These are exciting times at the Department for Education and throughout 2022 we'll continue to build effective services for all of our users – children, adults, and those in social care. Our diverse and inclusive culture reflects the society we live in. This helps us to achieve better outcomes for all our users. 

We work in multi-disciplinary teams using Agile methods to innovate and radically improve services that: 

• Raise education standards. 
  
• Provide the best start in life for children. 
  
• Drive economic growth. 
  
• Support disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people 
  
  You can read more about our strategy on the DfE digital and technology strategy blog by visiting our LinkedIn page or by following us on Twitter @DfE_DigitalTech .

Job description

Right now, we have an exciting opportunity as a Senior Interaction Designer on the Teaching Vacancies team within the Digital & Technology Directorate. 

Our mission in Teacher Services is to ensure we provide excellent teachers for every child. We support candidates on their journey to become a teacher - from helping them find the right teacher training course to making it easy for them to find a teaching role through Teaching Vacancies. 

Teaching Vacancies officially launched in April 2019 as a free job listing service which helps schools to find the best new teachers, and saves schools time and money on recruitment. We also support teachers to easily search and apply for their next position. Teaching Vacancies is now the largest source of primary teaching jobs listed directly by schools in England. It’s also the second largest for secondary teaching jobs. Over 80% of schools are signed up to use the service. Last year, our job listings were viewed over 2.5 million times by potential jobseekers. The challenge now is to build on our success by encouraging more schools and jobseekers to use Teaching Vacancies, and iteratively improving the service to better meet their needs. 

You can read more about our work by visiting the Teaching Vacancies: Blog.

Responsibilities

As Senior Interaction Designer you will: 

• Design accessible services across channels, devices, browsers, and platforms that deliver real value for our users.  
  
• Understand user needs and track interactions across departmental and organisational boundaries. 
  
• Lead work within a multidisciplinary team to turn research into user-centred services, whilst collaborating with user researchers, business analysts and developers.  
  
• Create and rapidly iterate low and high fidelity prototypes to test and communicate ideas.  
  
• Support teams and drive the organisation to take a design thinking approach. 
  
• Ensure that the design of both staff and public-facing services is consistent, both internally and with the rest of GOV.UK. 
  
• Welcome constructive criticism and be able to constructively review the work of others. 
  
• Grow and contribute to design community within Department for Education (DfE) and across government. 
  
• Collaborate with designers across government to identify and design scalable, cross-government design patterns and standards. 
  
• Train and mentor other designers.  
  
• Highlight chances to create benchmarks and to identify potential areas of improvement. 
  
  We are looking for you to demonstrate your experience to meet the following:- 
  
  Essential Criteria 
  
• Experience of creating and implementing new processes or designing product or service journeys with a user centred approach. 
  
• The ability to manage expectations, give feedback and facilitate difficult discussions with a wide range of stakeholders. 
  
• The ability to lead the design direction and advocate user-centred design in a way that other people understand. 
  
• An understanding of interaction and user interface design with experience of creating user centred design interactions at both low and high fidelity, with accessibility in mind. 
  
• Experience in removing complexity from services and solving problems, balancing business needs. 
  
  Desirable Criteria 
  
  
• Experience of using the GOV.UK prototype kit.  
  
• Experience of prototyping in code (HTML and CSS).  
  
• Experience of planning and facilitating workshops. 
  
• Training and developing more junior designers. 
  
  
  Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision at the interview stage

Technical skills

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

• Use qualitative and quantitative data to inform design decisions.
• The ability to identify constraints and balance this with user need.
• Experience of prototyping interactions.
• Experience of working collaboratively in a dynamic agile environment and using agile tools.

Benefits

At the Department for Education we offer:- 

• An environment with flexible working options, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexitime and compressed hours. 
  
• As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional developmentopportunities which are tailored to your role. 
  
• As our work represents the whole of our population, the only way we can provide effective services is by being an inclusive and diverse organisation. We are passionate about maintaining an open and positive working culture. 
  
• A generous annual leave allowance of 25 days increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the Queen’s Birthday as privilege leave and 8 days’ bank and public holidays. 
  
• Paid special leave for volunteering. 
  
• A wide variety of staff support networks including a Women's Network, BAME Network, Wellbeing Network, and many more. 
  
• As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK. For further information on these schemes please refer to the following website: Civil Service Pensions website. 
  
• Being a member of the Department for Education will give you access to schemes offering discount on various amenities including groceries, sports & activity groups and gym memberships. 
  
• Cycle to Work scheme and loans towards bicycle purchase.

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

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

Key Dates:- 

Vacancy Close:- Sunday 29th May at 23:55. 

Sift: TBC 

Interviews :TBC 

These dates are for guidance only and may be subject to change. 

There will be three stages to the recruitment process for this role:- 

Stage 1:- Application 

If you would like to apply for this position, please complete the Civil Service Jobs application form by clicking the "apply now" button at the top or bottom of this advert. On your application, please demonstrate your suitability for the role by detailing how your experience meets the essential and desirable criteria. 

On the application you will be asked to provide a:- 

• CV:- Set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, starting with your most current employment details first. You should cover a period of at least 3 years, but you can enter up to a total of 8 previous jobs. You must also provide details of any gaps in your job history. Usually there is no word limit for this section, so use as your first opportunity to fully demonstrate your suitability for the role. Please format this section as follows:- 
  
  Name of Employer - Job Title - Dates Worked 
  Underneath each heading, please include a paragraph/bullet points to describe your key responsibilities and achievements for each employment. 
  
  
• Statement of Suitability:- In no more than 500 words, explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential and desirable criteria. Your Statement of Suitability needs to be short and snappy, so it is essential that you use this space as effectively as possible. Drafting statements that are comprehensive yet succinct, is part of the skill being assessed. This is not intended to be a cover letter or a letter of application, instead try to work through the essential and desirable criteria systematically following the STAR technique. You may wish to focus mainly on the essential criteria, as we only assess the desirable criteria at the interview stage in the event of a tie break situation. The key things we are looking for are what you did and what the outcome of your actions were. 
  
  
• Portfolio:- Please upload where prompted on the application a PDF copy of your portfolio. This MUST be anonymous and SHOULD NOT contain any information that can identify you personally. Your portfolio should contain 3-4 relevant case studies that demonstrate your interaction design experience. Your portfolio will be assessed on: 
  
  
• The ways you have developed or improved digital services, to better meet the needs of users.  
  
• How you have implemented human-centric design methodologies into your design.  
  
• Your approach to problem-solving and the way you demonstrate the rationale behind design decisions. 
  
• Examples of how your designs take accessibility requirements into account. 
  
  Stage 2:- Sift 
  At sift stage, your application will be assessed by a panel who will look at how well your CV, Statement of Suitability and Portfolio demonstrate your experience and align to the essential criteria. We will assess against this criteria 
  
  Candidates successful at sift stage will be invited to complete the next step in the process:- The Interview 
  
  Stage 3:- Interview 
  You will be interviewed by panel which will last for approximately 60 minutes. It will follow a blended approach, consisting of :- 
  
  
• Presentation Task 
  
• Presentation Q&A 
  
• Interview Questions 
  
  Candidates invited to interview will be required to complete a short task and present their findings back to the panel. The details of this task will be provided to you prior to the interview and you will have 10 minutes to present, followed by some questions based on your presentation. The panel will then ask you some questions focusing on your Experience & Technical Skills and how well you are able to demonstrate your suitability for the role in alignment to the essential criteria. When preparing for your interview, you may wish to follow the STAR technique to demonstrate your examples. 
  
  Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. If you are invited to interview, please ensure that you have access to this software and that you have your video turned on. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 
  
  IMPORTANT, please note:- 
  
• Should we receive a large volume of applications, candidates may only be sifted on the first 3 essential criteria. 
  
• Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision at interview. Please continue to apply for this position, even if you do not meet all of the desirable criteria. 
  
• All communications regarding this vacancy will be updated on your Civil Service Jobs account and sent to you via email. It is important to regularly check for updates, especially in your spam/junk email folders. 
  
• The details of your application must be contained within the application form template; anything sent to us as an email or attachment will not be considered. 
  
• Please make sure you download or print a copy of the advert as it will contain important information on the selection process and how you will be assessed. Once the vacancy closes, you won’t be able to access this information again. 
  
• Your application does not need to be completed in one sitting. You can save your progress, close down your application mid-way through and return to it at a later date. To find your application again, sign in to your Civil Service Jobs account and select "Applications". 
  
• Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview. 
  
  Reasonable adjustments 
  As a Disability Confident Leader, it is important that we are able to make appropriate arrangements or adjustments where necessary in order to create a full and equal participation in the selection process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please:- 
  
  
• Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.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. 
  
  Other Information 
  
  Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas. 
  The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.  
  
  For this role the department would not consider sponsoring a Certificate of Sponsorship/visa. Please note we are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases. 
  
  If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out. 
  
  In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 
  
  Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated. 
  
  A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. 
  
  Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location. 
  
  New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  
  
  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. 
  
  Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs 
  
  Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum. 
  
  Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual. 
  
  Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information. 
  
  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 Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk 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. 
  
  Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
  
  Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

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.

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 : Digital and Technology Recruitment Team
• Email : DandT.RECRUITMENT@education.gov.uk

Recruitment team : 

• Email : advertsrecruitment.dfe@education.gov.uk

Further information

The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/.