Digital service lead – Discover Creative Careers

Final date to receive applications: Monday 21 September 2026, 5pm BST

6-month fixed-term contract: October 2026 – March 2027

Full-time

Reports to: CEO, Creative Access

First interviews: Likely to be held 24/25/28/29 September

Some UK travel may be required. Hybrid/flexible working.

This initial fixed term contract covers a defined and critical phase of the DCC digital service, taking the programme through Year 1 discovery, service design, content development and testing, and towards procurement and mobilisation of the permanent service.

There may be an opportunity to extend the role into Years 2 and 3 of the programme, subject to programme requirements, funding and the future digital operating model.

Creative Access is the leading organisation working to create equity, diversity and inclusion in the UK creative industries. We provide career-long access, opportunities, support and training to make the creative industries better reflect society. Our mission is to break down the barriers faced by those from historically under-represented groups to accessing and building careers.

Creative Access is a delivery partner of Discover Creative Careers (DCC), a major three-year UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by a consortium comprising Futures for All, Creative Access and Creative UK (the creative careers collective).

DCC aims to inspire and support young people aged 11–24 to discover the breadth of careers available across the creative industries and take meaningful next steps towards them, with a particular focus on reaching young people from under-represented backgrounds and under-served parts of the UK.

Creative Access leads the programme's digital service
, alongside delivery of a significant programme of employability, access and career-development activity.

The digital service is intended to become the connective tissue across Discover Creative Careers: helping young people and those who support them to explore creative careers, understand pathways, discover relevant content and opportunities, and move from inspiration towards tangible next steps.

Creative Access is taking a phased approach to developing the digital service. An interim DCC platform launched during the programme's initial mobilisation phase in 2026. Following detailed Phase 2 scoping, we are now developing the longer-term service.

Rather than moving immediately into a major permanent technology build,
Year 1 will be used to strengthen and learn from the interim service while undertaking deeper discovery, user research, co-design and service design
. In parallel, we will develop and test priority content, user journeys and functionality, including through Discover Creative Careers Month in November 2026
.

The evidence generated through this work will inform the specification and procurement of the permanent digital service, with the principal build moving into Year 2.

This means we are looking for someone who can think beyond a website: understanding how content, platforms, technology, social channels, data, opportunities, partners and offline activity combine to create an effective end-to-end service for young people
.

This is a high-impact digital leadership role responsible for taking DCC through the next critical stage of its development.

Over the initial six-month contract, the Digital Service Lead will take the service through:

• Year 1 discovery, user research and service design;
• development and testing of priority user journeys and service propositions;
• Discover Creative Careers Month and other opportunities to test and learn;
• commissioning and evaluation of priority digital content;
• developme…