Senior Interaction Designer

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. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time.

We're looking for a Senior Interaction Designer who is enthusiastic about designing accessible services that are simple enough for everyone to use. You will be supporting the Digital Planning team. Digital Planning is a dedicated programme within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Join us in #DoingPlanningDifferently as we work to use digital to modernise England’s planning system. You'll determine the best way for users to interact with services, the overall flow and individual design elements. You will mentor and train other designers, supporting the growth and development of the interaction design team. You will have an understanding of the way the internet works and have experience of designing in an agile environment. You must be driven to help government transform the way it delivers services so that they are simpler, faster and easier to use.

To view work from the teams within Digital Planning, visit our blog at https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/author/digital-planning

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.

As a Senior Interaction Designer, you'll:

• Identify, develop and use best practice and standards to design services consistent with the rest of government and Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
• Line manage, support and mentor interaction designers, allocating tasks and providing them with guidance, training and constructive feedback
• Advocate for users and understanding user needs to design simple, effective and accessible services
• Create prototypes and concepts to communicate and test ideas with users and improving with evidence
• Map user journeys, processes and visualising design problems
• Collaborate within a multidisciplinary team on large, complex services by facilitating the design process, participating in research activities, workshops and communicating design decisions to the team and stakeholders

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)

Application and Selection

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

Behaviours , Experience , Technical

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 & Technical: 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.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead sift question listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview.

Lead sift question (Technical): Describe a time where you’ve worked with stakeholders to balance user needs, technical constraints and business objectives. How did you use discussions to deliver the optimal design solution?

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.*
• Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
• Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-10 minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 2nd November 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place shortly after and 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.

• Security Clearance Requirements
• Civil Service Nationality Requirements
• Right to Work
• Artificial Intelligence
• 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 - Internal Fraud Register
• Appeals and Complaints
• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: BPSS

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