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Why IT job hirers ask curveball questions and how to catch them (includes actual answers you can throw back).
Spot the ‘red flags’ on your tech CV as a contractor jumping to perm, or vice versa, as part of nailing the IT job application process, says Hays.
Ranging from basic syntax to complex architectural interrogations, the questions PHP job candidates face depend on the role. But try these 38 for starters.
Free-Work hears from a head of tech recruitment that the best replies to the classic ‘value-add’ query all have five fundamentals.
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Job Title: Security Risk Lead Salary: £53,300 - £71,300 Location: Cambridge/Hybrid with 2 days a week minimum the office Contract: Permanent Join our organisation as a Security Risk Lead. Utilise your expertise and drive to safeguard operations in this impactful role. We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge. About the role The Security Risk Lead plays a pivotal role by driving Cambridge University Press & Assessment's security risk management strategy. This position is responsible for identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational, financial, and strategic security risks across the organisation to ensure a resilient and compliant security framework. Overseeing the Security Risk Manager, the Security Risk Lead will work closely with senior stakeholders to develop and embed risk management processes that align with the organisation's priorities. They will also take the lead on key initiatives to reduce the organisation's risk exposure, delivering critical risk insights, reports Lead and improve the security risk management strategy, identifying, analysing, and evaluating risks that may affect the organisation. Implement controls to mitigate risks and ensure effective execution. Manage and support the Security Risk Manager. Prepare and present regular risk reports for senior management. Oversee the analysis and monitoring of risks, ensuring emerging risks are flagged. Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Monitor industry trends and best practices. Collaborate with the Head of Security GRC and teams to manage incidents and propose corrective actions. Provide risk management training and develop a risk aware culture. Support the development of security risk policies and frameworks. Collect data for risk assessments and foster a collaborative risk management approach. Provide risk management input on key projects. Represent the organisation in industry forums. About you We are looking for someone with extensive knowledge of security risk management frameworks and methodologies (e.g., ISO 31000, 27001, 27005) and regulatory requirements in the industry The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree in Risk Management, Finance, Business, or a related field, or appropriate business experience, along with active CRISC or 27005 Risk Manager certification You should have a minimum of 5 years or demonstrated experience in a governance, risk, or compliance role within an information security context Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and proficiency in risk management software and MS Office Suite are essential You should be detail-oriented with strong organisational and project management skills, and able to work well in a team-oriented environment and build relationships with stakeholders If you would like to know more about this opportunity and what will make you successful, please see the full job description attached to the bottom of this vacancy on our careers site. Rewards and benefits We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package , featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including: 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance Discretionary annual bonus Group personal pension scheme Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary Green travel schemes We are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 40-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability. Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now. We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 15th May 2025 although we may close it earlier if suitable candidates are identified. Interviews are scheduled to take place shortly after it closes. Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for. Why join us Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe - for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. C ambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it's safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background. We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities. #LI-SW1
Job Title: Security Assurance Lead Salary: £53,300 - £71,300 Location: Cambridge/Hybrid with a minimum 2 days a week in the office Contract: Permanent, Full-time (35 hours per week) The Security Assurance Lead is crucial to staying ahead of emerging threats and ensuring our information remains secure. This role demands a professional who excels at identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with industry standards. If you have the expertise and drive to elevate our security, we are eager to welcome you to our team. We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge. About the role The Security Assurance Lead plays a key role in safeguarding Cambridge University Press & Assessment's information assets and ensuring compliance with industry standards, regulations, and best practices. This role involves leading security assurance initiatives, conducting risk assessments, driving compliance activities, and implementing controls to enhance the organisation's security. Key accountabilities: Assurance and Testing: Develop and improve security policies and guidance related to security assurance testing. Coordinate and manage vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and other technical evaluations. Collaborate with technology teams to implement robust security controls and provide guidance on remediation. Perform third party vendor risk assessments and report findings to relevant stakeholders. Risk Management: Conduct regular risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and associated risks. Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies. Define and report key risk metrics for security assurance. Maintain a comprehensive risk register. Attack Surface Management: Collaborate on assurance initiatives to identify, monitor, and reduce exposed vulnerabilities. Monitor the external threat landscape and integrate attack surface management capabilities. Security Governance and Compliance: Develop and maintain information security policies, standards, and procedures. Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations. Act as the primary liaison for assurance audits and external security assessments. Incident Response and Preparedness: Collaborate with key teams to investigate security incidents. Prepare and execute simulated exercises to test resilience. About you We are looking for a candidate with: 5+ years of experience in security testing and assurance. A degree in computer science or similar experience. Relevant professional qualifications such as CISSP or Accredited Security Testing Professional. Strong understanding of information security principles, emerging threats, compliance frameworks, and risk management practices. Proven experience in developing and managing security risks and mitigations within medium to large organisations. Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organisation. Analytical skills to measure the effectiveness of vulnerability management plans. Self motivation, proactivity, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously If you would like to know more about this opportunity and what will make you successful, please see the full job description attached to the bottom of this vacancy on our careers site. Rewards and benefits We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package , featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including: 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance Discretionary annual bonus Group personal pension scheme Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary Green travel schemes We are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 40-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability. Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now. We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 15 th May 2025 although we may close it earlier if suitable candidates are identified. Interviews are scheduled to take place shortly after. Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for. Why join us Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe - for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it's safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background. We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities. #LI-SW1
Principal Engineering Manager Location: RG7 4PR , located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking . Package: £64,340 - £80,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience) Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application. Let us introduce the role AWE is embarking on a Replacement Nuclear Warhead programme, to ensure the UK continuous at sea deterrent. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be part of such an important mission and this significant role will play a vital part leading our maintenance and reliability teams across multiple projects in key technology centres. The right candidate will have a passion to inspire engineering excellence and foster collaborative and successful working relationships. Leading teams of Engineers, the Principal Engineering Manager will ensure optimal delivery of Maintenance and Engineering services to ensure plant and facility availability. This will involve partnering with multiple stakeholders both internal and external to AWE and ensuring due governance, management and accountability to meet relevant regulations, legislations, and codes. What we are we looking for from a Principal Engineering Manager? Lead effective stakeholder management to engage others in order to have a positive impact on decisions and programme delivery Substantial previous experience leading multi discipline teams through the engineering lifecycle Ability to articulate technical complexities to a range of stakeholders Excellent interpersonal, engagement and presentation skills Delivery of engineering capability across a manufacturing and/or research environment An understanding and ability to apply applicable legislation and standards relevant to safety within engineering Maintain and promote high personal standards in environment, safety, health, security and quality Degree qualification, and ideally Chartered, in an engineering discipline or have proven experience working in a similar environment You'll need to have the ability to work calmly and constructively in a priority changing environment and be able to manage your own workload. You will also have initiative, enthusiasm, a flexible approach, and ability to work to tight deadlines. Some reasons we think Principal Engineering Managers love it here: AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include: 9 day working fortnight meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave. Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions). Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave 4 Weeks Full Pay. Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body. Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services. Life Assurance (4 x annual salary). Discounts access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending. Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring. The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'. Due to the classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site at AWE Aldermaston. #LI-MR
App Developer Location: RG7 4PR , located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking . Package: £39,500 - £50,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience) Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. Clearance Level: You will need to obtain and maintain DV clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 10 years in order to apply for DV clearance. Hybrid working is available for this role on an informal, non-contractual basis. Typically 1 days onsite per month. Let us introduce the role AWE is currently recruiting for an App Developer for the Enterprise Applications group. The Role: Developer on key projects, ensuring the team delivers to meet requirements. Design and build software and software modifications to meet business requirements using agreed standards and tools to achieve a well engineered result. Adherence to appropriate delivery methodologies such as Waterfall, Scrum and Agile. Provide technical support for supported applications, integrations and services. Ensure configuration and change is managed and controlled throughout software development lifecycle. Produce required documentation to support all phases of the system development process. Carry out code reviews across all development deliveries to ensure high quality first time. Provide timely updates to task managers on the status of assigned deliverables. Retain knowledge of latest programming and design techniques. Who are we looking for? We do need you to have the following: Strong experience of using Power Platform Model Driven Apps and C# scripting. Experience of Dynamics 365 CRM Plugin Development using C#. The following would also be desirable: Experience with an Integration environment/role, using Azure LogicApps, Azure Function Apps and SSIS/SSMS would be desirable. Experience of Agile methodology and flexible in approach. PL 400 Microsoft Certified Power Platform certification. Experience of unit testing and test automation Recent Experience in Azure DevOps or similar (Jira, GitHub). You'll need to have the ability to work calmly and constructively in a priority changing environment and be able to manage your own workload. You will also have initiative, enthusiasm, a flexible approach, and ability to work to tight deadlines. Some reasons we think you'll love it here: AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include: 9 day working fortnight meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave. Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions). Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave 4 Weeks Full Pay. Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body. Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services. Life Assurance (4 x annual salary). Discounts access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending. Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring. Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring. The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'. Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions. Next steps: Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don't always 'tick every box'. That's why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don't meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we'd love to receive your application. Important things you need to know: We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes. We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process. Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process. #LI-AT
AWE is recruiting for a Systems Support Specialist with previous experience of working in a supply chain / procurement environment, to support our new strategic sourcing solution, JAGGAER. Please note, this is an 18-month fixed term contract. Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking. Plan to relocate to Green Park from October 2025. Package: £37,910 to £39,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience). Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application. Let us introduce the role AWE is in the process of implementing a sourcing management solution that offers tools for strategic sourcing, supplier management, and contract management. We have a go live date in July 2025. As a Systems Support Specialist, you will be responsible for ensuring all users have the correct access and that the system is working as expected and available to the sourcing community. You will understand what is changing, what measures to put in place, be prepared and support the team. This includes providing training on processes, systems and workflows within AWE. Depending on when you join us, you may even get involved in testing of the system prior to go live. You will provide ongoing support to users and query resolution, and testing for future enhancements to the system. This role supports the ongoing Commercial Transformation Programme. Who are we looking for? We are seeking individuals with prior support desk experience, ideally in a sourcing / procurement environment, with an understanding of supply chain processes. Experience in a complex and fast paced environment and be a quick learner. You must be comfortable speaking with stakeholders at various levels. Desirable experience: Familiarity with JAGGAER/Ariba/CEMAR systems, Public Procurement Regulations and experience of transformation activities. Whilst not to be considered a tick list, we'd like you to have experience in some of the following: Support Desk experience/Query resolution. Stakeholder management. Knowledge of supply chain processes. Supply chain management. Procurement Strategies. Experience in a complex and fast paced environment and be a quick learner. Familiarity with JAGGAER/Ariba/CEMAR systems. Public Procurement Regulations. Knowledge of PCR 2015 and PA 2023. Planning and prioritising workload. Team collaborator. Some reasons we think you'll love it here: AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include: 9 day working fortnight meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave. Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions). Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave 4 Weeks Full Pay. Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body. Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services. Life Assurance (4 x annual salary). Discounts access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending. Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring. The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'. Hybrid working is available for this role on an informal, non-contractual basis. Typically 2 days onsite per week. #LI-RS #LI-Hybrid
Trials, Experiments & Technology (Development) EC&I Engineer AWE currently have a great opportunity for an Electrical Control & Instrumentation Engineer to work within the Orion Laser Facility, our twelve-beam laser facility delivering high-energy plasma-physics experiments. To successfully operate the facility our engineer's design and maintain a variety of bespoke systems, in vacuum and free space, to the tolerances required. Location - RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking. Package: £39,280 - £50,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience) Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application. Let us introduce the role This role is ideally suited to an engineer who enjoys hands-on work and has an interest in proactive maintenance, reactive repairs, and forward-looking upgrades. Working with one of the biggest lasers in the world, the successful candidate will also be involved in design work and collaborate with both external suppliers and internal stakeholders delivering engineering solutions that meet safety and performance requirements. Key responsibilities & accountabilities for EC&I Engineers: Deliver Electrical, Control & Instrumentation Engineering solutions, meeting safety and performance requirements Lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver engineering solutions Comply with design intent across the engineering lifecycle Support developing engineers and their career progression Take ownership of training and development Identify and support cost savings, efficiency, and business improvement opportunities Plan and execute tasks to meet objectives on time, within quality, and cost requirements Maintain high standards in environment, safety, health, security, and quality Fulfil other reasonable duties as required by the business Whilst not to be considered a check list, candidates should be able to demonstrate some of the following: Apprenticeship Level 3 BTEC, NVQ or equivalent in Electrical or C&I AutoCAD experience, ability to interpret and update drawings to relevant standard Experience working within operational and highly regulated environments Experience in supervising works, working to and generating Safe Systems of Work Strong stakeholder management skills; experience interfacing with both customers and suppliers Good communication, both verbal and written. Experience creating technical presentations and documentation Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don't always 'tick every box'. That's why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don't meet every point, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we'd love to receive your application. Some reasons we think you'll love it here: AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include: In addition, 208 hours of holiday each year (equal to at least 25 days leave) plus Bank Holidays. AWE Global Mobility Package Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions). Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave 4 Weeks Full Pay. Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body. Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services. Life Assurance (4 x annual salary). Discounts access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending. Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring. The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'. Important things you need to know: You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process. Due to the classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site at AWE Aldermaston.
Job Title: Mission Systems Engineer Location: Warton / Brough We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements - please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role . Salary: £47,683+ (Commensurate with skills and experience) What you'll be doing: You will be part of the Mission Systems Delivery Team (MSDT) delivering the Assessment Phase of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme. The team uses an agile work planning process to develop mission system concept options, architectures, and designs for the various components of a future combat air system. The role will also require you: Deliver advanced mission systems engineering capabilities to our customers while developing and evolving the technologies Lead and support team meetings / DSUMs / Agile reviews Manage / help / direct less experienced Systems Engineers, e.g. an apprentice Manage the creation of Engineering documents that form part of the Systems Engineering process Your skills and experiences: Essential: A degree in a STEM subject or equivalent relevant experience Systems engineering and engineering lifecycle experience Knowledge of systems engineering methods and tools (e.g. UML/SysML, MoDAF, MOOD, Matlab) Experience of developing mission systems and associated domain knowledge Desirable Some experience of working in an agile environment Experience of managing engineers Presentation skills Benefits: You'll receive benefits including a competitive pension scheme, enhanced annual leave allowance and a Company contributed Share Incentive Plan. You'll also have access to additional benefits such as flexible working, an employee assistance programme, Cycle2work and employee discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive. The Mission Systems Delivery Team (MSDT): The MSDT have a number of exciting and rewarding opportunities across their Future Combat Air Systems programme. This specialised team delivers advanced mission systems engineering capabilities to our customers while developing and evolving the technologies that will defend the UK for generations. Subject matter experts, systems architects and systems engineers are required in the following areas: Survivability , Cockpit/HMI, Stores Management, Communications, Navigation, Sensors and Non-Kinetic Effects, Electronic Warfare, EM Interop, Safety, Health Management, Mission Management, On-board Computing and Cyber Security. These roles are UK-based and mostly in the North of England but some of your time may be based from home with regular working from our home bases of Warton/Brough and potentially at other BAE Systems locations throughout the UK. You may also be asked to support the Customers or our Industry Partners at one of their sites across the UK and there are opportunities for national and international travel. Why BAE Systems? This is a place where you'll be able to make a real difference. You'll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you'll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals. We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments. Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks Closing Date: 12th May 2025 We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Job Title: Principal Engineer - Product Safety Location: Barrow-In-Furness - We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements - please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role. Salary: Competitive What you'll be doing: Responsible for leading a small team developing a functional Safety Case Managing the production of a functional Safety Case to a defined schedule, reporting to a Safety Engineering Manager Undertaking complex safety analysis using techniques such as Fault Tree analysis and Event Tree Analysis Producing written function safety justifications Liaising with a wide range of stakeholders both external and internal to the business, typically System Engineers, Human Factors Subject Matter Experts (SME) etc... Your skills and experiences: Essential: STEM Degree or relevant experience Experience with leading a small team Experience in Delivering functional Safety Cases Desirable: Previous submarine experience, Particularly Vehicle Control Knowledge of Complex Control Systems Benefits: As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive. The Product Safety Team: The team foundations are based on honesty and trust, contributing to a great working environment to allow personal growth and development leading to career progression opportunities. We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. Why BAE Systems? This is a place where you'll be able to make a real difference. You'll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you'll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals. We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments. Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks. Closing Date: 28th April 2025 We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. #LI-KP1 #LI-Hybrid
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Free-Work was first created by the merge of two leading French job boards, Freelance-info.fr and Carriere-info.fr, forming a simple, secure, and constantly evolving platform offering exclusive, personalised services.
Well-established and trusted by the tech community in France, Free-Work attracts over half a million visits per month. It is a user-friendly, community-oriented, and data-driven platform dedicated to supporting IT specialists with their professional journeys.
Free-Work provides a wide range of innovative tools and resources, from tips and advice to jobs and discounts.
The platform also caters to IT recruiters, offering an extremely frequently updated candidate database with over 9,000 new CVs a month, enabling them to connect with top tech talent.
Free-Work is an IT and Tech community where professionals come to share their expertise, experience, and advice, as well as a wealth of information about IT freelancing and the tech job market.
The platform was designed and built by tech talent for all tech talent.
In 2022, Free-Work expanded globally by acquiring the two dominant UK IT recruitment platforms, Contractor UK and Technojobs .
The UK IT market has some unique characteristics compared to other job sectors. It is constantly evolving alongside the rapid development of new technologies and programming languages.
The market is also significantly impacted by changes in work patterns and broader societal shifts, such as the emergence of previously unknown roles like "psydesigner" or "ethicist" linked to the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
According to the Opteamis barometer on IT market trends, this industry is experiencing consistent growth at a rate well above the national average.
It is also one of the few sectors where demand often exceeds supply. Some professions face a real talent shortage, particularly in areas like:
When it comes to sought-after skills, software design and development remain the most in-demand, significantly outpacing cloud computing and infrastructure. Roles in IT management and project management, while still in high demand, are relatively less so.
To stay up-to-date on the latest job trends in the UK IT market, feel free to consult our IT barometer.
There you'll find the skills and profiles most sought after by recruiters, as well as relevant job opportunities.
For IT freelancers, the high demand and talent shortage is driving an increase in daily rates. However, significant disparities persist depending on:
Additionally, there is no official rate schedule for daily rates in IT. Each freelancer must calculate their own rate based on their expenses, status, and desired profit margin.
To help you calculate your own daily rate, you can consult our database of IT expert rates. The presented rates are calculated from the contributions of independent IT professionals who are members of the Freelance-info community. You can sort them by your specialty and region.
The IT market involves a variety of players, including end clients, recruitment agencies, and IT services/digital services companies (known as SSIIs or ESNs).
The acronym ESN replaced SSII after 2013, but they are essentially the same structures. These companies offer their clients digital services, including:
ESNs can specialise in a specific sector (banking, insurance, etc.). They generally sign contracts for several months or years with their clients and commit to providing their IT skills and resources mainly through their employees and collaborators.
IT professionals can thus be hired on permanent contracts (CDI), fixed-term contracts (CDD), or freelance contracts by the ESN. After interviews and tests, the ESN will assign you a job with one of their end clients. Equally, end clients can request that you go through the ESN they are accustomed to working with.
The recruitment agency is another intermediary between companies and IT employees or freelancers.
However, unlike ESNs, these agencies hire you directly by one of their end clients.
Recruitment agencies also have an advisory role and can help you integrate into a network of companies and benefit from several internal job opportunities.
In return, they take a percentage of the employee's annual gross salary or the freelancer's turnover.
Recruitment platforms or portals allow companies looking for employees or freelancers to browse candidates' profiles and CVs.
For example, our platform reserved for IT recruiters: Turnover-it.com brings together the CV databases of our two historical sites for IT opportunities and jobs: Freelance-info and Carriere-info.
Companies can post their offers and disseminate their intercontracts in our CV database to obtain profiles of IT and IS specialists suited to their needs.
As a candidate, you can browse the list of recruiting companies and be directly redirected to corresponding offers by visiting our IT recruiters directory.
End clients include all companies and organisations looking to hire an IT employee or contractor. They can go through one of the intermediaries mentioned above or proceed with direct recruitment.
If you want to work as a freelancer without intermediaries, you will need to create a legal structure (micro-enterprise, SASU, EURL, etc.) to establish a service contract. You can also use a contracting company to work independently while retaining the benefits of an employment contract and outsourcing the management of contracts and billing to the contracting company.
The acronym IT represents the vast field of Information Technology.
While software development is at the heart of the digital sector, it relies on and interacts with many other skills and professions.
IT jobs are constantly evolving, driven by a market in perpetual growth and change. The increasing digitalization of businesses and work methods, the rise of AI, IoT (Internet of Things), and the exponential growth of cybersecurity are leading to the creation of new roles and professions.
To help you get a clearer picture, here are some of the most in-demand positions in the IT field. Design and Development Jobs
The developer position is probably the first that comes to mind when thinking about IT jobs.
Software Developers are professionals in algorithms and programming languages. However, their role is not limited to just writing code for applications and software.
Developers must be able to design and understand a specification document detailing the technical specifics of a project. For this, they can participate early in gathering user needs.
During and after development, they are also responsible for testing and deploying their application and ensuring its maintenance.
Developers generally specialise in a technology, language, or specific part of development, for example:
A DBA is responsible for the creation, maintenance, security, and optimization of an organisation’s databases.
They manage access rights to the databases, establish standards and best practices, and can provide support to development teams by:
Sometimes called an integrator project manager, application project manager, or Product Owner (PO) in Agile methodology, IT Project Managers (CPI) are experts who manages a team of technicians to design, develop, and integrate a software or IT solution.
They must have both technical and managerial skills and be able to consider project timelines and budgets.
Scrum Masters (SM) are related to the Scrum methodology. They manage the product and software in collaboration with development teams.
Unlike the Project Manager, they do not aim to lead the team but rather support and help organize and distribute tasks. They notably facilitate daily scrums, planning poker, retrospectives, and other stages of the Scrum method.
Network Administrators ensure access to and the security of the information system. They can create and develop an organisation’s IT network and evolve it according to the applications and software used.
They must also detect and coordinate anomalies and conduct security and technology monitoring.
A IS (information systems) Architect sets up and coordinates all equipment and software (servers, operating systems, computers, etc.) to adapt them to their company’s or client's needs. Their tasks also include an audit and needs analysis phase, as well as controlling the efficiency, monitoring, and maintenance of their IS.
IT consultants work with companies that want to evolve their IS. They propose technical solutions adapted to the organisation and its objectives. For this, they may design and participate in the installation and supervision of the IS’s evolution, ensuring its performance and security.
They also provide advice on which tools and software to choose and how to use them (e.g., preventive maintenance or access management). Finally, they can conduct training sessions for IT teams.
IT consultants are generally specialized in a defined field such as:
A ISSM ensures that cybercriminals do not infiltrate an information system.
To do this, they define and implement the organisation’s security policy, particularly regarding access rights, permissions, procedures, and incident recovery plans.
They also contribute to ensuring the availability of the company's information system and conduct ongoing security monitoring to anticipate vulnerabilities and new types of cyberattacks.
A Data Analyst collects, studies, and interprets data sets to answer a question or solve a problem.
This role is part of IT because a Data Analyst will use:
A Data Scientist is also a professional in data extraction and analysis. Unlike the Data Analyst, they do not limit themselves to raw analysis but create predictive statistical and mathematical models that serve as the basis for "intelligent" decision-making tools. They also have excellent knowledge of Big Data (Data Mining).
An AI engineer creates predictive models and algorithms using machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning.
These algorithms serve as the basis for AI software and systems.
AI engineers therefore have a good understanding of data analysis and science, as well as programming to design and maintain AI models.
This list is, of course, not exhaustive, as IT is a field in constant evolution. New roles are developing with AI, such as Chief Data Officer (CDO) in charge of data governance or the Cloud Architect.
Mixed skills are also highly sought after, such as DevSecOps, who must know how to program and maintain and monitor security infrastructures.
To find more IT profiles and jobs, you can directly consult the list of IT jobs and the related offers.
The IT market is booming, and job opportunities are multiplying. However, to quickly find the job suited to your profile, skills, and goals, certain steps are essential.
The CV is the first "contact" a recruiter has with you. It is almost indispensable for all candidates seeking a salaried position.
A "traditional" CV can work, but make sure to highlight your IT skills, including:
Online CVs or one-page websites are also excellent ways to showcase your skills and potentially link to your various projects.
For a freelancer, the CV is completely different since it aims not to obtain a job, but to sell a service...
You can mention:
Once created, don't hesitate to share your CV and profile and update them regularly. You can create your IT profile on Free-Work to be visible hundreds of companies in the IT, SI, and WEB sectors.
To not miss any opportunity, you can check our IT job offers.
We share nearly 1,000 new offers every day. To help you find the one that suits you, you can use filters (cities, departments, regions, skills, company names, with or without remote work, etc.) and create alerts to receive daily emails with the latest offers matching your criteria from the past 24 hours.
If you are interested in the job, you can send your IT profile to recruiters with a single click after registering for free on Free-Work's IT job board.
Registering on Free-Work's job board allows you to gain visibility with recruiters and contact them more easily. The registration is quick, simple, and secure. You just need to upload your CV and quickly complete your IT profile thanks to our CV analyser, which saves you time in filling out your data, experience, and skills.
Then, you can:
The IT field is constantly evolving. The skills in demand change with the popularity of programming languages, the emergence of new technologies, the growing shortage of profiles in certain sectors, etc.
To remain competitive throughout your IT career, you will often need to train and stay informed about changes by keeping up with technological, security, and sometimes legal developments.
To easily stay up-to-date with the latest trends in information technology, development, IT systems, and the market, you can check out our blog dedicated to Tech News and IT Stories.