Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Content Designer
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This role can be based at one of the following locations: Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield.
In location preferences, only name locations that you can commute to in your own time and at your own expense. If you are offered a role in a location you have listed but you decline because of location, you will be withdrawn from the campaign and any reserve list.
Further information on our Corporate hub locations.
Please note that for candidates requesting to work in Newcastle, the role will initially be based at Benton Park View. It will then move to 1 Pilgrim Place in Newcastle city centre by the end of 2027.
Job Summary
Are you passionate about designing the high quality content that people need?
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and talented content designer to work on content and services that make a difference to people’s lives.
A content designer is a user-centred designer who specialises in content, usually words. They make things easy for people to understand and use by designing how information is structured. They use evidence to design the content users need at every point in their journey - for example a GOV.UK page, a digital application form, navigation elements, button text, error messages, emails and letters.
Putting users' needs at the heart of their work, a content designer makes people's interactions with government as simple as possible.
Job Description
A content designer is responsible for creating, evaluating, updating and reviewing content at all stages of the end-to-end user journey. At this role level, you will:
- Create content that's consistent with best practice, including the GOV.UK and DWP style guides and design systems.
- Use analytics and user research findings to design, iterate and explain your content.
- Collaborate with colleagues in other disciplines.
- Work with stakeholders outside your team - this might include fact-checking, pair-writing and explaining your designs using evidence.
- Take part in your local and DWP content design and user-centred design communities, including getting your work reviewed by other content designers and reviewing their work.
- Take a proactive approach to your own growth and learning.
Responsibilities
A content designer is responsible for creating, evaluating, updating and reviewing content at all stages of the end-to-end user journey. At this role level, you will:
- Create content that's consistent with best practice, including the GOV.UK and DWP style guides and design systems.
- Use analytics and user research findings to design, iterate and explain your content.
- Collaborate with colleagues in other disciplines.
- Work with stakeholders outside your team - this might include fact-checking, pair-writing and explaining your designs using evidence.
- Take part in your local and DWP content design and user-centred design communities, including getting your work reviewed by other content designers and reviewing their work.
- Take a proactive approach to your own growth and learning.
Person specification
See selection process for further details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Natalie.Selby1@dwp.gov.uk
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Content management and architecture
- Designing for everyone
- Designing together
- Evidence-based design
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Alongside your salary of £44,447, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £12,876 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Hybrid Working
This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work.
If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office.
If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £44,447 to £46,547.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer will maintain their current substantive salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion will move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase applied to their current substantive salary, whichever is greater.
Any temporary allowances that you are currently in receipt of will not form part of the calculation to determine your pay. Any allowances that are in payment will cease when you move into your new role.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application
Your Application Will Consist Of Four Parts
- A Personal Details application form.
- Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.
- Personal statement - up to 1250 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:
- Have substantial experience of creating accessible and plain English content, following content processes, and applying patterns and style guidelines.
- Have used quantitative and qualitative data to make content decisions.
- Have used different ways of showing, explaining and testing your content.
- Have engaged in a community of practice, including reviewing other people's content and getting your own content reviewed.
- Have collaborated with people in other disciplines.
- Have advocated for user-centred, evidence-based content with your stakeholders.
- Can explain how the work you do helps your organisation achieve the right outcomes.
- Behavioural statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required behavioural skill of Changing and Improving. This statement should be used to provide example(s) of how you meet the criterion below:
- Give us one example of when you changed content to get a better outcome for users.
Ensure that all examples provided in your statements are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. If you choose to use gen-AI to support your statements, you must follow the guidelines outlined in the Artificial intelligence and recruitment guide.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and behavioural statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
An initial sift will be conducted using the behavioural statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
If you do progress to a full sift, you will be provided with one combined overall assessment score for both your employment history and Personal Statement.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history, personal statement or behavioural statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
Skills
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Technical Skills:
- Content management and architecture
- Designing for everyone
- Designing together
- Evidence-based design
We will send you the interview questions 5 working days before your interview. Treat these questions as confidential and do not share them with others. The interview panel may ask you
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Skills