Junior User Centred Design Officer (Entry-Level / Trainee Role)

About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade . We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. We are proud to be Disability Confident Leaders., We are the OPSS Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) team, and we build digital services focused on product safety and regulation. Our digital services are ultimately responsible for protecting people and places from product related harm.
We have an exciting portfolio of services that have internal and external users with further services in our pipeline for future development.
OPSS DDaT develop digital services and tools in line with Government standards. We are a mixed team of civil servants and contractors building services that use user-centred designs. This means that we put users at the centre of what we do by talking to our users and listening to what they say. Their feedback helps us to design services that they need and will want to use.
About the Role
Are you curious about how digital services are designed and developed? We need a Junior User Centred Design (UCD) Officer to help us build great digital services.
This role is about supporting these three UCD areas and developing the skills to become capable in them. You will work alongside and have the support of experienced digital UCD specialists. Together you will work on building digital services that help OPSS keep people safe. Our digital service portfolio is growing all the time and at different stages of maturity from live to emerging services. You could be working on an existing live service or one that is in the development pipeline.
Along with the rest of the team, you will be helping lead OPSS colleagues through the service development lifecycle.
User Centred Design (UCD) is at the core of our digital work, encompassing three main areas:
1. User Research
2. User Experience (UX) Design
3. Content Design
User Research involves understanding our users: who they are, what they aim to achieve, why they need to do it, and how they currently go about it. This research informs our designs and functionalities, ensuring they support user needs. It also helps us test these designs with users, and their feedback allows us to refine and improve them.
UX Design includes both service and interaction design. Service design shapes the user journeys based on insights from user research, outlining the steps needed to complete a task from start to finish. Interaction design focuses on the individual steps or screens that users navigate through the service.
Content Design is about creating clear and understandable content for each step of the user journey. This content can be informational or instructional, ensuring users know what is required of them. We write content from the user’s perspective, making it easy to understand and follow.
In this role, you will develop your skills and have the opportunity to earn various certifications that can propel your digital career. These include highly sought-after qualifications such as:
+ Certified Scrum Master
+ Agile Project Manager (APM)
+ Certified Practitioner in UX - Foundation
+ Quantitative User Research Methods
This role involves supporting the three key areas of User Centred Design (UCD) and developing the skills to excel in them. You will work alongside and receive support from experienced digital UCD specialists. Together, you will build digital services that help OPSS keep people safe. Our digital service portfolio is continuously expanding and includes services at various stages of maturity, from live to emerging. You could be working on an existing live service or one in the development pipeline. Along with the rest of the team, you will help guide OPSS colleagues through the service development lifecycle., As a Junior User Centred Design Officer, we will provide you with the support, training, and experience needed to:
+ Support our service teams by helping them focus on delivering business priorities and user needs.
+ Assist in user research by identifying users, arranging interviews/workshops, and conducting the research.
+ Conduct usability testing of our services.
+ Analyse research to identify priorities for your service team.
+ Develop service designs to ensure our services are easy to use and meet user needs.
+ Create wireframes and prototypes to test design ideas with users and incorporate their feedback for improvements.
+ Develop roadmaps to outline the future direction of services.
+ Represent us across stakeholder groups, championing UCD in digital delivery.
This role is designed to help you develop a broad range of UCD skills while retaining the flexibility to specialise in any of the three main areas over time. Further information can be found here: https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/
Our flexible working policy ensures a healthy work-life balance. We nurture talent and offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities to help you flourish in your role.
We strive to maintain a positive working culture and are committed to helping you reach your full potential. We value diversity and provide an open, inclusive, and supportive environment to help you do your best work., Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.
Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:
+ A Civil Service Numerical Test (CSNT)
+ A Civil Service Verbal Test (CSVT)
+ A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.
You will be invited to complete the tests on submission of your short form; the tests are held online and they are not timed; however if they are not completed before the deadline, your application will not be submitted.
Once these tests are completed, you will be invited to submit the final stage of your application. These tests will be scored automatically online, should you not achieve the pass mark, you will not be successful at this time.
We encourage you to familiarise yourself with the format of the tests; using the practice tests and guidance that can be found here;
+ Preparing for the Civil Service Verbal and Numerical Tests
+ CSNT Practice Test
+ CSVT Practice Test
It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date, though this is subject to change.
Interviews
Candidates who are selected for interview will be invited to interview and assessed against their Behaviours and Strengths.
Behaviours that will be assessed include:
+ Working Together
+ Communicating & Influencing
+ Changing & Improving
+ Developing Self & Others
Please do familiarise yourself with the Civil Service Success profiles; further helpful guidance can be found here
Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually via MS Teams. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception. Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.
Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.
Further Information:
+ A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
+ Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
+ The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
+ 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. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
+ A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
+ Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
+ Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
+ This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.
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 circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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) (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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
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 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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

We welcome applicants from any background, whether you are a school leaver or a career changer, regardless of previous experience in digital work. A passion for learning and development is the most important attribute, alongside the following characteristics and experience:
+ Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to assist others.
+ Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, to clarify, help, influence, and constructively challenge.
+ A passion for improvement and a user-centred approach.
+ A proactive self-starter who is an active team member.
+ A commitment to continuous learning and development.
We are looking for candidates whose experience aligns with the responsibilities listed previously. We are committed to promoting diversity and do not expect any applicant to have experience with every responsibility. If you have experience related to most of the role’s responsibilities and meet the skills and experience criteria, we encourage you to apply. We will support you in filling any gaps in your experience on the job., + Communicating and Influencing
+ Changing and Improving
+ Developing Self and Others

Alongside your salary of £27,329, Department for Business and Trade contributes £7,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.