Lead Interaction Designer

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions seeks a Lead Interaction Designer to enhance user experience across digital services. Candidates should have a strong background in User Centered Design, proven prototyping skills, and the ability to lead design initiatives effectively. This role is pivotal in ensuring that user needs drive all design processes while managing complex projects within government digital services.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Flexible working patterns

health and wellbeing support

Funded learning and development

Qualifications

• Significant experience in user-centered design and strategic alignment.
• Extensive prototyping experience in complex environments.
• Strong ability to communicate design decisions to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide design leadership and ensure consistency across User Centred Design.
• Lead efforts to improve design quality and implement new processes.
• Manage and mentor senior interaction designers.

Skills

User-Centered Design

Prototyping

Team Leadership

Stakeholder Communication

Inclusive Design

Job description

These roles may be located in one of the following locations; Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sheffield. Please find further information on the Corporate hub locations here.

Job Summary

DWP Digital offers uniquely challenging and fulfilling careers for people interested in using their skills to make a genuine difference society. We’re part of the UK’s biggest government department, and along with 85,00 colleagues, we support 22 million people every day to help them find work and save for their future. Few other organisations globally provide the same opportunity to apply next-generation digital technology on a massive scale to issues which touch the lives of so many.

Interaction Designers work to understand user journeys, identify patterns and use prototypes to design services, products and tools which fulfil user needs. They work alongside other Designers, Front-end Developers, Researchers and Software Engineers to design services for the people who use them.

We are looking for an experienced Lead Interaction Designers who can focus on how users interact with our products and services, aiming to create intuitive and efficient experiences.

Job Description

As a Lead Interaction Designer, you will:

• Provide design leadership across all User Centred Design(UCD) professions, across multiple teams, to ensure we have a consistent approach that meets user needs and aligns with best practice.
• Work closely with Product, Delivery, Architecture and engineering leads to set the vision and to pragmatically and efficiently sequence the work to deliver real value and meet user needs and Programme objectives.
• Lead on standards, setting expectations and providing the guidance needed to understand what 'good' looks like.
• Introduce new ways of working, processes and tools to improve the quality and consistency of interaction design.
• Promote the value of good user centred design, proactively building relationships with programme directors and senior leaders to ensure that user centred design is incorporated into the delivery of strategic priorities.
• Act as an escalation point for senior interaction designers for high-profile, high-risk and difficult to resolve issues.
• Understand when to challenge assumptions and when to compromise, and encourage others to do the same.
• Maintain oversight of multiple improvement initiatives for your local, DWP or cross-government communities.
• Lead and facilitate UCD community events, working groups and practice initiatives.
• Line manage, coach and mentor senior interaction designers, and sometimes other user centred design practitioners.
• Coordinate and lead interaction design recruitment exercises and inductions within your area and across the wider organisation.
• Contribute to resource modelling by assessing interaction design needs within your area and across DWP to identify where interaction design could add value.
• Understand user needs and act as a voice for the user at a senior level in the organisation.
• Lead on capability, identifying areas for improvement and implementing support, learning and development opportunities for interaction designers in your area and the wider organisation.
• Understand priorities, constraints and business requirements at an organisational level and be able to work within them.
  
  

As a Lead Interaction Designer, You Will

• Provide design leadership across all User Centred Design(UCD) professions, across multiple teams, to ensure we have a consistent approach that meets user needs and aligns with best practice.
• Work closely with Product, Delivery, Architecture and engineering leads to set the vision and to pragmatically and efficiently sequence the work to deliver real value and meet user needs and Programme objectives.
• Lead on standards, setting expectations and providing the guidance needed to understand what 'good' looks like.
• Introduce new ways of working, processes and tools to improve the quality and consistency of interaction design.
• Promote the value of good user centred design, proactively building relationships with programme directors and senior leaders to ensure that user centred design is incorporated into the delivery of strategic priorities.
• Act as an escalation point for senior interaction designers for high-profile, high-risk and difficult to resolve issues.
• Understand when to challenge assumptions and when to compromise, and encourage others to do the same.
• Maintain oversight of multiple improvement initiatives for your local, DWP or cross-government communities.
• Lead and facilitate UCD community events, working groups and practice initiatives.
• Line manage, coach and mentor senior interaction designers, and sometimes other user centred design practitioners.
• Coordinate and lead interaction design recruitment exercises and inductions within your area and across the wider organisation.
• Contribute to resource modelling by assessing interaction design needs within your area and across DWP to identify where interaction design could add value.
• Understand user needs and act as a voice for the user at a senior level in the organisation.
• Lead on capability, identifying areas for improvement and implementing support, learning and development opportunities for interaction designers in your area and the wider organisation.
• Understand priorities, constraints and business requirements at an organisational level and be able to work within them.
  
  

Person specification

When Giving Details In Your Employment History And Personal Statement You Should Highlight Your Experience In Line With Essential Criteria Below

• Significant demonstrable experience in using research, data and evidence to design services that meet real user needs, and guiding teams to align user-centred design with strategic and organisational goals. You keep user needs at the forefront of delivery, even when navigating complex policy, technical or service constraints.
• Extensive experience and proven track records in designing solutions in complex environments, using systems thinking and constraints as inputs to shape effective design approaches. You support others in making evidence-based design decisions and improving design maturity across teams or services.
• Detailed working knowledge of leading prototyping activity to explore complex ideas and reduce risk, using appropriate levels of fidelity and helping teams make design choices visible and testable. You guide others in choosing the right prototyping approach for different situations.
• Proven ability when communicating design decisions clearly and confidently, adapting your approach to influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders. You support others to present their work effectively and contribute to a collaborative design culture.
• Influential when championing inclusive and accessible design, ensuring services meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards. You help teams understand how privilege and inequality affect service delivery and have improved inclusive design practices across multiple teams.
• Strong working knowledge & practical experience when leading design and collaboration across teams, supporting the growth of other designers and improving how design is done at scale. Working effectively across disciplines and departments to solve problems iteratively, and foster a strong, user-centred design culture.
  
  

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact [e-mail].

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Prototyping
  
  

Alongside your salary of £72,664, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,050 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.
  
  

This job 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. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Salary Information

Pay for this role is from £72,664 to £77,740.

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 should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your 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 1000 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification above.
• Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of Prototyping.
• Experienced in using a variety of methods of prototyping. Shares best practice and can coach others. Looks at strategic service design end to end. Can create and validate a dynamic prototype.
  
  

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.

An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.

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 technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
• We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.
  
  

Stage 2: Interview

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 experiences and technical skills listed in the essential criteria.

You will be asked to do a 10-minute presentation on a specific topic. The use of visual aids such as PowerPoint is optional. There will be further 10 minutes for questions on your presentation. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Questions in Advance

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the experience based questions in advance of the interview, 7 days prior to your interview.

These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your experience. Candidates should be asked further probing questions if their response is deemed to require further information to determine suitability for the role.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to secure their interview slot promptly to ensure fairness in preparation time with the questions provided in advance.

Interviews will take place from late July 2025. Interview dates to be confirmed.

Further information

Find out more about Working for DWP

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via [e-mail] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

• Name : Caicy Sandford
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/.