Who are we?
We are New Directions, a group of companies that provide UK wide services (including recruitment, training, care provision and other support services) within education, social care, domiciliary care and the pharmaceutical sector, from a network of offices across the UK.
Voted Best Employer - Cardiff Life Awards 2024.
Job Purpose
As a systems developer with expertise in PHP, JavaScript and MSSQL, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining software systems that are critical to the organisation's operations. You will work closely with stakeholders to identify their needs and requirements, and develop software solutions that are scalable, secure, and maintainable. You will be responsible as part of the team for the quality of the code produced, which will involve reviewing Pull Requests and writing unit tests.
Main Duties
- Design, code, test, and debug applications in PHP, JavaScript and MSSQL.
- Develop software solutions that are scalable, secure, and maintainable.
- Integrate applications with third-party APIs and web services.
- Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to software systems and applications.
- Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation for software systems and applications.
- Collaborate with other developers and cross-functional teams to ensure successful software delivery.
- Participate in project planning and estimation.
- Participate in Code Reviews and manage tickets in Jira.
- Stay up to date with emerging trends and technologies in PHP and JavaScript.
- Participate in the development of coding standards, documentation guidelines, and quality assurance processes.
- Prioritize security considerations in all software development activities and work to ensure that software systems are secure and compliant with industry standards.
Main Responsibilities
- Collaborate with stakeholders to identify and understand their software needs and requirements.
- Design, develop, and maintain software systems that are critical to the organization's operations.
- Build positive working relationships with stakeholders and colleagues and maintain effective communication to ensure that software projects are aligned with organisational goals.
- Take a proactive approach to identifying areas for process improvement and recommending solutions to streamline workflows and increase efficiency.
- Contribute to the professional development of the team by staying up to date with the latest software development trends and technologies and sharing knowledge with colleagues.
- Responsible for compliance with all relevant legislation, and processes, policies, and procedures
Qualifications
Educated to a degree level or have equivalent professional experience.
Knowledge, skills and experience
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in software development using PHP
- Solid understanding of software development principles and practices, including object-oriented design.
- Experience with SQL databases, such as MSSQL, MySQL or PostgreSQL.
- Familiarity with front-end development frameworks such as React, Angular, or Vue.
- Experience with modern software development tools such as Git, JIRA, or Confluence.
- Experience with RESTful API design and development.
- Experience with writing unit and integration tests.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality software solutions on time and within budget.
- Experience with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
- Experience with test-driven development (TDD) or behaviour-driven development (BDD).
- Experience working in an Agile software development environment.
- Knowledge of cybersecurity principles and best practices.
Personal Qualities
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral).
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate effectively with stakeholders.
- Good organisational and self-management skills.
- High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage expectations and workload.
What we offer
- A flexible working environment, with the opportunity for hybrid working
- Health Cashback scheme
- Life Assurance of 4 x salary
- Pension Salary Sacrifice Scheme
- A generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 27 days holiday after two years' service)
- Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave through salary sacrifice
- A day off for your birthday
- A Giving Back day - to offer your services to the local community
- Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (subject to qualifying eligibility criteria)
- Cycle to Work Salary Sacrifice Scheme (subject to qualifying eligibility criteria)
- Opportunity to join our 3% interest Christmas savings scheme
- Employee referral scheme; you can earn between £250 and £500 for each successful referral into the business
- Regular social, health and well-being events
- Free on-site parking
- On-site Gym