Senior Interaction Designer

Job description

Job Title: Senior Interaction Designer

Band: 5

Salary: £59,877- £66,869

(plus allowance up to £9000 per annum depending on technical assessment)

Available Locations: Liverpool, Newport, Norwich, Glasgow or Birmingham

The following locations listed below are restricted to contracted GCA staff already based in one of these offices: London, Bristol, Manchester or York. External applicants are not eligible for these sites.  If you select one of these locations as an external applicant your application will unfortunately be withdrawn.

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full time, Compressed

Closing Date: 13th September

Interview Date(s): 28/29th September(subject to change)

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Ready to shape government-wide procurement? Join us as our first permanent Senior Interaction Designer and become a driving force in our growing UCD team. You’ll lead the design of complex, high-impact transactional services, ensuring every user enjoys seamless, inclusive, and intuitive digital experiences. If you’re passionate about evidence-based design, mentoring others, and building services that deliver real value to the nation, we want you on our team. Ready to make a lasting impact?

Job Summary

This role will join a growing UCD team that currently contains 5 permanent team members, and a host of wonderful contractor colleagues. It will report directly to the Head of UCD, and will take over line management of any contractors assigned to the same programme of work.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead End-to-End Journey Design: Map complex user flows, wireframes, and digital interaction touchpoints to ensure services are simple, intuitive, and seamless for all users.

• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration: Create low-to-high fidelity interactive prototypes (in Figma, HTML/CSS, or design kits) to test design hypotheses and refine interaction models rapidly.

• Drive Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Guarantee all digital touchpoints strictly comply with WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ensuring equal access for citizens with varying digital skills or assistive technology needs.

• Apply and Extend Design Systems: Champion established standards (such as the GOV.UK Design System) while developing new reusable UI patterns.

• Evidence-Based Design Decisions: Collaborate closely with User Researchers, Content Designers, and Performance Analysts to iterate interfaces based on real user data. 

• Balance Policy, Legal & Tech Constraints: Work alongside software engineers, policy leads, and product managers to translate complex regulatory or backend constraints into elegant human-centred solutions.

•  Lead Co-Design & Strategic Workshops: Facilitate design critiques, co-design sessions, and cross-functional alignment workshops to build consensus among diverse stakeholders and delivery squads.

• Shape Service Strategy Across Project Phases: Provide design leadership across Discovery, Alpha, Beta, and Live phases, ensuring the team builds the right thing before committing resources to scaling.

• Line Management & Mentoring: Lead and guide contract team members, manage performance to ensure a high-performing team, and support staff development through regular feedback.

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

Proven End-to-End Interaction Design Experience: Extensive track record of designing complex, intuitive user journeys and interfaces within an Agile delivery environment.

Prototyping: Demonstrated capability in creating low-to-high fidelity interactive prototypes (using Figma, HTML/CSS, or design toolkits) to test hypotheses and validate user flows.

Expertise in Accessibility & Inclusion (WCAG 2.2): Deep knowledge and practical application of inclusive design principles and WCAG 2.2 standards to ensure products work for all users, including those using assistive tech.

Design Systems: Proven ability to apply, extend, and advocate for established component-based design systems (e.g., GOV.UK Design System) to maintain consistency and scale.

Evidence-Based & Collaborative: Track record of using user research, data, and usability testing to defend design decisions and iteratively improve digital services alongside cross-functional teams.

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

Experience

Behaviours:

• Delivering at pace

• Communicating and influencing

• Making effective decisions

Technical:

• Designing for everyone (lead success profile, a task will be sent ahead of the interview to be presented to the panel during the interview)

• Design communication

• Evidence-based design

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary 

• Generous pension scheme

• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus 

• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location

• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)

• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact [email protected]

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. 

Selection Process

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact [email protected].

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

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Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 

Complaints Procedure

 Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact [email protected] in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected]

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Please use the careers hub for your application.