Lead Interaction Designer (i.AI) - CO - G6

Job summary

About the team

Government must seize the opportunity of AI to drive outcomes in the public interest. This is of critical importance now. Government needs innovation and must not sleep on the opportunity presented by AI to drive better services for taxpayers and citizens. 

In November 2023, the creation of the incubator for AI (i.AI) was announced, and following early successes, the team was expanded in March 2024.  Our mission is to harness the opportunity of AI to improve lives, drive growth, and deliver better public services. This is an AI product team that focuses on delivery of technical solutions to public service challenges, responding to ministerial steers about priorities and driving impact out into departments from the centre. 

i.AI delivers high impact products and is mission-led, delivering value and innovation within government. We are able to move fast and build things, and are set up specifically to pivot quickly towards priority use cases, and re-use technologies for future impact. 

You can see more about our work on ai.gov.uk  and on LinkedIn. We work in the open and our code can be found here: https://github.com/i-dot-ai 

The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI) will be moving to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to form part of the new digital centre of government. If offered the position, you will be onboarded to, and initially employed by, the Cabinet Office, but will move with us to DSIT under the machinery of government  change. This is expected to happen in April 2025, but this date is subject to change. If shortlisted, the hiring panel will be happy to answer any questions you might have. You're also welcome to reach out to us at i-dot-ai-recruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk  

Our team is based across Bristol, Manchester and London, and we work in a hybrid manner as default. A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance. We will consider part-time and flexible working arrangements - we encourage you to discuss your needs with the hiring manager if you are offered the role.

Job description

About the role

The Lead Interaction Designer will work closely with the Head of Design to deliver designs that meet the internally set design standards. They will be working with stakeholders and users to understand needs and design and test appropriate solutions. We are looking for someone who will build good working relationships to get the work done. 

Being flexible and passionate about getting things done are essential, this will be a varied role and we need someone who’s keen to adapt to what’s needed. 

Information session

To give you an idea of working in i.AI and to answer any questions you might have, we encourage you to attend our information session on Tuesday 29th October at 10:00. Please email us at i-dot-ai-recruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk and we'll send you a link to join.

Role Responsibilities

• Work with service managers and programme directors to develop design concepts
• Work in a multi-disciplinary team to shape product strategy and delivery based on the values of user centred design 
• Deliver high quality designs to meet user’s needs
• Guide, support and mentor design team members and coach others to bring user centred design to their work
• Collaborate with the Head of Creative and Design to set design direction and good practice within the team, and to build and support the design practice and community
• Contribute to build a diverse and supportive team through recruitment, and help to ensure that designers have the right conditions and environment to thrive
• Helping teams understand connections and potential collisions between different products and helping to reconcile these 
• Contributing to assurance and evaluation and ethical considerations to reduce unintended consequences of designs, including facilitating peer reviews and  accessible design reviews
• Using evidence to question assumptions, negotiate with senior stakeholders and validate design and management decisions 
• Work with product teams in i.AI and beyond to develop patterns for how users can interact with Artificial Intelligence
• Line management of designers
• Contribute to the DSIT and cross-government design communities
• Support the effective performance of the team by promoting diversity, inclusion, regular, honest and constructive feedback, and supporting continuous improvement

Person specification

Essential skills:

We're looking for someone who:

• Designs clear, usable, accessible digital interfaces that work across a range of devices and browsers based on user needs.
• Is an expert in user centred design and digital, and chooses the most appropriate design tool or method.
• Has a strong track record of designing successful software building a design culture and practice in a product-led organisation.
• Has previous experience designing a product features from scratch, owning the design from ideation to production and chooses the most appropriate design tool or method for each stage.
• Establishes or evolves an evidence based design system and patterns.
• Is proficient in design and prototyping tools such as Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, (desirable in code).
• Works collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team and iterates designs using data, research, and established best practice.
• Communicates clearly and persuasively, and can engage the team and stakeholders in the design process.
• Is experienced in navigating ambiguity and proactively bringing clarity and alignment across project and leadership teams.
• Contributes to the wider design community - including presenting at meetups, writing blog posts and leading on aspects of practice.
• Has experience in reflecting critically and asking difficult questions; thinking holistically about the big picture while working out details and being able to appreciate and articulate the broader implications of a thing while remaining focused on the minimum viable product.
• Has proven experience establishing positive working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders and teams to deliver outcomes - including introducing positive change to working practices or teams.
• Can lead and mentor others, work strategically and represent design in the wider team and organisation.

Strong candidates come from many different backgrounds, and we encourage a broad range of applications to ensure we have a well-balanced team. Studies show that talented people, especially those from groups underrepresented in their field, are more likely to doubt themselves and feel like an "imposter". Unique perspectives enrich teams, so we urge you to have confidence in your potential contributions. If aspects of this role resonate with you, please apply. We look forward to your application.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical assessment at interview 1

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,126, Cabinet Office contributes £19,446 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a 750 word personal statement. Please ensure that your personal statement includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “essential skills” section above. At this stage we will assess experience and essential skills.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the personal statement. If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend a technical assessment followed by a panel interview, during which you will be asked to bring your CV to life through questions based on your experience. You might consider preparing your examples in the STAR format. We will also be asking questions around the behaviours outlined above, as well as technical questions relating to the essential criteria.

The technical assessment and interview will take place on the same day, one immediately before the other. 1 hour prior to your interview slot you will be sent a brief, and will have an hour to create a prototype and prepare a presentation to answer some questions. At the end of the hour, you will have a 45 minute panel interview where you can give your presentation and answer questions about it. We’ll assess you on your design, problem-solving and communication skills.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours: 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – TBC
Expected interview date/s – TBC
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted in person to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

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

Further information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any of the attachments, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk   

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

Near miss offers may be made at a lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).