Unity Programme - Senior Interaction Designer

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC. Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential. HMRC is looking for a passionate Senior Interaction Designer, who can champion user-centred design across our department. They’ll work as part of our User-centred Design Team, shaping key initiatives to ensure our services meet real user needs. Our UCD practice provides consultancy services, tools and capabilities to major programmes and business areas across the department. Through this highly successful approach we have helped shape and design some of HMRC’s most impactful products and services, and we now need an Interaction Designer to join us so that we can continue to ensure we are designing the right things for our users. The successful candidate will play a vital role in shaping the interactions between users and HMRC’s GOV.UK content and guidance, ensuring simple and inclusive user experiences. They’ll work in a supportive environment with plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. This is an opportunity to make a real difference - to improve services, influence decisions with evidence and data. Plus, you’ll be part of a user-centred design practice/community that's breaking the mould of traditional government work. If you’re an interaction designer who is looking for their next opportunity, we’d love to hear from you. Occasional travel to other sites may be required., A senior interaction designer is an experienced designer who works with minimal support and can influence and mentor others. They: + use their extensive experience to design user-friendly and accessible services that align with government standards and best practices + work alongside policy experts, user researchers, designers, product managers, and tech specialists to create cohesive, end-to-end user experiences + coach and mentor other designersPerson specification Your responsibilities will include: + leading the hands-on interaction design for the Unity Programme + creating prototypes, using the government prototyping toolkit, to communicate and test ideas with users and improve with evidence + mapping user journeys, processes and visualise design problems + building strong relationships with stakeholders, influencing and collaborating with them to improve design quality + facilitating the design process by participating in research activities, pairing with engineers, facilitating workshops and communicating design decisions + working collaboratively with your team to turn concepts into user-centred services + reviewing and providing feedback to other interaction designers on their work, as well as advising other disciplines on interaction design best practice You will also be expected to: + line manage, support and mentor Interaction Designers - providing them with guidance, support, constructive feedback and design direction + lead peer review sessions with other profession members + actively participate in the HMRC and cross-government design communities, both digitally and face-to-face by leading sessions and supporting collaboration activities + seek out opportunities for learning and improvement by getting feedback from your colleagues and the business, + a personal statement showing how you meet the essential criteria (750 words) and why you want to work for HMRC When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with the essential criteria and technical skills listed in the job advert. Use the STAR method to show your skills and experience within the personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelines here. Sift In the event of a high number of applications, we'll sift firstly on employment history - for actual experience of design. We'll then proceed to a full sift, where all elements of your application will be assessed against the essential criteria. We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications. Interview Successful candidates who meet the required standard will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. During the interview we will ask you to: + deliver a ten-minute presentation on a piece of design work you have recently completed that demonstrates one of the technical skills, further details of this will be included with the invitation to interview + answer questions that let you demonstrate your experience and technical skills relevant to the role Technical skills Interaction designers in HMRC are part of the Government Digital and Data profession. As part of the selection process you’ll be assessed against four skills from the Senior Interaction Design role: + Evidence- and context-based design + Communicating between the technical and non-technical + Prototyping + User focus https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/interaction-designer Desirable skills will only be considered in the event of a tie. Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Eligibility Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 383713 & vacancy closing date 03/01/2025’. To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application. Reserve List A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account. Merit List After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location. Criminal Record Check Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy. Reasonable Adjustments We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: + Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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. Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers: This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to. Terms and Conditions Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations. The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process. Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert. 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. 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. New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band. Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract. If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 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)., Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.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 website.

To be successful in this role you will already have extensive experience and understanding of: + designing accessible interactive products or services that meet user needs; including demonstrable experience in

• sketching, concept creation and designing prototypes
• applying critical design thinking to redefine problems and use a variety of methods to investigate these problems
• journey mapping and needs analysis with good understanding of information design/architecture
• working with pattern libraries and/or style guidelines
• user research methods and practice, with proven experience using metrics and user feedback to define/refine service
• planning design work
+ designing inclusive service that meet a wide range of access needs and has a deep understanding of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines + managing stakeholder needs and expectations and facilitating difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders, convincing people that user needs and a user-centred approach are the right way to design products and services + leading workshops, for example collaborative design sessions or design sprints + ability to recognise and predict use cases and user interaction, incorporating them into designs + prototyping at varying fidelities using a range of methods, including HTML and CSS, and collaborating with teams and stakeholders in prototyping activities + collaborating with user researchers, championing user research activities and designing to meet user needs + web technologies and how they affect design, including accessibility Desirable Criteria: It would be great if you also have knowledge and experience of: + working to the government service standard + using the GOV.UK design system + coaching and mentoring other designers + designing and working with SAP interfaces + assessing services for accessibility and inclusivityTechnical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: + Evidence- and context-based design + Communicating between the technical and non-technical + Prototyping + User focus

Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. + Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary. + Family friendly policies. + Personal support. + Coaching and development. To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service