Content Designer

Coventry (CV1 2WT), Darlington (DL1 5QE), London (SW1P 3BT), Manchester (M1 2WD), Nottingham (NG2 1AW)**, Sheffield (S1 2FJ)Please note – Nottingham currently has site controls in place. Therefore, this location option is only available to existing DfE employees already assigned to this office location.Job SummaryAt the Department for Education (DFE), we are striving for world-class education, training and care for everyone whatever their background. Our ambition is to have a more productive economy, giving everyone the chance to reach their potential and live a more fulfilled life.We work in multi-disciplinary teams using Agile methods to innovate and radically improve services that:Raise education standards and provide the best start in life for children,Support disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people,Drive economic growth.Our work and set up is truly end-to-end. We work closely with Ministers and our users on the design of our programmes and policies, through to successful implementation, through our research and analysis, finance and commercial, communications, technical design and programme management.These are exciting times at the Department for Education. We are transforming to become a user centred organisation, delivering better outcomes for all our users through agile and iterative software development and continuous improvement. You will work with user researchers, product managers, designers, business analysts, delivery managers and content specialists as part of a multi-disciplinary team to directly deliver better outcomes for users. You will innovate to radically transform how public services are delivered and improved.Job DescriptionAs a Content Designer, you will: Use evidence, data, and user research to devise content strategies and tactics, and work closely with digital and Data specialists to improve user outcomes. Create, iterate, review and update content for new and Existing services to meet user needs across a whole end-to-end journey. Be responsible and accountable for the accuracy, clarity, efficacy and success of content in your area. Build positive working relationships across teams and professions to advocate for user needs, and understand and influence stakeholders. Manage relationships with stakeholders, including subject matter experts, to gain understanding and make sure all content is accurate and clearly understood. Establish and maintain the highest standards of accuracy, accessibility, and professionalism even if deadlines are tight and information elusive. As a Content Designer, You WillUse evidence, data, and user research to devise content strategies and tactics, and work closely with digital and Data specialists to improve user outcomes. Create, iterate, review and update content for new and Existing services to meet user needs across a whole end-to-end journey. Be responsible and accountable for the accuracy, clarity, efficacy and success of content in your area. Build positive working relationships across teams and professions to advocate for user needs, and understand and influence stakeholders. Manage relationships with stakeholders, including subject matter experts, to gain understanding and make sure all content is accurate and clearly understood. Establish and maintain the highest standards of accuracy, accessibility, and professionalism even if deadlines are tight and information elusive. Person specificationEssential CriteriaExperience of creating content designed to meet user needs. The ability to make complex language and processes easy to understand, always in the right format for your users. Experience of using data to draw conclusions and inform decisions. Excellent written and oral communication skills, showing the flexibility to tailor language depending on audience. Experience of working closely with diverse stakeholders to understand their views, whilst maintaining content quality and managing expectations. Thinking strategically, contributing to content strategies, and creating content patterns or standards.Desirable CriteriaWorking with agile methodology, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and flexible in approach. Used to using a range of tools and platforms to manage work priorities. Experience of designing awareness or education.Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision.Alongside your salary of £42,806, Department for Education contributes £12,400 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.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.You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.Selection process detailsTo apply for this role, please select 'Apply Now' at the top or bottom of this advert. CV details need to be included in the template within the application form; attached or emailed CVs will not be considered.Please be advised there are two stages to the recruitment process for this role, these are outlined below.Stage 1 – Application At sift stage, you will be assessed on your Experience in line with the essential skills listed in the person specification section of the job advert.To Apply For This Role, Please ProvideA Short CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the job advert.To confirm, the maximum word count for the statement of suitability is 1000 words. Please adhere to this limit as anything over 1000 words will not be taken into account.The CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the advert.If you are successful at application sift stage, your application will be progressed onto Stage 2 part of the Selection process.Should there be a high volume of applicants, candidates may be sifted on the first three (3) essential criteria.Application sifting will take place week commencing 24 November 2025. Please note these dates are subject to change.Stage 2 - InterviewThe interview will consist of a 45-minute blended interview.At interview you will be asked questions around the essential skills listed in the advert.Interviews will take place towards mid-December 2025. Please note these dates are subject to change. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.Interviews will be held over video conferencing using MS 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.We receive many applications, and unfortunately we’re not able to provide feedback for candidates who aren’t shortlisted. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.All communications will be electronic therefore it is vitally important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.Other InformationIn your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you.This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it's called name blind recruitment (opens in a new window).Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:name/titleeducational institutionsagegenderemail addresspostal addressphone numbernationality/immigration statusWe understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.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.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 NDPBsBodies 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 adjustmentIf 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 ShouldContact 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.Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 2024 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.Childcare VouchersAny 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.SecuritySuccessful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.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 requirementsThis Job Is Broadly Open To The Following GroupsUK nationalsnationals of the Republic of Irelandnationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UKnationals 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 2020Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil ServiceFurther information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)Working for the Civil ServiceThe Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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.The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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 InclusionThe 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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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 applicantsJob ContactName : Clare StanleyEmail : Clare.stanley@education.gov.ukRecruitment teamEmail : Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.ukFurther informationThe 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