioner Systems design You can: design systems characterised by medium levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity select appropriate design standards, methods and tools, and ensure they are applied effectively review the systems designs of others to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Systems integration	Practitioner Systems integration You can: define the integration build co-ordinate build activities across systems understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	User focus User focus involves understanding the user needs to develop a detailed understanding of the problems that need to be solved.	Practitioner User focus You can: collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user champion user research to focus on all users prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use

Framework

Skill

Level