Graduate Engineer - Digital Innovation

FTE: 1 FTE (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term for 2 years

Salary: UH5 £28,778 pa to £32,080 pa by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 25 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield           

We are looking for a Graduate Engineer – Digital Innovation to join our Digital Innovation team and shape the digital services that support students and staff across the university. You will work on platforms that power the university experience, seeing your work in use and improving it based on real-world feedback. 

You will join a collaborative, agile team delivering modern digital solutions, gaining hands-on experience across the full software development lifecycle. You will work with modern, emerging and open-source technologies while building a strong understanding of how services are designed, delivered and supported at scale. 

We offer flexible working and a strong focus on career progression, training and development. You will gain structured learning, mentoring and real project experience, helping you grow into a confident software engineer and build a clear career path. 

Main duties and responsibilities

The Graduate Engineer – Digital Innovation will support the design, development and operation of digital services that underpin key university activities. Work with colleagues and stakeholders to translate real-world needs into practical solutions, and Implement changes to application configuration (including workflows, layouts, permissions, data fields, and reporting) under the guidance of more experienced colleagues. You will work within an Agile delivery environment, participating in team ceremonies and following established processes and work collaboratively with operations and support teams to understand how services are delivered and maintained in a live environment, gaining exposure to end‑to‑end service lifecycles.

Skills and experience required

A good understanding of core programming principles, with some practical experience gained through study or personal projects and a willingness to continue learning in a team environment is essential. You will have a basic understanding of relational databases, version control concepts and an awareness of information security principles and best practices. An understanding of modern web user interfaces design principals, frameworks, tools, and best practices, container-based technologies and workflows and AI and machine learning is advantageous. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential, along with a high standard of customer care and an appropriate manner in dealing with a range of different stakeholders. You should have strong analytical and problem solving skills, and work effectively in a team.

Qualifications required

You will be educated with a minimum of a Degree or equivalent or proven professional experience.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

Internal applicants – please ensure you apply via your employee self-service portal.

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

We regret that we are unable to offer UKVI sponsorship for this post; applicants will either hold UK Right to Work or demonstrate access to UK Right to Work before an offer is made.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Thomas Swaddling – t.swaddling@herts.ac.uk – Digital Innovation Lead

Closing Date: 03 June 2026

Interview Date: TBC

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