• Details

Reference number

397691

Salary

£55,403 - £73,702

National - £55,403 - £65,163
London - £61,005 - £73,702

The base salary of this grade is £61,005 for London and £55,403 for other locations. Offers made above this will be made up with a specialist pay allowance. Offers above the band minimum are subject to our assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview. Salaries over the band minimum will be paid as a non-pensionable allowance.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Fixed term
Loan
Secondment

Length of employment

6-24 months with potential to extend. If you would like more information regarding secondments please email Helen.garbutt@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Business area

Public Sector Reform

Type of role

Digital

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Basingstoke, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Sheffield, York

About the job

Job summary

The Public Sector Reform Test, Learn and Grow (PSR TL&G) team is at the heart of the UK government’s initiative to drive innovation and reform in public service delivery. With the £100 million PSR Innovation Fund, our team collaborates with local authorities and government departments across the United Kingdom and with the Devolved Governments to design, test, and grow innovative solutions that enhance public service outcomes. By employing a “Test & Learn” approach, we focus on creating evidence-based improvements while relieving pressures on public services. Our work involves piloting foundational programmes and place-based initiatives to accelerate mission delivery, support preventative measures, and foster a collaborative environment that encourages continuous improvement and innovation in public services.

A secondment with HMG offers a unique opportunity to work temporarily within the Civil Service, where you will remain an employee of your current organisation. This opportunity will allow you to develop some unique skills, but bring in specific knowledge and expertise, and work on projects that aim to deliver better public services for UK citizens. It is an immersive experience, providing you with new perspectives and the chance to contribute to significant and meaningful work. If you have confirmed with your employer that you are eligible for a secondment you’ll be presented with a question in relation to this on your application form.

You’ll lead design in a multidisciplinary Pioneer team—a place-based project with public sector partners to prototype solutions and policies aligned to government missions. You’ll lead on problem framing, visualising ideas, prototyping in code, designing workshops and stakeholder engagements, and support the team with design research when needed. You’ll help your team use various methods and approaches for ‘test and learn’.

This role is mapped to the Senior Interaction Designer role in the Government Digital and Data framework, however we’re looking for some wider additional skills in UX design, mapping and design research. We’re looking for someone who can bring digital and data skills to a policy environment and is excited about working on the ground alongside place-based partners.

This role will require travel within the UK to work closely with local partners.

Responsibilities

You will:

• lead and coordinate design work in your team and design solutions that meet user needs

• work effectively in a multidisciplinary, agile environment, adapting quickly to constraints and changes in requirements, priorities or user needs

• use research and analytics to understand policy areas and users needs, identify service failures and test different designs

• lead design research when needed, working alongside the Data Analyst responsible for data and quantitative research

• design collaboratively and in the open, using prototyping to engage your team and stakeholders with the design process and adapting it if necessary

• champion accessibility and inclusion, consider the impact of change: new policies and technologies, and ensure that designs meet legal requirements

• guide, support and mentor designers

• collaborate with designers in other teams and departments, reviewing each other’s work and developing shared patterns

For further information on the role, please see the document attached at the bottom of the advert.

Person specification

It ’s essential that you:

Design communication
• work with the team and stakeholders to frame problems, map systems and processes and create clear, evidence-based cases for change supported by high quality outputs and deliverables
• build consensus around an approach and build strong relationships

Designing for everyone
• understand of the importance of inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services including working knowledge of WCAG
• design and deliver ethical solutions that consider the personal and social context of stakeholders and users
• support equity and inclusion for your delivery work as well as in your team

Designing strategically
• use risks, opportunities and constraints in technology, systems and policies to shape design
• work with senior stakeholders with the ability to negotiate important design decisions
• lead design in a multidisciplinary team working in a complex policy environment ensuring test and learn approaches are grounded in theories of change and measurable

Designing together
• engage with people in a variety of ways (e.g. workshops; sketching; prototyping; mapping) and have the ability to adapt a design session to ensure you achieve a useful outcome

Evidence-based design
• make effective decisions with research and data
• apply design research methods to support with qualitative research

Iterative design
• work in an agile, multidisciplinary and collaborative environment
• design clear, usable, accessible digital interfaces across multiple channels, for example for web, apps, or conversational interfaces
• prototype complex ideas at an appropriate fidelity including prototyping in code

It ’s desirable that you:

Systems thinking
• understand and can apply systems thinking frameworks and practices to complex policy areas
• Policy design
• understand the policymaking cycle and where the opportunities are for change, involving lived experience, and/ or relational/participatory work.

Iterative design

• Have awareness of the GOV.UK Design system and GOV.UK prototype Kit”

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Design Communication
• Designing Strategically
• Designing Together
• Evidence-based Design
• Iterative Design

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,403, Cabinet Office contributes £16,050 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

As part of your application you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.

Please note that your CV will be for reference only and will not be scored.

You will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (750 words max.)

Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.

Depending on how many applications received, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview. This will consist of a telephone interview and will further assess your responses within the Statement of suitability.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Technical Skills and Behaviours:

Interview location - Video interview only.

Candidates invited to the interview will be asked to share work from their portfolio; and do a short task, which will be sent to you ahead of the interview. Full details will be made available to all shortlisted candidates at a later date.

We will assess the listed specialist technical skills as defined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. Please refer to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

Please note that this role requires CTC (Counter Terrorist Check) clearance, which would normally need 3 years UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. If successful, you will be assessed at interview for capability based pay. Once an offer has been made, the TL&G team will follow up with a Government Digital and Data pay allowance offer.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via menurecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Near Miss

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Cabinet Office which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard 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)
• 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment .

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Helen Garbutt
• Email : Helen.garbutt@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : menurecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please Visit the Civil Service Commission website