Senior Content Designer

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda.

Local AI is a new team within MHCLG, working with councils to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in local public services. We support the responsible adoption of AI across local government, focusing on practical tools that save time, reduce costs and improve services for residents.

Local AI’s goal is not simply to introduce new technology. We work with councils and partners to solve real service challenges where AI can make the biggest difference.

Our work spans product development, service transformation, capability building and shaping the wider adoption of AI across local government. Recent examples include Local Transcribe our work supporting councils to responsibly adopt AI, and looking at how AI can play a role in temporary accommodation.

Joining Local AI offers a rare opportunity to help shape how one of the most significant changes of our time is applied in public services. You will work alongside experts from local and central government, academia and industry to test new ideas, deliver practical solutions and help improve outcomes for millions of people who rely on local services every day.

As a Senior Content Designer, you will create clear, accessible and user-centred content that helps councils and frontline workers use AI products confidently and effectively. Working closely with users and multidisciplinary teams, you will shape end-to-end content experiences, from discovery and prototyping through to live services, helping ensure products such as Local Transcribe are intuitive, trusted and meet real user needs.

Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog. Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment.

Job description

A Senior Content Designer is an expert practitioner who develops content and solutions for large-scale problems, taking responsibility for content quality. As a Senior Content Designer you’ll:

• Lead strategic content improvement projects, focusing effort on the highest priority areas, ensuring objectives are met and influencing senior partners to secure the right resources to support their strategic vision.
• Create, evaluate, update and review content strategies and solutions for ukri.org, using professional expertise, user understanding and evidence to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure all web content meets high-quality standards and accessibility requirements and review other content designers' work to maintain consistency and quality across the site.
• Champion and participate in user research, playing an active role in journey mapping to better understand user needs and how content fits into the wider experience.
• Deliver workshops and training colleagues across the organisation, acting as an advocate for content design, the website and Government Digital Standards.
• Build and maintain a network of internal and external stakeholders, fostering proactive collaborative working and establishing productive relationships with subject matter experts.
• Help colleagues and stakeholders understand what web content design is, why it's valuable, and how to work effectively with content designers.
• Actively stay abreast of UKRI objectives and priorities and proactively keep up to date with the latest content design best practice and thinking.

Person specification

As a Senior Content Designer you’ll have:

• Significant experience in a web content design role, making strategic decisions about content creation on a large, complex, ideally within a public sector or similarly regulated environment.
• Robust experience writing, editing and publishing accessible digital content, applying Government Digital Standards, and working with content management systems, data analytics tools and workflow management systems.
• Up-to-date knowledge of accessibility, including the needs of different users and assistive technologies, combined with exemplary editorial skills in writing plain, accessible language.
• Deep understanding of end-to-end user journeys, including content structure and user experience, and experience applying user-centred design principles and clearly articulating decisions to stakeholders.
• Experience using data, research and evidence to evaluate content and drive improvements, including familiarity with prototyping tools and agile multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Proven ability to negotiate with stakeholders, handle challenging situations and remove blockers, balancing business objectives with user needs, including putting forward the case for content design at a senior level.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain content decisions to non-experts, handle constructive criticism of your own work, and provide constructive feedback on others.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,230, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £17,448 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

Things you need to know

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on