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About the job
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Things you need to know
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Location
About the job
Job summary
If you would like to find out more about the role, the Design team and what it’s like to work at DBT, we are holding a Hiring Manager Q&A session for this role where you can virtually 'meet the team' on Thursday 28th March 2024. Please click here to book your spot.
We’re looking for experienced Interaction Designers who can work with minimal support while influencing and mentoring others. Will you be able to help set the right direction and embed good practice within our teams?
As a Lead Interaction Designer at DBT you will work out the best way to let users interact with services in terms of both overall flow and at the level of individual design elements.
You will work in a multidisciplinary team, alongside policy experts, user researchers, content designers, product managers and technology experts. As a team, you will develop innovative approaches for digital products that are part of integrated services across DBT
To be effective in this position, you will need to understand the needs of users and stakeholders and be able to communicate this in an engaging way, whether this is by creating prototypes to test an idea and inspire the team and stakeholders or creating design patterns that can be used across our services to ensure consistency and scalability.
This role is based in the newly created Department for Business and Trade, which brings together the business focused functions of the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for International Trade (DIT). Our joint expertise in trade and business provides us with a unique opportunity to unleash the power of UK businesses, reform regulation to reduce burdens and unlock post-Brexit freedoms.
This role is available in seven UK locations and can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Most DBT employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Changes to these working arrangements are available in certain circumstances but must be agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
Job description
In this role you will:
- create user-centred design patterns
- understand user needs and how to design services that meet them
- create and iterate prototypes to test and communicate ideas
- work with user researchers and front-end developers to turn concepts into user-centred design
- explain design decisions and how they were impacted by user research
- welcome the constructive criticism of your work and be able to constructively review the work of others
- ensure that design work is consistent, both internally and with the rest of GOV.UK
- ensure that accessibility and usability are built into designs from the outset, and meet web standards and GDS/GOV.UK design principles
- contribute to the wider community of designers in the department and government
- line manage and mentor less experienced colleagues in your profession
Person specification
Essential Skills and Experience
You’ll have demonstrable experience of:
- Finding the simplest, shortest and fastest solution for users
- Championing user research and making decisions that meet user needs
- Interpreting the needs of technical and business stakeholders and managing their expectations
- Using a variety of methods of prototyping and looking after end-to-end design of a service
- An understanding of Agile and how to apply it to the design and development of digital services
Desirable Skills and Experience:
- An understanding of service design and how to consider the wider context of what you are working on and the strategic aims of the organisation
- Past experience of designing for data, data visualisation and simplifying complex information
Benefits
- Extensive learning and development tailored to your role, with budget for training, qualifications or professional membership of a recognised body
- An environment with flexible, hybrid working options such as condensed hours
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Annual leave starting at 25 days per annum plus statutory bank holidays rising to 30 days with service
- Three paid volunteering days a year
- Employee benefits programme offering retail discounts, a season ticket loan for public transport, and a cycle to work scheme
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Technical Skills and Behaviours.
Unless otherwise specified, all interviews are currently being held online. Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
DBT sift will take place week commencing: 22nd April 2024
Interviews will take place week commencing: 29th April 2024
Please notes these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.
As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a CV and a personal statement which outline your experience, skills and fit for the role. Your personal statement must be a maximum of 750 words. You can use bullet points and subheadings if you prefer. As well as evidencing the criteria you should also touch upon why you're interested in DBT and in this role. Inspire People will assess your application against the essential criteria listed above to compile a longlist of applications. If you are progressed through, your application will then be sifted by DBT hiring managers.
How you’ll be assessed
At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant technical skills and behavioursfrom the Success Profiles framework. A role-specific list of these can be found below. There will be a technical task as part of the interview process, details of which will be sent out beforehand.
Technical skills
There will be a technical element within the interview where you will be asked questions about your specific professional skills and knowledge relating directly to the job role.
We will assess you against the following technical skills:
- Agile Working
- Evidence- and context-based design
- Strategic thinking
- User focus
- Leadership & Guidance
The capability framework for this role can be found here. This details the critical skills required for Interaction Designers working in government. DBT has adapted these to reflect the specific demands and focus of the Lead Interaction Designer role in this department.
Behaviours
We will assess you against the following behaviours:
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
The salary we will offer is determined using interview performance. Scores at interview translate to proficiency levels and an associated salary. Once a successful candidate has a proficiency level and is part of the capability framework, they will be given opportunities to self-assess to progress through the pay scale within their grade during their time at DBT. For further explanation of proficiency levels and more information about DDaT click here. Candidates moving from another government department have the option to retain their current salary.
Reserve list
Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences. Candidates who pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring will be held on a 12-month reserve list for future appointments. Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised.
Security Clearance Details
This role requires you to undergo Security Clearance. The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. You will be asked to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
- 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 record
- Location details
Further Information
The Department for Business and Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. Click through to apply and find out more.
Our recruitment process is underpinned by appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: ddat.recruitment@trade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. Click here to download a PDF about the Civil Service Commission/Complaints.
Recording of interviews is not permitted except by prior agreement and where it is necessary as an evidenced reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
If you make a recording of our employees without agreement, you should be aware that in collecting such personal data you would be deemed a 'data controller' under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and are therefore required to comply with all relevant data protection requirements. You would also be susceptible to enforcement action by the regulator and potential legal action.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
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