The Commonwealth Secretariat is seeking to appoint two Software Architect – Developers within the Debt Management Unit (DMU), part of the Economic Development, Trade and Investment Directorate (EDTI). EDTI works closely with Commonwealth member countries to strengthen economic resilience through trade and investment policy, digital connectivity, investment facilitation, and wider economic and sustainable development priorities. Its work includes technical assistance, advisory support, knowledge exchange and capacity building, delivered through in-house expertise and strategic partnerships.

The DMU delivers the Secretariat’s debt management programme, providing member countries with an integrated package of support covering policy advice, capacity building and debt management systems. This includes strengthening institutional and legal frameworks, supporting the development and implementation of debt management strategies, and contributing to market development.

Through the Commonwealth Secretariat Debt Recording and Management System, Commonwealth Meridian, the Secretariat supports client countries to manage public debt effectively at central and state government levels, covering back, middle and front office functions. Commonwealth Meridian is currently deployed in more than 40 countries.

Reporting to the Adviser and Head – Debt Management Unit through the Adviser & Team Leader (IT Systems), and working closely with business analysts, economists, debt specialists and IT professionals, the Software Architect – Developer will support the development and maintenance of Commonwealth Meridian. The role will contribute to the delivery of a high-quality product that responds to user needs, supports secure and effective software development, and provides technical support to clients when required.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting and enhancing the ASP.NET MVC 4 web application.
• Developing and coding assigned modules or feature sets of the software.
• Participating in peer reviews of source code and other software artefacts.
• Carrying out unit testing and integration testing of new features or modifications to the software.
• Designing, developing and implementing secure solutions to protect Commonwealth Meridian against cyber threats, including compliance with relevant security frameworks and vulnerability assessments.
• Identifying and resolving bottlenecks, fixing bugs, and implementing new features.
• Contributing to the analysis of user needs and the development of technical specifications and software component designs.
• Supporting user queries when required, including helping to prioritise, diagnose and resolve support issues.

To be considered for this role, you will need a Master’s and/or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related software development discipline, with a substantial component relevant to computing. You will also need at least five years’ financial or business software development experience, including strong experience with Azure DevOps, version control systems and cloud technology. Experience using web-based application development using Microsoft .NET Framework, C#.NET and ASP.NET and familiarity with the Visual Studio development environment is also required.

A postgraduate qualification or professional certification in software architecture, cybersecurity or a related field would be an advantage. Exposure to Scrum and Agile software development processes, knowledge of financial management systems, and experience with public debt management systems or international financial institution environments would also be desirable.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member governments and provides guidance on policymaking, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.

Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. Covering letters should be structured to address the key criteria required in the person specification, giving clear examples.

To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.

It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations.

Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.

The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.