Senior Interaction Designer

Job description

Job Title:

Senior Interaction Designer Band: 5 Salary: £59,877- £66,869 (plus allowance up to £9000 per annum depending on technical assessment) Available Locations:
Liverpool, Newport, Norwich, Glasgow or Birmingham The following locations listed below are restricted to contracted GCA staff already based in one of these offices:
London, Bristol, Manchester or York. External applicants are not eligible for these sites. If you select one of these locations as an external applicant your application will unfortunately be withdrawn. Contract Type:
Permanent

Hours:

Full time, Compressed Closing Date: 13th September Interview Date(s): 28/29th September(subject to change) Ready to shape government-wide procurement? Join us as our first permanent Senior Interaction Designer and become a driving force in our growing UCD team. You’ll lead the design of complex, high-impact transactional services, ensuring every user enjoys seamless, inclusive, and intuitive digital experiences. If you’re passionate about evidence-based design, mentoring others, and building services that deliver real value to the nation, we want you on our team.

Ready to make a lasting impact?

Job Summary This role will join a growing UCD team that currently contains 5 permanent team members, and a host of wonderful contractor colleagues. It will report directly to the Head of UCD, and will take over line management of any contractors assigned to the same programme of work.

• Lead End-to-End Journey Design:
  Map complex user flows, wireframes, and digital interaction touchpoints to ensure services are simple, intuitive, and seamless for all users.
• Rapid Prototyping & Iteration:
  Create low-to-high fidelity interactive prototypes (in Figma, HTML/CSS, or design kits) to test design hypotheses and refine interaction models rapidly.
• Drive Accessibility & Inclusive Design:
  Guarantee all digital touchpoints strictly comply with WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ensuring equal access for citizens with varying digital skills or assistive technology needs.
• Apply and Extend Design Systems:
  Champion established standards (such as the  Design System) while developing new reusable UI patterns.
• Evidence-Based Design Decisions:
  Collaborate closely with User Researchers, Content Designers, and Performance Analysts to iterate interfaces based on real user data.
• Balance Policy, Legal & Tech Constraints:
  Work alongside software engineers, policy leads, and product managers to translate complex regulatory or backend constraints into elegant human-centred solutions.
• Lead Co-Design & Strategic Workshops:
  Facilitate design critiques, co-design sessions, and cross-functional alignment workshops to build consensus among diverse stakeholders and delivery squads.
• Shape Service Strategy Across Project Phases:
  Provide design leadership across Discovery, Alpha, Beta, and Live phases, ensuring the team builds the right thing before committing resources to scaling.
• Line Management & Mentoring:
  Lead and guide contract team members, manage performance to ensure a high-performing team, and support staff development through regular feedback.

• Proven End-to-End Interaction Design
  
  Experience:
  
  Extensive track record of designing complex, intuitive user journeys and interfaces within an Agile delivery environment.
• Prototyping:
  Demonstrated capability in creating low-to-high fidelity interactive prototypes (using Figma, HTML/CSS, or design toolkits) to test hypotheses and validate user flows.
• Expertise in Accessibility & Inclusion (WCAG 2.2):
  Deep knowledge and practical application of inclusive design principles and WCAG 2.2 standards to ensure products work for all users, including those using assistive tech.
• Design Systems:
  Proven ability to apply, extend, and advocate for established component-based design systems (e.g.,  Design System) to maintain consistency and scale.
• Evidence-Based & Collaborative:
  Track record of using user research, data, and usability testing to defend design decisions and iteratively improve digital services alongside cross-functional teams.

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