At a Glance
- Tasks: Design user-centred digital services for the UK Government, focusing on accessibility and collaboration.
- Company: Join DWP Digital, the UK's largest government department, making a real impact.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous leave, hybrid working, and a fantastic pension scheme.
- Why this job: Shape inclusive experiences that support millions of citizens every day.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in interaction design, prototyping, and user research.
- Other info: Be part of an award-winning culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 61000 - 76000 £ per year.
Pay up to £68,205, plus 28.97% employer pension contributions, hybrid working, flexible hours, and great work-life balance.
We are looking for an outstanding Senior Interaction Designer to help design and deliver accessible, user-centred digital services for the UK Government. You will work within multidisciplinary teams to create clear, inclusive experiences that support citizens and colleagues alike. This role combines hands-on design, strong decision-making, and collaboration, using research, analytics and prototyping to shape high-quality services. As a senior practitioner, you will lead where needed, mentor others, contribute to shared design patterns, and play an active role in the DWP design community.
DWP is the UK’s largest government department. We help people into work and make payments worth over £195bn a year to support and empower millions of people. The scale of what we do is extraordinary, and our purpose is unique.
What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?
- Evidence-Led & Context-Based Design: Demonstrates the ability to lead the design of solutions grounded in user research, data, and evidence. Influences outcomes by identifying gaps in knowledge and ensuring design decisions are informed by context and insight.
- Prototyping Expertise: Extensive experience using a wide range of prototyping tools and methodologies. Provides guidance and sets best practice for prototyping to support iterative design and informed decision-making.
- Communication & Facilitation: Highly effective communicator, able to present work and articulate design rationale clearly to varied audiences. Actively listens to others' perspectives and facilitates constructive discussions to reach shared understanding.
- Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Champions inclusive design practices, with strong knowledge of WCAG 2.2 guidelines and experience designing services that meet AA accessibility standards.
- Collaboration & Design Leadership: Significant experience working in the open and actively engaging others throughout the design process. Provides advice on improving ways of working to enhance collaboration across teams. Leads and contributes to design community activities across workstreams and departmental areas.
You will play a key role in creating accessible, user-centred experiences that support citizens, agents and DWP colleagues. Working within either the Digital Modernisation & Efficiency (DME) team or the Health and Disability team, you will collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, valuing shared ownership, constructive challenge and collective problem-solving over hierarchy. You will bring excellent attention to detail, a strong commitment to quality, and confidence in making design decisions that support well-assured, high-performing services.
In this role, you will demonstrate best practice in user-centred design across both digital and non-digital interactions, championing accessibility and inclusion and considering the impact of emerging technologies. You will use research and analytics to understand user needs, identify opportunities, and create effective prototypes using appropriate tools and methodologies. You will work collaboratively across teams, contribute to shared design patterns, and provide constructive feedback to other designers, adapting quickly in a fast-paced delivery environment.
As a senior practitioner, you will lead and coordinate design work where needed, support and mentor other designers, and actively contribute to the design community within DWP and across government.
Details:
- Location: You will join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne or Sheffield, whichever is most convenient for you.
- Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you will spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.
- Pay: We offer competitive pay of up to £68,205.
- Pension: You will get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%.
- Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time. You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You will also get all the usual public holidays.
We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies.
- Time off volunteering and charitable giving.
- Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'.
- Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more.
- Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it’s even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference.
- Sports and social activities.
- Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.
And we have an award-winning environment and culture:
- DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards.
- Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards.
- Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025.
- Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Digital Awards.
Process: We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just two stages:
- Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There will be full instructions when you click through.
- Interview: a single stage interview online.
CLICK APPLY for more information and to start your application.
Senior Interaction Designer in Sheffield employer: DWP Digital
Contact Detail:
DWP Digital Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Interaction Designer in Sheffield
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former DWP employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for the interview process. Personal connections can give you insights that you won't find in the job description.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare your portfolio! Make sure it showcases your best work, especially projects that highlight your user-centred design skills. Tailor it to reflect the accessibility and inclusive design principles that DWP values.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your communication skills! Be ready to articulate your design rationale clearly during interviews. Use examples from your past work to demonstrate how you've collaborated with teams and led design initiatives.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and the fantastic benefits we offer at DWP.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Interaction Designer in Sheffield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the role of Senior Interaction Designer. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Prototyping Skills: Since prototyping expertise is key for this role, include examples of your work with different prototyping tools. Share specific projects where your designs made a real impact, so we can see your hands-on experience in action.
Communicate Clearly: Effective communication is crucial, so ensure your application is well-structured and easy to read. Articulate your design rationale clearly, and don’t shy away from sharing how you’ve facilitated discussions in past roles.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us quickly and efficiently. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need to complete your application smoothly!
How to prepare for a job interview at DWP Digital
✨Know Your User-Centred Design
Make sure you brush up on your user-centred design principles. Be ready to discuss how you've used research and analytics in your past projects to create accessible designs. Highlight specific examples where your decisions were informed by user feedback.
✨Show Off Your Prototyping Skills
Familiarise yourself with various prototyping tools and methodologies. During the interview, be prepared to talk about your experience with these tools and how they’ve helped you iterate on designs. Maybe even bring a portfolio showcasing your best prototypes!
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
As a Senior Interaction Designer, you'll need to articulate your design rationale effectively. Practice explaining your design choices in simple terms, and be ready to engage in discussions about accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Collaboration is key in this role, so come prepared with examples of how you've worked within multidisciplinary teams. Talk about how you’ve facilitated discussions and contributed to shared design patterns, showing that you value collective problem-solving over hierarchy.