About the job

Job summary

Are you passionate about improving user experience?

Are you a good communicator?

Are you currently studying towards a degree, and looking to complete your year in the industry?

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

Imagine getting paid to gain new skills that will serve you throughout your career. As an Associate Service Designer industrial placement, you will earn while you learn and make a real impact.

You will become part of the Government Digital and Data profession. You will work alongside other designers to design the end-to-end journey of a service, to help users complete their goal and government deliver a policy intent. You’ll be a part of our active and supportive design community.

This is your chance to have real influence on projects that have an impact on millions of people.

In this role you will:

• Learn about agile working and the ways you can apply the principles in practice.
• Learn about the need to translate technical concepts into non-technical language.
• Collaborate with others, and understand the importance of team dynamics and feedback, and also learn how to identify and articulate technical disputes. between direct peers and local stakeholders.
• You will learn about design, technology and data principles. You’ll learn to demonstrate engagement with trends in design and can set relevant priorities.
• You will learn how to show the value of evidence-based design, and that design is a process.
• Learn about prototyping.
• Identify needs and engage with users or stakeholders to collate user needs evidence. You will understand and can define research that fits user needs.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

We are looking for someone who:

• Has strong analytical skills and great attention to detail.
• Can manage relationships with stakeholders.
• Is able to work successfully as part of a team.
• Can communicate clearly to difference audiences.
• Understands the importance of being user-focused and understanding user needs when designing services.

Eligibility Criteria

• You must be in the penultimate year of your degree course.
• Studying towards a degree in one of the following - IT, Design-related, 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 cannot accept placements any earlier than this.

Further Information 

We are holding a Q&A session to answer any questions you may have relating to the Industrial Placement Scheme or queries relating to the role itself. The session is to be held via Microsoft Team. For further info, please contact kyle.collins@hmrc.gov.uk

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

In your CV please summarise your skills knowledge and experience. Please also detail the degree you are currently studying towards and your current year of study.

Please complete a personal statement (500 word limit) demonstrating the following;

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

Sift and Interview Process 

Applicants will be sifted on CV and personal statement submitted against the specification above, in particular the essential criteria.  

Following the application closing date, you may be invited to partake in a virtual interview. 
 
Interviews will focus on the candidates’ application, their knowledge, experience and competence, and the essential criteria required. Feedback will only be provided if you are invited to 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 343212 - & vacancy closing date 21/03/2024. 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.

Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. 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.

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.