CS Interview Coach

Content Designer

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Department
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Location
Manchester, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Darlington
Openings
1 post
Grade
SEO
Salary
£44,004
Closing
1 day left
Profession
DDaT
Contract
Permanent
Security clearance
BPSS
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Apply on Civil Service Jobs

Job summary

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. Whether through the homes we live in, the work of local councils, or the communities we are part of, our work is high-profile and central to government priorities. With ambitious outcomes ahead, there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

The Content Improvement Team (CIT), within the Digital Directorate, plays a key role in improving the quality, usability and impact of internal content across the department. As a content designer, you will be part of both the CIT and the wider Content Design and UCD communities.

You will lead high-profile content improvement projects, taking ownership from discovery through to delivery and iteration. This includes identifying user needs, mapping end-to-end journeys, and addressing duplication to create clear, accessible and effective content. You will use evidence and research to inform decisions, run content reviews, and ensure improvements are measurable and visible across the organisation.

Working closely with policy teams, content owners and senior leaders, you will guide stakeholders through user-centred content practices, helping to build understanding and adoption of content design principles. You will confidently apply GDS and WCAG standards to ensure all content is accessible, inclusive and high quality.

Alongside project work, you will contribute to the ongoing development of the department’s intranet. This includes responding to requests, identifying patterns and opportunities for improvement, and supporting governance and continuous enhancement of the platform to meet evolving user needs. We are looking for a collaborative and proactive content professionals who can balance multiple priorities, influence stakeholders, and advocate for best practice, while working independently to deliver impactful outcomes.

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.

What they’re looking for

  • As a Content Designer you will be:
  • experienced in user-centred design principles and delivering within them
  • confident in conducting various forms of research to shape and iterate content
  • experienced in supporting the development and/or delivery of content strategy
  • experienced in developing and delivering content governance processes
  • confident working quickly and independently, able to prioritise your workload and act as lead with senior stakeholders
  • experienced in working to advocate for content and accessibility best practice
  • able to drive improvements and make efficiencies and improvements happen
  • interested in AI and how we can use these tools in our content improvement work
  • have experience of working across different content management platforms such as SharePoint and more

Job description

As a Content Designer you will:

  • Lead and organise the redesign of content across platforms and tools
  • Support design and promotion of internal content strategy and support its application through governance routes
  • Conduct research to gather insights on pain points and poor practice within a platform to shape content redesign
  • Advise and steer teams and individuals on enacting best‑practice next steps
  • Confidently steer and direct subject matter experts, content owners and wider teams, helping them understand and adopt good content governance and futureproofing
  • Design, test and roll out end to end content solutions that consider the wide range of user journeys through a platform or area of content
  • Balance multiple large-scale projects and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced environment
  • Apply user‑centred design principles to create clear, accessible and purposeful content
  • Support the development and delivery of content governance processes
  • Triage requests in the intranet inbox and use the content management system to edit and publish HTML guidance across the intranet
  • Lead your own content critiques, user research sessions and pair‑writing activities with colleagues
  • Make sure all content meets accessibility standards, including best practice and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
  • Support and deliver showcases of content redesign work across the department to raise awareness and engagement

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)

Selection process

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Ability , Behaviours , Experience

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience: Your covering letter should be no more than 1 page referencing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

Stage 2: Interview

  • Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving
  • Ability

Candidates will be asked to complete a short task ahead of their interview, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place from 2nd September 2026 with interview dates to follow.

Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

How We Recruit

Find out everything you need to know before applying here..

  • Applying
  • Sifting
  • Interview
  • Interview Results & Feedback
  • Reserve List
  • Near Miss
  • Civil Service Grades
  • We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer
  • Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

What you need to know before applying.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

  • Security Clearance Requirements
  • Civil Service Nationality Requirements
  • Right to Work
  • Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
  • CV Declaration
  • Sponsorships
  • Salary and Grade
  • Existing Civil Servants
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Location and Flexible Working
  • Fixed Term Contracts
  • Internal Fraud Database
  • Appeals and Complaints

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: BPSS

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Practise before you apply

Civil Service panels score every answer against the Success Profiles behaviours at SEO level. Practise STAR answers and get them marked against the same framework.

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