Lead Interaction Designer - HO - G6

Manchester Digital; Manchester, Sheffield, London; On-site; GBP 73,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

The Home Office seeks a passionate Lead Interaction Designer to join their team in Manchester. You will lead interaction design within a critical programme, ensuring user-centric approaches are at the forefront of development while mentoring a talented group of designers.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading and advocating for UCD practices.
• Proficiency in interaction design and prototyping processes.
• Ability to manage and mentor design teams.

Responsibilities

• Deliver interaction design for MAPPS.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of designers.
• Engage with stakeholders to promote UCD.

Skills

User-Centred Design

Interaction Design

Prototyping

Functional Management

Team Leadership

Education

UK residency for past 5 years

Job description

National £73,900 - Max £81,290
London £77,900 - Max £85,690 plus up to £9,000 allowance

Published on 10 July 2025
Deadline 21 July 2025

Location

Croydon CR0 2WF, Manchester M5 3LZ, Sheffield S3 8NU

About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a Lead Interaction Designer who is passionate about designing accessible services for everyone to use.

The Home Office keeps our UK citizens safe and our country secure. We play a fundamental role in the security and economic prosperity of the UK.

You will work in an agile programme, the Multi-Agency Public Protection Service (MAPPS). MAPPS will be used by various organisations, including police forces, prison & probation services, and others. It supports multi-agency oversight of relevant offenders post-custody, especially those considered a risk to the public. As such, MAPPS has a high political profile and a complex network of stakeholders.

You will lead interaction design within a multidisciplinary team comprising business analysts, user researchers, developers, and testers. Your goal will be to deliver world-class, user-centred services for the public and civil servants.

As an experienced interaction designer, you will be responsible for mentoring and leading a team of interaction designers to focus on user needs. Your role involves guiding the team to achieve optimal user outcomes and engaging in hands-on design work.

You may also participate in the wider Home Office and cross-government design communities to promote good interaction design and user-centred approaches.

Learn more about design and research in the Home Office on our Digital and Data blog:

We have a vibrant UCD community. If you want to work with us to make our services easier and more intuitive, apply now.

Your main responsibilities include:

1. Delivering excellent interaction design for MAPPS in collaboration with programme colleagues and stakeholders.
2. Collaborating with professional leads, delivery managers, and heads of role to ensure appropriate resourcing for interaction design.
3. Working with the head of role to assure quality and embed best practices and standards.
4. Building an inclusive community of practice among designers across the programme.
5. Engaging with senior stakeholders to promote understanding of user-centred design (UCD).
6. Line managing, supporting, and mentoring a team of interaction designers across projects.
7. Continuously seeking opportunities for personal learning and development.

Person specification

UK residency and security requirements: You must have lived in the UK for the past 5 years.

You will be assessed against the following skills and experience:

• Strategy and advocacy: Influencing the organisation to embed UCD culture and practices, including with senior stakeholders.
• Interaction design: Leading and setting direction, evangelizing UCD principles, advising on best practices and trends.
• Prototyping and concept creation: Managing prototyping processes, applying advanced techniques, guiding junior team members.
• Functional management: Overseeing professional functions, managing priorities aligned with strategic objectives.
• Standards and quality: Maintaining and updating standards and quality guidelines.
• Managing people and leading: Leading larger teams, setting vision and strategy.