Senior Application Operations Engineer (Registration Services)

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our Technology Application Support Team as a Senior Application Operations Engineer. In this position, you will be responsible for the continuous management, support, and maintenance of Ofsted applications, closely collaborating with our suppliers. Your key duties will include diagnosing and prioritising incidents, investigating their root causes, and finding and promptly deploying effective solutions. Your primary focus will be on our online Registration Services, but your expertise will also extend to other services as required. This is an exciting opportunity to become an integral part of a highly skilled, multidisciplinary team, all driven by a shared commitment to delivering exceptional support to end-users and stakeholders.

You should possess a flexible mindset, readily adapting to evolving business priorities, and you will report to a Lead Engineer. Your primary focus will be to ensure the stability, availability, and optimal performance of the application. Your responsibilities will include proactive monitoring, troubleshooting, and collaboration with colleagues across Technology, Ofsted, and suppliers to resolve issues to the highest quality standards.

As you delve deeper into these applications, you will naturally evolve into a subject matter expert, possessing strong technical knowledge. Additionally, you will take on the role of a mentor, offering guidance and support to other members of our team as the need arises.

Furthermore, you may also assume line management responsibilities. Over time, you will develop a solid understanding of Ofsted and wider government security policies and practices, ensuring that all delivered services are fully aligned with these., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture, Ofsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this., The selection panel will assess your application based on your evidence you have provided against the essential criteria as set out in the person specification.

You will also be asked to provide information within the “Employer/Activity History” section of the application form. This information is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV setting out your career history (this may be used in the sifting process).

Interview

Candidates who pass the benchmark at the shortlisting stage will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed against a combination of the the Civil Service behaviours and the technical/experience skills set out in section 3 of the job specification.

Interviews will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams during the week commencing 4 May 2026. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted’s well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to amazing benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays. We offer a hybrid working model, so you may also choose to spend a proportion of time working from home.

If you are a highly skilled and motivated individual with a passion for driving excellence in application operations and support, we would love to hear from you., * Strong technical experience supporting online form services, including the ability to investigate issues, working with suppliers to deliver fixes or enhancements.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information clearly and maintain positive working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Practical experience using service management tools to manage and progress incidents, service requests, and change activity.
• Ability to learn and understand complex business processes and apply this understanding to improve or support the digital systems that underpin them., This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

£37,899 £37,524 per annum. Rising to £37,899 per annum on successful completion of probation. The post holder may be eligible for a non-contractual on-call allowance (£2,160). This allowance is paid to provide an out-of-hours service, or who act as an emergency key-holder, to compensate them for being available for Ofsted at specified times. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £37,899, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £10,979 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.