Senior Interaction Designer at Department for Work & Pensions, Manchester, 12 Months, £Contract Rate

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. As such, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Working with DWP, you will be helping us to drive our priorities to:

• Help people to move into work and support those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation
• Help people to plan and save for later life, while providing a safety net for those who need it now
• Provide effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of claimants who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society
• Improve experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayer.

As a Senior Interaction Designer your main responsibilities will be to:

• Lead interaction design for a project replacing legacy tooling with a modern, flexible Digital Identity management platform.
• Understand user journeys, needs and behaviours to design intuitive and effective digital services.
• Work closely with User Researchers to plan and develop research activities that improve understanding of users.
• Lead the design of evidence-based solutions, identifying gaps in knowledge and using research and insight to inform design decisions.
• Develop prototypes using a range of tools and methodologies to test and communicate design concepts.
• Advise colleagues and project teams on prototyping approaches and interaction design best practice.
• Consider how changes to the Digital Identity platform will impact user interactions and journeys.
• Present design work and explain ideas clearly to a range of stakeholders and project team members.
• Facilitate discussions, actively listen to feedback and incorporate relevant input into design decisions.
• Promote inclusive design and ensure accessibility is considered throughout the design process.
• Design services that meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.
• Work collaboratively and openly with Designers, Front-end Developers, Researchers and Software Engineers.
• Share knowledge and provide advice to improve design and collaborative working practices across teams.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of user-centred government services.

Essential:

• Proven experience working as a Senior Interaction Designer delivering user-centred digital services, ideally within UK government.
• Strong experience in user-focused and evidence-based design, including working with User Researchers and using research findings to inform design decisions.
• Advanced experience in prototyping, using a range of tools and methodologies and advising others on prototyping best practice.
• Strong understanding and practical application of accessibility and inclusive design, including experience designing to WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
• Experience working with the GOV.UK Design System and GOV.UK Service Manual.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to present design concepts clearly and engage stakeholders in constructive discussions.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams, including Designers, Researchers, Developers and Software Engineers.
• Experience identifying user needs, analysing evidence and translating insight into practical interaction design solutions.
• Experience working openly and collaboratively, sharing knowledge and improving design practices across teams.

Desirable:

• Experience working on Digital Identity services or Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Experience replacing or modernising legacy digital systems, platforms or tooling.
• Previous experience delivering interaction design within complex public-sector or government transformation programmes.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, DWP guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

DWP guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.