About the job

Job summary

Are you a student?

Would you like to get paid to learn new skills that are sought after across government and the private sector?

See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Job description

As an Associate Content Designer industrial placement, you will earn while you learn to work on content design projects that have a real impact for millions of taxpayers.

Joining the Government Digital and Data profession, you'll work closely with more senior content designers, helping to design inclusive and accessible content, making sure appropriate content is shown to users in the right place and in the best format, and developing your knowledge and skills. You will work closely with other user-centered design professionals, policy and process experts, product managers and technology experts.

In this role you will learn to:

• Define user needs and contribute to the gathering and analysis of data and user feedback to support content design decisions.
• Design content to meet user needs and make complex language and processes easy to understand.
• Work collaboratively and understand the importance of managing stakeholder relationships, and what evidence is important and relevant to them.
• Build an awareness of the strategic context of your work and understand why it is important.

Person specification

Essential criteria  

We are looking for an industrial placement who:

• Has a keen interest in creating clear content tailored to the needs of the audience.
• Is a strong communicator, possessing excellent writing skills.

Eligibility Criteria

• You must be in the penultimate year of your degree course.
• Studying towards a degree in one of the following - IT, Design/Web Design, Computer Science, or Business-related degree.

If you are successful, your placement will start in early September 2024 and this will be for a minimum of 9 months. We can not accept placements any earlier than this.

Further Information:

Get ready for an engaging Q&A experience! We're here to tackle all your questions about the Industrial Placement Scheme and dive into any queries about the role. Join us on Microsoft Teams for an interactive session that promises valuable insights. For more details, feel free to connect with kyle.collins@hmrc.gov.uk It's your chance to discover, inquire, and explore!

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Find more about HMRC benefits in 'Your little extras and big benefits handbook' for further information or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a Personal Statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Within your CV please include your skills, knowledge, and experience. Don't forget to mention the degree you're currently pursuing and what year of study you're in.

Within your Personal Statement (maximum 500 words) please demonstrate the following:

• Why you are interested in the role?  
• How you match the essential criteria?

We can't wait to learn more about you.

Sift and Interview Process:

We will review your CV and statement of suitability especially looking at how well you meet the essential criteria above.

An initial sift based on the Personal Statement may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all sift criteria will then be considered.

Following the application closing date, you may be invited to partake in a virtual interview. This will be delivered virtually, via Microsoft Teams.
 
During the interview, we'll dive into your application, exploring your knowledge, experience, and skills related to the essential criteria.

Feedback will only be given if you're selected for an interview.

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process in order to manage numbers.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 6 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Eligibility

To check that you are eligible to apply, review this eligibility information

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need, so please review the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you are able to travel to.       

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. 

If you need a reasonable adjustment or a change to be made so that you can make your application, review this information on reasonable adjustments, and contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues and creating an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We’re committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues here at HMRC. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at HMRC.

For more information on how we make this happen, review this information on our culture and values

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible after considering operational and customer service needs. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. 

The Civil Service runs a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. 

Locations 

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.  

Security Update

For more information on the level of security checks we will carry out, review this information on security checks 

Further Information

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application/s will be withdrawn from the process. 

Duplicate applications for the same vacancy will also be withdrawn.

Transferring into HMRC from Civil Service If you are currently working for an ‘Other Government Department’ (OGD) and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Combined T&C and OGD Pay English”, found at the bottom of this advert. Further information on staff transfers can be found on gov.uk

Problems during the application process 

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 

If you think you’ve made a mistake on a short application form (e.g. you’ve ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we won’t be able to reopen your application.   

Please use the subject line to insert appropriate wording e.g. Please re-open my application - 343234 & vacancy closing date 28/03/2024. Please note that we cannot amend or re-open your application if you have submitted your full application in the interests of fair and open recruitment.

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details within reasonable adjustments section above.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.