Senior Graphic Designer

Job description

The Senior Graphic Designer will help build, develop and execute a design language that underpins interaction, brand and design, ensuring that content is legible, accessible and readable and that interactions are seen and understood by users.

We are looking for a versatile and passionate designer who is experienced in digital design and can create and manage responsibility for the development and iteration of visually compelling graphic design, illustration, animations, video and assets that elevate our creative and communicative outputs. They will play a key role in contributing to and shaping, evolving and improving our design and creative work and collaborate closely with the GOV.UK design and content teams, Head of Design, Brand Design Lead, and Accessibility Specialists to generate, develop and refine graphic design ideas and concepts, illustration and motion elements, including some video. 

The Senior Graphic Designer will also be able to provide feedback, direction, and mentorship to team designers and champion excellence in our teams and the work of GOV.UK and GDS

As a Senior Graphic Designer you’ll:

• collaborate with the GOV.UK design team to develop design elements and assets (graphic, illustrative, iconographic, motion and video) that meet project objectives and timelines, across our channels
• create, edit, and optimise animations and other motion-based graphics, ensuring they align with the project’s creative direction and technical requirements/limitations
• manage assets and maintain a structured workflow to ensure projects are clearly organised, accessible, in appropriate formats and ready for seamless collaboration across teams
• collaborate with our accessibility specialists to ensure all work is as accessible and as inclusive as possible, and where it can’t meet our high standards provide alternative solutions
• conceptualise motion design ideas through style frames, storyboards, and animatics to communicate your vision to internal teams and clients
• own and manage graphic design workflows, including understanding and gathering requirements from stakeholders, estimating timelines ensuring efficient project delivery, and reflecting on feedback from stakeholders to inform the refinement of design work and projects
• actively run and participate in creative workshops contributing innovative ideas for creative and team work

Person specification

We’re interested in people who:

• can demonstrate experience of creating static and motion  (including video) graphics/graphic design optimised for a multichannel organisation that coherently expresses the brand across all those channels, and can utilise sound/sonics where appropriate, using industry standard software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) and Figma
• have 5+ years of professional experience in design, with a strong graphic design background and with a portfolio showcasing strong and rigorous creative and technical abilities across various media formats
• have proven expertise in idea generation and concept development, animation, video and design with a keen ability to translate creative briefs and visual content into engaging static and motion graphics/graphic design which is informed by an exploratory and experimental visual and creative process leading to successfully refined outputs and outcomes that meet project objectives
• have strong negotiation and communication skills, enabling effective collaboration with cross-functional teams and the ability to present ideas, concepts and the development of design work to clients and stakeholders, including senior stakeholders
• have excellent organisational and reflective skills, and the ability to contribute to and maintain high quality outputs and outcomes to meet deadlines and delivery requirements
• continuously explores new creative techniques, tools, and trends, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in design and is able to discuss and share these with wider teams to facilitate cross-community learning as well as personal development

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for the King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service 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 

Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• CV and two application questions. As part of your application, you’ll be asked to submit an anonymised CV demonstrating your previous work history. It is essential that your CV meets the skills and experience listed in the “Who you are” person specification above
• You will also need to answer two application questions
• Candidates must submit a graphic design portfolio of work which includes static and motion graphics to be invited to interview. Those without portfolios will not be considered for the role or pass the sifting stage
• a 60 minute video interview. To include a short 10 minute task sent in advance, a 15 minute walkthrough of several pieces of relevant work from your portfolio and up to 4 behavioural questions

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: 

• Can demonstrate experience of creating static and motion  (including video) graphics/graphic design optimised for a multichannel organisation that coherently expresses the brand across all those channels, and can utilise sound/sonics where appropriate, using industry standard software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) and Figma.

In order to assist candidates with this role, we will be holding a virtual recruitment event on Monday 6th October at 16.00 - 17.00 to go through the role in more detail. If you are interested in joining this event please join using this link.

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 technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

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

• Communicating and influencing  (lead behaviour)
• Working together 
• Making effective decisions 
• Changing and improving

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Senior Graphic Designer role: 

• Design Communication 
• Designing for Everyone
• Iterative Design
• Evidenced Based Design

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: 22nd October

Panel interviews: W/C 3rd November

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

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

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

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