Details
Reference number
424105
Salary
£38,173
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Higher Executive Officer
B2
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
UKHO - Customer
Type of role
Customer Insight
Digital
Working pattern
Full-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Taunton
About the job
Job summary
We're looking for an Interaction Designer to join the small but impactful UX team at the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO).
In this role, you'll focus on understanding user needs and translating them into clear, effective design solutions across products and services. You'll work closely with researchers, product teams and stakeholders to shape digital services that support a wide range of expert user groups across the maritime sector.
We're looking for an interaction designer with :
* Strong core UX skills, someone who's driven by understanding people and designing clear, intuitive experiences.
* Enjoys solving problems, sketching ideas, wireframing and building prototypes.
* Can apply user-centred design, Lean UX, and GDS principles in practice.
* Is confident facilitating design workshops and collaborating in multi-disciplinary teams.
* Communicates well with a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
* Is curious, proactive and motivated about designing services that make a real-world impact.
This is an opportunity to do meaningful work in a supportive and collaborative environment where UX is valued and impactful. You'll help shape the future of digital services at a global hydrographic office, contributing to safety at sea, sustainability, and innovation.
Hybrid working
This role is hybrid with regular working at our Taunton site. While there's flexibility to work from home, we're looking for someone who's willing and able to regularly spend time in the office in Taunton with the rest of the team.
We believe good design comes from strong collaboration and shared understanding, so we value time spent together, whether that's learning about the business, getting to know our users, or connecting with your teammates.
Job description
Understanding problems and designing solutions
• Translate user and business needs into impactful designs and experiences.
• Think big picture, focus on solving whole problems, not just screen-level details.
• Create and validate storyboards, user journeys, service maps and process flows to tell compelling user stories and clearly communicate design ideas.
• Use insights and evidence from research to explain your design decisions.
Working collaboratively
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including user researchers, product managers, delivery leads, developers and GIS specialists.
• Facilitate regular design workshops and collaborative sessions to solve problems together.
• Champion user needs and inclusive design across the organisation.
Prototyping and testing
• Design and build interactive prototypes.
• Plan and conduct usability testing with users.
• Iterate designs based on feedback and evidence from research.
Design system and implementation
• Contribute to and help maintain the UKHO Design System.
• Ensure consistent, user-centred design patterns are used across Admiralty products and services.
• Work closely with developers to ensure your designs are clearly communicated and implemented as intended.
Staying current
• Keep up to date with trends and best practice in interaction design and the wider digital landscape.
Person specification
* Experience of designing user-centred solutions that meet real user needs and align with business goals.
* Strong communication skills, with the ability to tell compelling user stories and clearly share user needs with a range of stakeholders.
* Confidence in contributing to, and facilitating design workshops, and working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
* A practical understanding of design thinking methods such as the Double Diamond, and experience applying them in real projects.
* Proficiency in prototyping and wireframing tools (e.g. Figma) to explore, test and communicate design ideas.
* Experience creating and using UX artefacts (e.g. user journeys, process flows) and evaluation techniques (e.g. heuristic reviews) to support evidence-based design.
* Awareness of design systems and pattern libraries, and how to apply them to create consistent, inclusive designs.
* Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, to support collaboration with developers.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Making Effective Decisions
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £38,173, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £11,058 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued.
We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more.
See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Please click "Apply now" where you will be asked to attach your anonymised CV (for information) and write a 750 word supporting statement on the below criteria.
Artificial Intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Timeline:
* Advert Closes for applications: 15th October 2025
* Shortlisting: week commencing 20th October 2025
* Interviews: week commencing 3rd November 2025
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
Sift/Shortlist Criteria:
All applications are processed anonymously. You will be asked to write a 750 word supporting statement which covers the criteria below:
Experience:
* A practical understanding of design thinking methods such as the Double Diamond, and experience applying them in real projects
* Experience creating and using UX artefacts (e.g. user journeys, process flows) and evaluation techniques (e.g. heuristic reviews) to support evidence-based design (lead criteria)
* Confidence contributing to and facilitating design workshops, and working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
* Experience or understanding of usability testing.
Interview Criteria:
You will be interviewed against the following criteria:
Experience:
* Experience designing user-centred solutions that meet real user needs and align with business goals.
* Confidence contributing to and facilitating design workshops, and working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
* Focus on solving whole problems, not just screen-level details.
* A practical understanding of design thinking methods such as the Double Diamond, and experience applying them in real projects - assessed by presentation
* Experience creating and using UX artefacts (e.g. user journeys, process flows) and evaluation techniques (e.g. heuristic reviews) to support evidence-based design - assessed against the test
Civil Service Behaviours (HEO level):
* Communicating and Influencing
* Making Effective Decisions
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Working Together
See here for further information: Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK
Interview Process:
* Single Stage Interview in the office.
* You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted.
* Interview will be with a panel of no more than 3 people and will last approx. 60 mins
* PRESENTATION - you will be asked to give a 5 minute presentation. More details will be given in the invitation to interview.
* TEST - you will be asked to take a 15 minute test during the interview. More details will be given in the invitation to interview.
Onboarding Checks:
In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.
Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.
Residency Requirements:
BPSS – non reserved
This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and is open to UK, British Commonwealth, and European Economic Area nationals. Successful applicants will be required to pass the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and will therefore need to provide evidence if they have resided outside of the UK for a period of 6 months or longer within the last 3 years. This is not a bar to employment, but a successful applicant will be required to provide sufficient evidence to allow the UKHO to conduct meaningful background checks. Please contact the recruitment team on the email address below if you have any concerns regarding this.
Eligibility
Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) 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 embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
* Name :
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
Further Information
The Department's recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: or view more details