Office for National Statistics
Content Designer
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Locations
The locations for this role are Newport and Fareham (Titchfield).
Working Principles
This role is aligned to ONS hybrid working principles, which are based on attending the office with purpose. The postholder will be expected to contribute to the organisation’s overall 40% office attendance, in line with business and role requirements.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Due to workforce controls you can only select Manchester / London / Darlington / Belfast / Edinburgh if you are an existing ONS employee contracted to that location. If you are not contracted at one of these sites, these options are not available to you.
Only existing ONS contractual homeworkers can select Homeworking.
Applicants who select a location they are not eligible for will be removed from the recruitment process and will not be considered for alternative locations.
Please refer to attachments for further terms and flexibilities.
Job Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the largest producer of official statistics in the UK. We produce the numbers that matter – from economic data like the employment rate and size of the economy to population figures, migration statistics and measurements of our wellbeing.
We’re looking for content designers to join the Publishing Service, part of the Communications and Digital Publishing Directorate. We are the conduit for everything published on the ONS website – preparing statistical releases for publication, managing content changes and updates to different areas of the website and ensuring that everything we do meets user needs, house style and publishing standards. The team publishes high-profile content daily.
If you’re a graduate in a relevant field or have experience proofreading, editing and publishing content, this could be the perfect opportunity to progress your career. The ideal candidate will have a passion for proof-reading and building web pages, a keen eye for detail, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Job Description
As a content designer at the ONS, you will contribute to the work of the Publishing Service. You will proofread a wide range of content and publish it to the ONS website using our content management system (CMS).
You will work with statistical teams to ensure that their content meets user needs and is published on time, in line with our house style, quality and accessibility standards.
You will provide support throughout the publishing process and build relationships with colleagues across the organisation.
You will contribute to the development and delivery of our training and guidance. You may also complete content and process improvement tasks, under the direction of more senior colleagues, using evidence where appropriate.
Responsibilities
Preparing content for the website is the main focus of the role. Your main responsibilities will be:
- Proofreading statistical articles and other content
- Applying content and accessibility standards
- Building website content in the Content Management System (CMS).
Other Responsibilities Include:
- Developing strong relationships with internal stakeholders and collaborating with them to ensure all content is of a high quality and meets user needs
- Providing guidance on the publishing process and ensuring that all statistical content is delivered in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
- Responding to queries from colleagues across the organisation through a shared inbox
- Supporting the development and delivery of training and guidance
- Working independently, with the direction of senior colleagues, to complete content and process improvement tasks, using evidence where appropriate.
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As part of the Publishing service, when preparing publications, you will provide support to internal stakeholders within Service Level agreement (SLA) hours which are between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Occasionally, you will also be expected to provide late cover until 6.00pm or early publication cover from 6.45am.
Please Note:
- Due to the nature of the roles we are able to accept applications from those looking to work part time, but a minimum of 30 hours/4 days per week.
- Content designer roles at the ONS are referred to as junior content designer in the Government Digital and Data Framework. You can learn more about the content designer roles in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework on the Gov.uk website
Person Specification
Essential Criteria:
Content management and architecture - Working
You Can:
- Document information that enables effective content life cycle management, for example, metadata
- Organise complex information to support understanding and navigation using existing standards and systems for structure and hierarchy
- Use tools to manage and publish content, for example, content management systems
Design communication - Working
You Can:
- Clearly explain problems and ideas to others
- Clearly explain decisions to others using appropriate tools and methods
Designing for everyone - Awareness
You Can:
- Explain the importance of making government content and services inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable, and the value of standards and regulations
- Explain different access needs that users can have, and ways to meet them
- Ensure your work meets appropriate standards and guidance, for example, house style and accessibility regulations, with support
Designing strategically - Awareness
You Can:
- Explain the importance of aligning to the strategy of an organisation
- Describe how your work aligns to the wider goals and vision of your team
- Explain the value of using patterns and components when designing content and services
Designing together - Awareness
You Can:
- Explain different techniques for bringing together perspectives from multiple people
- Explain the importance of constructive feedback in your work
Evidence based design- Awareness
You Can:
- Explain how quantitative and qualitative evidence inform user-centred design
- Frame your ideas as proposals to be tested
- Identify common sources and types of data that inform user-centred design, such as web analytics and user interviews
Iterative design - Awareness
You Can:
- Describe the basics of iterative design principles, such as agile
- Explain how iteration supports user-centred design
- Describe ways to test ideas and gather feedback, and when to use them
- Create or contribute to simple mock-ups or drafts, using existing design patterns and components, with support
Leading design - Awareness
You Can:
- Explain the role of user-centred design in an organisation
- Describe typical leadership responsibilities in design
Technical Skills
As part of the assessment process, all EO content designer candidates will be required to complete a proofreading exercise to demonstrate their editorial skills and awareness of style standards.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £28,138, Office for National Statistics contributes £8,151 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).
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Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.
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.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security Clearance
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link, or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.
At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
Visa Sponsorship
ONS is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are currently in the UK on a time-limited visa, it must have at least 18 months remaining at the point of application.
Right To Work And Nationality Requirements
To work at ONS, applicants must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements, satisfy UK right to work requirements and, where applicable, meet the relevant security clearance requirements.
If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the
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