The Residential Energy Rating team is looking for software developers and specialists to join our growing team.

The Opportunity

This is a Java Developer role contributing to the development and ongoing improvement of the FirstRate5 (FR5) desktop application. FR5 is one of Australia's accredited tools under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS), used by Thermal Performance Assessors (TPAs) to model residential thermal performance of residential dwellings and produce certificates for National Construction Code (NCC) compliance.

The FR5 desktop application is a mature and widely adopted Java (Swing) product, operating in a compliance context where accuracy, stability, and auditability are essential. The platform is also in an active modernisation phase, with planned refactoring and architectural improvements delivered incrementally alongside ongoing feature delivery.

This role focuses on implementing and maintaining desktop features and improvements, addressing defects, and contributing to refactoring and test uplift efforts. You will work closely with the Senior Java Developer and the Technical Lead, taking ownership of discrete features or components and contributing to continuous improvement of the codebase and delivery practices.

Duties

1. Software Development & Engineering

Develop and maintain the FR5 desktop application using Java and Swing, under the guidance of the Senior Java Developer and Technical Lead, and within established architectural patterns and standards.
Implement new features and enhancements, taking ownership of assigned work items end-to-end (analysis, implementation, and verification) within agreed scope and architectural guidance.
Investigate and resolve defects, including diagnosing issues across UI, business logic, and data layers.
Contribute to refactoring and modularisation efforts to improve maintainability, reduce coupling, and support the modernisation roadmap.
Write and maintain automated tests (unit and integration) as part of feature delivery to improve confidence in change and reduce regressions.
Participate in code reviews and collaborate on design decisions to improve solution quality and consistency.

2. Collaboration & Delivery

Work effectively within an Agile delivery team, contributing to iterative planning and delivery activities.
Collaborate with product, support, and business stakeholders to clarify requirements and translate them into working software.
Communicate progress, risks, and technical considerations to stakeholders as required.
Work with senior engineers to understand agreed patterns and standards, apply them consistently, and seek guidance on complex design decisions.
Contribute to documentation of technical decisions and implementation details where needed for auditability and maintainability.

3. Quality & Process Improvement

Apply best practices in version control (Git), testing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD).
Support ongoing improvement of engineering practices, tooling, and development workflows.
Ensure changes align with the constraints and expectations of a compliance-regulated product (NatHERS accreditation and NCC compliance).

Specialist/Technical Expertise/Qualifications

1. Technical Expertise

Demonstrated commercial experience developing and maintaining Java applications in production environments.
Experience with desktop UI development (Swing preferred; JavaFX or similar frameworks considered).
Understanding of object-oriented programming, design patterns, and maintainable code practices.
Experience debugging and resolving issues in mature codebases, including performance and stability concerns.
Experience with automated testing in Java (e.g., JUnit or similar).

2. Software Engineering Best Practices

Demonstrated experience contributing to refactoring and incremental improvement of legacy systems.
Ability to write clean, testable code and work within existing architectural constraints while improving them over time.
Familiarity with code review practices and collaborative development workflows.

3. Collaboration & Communication

Good written and verbal communication skills, able to work with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to work collaboratively, take feedback constructively, and share knowledge within the team.

4. DevOps & Tooling

Proficiency with Git and experience working with CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions preferred).
Experience working in Agile delivery environments.

5. Highly Desirable Experience

Strong Swing experience, including complex UI workflows and multithreading considerations.
Experience contributing to modularisation or architectural refactoring in Java applications.
Experience with build tooling (Maven or Gradle) and dependency management.
Exposure to web services and APIs, or experience integrating desktop applications with back-end services.
Exposure to .NET, Azure, or web technologies (as FR5 is supported by a broader ecosystem of web applications and services).

What we offer you

We're building a team designed to inspire and engage. As we redefine our product, you'll have the opportunity to help shape our culture and influence how we grow.

This is a fixed term position available for a period of 12 months. The work location for this position is 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne with hybrid work arrangements available.

To be considered for this position, applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter summarising their skills and relevant experience.

Please refer to the Key Selection Criteria provided in the Position Description , including the mandatory requirements.

How to Apply:
If you are a current DEECA employee, please apply via DEECA Careers.

Applications close 11.59pm on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.

All applications must be submitted through the online portal. We are unable to consider email or manual applications at this time.

Other relevant information:
Preferred candidates will be required to undertake pre-employment screening, including a Declaration and Consent form and a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

An inclusive, culturally safe and flexible workplace

DEECA fosters an inclusive workplace culture and is committed to a fair, accessible, and equitable recruitment process.

We strongly encourage Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people to apply. We recognise the strengths, knowledge and perspectives First Nations people bring and DEECA is committed to a culturally safe and respectful workplace. If you need support to participate, please contact aboriginal.employment@deeca.vic.gov.au .

We support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work, varied hours, part-time work and job sharing. For more information about our recruitment processes, visit applying for a role with us .