I joined MoJ Digital and Technology at the start of November 2020, as a frontend developer. Before joining, I’d worked as a full-stack Python developer for about three years. I’d mainly worked in startups and small companies, so being part of such a large organisation and a large team was completely new and exciting!
Despite joining remotely, everyone on the team and from the wider service area was very welcoming from the start. I was completely overloaded with information and had many meet and greets, and it felt like everyone just went out of their way to be friendly and helpful, which I’ve noticed is a continual theme of working here.
The work is consistently interesting and varied, and it’s refreshing to be working on something that you know for sure is making a positive difference to people’s lives. Working on a prototype for a new feature of our service has been one of my favourite experiences so far. It was great seeing the prototypes tested in user research sessions the very next day, and it definitely helped me see the huge value in being able to spin up prototypes quickly, get the feedback from users, and hence be able to iterate quickly and effectively. The whole process helped me think so much more about the user and the context and background in which they're using the service, which in turn affects the development of the prototype and service. I feel like I am much more aware of this part of the development cycle now, whereas previously I was probably tending to think mostly about the technical side of things.
Having come from a startup background, I can definitely say that I find the level of support here is really good. There is dedicated learning and development time (although it is really up to you to fit it in your schedule), access to learning resources, communities of practise and in general a very inclusive and encouraging work environment. The senior management team is very responsive to queries and suggestions and does genuinely care that everyone who works here feels comfortable and able to fulfil their role. I haven’t really had to ask for any further support so far, but just knowing that you absolutely can if you need to is partly what makes a huge difference, in my opinion. Compared to my previous jobs, it is also great that the work here feels very collaborative, with everyone always willing to pair program, help fix something or just talk something through.
Joining a team remotely and working from home everyday during a lockdown is obviously tough, but I think MoJ D&T provide all the support possible to make the situation work as well as it can for everyone. Looking beyond the general gloom of lockdown, I have really enjoyed my time here so far, and am looking forward to being able to meet my team in person, and work together in the office, when that’s finally possible!
Sounds like somewhere you would like to work? Why not take a look at some of the great developer roles we currently are recruiting for: Ministry of Justice- Digital and Technology Developer roles
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