Junior Developer

Contract type: Permanent

Location: London or Newcastle with a minimum of 2 days per week in the office in line with our hybrid working policy.

Salary: London Salary -c£ 45,316; Newcastle: Salary- c£ 38,403 more may be available for exceptional candidates

Role overview

The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. We support Parliament in holding government to account and help improve public services through high-quality audit, analysis and insight. Our work is influential, evidence-based and focused on improving value for money for the taxpayer.

The NAO welcomes applications from everyone. We value diversity in all its forms and are committed to creating an inclusive culture in which all colleagues can develop and maximise their potential. We support flexible working and are happy to discuss working arrangements with candidates at application stage.

Main purpose of the role

The Junior Developer will join AI, Data and Analytics Team (AIDA) to help design, build, test and maintain digital tools that support financial audit work across the Financial Audit service line. The role will contribute to the development of business-critical applications, data products and automation that help audit teams work efficiently, consistently and securely.

This is a development role for someone with some practical coding experience, typically gained through 1–3 years in a development, data or technical role. The successful candidate will be able to work independently on defined coding tasks, while also collaborating with developers, analysts, testers and audit specialists to turn user needs into reliable, maintainable and well-documented solutions.

Main responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and improve applications, scripts and tools that support financial audit delivery.
• Write clear, reliable and maintainable code, following agreed team standards and good development practice.
• Support the development of front-end and back-end components, including user interfaces, APIs and data processing logic.
• Work with structured and semi-structured data, helping to prepare, transform, validate and analyse data for use in audit tools.
• Assist with testing, quality assurance and defect resolution, including documenting test results and maintaining an audit trail.
• Collaborate with colleagues to understand user requirements, translate them into development tasks and deliver outputs to agreed timescales.
• Contribute to documentation, user guidance, technical notes and handover materials so that applications can be supported effectively.
• Learn new tools, frameworks and development approaches as AIDA’s technology stack evolves.

Relationships and Accountability

The role will sit within AIDA and report to the development lead within the team. The postholder will work closely with other developers, analysts, testers, audit teams, and colleagues responsible for technology, infrastructure and digital services across the NAO. They will be expected to work collaboratively, raise issues early and contribute to a professional team culture focused on quality, learning and delivery.

Essential criteria assessed at application sift

• Knowledge of Python and the ability to use it to solve practical development or data problems.
• Knowledge of JavaScript and an understanding of how it is used to build interactive user interfaces or web applications.
• Understanding of programming fundamentals, such as functions, variables, data structures, control flow, unit testing, integration testing and -debugging.
• Ability to work with data and apply basic data quality checks, validation and transformation.
• Ability to produce clear, structured and concise written documentation for technical and non-technical audiences.

Additional Essential Criteria

• Attention to detail and a commitment to developing reliable, secure and maintainable solutions.
• Ability to work collaboratively, respond constructively to feedback and contribute as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Interest in the work of the NAO and in using technology, data and evidence to improve public services.

Desired criteria

• Knowledge of SQL and experience querying relational databases.
• Knowledge of R, including experience using R for analysis, reporting or application development.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and Agile methodology, including how multidisciplinary teams plan, deliver and improve software products iteratively.
• Knowledge of Git and version control, including branching, committing, reviewing and managing code changes collaboratively.
• Knowledge of how containerisation supports the development, testing and deployment of reliable applications across different environments.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms and data services, such as Azure, Google Cloud Platform or AWS.
• Knowledge of CI/CD practices and how automated build, test and deployment pipelines support reliable software delivery.
• Awareness of web application frameworks, APIs or client-server application design.
• Awareness of testing approaches, code review, accessibility, security or deployment processes.
• Awareness of WCAG accessibility requirements and how to implement solutions within apps.
• Awareness of how artificial intelligence and automation can be used responsibly to support analysis, software development and audit work.

Attributes

• Intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn new technologies and development approaches.
• Inclusive and collaborative in approach, with a commitment to treating colleagues with respect, valuing different perspectives and helping create a team environment where everyone can contribute.
• Problem-solving mindset, with the confidence to investigate issues and ask for support when needed.
• Commitment to high-quality work, including careful documentation and a reliable audit trail.
• Flexibility to contribute across different projects, users and technical challenges.
• Professional judgement, including awareness of confidentiality, data protection and the importance of secure development.
• Drive and determination to overcome obstacles and deliver useful, practical outcomes.

What the role offers

This role offers the opportunity to contribute to work that matters from the start. The postholder will help build tools used by audit teams across the NAO, learn from experienced developers and analysts, and develop skills in software engineering, data, testing and public sector audit technology. The role will provide exposure to a range of projects, from maintaining existing

T

o apply candidates should provide

• An up-to-date CV
• A covering letter of no more than 2 pages clearly demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria and providing relevant examples from your experience

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 4 October

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Selection process

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to assessment and interview starting WC 19 October

Nationality Requirements

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas. Please contact us at hrservicedesk@nao.org.uk should you have any questions on your nationality eligibility.

Equal opportunities and diversity

Disability and Reasonable Adjustments: Applicants with a disability who wish their application to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should confirm this when submitting their application. Under this scheme we guarantee an interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for the role. You should also let our HR team know if you wish us to consider any Reasonable Adjustments at any stage of the process (HR Service Desk (HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk).

We are committed to fair and open recruitment. All applications will be assessed on merit against the requirements of the role. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.