Principal Software Developer roles – Initial Registration of Interest

Location: National*

Working pattern: full-time, part-time, flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancies: 3

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We'll soon be recruiting 3 Principal Software Developers here at Justice Digital, Data and Science (JDDS), to be part of our warm and collaborative Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and Legal Aid Agency teams, designing and delivering digital services that make a genuine difference to people's lives, alongside championing the adoption of emerging technologies.

The Principal Developers will work under the Chief Engineer and alongside the Head of Profession for Engineering, driving the product teams within OCTO and acting as a leader within the software development profession across the MoJ.

This is a hands-on technical role where you'll work directly with product teams across the department, bringing your expertise to help deliver solutions that reduce friction and improve engineering practices across Justice Digital, Data and Science. You'll guide the Chief Engineer's product teams while providing leadership to the wider software development profession at MOJ. Beyond delivery, you'll also be expected to horizon scan and experiment with new products and tools in an R&D capacity, identifying emerging technologies that could benefit the organisation.

Who is this for?

At this initial stage, we are particularly encouraging women and non-binary people, and people from underrepresented backgrounds, to register their interest. These groups have been underrepresented in the technology sector for a long time, especially in senior roles, and we want to help change that by proactively widening the range of people who consider this opportunity.

When the application window opens, we will welcome applications from everyone, and all candidates will be assessed fairly and solely on merit.

Why JDDS?

Over the past year, we have strengthened our focus on attracting and retaining women and non-binary people in technical roles across the Ministry of Justice. We have steadily been increasing representation through targeted activity, including community forums, support and mentoring, and visible senior allyship committed to sustained improvement.

We’re proud to back this up with action. Our internal Women in Digital, Data and Science Forum builds community for women and non-binary colleagues across all grades, creating space to share experiences, grow confidence, and shape practical changes. We also support cross-government work to remove barriers for women and girls entering and progressing in tech, and we offer routes in through apprenticeships and structured development.

We’re proud that this work is recognised externally too: Justice Digital, Data and Science (Ministry of Justice) was named Best Employer of the Year at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2025.

Read more about our work and culture in the blog posts below:

• Six Months in – Building the Women in Engineering Working Group, by Rosie Brigham, Deputy Head of Profession for Engineering.
• Designing Digital Services for Everyone: Why LGBTQ+ History Still Matters, by Mark Stanley, Deputy Director for Prisons.
• It started with a Quiz: Discovering a Different Kind of Strength, by Eva Horvathova, Capability Manager.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity, Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and foster an inclusive culture in our workplace.

Benefits that support you

We want everyone to be able to thrive here. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll have benefits designed to support flexibility, wellbeing and development throughout your career.

• A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working, including hybrid working, part-time hours or compressed hours, to support a positive work-life balance.
• Dedicated time for growth: 10% of your working time for personal and professional development.
• A £1,000 per-person annual learning budget, with access to conferences and seminars, professional accreditation, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
• Family-friendly leave: compassionate maternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies (up to 26 weeks at full pay, 13 weeks at partial pay, plus 13 weeks further leave), and 2 weeks maternity support/paternity leave at full pay.

• Supportive communities through staff diversity networks, offering peer support and a collective voice on inclusion.
• A department-wide Social Mobility Programme, working to remove barriers to recruitment and progression for colleagues from all socio-economic backgrounds.
• Support for carers via the Carers Passport: a practical way for employees to agree helpful flexibilities.
• Opportunities to volunteer and develop new skills, including the option to request up to 5 days’ special leave each year for voluntary activity.

You can find more details of the benefits we offer here.

Find the right role for you

If you’re interested in applying but feel you may not yet be operating at Principal level, please still consider registering your interest! We regularly recruit for Senior Software Developer and Lead Software Developer roles across Justice Digital, Data and Science, so we can reach out with more information for other opportunities.

You can find more information, including example job descriptions, on the MoJ GitHub page:

https://github.com/ministryofjustice/moj-job-descriptions

Register Your Interest

The application window for this role will open on 27^th May. In the meantime, we’d particularly encourage:

• people from underrepresented backgrounds*
• women and non-binary people from any background*

to register their interest in this forthcoming opportunity.

Timeline and next steps

Registering your interest helps us plan the recruitment and make sure candidates have the information they need ahead of the vacancy going live. Before launch, we expect to run one or more short optional sessions where we’ll share an overview of the role and recruitment process and answer general questions. Details will be shared nearer the time. Registering your interest is not an application and will not be used to assess candidates.

• Pre-launch/Register your interest – 6^th May
• Session – 20th May
• Launch – 27^th May
• Panel sifting – 15-19 June
• Interviews – w/c 29 June

*Please note that we are confining registrations of interest to the above groups only, due to their current under-representation in our workforce.

Salary Information**

Base salary for this role is from £71,381 - £80,419 (National) or £75,674 - £85,257 (London).

• New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
• Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
• Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.
• Candidates may also be eligible for a non‑pensionable Government Digital & Data Allowance of up to £17,351 per year (London) or £17,519 (National). This is a temporary allowance, reviewed annually and may be retained, amended, or withdrawn.

The final offer will reflect the skills and experience you demonstrate during the assessment process.

T&Cs

A registration of interest does not constitute a job application, nor will such registration have any bearing upon the recruitment process itself.

Any individuals who register their interest for the Principal Software Developer role will need to complete an application form once the window for applications has opened.

Once the application window has opened, we will welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of their ethnic background, gender, disability, and/or any other characteristic(s).

Once the role is live, we will follow the regular Civil Service application and assessment process, fully abiding by the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

All applications will be assessed solely on merit, and the successful candidate will be appointed solely on merit.