Senior Software Engineer

About us

The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has an unswerving commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed teacher education, and is on a mission to improve teacher and leader development across the education system.

A key part of that mission is our Teacher Education Dataset (TED), an ambitious data and research initiative focused on building better evidence about teacher development and what makes teaching impactful. By bringing together education, research and digital infrastructure, TED will support new insight into how teachers develop, improve and thrive across their careers.

About the role

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Software Engineer to join our TED team and play an important role in building and maintaining the technical infrastructure that supports TED. Working at the intersection of software engineering, data and research, the postholder will help develop secure, reliable and scalable systems that enable robust analysis and contribute to high-quality, evidence-informed improvement across the sector.

Corporate responsibilities

• To ensure that the responsibilities of the role are carried out in a way which reflects the mission and the values of the NIoT. 
• To be aware of and observe all policies, procedures, working practices and regulations, and in particular to comply with policies relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Confidentiality, Data Protection and Financial Regulations, reporting any concerns to an appropriate person. 
• To comply with all reasonable management requests.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop, maintain and improve software and technical infrastructure that supports TED and related education research activity.
• Build secure, scalable and reliable systems that enable robust analysis of education and teacher development data.
• Apply software engineering and DevOps best practice to deliver high-quality, well-tested and maintainable technical solutions.
• Contribute to reproducible, transparent and efficient research workflows, pipelines and supporting tools.
• Work closely with developers, researchers and other colleagues to understand requirements and translate them into effective technical delivery.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and the ongoing improvement of platform design, developer experience, monitoring and software quality.
• Support the operation and maintenance of production systems and help troubleshoot issues where required.
• Produce and maintain clear technical documentation and contribute to wider project communication where appropriate.
• Contribute to a collaborative team environment, including supporting and mentoring colleagues where appropriate.

Essential criteria

• Proven experience in software engineering, including building and maintaining production systems.
• Strong coding skills in relevant programming languages and experience of modern software development practices.
• Experience with version control, code review, testing and continuous integration.
• Ability to take ownership of complex technical systems, including feature development, maintenance and support.
• Strong technical judgement and problem-solving ability, including awareness of architectural trade-offs.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary environment and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Commitment to quality, security, maintainability and continuous improvement.
• Interest in applying software engineering to education, data and evidence-informed improvement.

Desirable criteria

• Experience with Python, JavaScript or similar languages.
• Experience of Linux, Docker, CI/CD and DevOps tooling.
• Experience of database design, optimisation or data pipeline development.
• Experience working with sensitive data or secure analytical environments.
• Experience of research platforms, reproducible analytics or trusted research infrastructure.
• Experience in education, public sector or data-rich research settings.
• Experience mentoring others and contributing to team-wide engineering practice.

Working at the National Institute of Teaching

Contract: Permanent; full time

Salary:   £56,667 per-annum (+ London weighting if applicable) + benefits.

Key benefits available to all National Institute of Teaching staff:

• Generous annual leave – 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays) rising to 33 days after five years’ service.
• Flexible working – we offer flexible start and end working times, with hybrid working in place for all roles.
• Pension - Entry to the local government pension scheme.
• Salary sacrifice schemes – we offer salary sacrifice schemes for bikes, cars and tech!
• Lifestyle benefits – We offer discounts on gyms, cinema, retail and much more!
• Parenthood leave – We offer above the statutory minimum for maternity, adoption and paternity leave.
• Working environment – We have a stimulating, supportive and rewarding working environment with a dedicated team of like-minded professionals.
• Support: Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides confidential support for employees on personal or work-related matters.
• Development: We fully support the development of our staff and ensure that you have a high level of continuous professional development.

Further information

We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.

Notes:

• This post requires a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with a Children’s Barred List Check and Occupational Health Check is required as a condition of employment.
• This document is an overview of the role.
• The responsibilities will include but will not be limited to those listed above and it is anticipated that the role will evolve over time and as such the duties may change.
• We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

How to apply

Apply here: Submit your application online

Closing date: 10.00am Monday 01 June 2026

Contact us: If you have any queries about this role, please email us at [email protected].