About the job

Job summary

Are you someone who is happy to communicate at all levels?

Do you enjoy analysing information?

Can you confidently share complex information with others?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

The successful Senior Content Designer will manage all of the content for DVSA’s flagship ‘Ready to Pass? campaign.

The campaign encourages learners to assess their test readiness with their instructor using bespoke campaign resources, to check if they are ready and encourages delaying their test if they are not. It also gives advice on how to make sure that their test goes ahead.

To find out more information about how the campaign you can read our behind the scenes blog posts that explain how the campaign was developed and channels it uses.

Job description

The Senior Content Designer is an expert practitioner who is responsible for content quality, creating and iterating content for campaigns, and working across teams to help meet user needs. This can include things like writing the words that go in campaign websites, through to writing GOV.UK text messages, emails and letters, and supporting offline forms.

They take complex language and processes and make them simple to understand. They help people to do what they need with government simply and quickly using the most appropriate content format available, based on research into GOV.UK user behaviour, analytics and feedback.

Assuring the quality of content as it’s created and updated for end-to-end user journeys, including GOV.UK campaign sites, GOV.UK content, and in emails, letters and text messages.

The post holder will work closely with other disciplines, including policy experts, user researchers, data analysts, campaign managers and others to meet user needs.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Choose the most appropriate content format to publish content in.
• Make complex language and processes easy to understand.
• Fact check content with subject matter and policy experts.
• Work with content publishing systems to publish and update content.
• Use analytics, user feedback, and user research to evaluate and improve content.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to understand their goals and work with them to improve user journeys and content quality.
• Evaluate the strategy and policies to make sure business requirements are being met. 

For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached Candidate Pack.

Person specification

To succeed in this role, you have experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels, including the web and digital services, bringing insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business.

You have experience of creating and iterating content across multiple channels and being accountable for content decisions. You can provide content design guidance and expertise to colleagues and wider teams.

You have excellent written and spoken communication skills and can successfully proofread content. You have experience of digital content analytics and data interpretation skills. You are an excellent communicator and can confidently express yourself, in a clear and appropriate manner.

Additional Information

This role can be based in Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham or Swansea, where your presence at one of these locations will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you. We operate a hybrid working model with the expectation that you will spend a minimum 60% on a DVSA site or on official business giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work. Visits to other DVSA sites or work locations count towards the 60%.

There will be occasional travel required with this role to other locations, including overnight stays.

This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis to complete a finite piece of work.  

For permanent Civil Servants, this role is only available on loan, so you must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. There is no opportunity for a permanent Civil Servant to take on this role as a fixed term appointment. OGD applicants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance. 

If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment. 

About Us

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. 

 

We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles. 

We’re working hard to:  

• Make roads safer.
• Improve services for our customers.
• Make road transport greener and healthier.
• Harness the potential of technology and data.
• Grow and level up the economy.

We’re committed to giving all our colleagues purpose, professionalism and pride in what we do. We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams where everyone is valued. You can grow, develop and progress, and make a real difference to society. 

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice and welcome and encourage applications from everyone, such as ethnic minorities, women, disabled people and those who identify as LGBT+. 
 
To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website.  

Benefits

• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
• Exceptional pension with an employer contribution of an average of 27%.
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30.
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday. 
• Latest IT and Tech devices. 
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing. 
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers.
• For more information see visit our careers page.

 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply  

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement (1000 words). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• Expert experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels, including the web and digital services, bringing insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business.
• Experience of creating and iterating content across multiple channels and being accountable for content decisions.
• Experience of providing content design guidance and expertise to individuals and teams.
• Experience in the use of a style guide.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• An interview.
• A content design task.

As part of the technical assessment for this role you will be assessed against: 

Digital, Data and Technology professional capability framework: Content designer

Further details around this can be found in the 'Technical' section of the advert and in the attached Candidate Pack.

If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work for DVSA and how to apply, we will be holding virtual sessions to find out more. Please click here to secure your place at one of our upcoming events.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport recruits using Success Profiles. For each role, we consider what you need to demonstrate to be successful.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The sift is due to take place 11th - 12th March 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held week commencing 25th March 2024.

This interview will be conducted via a video interview, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

We’ll try to meet the dates we’ve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. We’ll give you plenty of notice of any important dates.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

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

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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.