Length of employment: Job Summary: Are you passionate about creating user-centred services that truly make a difference? We're on the lookout for experienced content designers to shape services that impact millions. As a Lead Content Designer, you won't just design content. You'll set the standards, mentor others, and lead the way in creating user-centred, accessible experiences that put people first. We want someone who can: Guide teams on best practice and strategy. Coach user-centred design practitioners and build strong design communities. Champion content design and user-centred design across the department. Job Description: As a Lead Content Designer, you will: Lead on consistency, good practice and standards. Build professional relationships to influence strategies and remove impediments to effective working. Direct events and initiatives for the DWP or cross-government content design and user-centred design communities. Line manage, coach, mentor and develop senior design practitioners. Assess design resource needs and oversee recruitment and induction activities. 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. See selection process for further details. If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Natalie.selby1@dwp.gov.uk. Stage 1: Application Your application will consist of four parts: 1.Your personal details. 2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed. 3. Personal statement - up to 1250 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below. Essential criteria You must demonstrate that you: Have substantial experience of designing accessible and plain English content, and have embedded content patterns, processes or guidelines in a team's way of working. Have substantial experience of using quantitative and qualitative data to design content, transactions or services, in collaboration with other disciplines. Have guided colleagues towards the most appropriate prototyping technique to show, test and explain content. Have assured the quality of others' work and led community of practice initiatives or activities. Have substantial experience of advocating for the role of content design. Have built long-term strategic relationships and reached consensus on an approach to meet stakeholder priorities and users' needs. Have implemented content strategies or initiatives and evaluated their impact on wider strategic goals. 4. Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of Leading Design. Tell us how you have ensured that a team can consistently produce good quality content, even in a challenging environment - for example where there are competing deadlines or priorities, unrealistic expectations or constraints. We will ask you more about your response in your interview, if you're invited to one. 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. 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 following Behaviours and Technical Skills: Making Effective Decisions Leadership Leading Design Designing Strategically Designing Together We will send you the interview questions 5 days before your interview. Treat these questions as confidential and do not share them with others. The interview panel may ask you some follow up questions after each of your answers. These will not be given to you in advance. Please book your interview slot as soon as possible. This will help us to ensure that everyone gets the same amount of time to prepare. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview. Interviews will take place from late July 2025. Interview dates to be confirmed. Other information: 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. Further Information: Find out more about Working for DWP. For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital. A reserve list may be held for a period of 6months 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 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