Senior Content Designer

Methods is a £100M+ IT Services Consultancy who has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. Established over 30 years ago and UK-based, we apply our skills in transformation, delivery, and collaboration from across the Methods Group, to create end-to-end business and technical solutions that are people-centred, safe, and designed for the future.

Our human touch sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses - with people, technology, and data at the heart of who we are, we believe in creating value and sustainability through everything we do for our clients, staff, communities, and the planet.

We support our clients in the success of their projects while working collaboratively to share skill sets and solve problems. At Methods we have fun while working hard; we are not afraid of making mistakes and learning from them.

Predominantly focused on the public-sector, Methods is now building a significant private sector client portfolio.

Methods was acquired by the Alten Group in early 2022.

Requirements:
We are recruiting for a Senior Content Designer on a permanent basis. You will have a passion for making things easier for people to understand to help users complete their goal. You will have experience of working in a public sector environment, with a working knowledge of standards and principles, such as the Service Standard.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Planning, writing and managing usable and accessible content in line with GDS/GOV.UK Content Design guidelines and standards.

• Producing content that is accurate, timely, relevant, easy to understand, search engine optimised and meets style guidelines.

• Managing stakeholders and building successful relationships with them, including explaining content decisions.

• Using analytical and problem-solving skills to help the team solve design problems and challenge assumptions.

• Championing user-centred design practices for digital products and services.

• Advocating for accessible digital products and services.

• Being an active part of the Content Design Community of Practice, including sharing ideas, best practice and proactively offering help and support.

• Taking responsibility for content quality, including coaching and mentoring content designers.

• Supporting team members’ learning, skills growth and career progression.

• Line managing members of the content design team, including:

• offering project support and guidance

• holding 1:1s, probation reviews and appraisals

• approving timecards, expenses and leave.

• Supporting the Head of Content, including with:

• training and development plans

• project planning

• recruitment activities

• sales and marketing activities.

• Helping create a welcoming, safe and inclusive team environment - encouraging mutual peer-to-peer support, and helping individuals achieve a good work-life balance.

The role will be based remotely, but there may be a need for some UK travel requiring you to stay away from home.

Skills we are looking for

• Producing user-centred content: experience of evidence-based content design that meets GDS/GOV.UK standards, including a deep understanding of end-to-end journeys and experience of identifying where journey fixes or content improvements need to be made.

• Working as a content designer in an agile environment: you understand agile approaches, advocate for the role of content design in multidisciplinary teams, and encourage healthy working relationships with other disciplines.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills: ability to communicate a range of information to a variety of audiences. For example, talking about digital products and the GDS Service Standard in a way that stakeholders understand.

• Stakeholder relationship management: ability to effectively negotiate and influence stakeholders, manage relationships, build strategic relationships, communicate regularly and remove blockers, while keeping the focus on user needs.

• Strategic thinking: ability to help to lead the design and implementation of strategies, and evaluate their impact and progress to make sure business objectives and user needs are being met

• Understanding user needs: ability to work closely and collaboratively with user researchers to gain insights and make decisions based on findings.

• Accessibility: ability of putting accessibility at the heart of approaches to designing content and encouraging others to do the same.

• People management: take responsibility for assuring the quality of more junior colleagues, and coaching and guiding them to improve.

• Ensuring quality: make sure content is regularly reviewed and evaluated, contributing to continuous improvements and iterations.

We know not everyone will have all of the skills we are looking for. We are happy to support you to grow your skill set and experience through our training budget, working with our experienced teams and mentoring.

Additional skills and behaviours

Skills that would also be useful in this role include:

• Proactive approach to addressing environmental issues, embedding environmental responsibility in practices and standards, and encouraging clients to consider innovative solutions within the scope of work.

• Proactive approach to diversity, equality and inclusion, internally and with clients.

• Experience in creating and updating prototypes, from paper sketches to coded prototypes (for example, using the GOV.UK Prototype Kit).

Benefits:
By joining us you can expect:

• Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
• Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
• Strong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadership
• A supportive and collaborative environment.

As well as this, we offer:

• Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
• Social – Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month as well as commitment to charitable causes
• Time off 25 days a year
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
• Discretionary Company Bonus based on company and individual performance
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
• Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)