Lead Developer

Join The Ontario Digital Service (ODS) to design and deliver the future of government services.

People are at the heart of our mission to ensure that government works for everyone. Be a part of a world-leading public service, and help improve the lives of over 14 million people of Ontario, through our work using modern design, data and technology tools and practices.

Help us scale impact across the public sector, tackling some of the most important challenges of our time. We work in multidisciplinary, inclusive, collaborative teams.

Bring your curiosity and build the future with us.

The Opportunity
As a Lead Developer in the Ontario Digital Service you will be presented with the opportunity to support digital transformation of top government priorities. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary, high-impact team that drives digital transformation within government while using user-centric design strategies and new technology trends. We are looking for individuals with a strong background and hands-on experience in implementing complex, IT solutions.

The ideal candidate should have strong hands-on experience leading, architecting, coding and delivering digital products

What can I expect to do in this role?

As a Lead Developer, you will:
• Lead user-centric solution design, development and implementation of cost-effective, high-performing, reliable and simple to use IT solutions
• Have a unique opportunity to contribute in delivery of the top digital government priorities that have a high impact on lives of the people of Ontario
• Be part of an agile team that includes a Product Manager, Software Developers, User Experience Researchers, Experience designers, DevOps and Content Advisors

What you bring to the team:
• You possess strong technical skills and expertise and are not afraid to pursue new ideas and drive digital strategy
• You are proactive, take initiative and thrive in a fast-paced, empowered work environment
• You have experience negotiating and influencing others by persuasion rather than authority
• You are committed to sustaining the culture of equality, diversity and inclusion where teams and individuals are supported to achieve the best results for everyone to advance and thrive

How do I qualify?

Architecture and Design

• You have strong understanding of modern architectural principles for cloud-based solutions
• You have proven experience applying software engineering best practices and architectural principles to product delivery using emerging delivery methodologies that include but not limited to agile.
• You have demonstrated experience designing modern architectural patterns to support delivery of complex IT solutions that are stable, secure, responsive, and scalable
• You have experience conducting feasibility studies, reviewing new IT system architecture or re-engineering legacy systems

Technical Knowledge

• You are an expert in open source technologies, mobile development and databases
• You possess strong knowledge of programming languages (Python, Java, JavaScript); modern JavaScript-based technologies (Node.js, React, Vue, , etc) and semantic accessible languages (HTML5, CSS/SCSS)
• You have strong experience in analyzing systems requirements, architecting, designing and implementing IT solutions that conform to IT standards and best practices
• You have built complex, API driven solutions and transactional systems
• You have built effective UI design, accessibility, web standards, and design systems
• You have written automated test scripts for unit, integration, end-to-end, cross-browser, device, and accessibility testing
• You have knowledge of common authentication technologies, browser-based security controls and standard web application security tools
• You have experience with code version control systems (e.g. Git), cloud delivery / deployment models, virtualization, and container solutions (e.g. docker, Kubernetes)
• You have Knowledge and understanding of Design Systems and best practices for developing web-based applications that meet the highest AODA compliance standards

Leadership and Organizational Skills:

• You have led by example via taking ownership, writing code, being proactive and advocating for a collaborative environment
• You have led teams on large scale, complex IT projects and initiatives with high levels of autonomy
• You have mentored and managed software developers with the goal to improve their skills
• You drive a culture of ownership and technical excellence
• You are able to articulate methods for build/buy decisions on project components, identify common IT risks and address them with contingency plans and back-out options
• You energize and motivate the team by recognizing successes and learning from failures

Project and Digital Expertise

• You have worked closely with the product manager in planning product development, assist in formulating product strategy, building a technology roadmap and setting timelines
• You have strong decision making and prioritization skills to supervise developers and perform code reviews/quality assurance activities
• You can define technical approaches to understand the user story, breakdown the tasks and guide others in doing so
• You have demonstrated the ability to get buy-in from a team to implement new and improved ways of doing things
• You have championed technology expertise around product development, shared best practices and tools with your peers across the organization, collaborated and shared insights and opinions with other developers, and shared lessons learned from your work with peers and leaders to help guide your approach to digital transformation
• You thrive on feedback and are comfortable transforming ideas generated through user research and analysis to create a better user experience

Communications

• You can work in a multi-disciplinary team environment to sell your ideas to colleagues, both technical and non-technical
• You are adept at navigating complex issues, handling partners and stakeholder interactions
• You have worked with partners to establish relationships with their security, operations, and IT teams
• You have driven successful technical, business and people-related initiatives that improved productivity, performance and quality
• You have developed processes to improve the efficiency of teams and taken steps to help others resolve the conflict and maintain trusting relationships

Additional Information

For more information about the ODS, please check out the links below:

•About Us
•Join the ODS
•Digital Service Standard
•COVID-!9: digital rapid response
•Sign up for Job Posting Alerts

Note: These position(s) are located at 595 Bay Street, Toronto. However, in accordance with advice from the Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, due to COVID 19, alternate work arrangements may be available..

OPS Commitment to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti- racism:

We are committed to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to promote a diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable workplace.

We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals, as well as people from a diversity of ethnic and cultural origins, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Visit theOPS Anti-Racism Policy and the OPS Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint pages to learn more about the OPS commitment to advance racial equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the public service.

We offer employment accommodation across the recruitment process and all aspects of employment consistent with the requirements of Ontario's Human Rights Code. Refer to the application instructions below if you require a disability-related accommodation.

Please be advised that the results of this competition may be used to form an eligibility list of qualified candidates to potentially fill future vacancies represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). In accordance with the Collective Agreement, eligibility lists are shared with OPSEU representatives. By applying to this competition, you are providing consent that your name may be shared with OPSEU representatives.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Remember: The deadline to apply is Friday, July 23, 2021 11:59 pm EDT. Late applications will not be accepted.

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for further screening or an interview will be contacted.