Senior Interaction Designer - HO - G7

Government Digital & Data; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency is seeking a Senior Interaction Designer to create accessible services for users. The candidate will work in agile, multi-disciplinary teams and will be responsible for mentoring designers, improving user services, and advocating for user-centered design principles. Essential skills include proficiency in evidence-based design, prototyping, interaction design, and managing teams. The role is based in the UK with responsibilities across various regions.

Qualifications

• Experience in evidence-based design for significant projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to manage prototyping and concept creation for high-impact projects.
• Expertise in interaction design, balancing user needs and technical constraints.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and internet technologies.
• Experience in coaching and mentoring other designers.
• Strong communication and advocacy skills for user-centered design.

Responsibilities

• Identifying and using best practices for designing user services.
• Line-managing and mentoring interaction designers.
• Advocating for users to design effective and accessible services.
• Creating prototypes to test ideas with users.
• Mapping user journeys and visualizing design problems.
• Collaborating in multidisciplinary teams on large services.

Skills

evidence-based design

prototyping and concept creation

interaction design

accessibility and inclusion

managing people and leading

communicate, persuade and advocate

Job description

Location

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

About the job – Job summary

We’re looking for a senior interaction designer who is enthusiastic about designing accessible services that are simple enough 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, multi‑disciplinary team in the Migration, Borders and Technology Portfolio (MBTP), where your work will make a lasting impact on our user‑centred products and services. Some of the projects you could work on include:

• Building and improving systems for people and goods that cross the UK border and the process of applying for asylum
• Building and improving systems and tools for internal staff (such as caseworkers, Border Force officers, Immigration Enforcement officers)
• Continuously improving products and services for visas, passports and registration of marriages, births and deaths

You’ll determine the best way for users to interact with services, the overall flow and individual design elements. You will mentor and train other designers, supporting the growth and development of the interaction design team.

You will have an understanding of the way the internet works and have experience of designing in an agile environment. You must be driven to help government transform the way it delivers services so that they are simpler, faster and easier to use.

You can learn more about design and research in the Home Office on our blog:

• sharing user‑centred design lessons learnt at the Home Office
• applying user‑centred design in a data‑focused product
• and by looking at our design system

We have a thriving user‑centred design (UCD) community. If you want to work with us to ensure that our services are easier and simpler to use, apply now.

Job description

Your main day‑to‑day responsibilities will include:

• identifying, developing and using best practice and standards to design services consistent with the rest of government and the Home Office
• line‑managing, supporting and mentoring interaction designers, allocating tasks and providing them with guidance, training and constructive feedback
• advocating for users and understanding user needs to design simple, effective and accessible services
• creating prototypes and concepts to communicate and test ideas with users and improving with evidence
• mapping user journeys, processes and visualising design problems
• collaborating within a multidisciplinary team on large, complex services by facilitating the design process, participating in research activities, workshops and communicating design decisions to the team and stakeholders

Person specification

UK residency and security requirements

You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years.

Essential skills

You will be assessed against the following skills and experience during the selection process:

• evidence‑based design: leads evidence‑based design initiatives for significant projects, often involving complex user needs and multiple stakeholders. Mentors junior staff in evidence‑based design methodologies
• prototyping and concept creation: manages the prototyping and concept creation process for high‑impact projects. Applies advanced techniques, like interactive and complex prototyping in code, to validate and refine concepts. Provides guidance to junior team members
• interaction design: able to manage and guide the interaction design process for complex projects. Balances user needs, technical constraints, and business objectives to achieve optimal design solutions
• accessibility and inclusion: applying accessibility standards, understanding how the internet works and the technology constraints that may need to be considered in design
• managing people and leading: coaching and mentoring other interaction designers, growing skills, and providing constructive feedback on work
• communicate, persuade and advocate: talking about, and advocating for UCD to various audiences and stakeholders, in a way that other people understand

The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework.

Candidates who reach the required standard will be assessed using technical and experience‑based questions at interview. You may be expected to do a task as part of the interview process.