Joint Intelligence Organisation - Senior Visual Analyst (Graphic Designer / UX) in London

On behalf of the Cabinet Office (Joint Intelligence Organisation), we are looking for a Senior Visual Analyst (Graphic Designer / UX) based in Whitehall, London (hybrid).

Job Summary

Are you an exceptional designer who wants to apply visual storytelling to the absolute core of the UK’s national security decisions?

About the JIO

The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) primarily supports the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and the Foreign Policy and Security Council, the Prime Minister and other key decision-makers by providing thoughtful, thorough all-source intelligence assessment on a vast range of national security and foreign policy priorities. Our work covers, and goes beyond, 'traditional' national security topics such as geopolitical issues and threats to British interests. We apply a national security lens to issues such as emerging technology, economic and health security, climate change and horizon scanning.

The Role

As a Senior Visual Analyst within the Insights Hub, you will work under the JIO's Principal Graphic Designer to play a pivotal role in translating complex intelligence assessments into clear, compelling visual narratives. You will operate as part of an interdisciplinary team, collaborating directly with all-source analysts to determine the most effective methods for conveying information through data visualisation and cartography. Beyond traditional design, you will lead the JIO's focus on User Experience (UX), driving a strategic change in how intelligence is presented. This includes exploring dynamic and interactive visualisations to move the organisation beyond static document formats. Your work will ensure that visual outputs are as robust and rigorous as the written analysis they support. You do not need prior experience in national security or intelligence to succeed in this role. We are looking for exceptional design skills first and foremost; we will teach you the subject matter.

Responsibilities

• Visual Storytelling & Narrative Design: Lead the design and production of high-quality static and dynamic information graphics, including maps, charts, diagrams, and infographics. You will be responsible for translating complex data and ambiguous information into clear, compelling visual narratives that directly support high-level decision-making for senior leaders.
• Strategic Visual Consulting: Act as a primary visual consultant for JIO analysts. You will collaborate with assessment drafting teams early in the creative process to identify strategic opportunities where visuals can replace or enhance dense text, fostering a visual-first mindset across the organisation.
• Innovation & User Experience (UX): Drive the modernisation of JIO products by applying user-centred design principles to our core product suite. You will identify and test new tools and techniques - moving the organisation toward interactive, digital-first, and data-driven formats - to ensure intelligence is intuitive and impactful for the audience.
• Design Partnership & Networking: Build and maintain a robust network of design partnerships across HMG and with international partners. You will share best practices and harmonise visual standards to ensure the JIO remains at the absolute forefront of government design innovation.
• Brand Stewardship & Accessibility: Maintain and evolve the JIO's visual identity and style guides. You will ensure all products meet rigorous accessibility standards, guaranteeing that critical national security insights are accessible to all relevant audiences.

Person Specification

Skills and Experience Required

We want to hear from you if you have a passion for complex problem-solving and possess the following skills:

• Design Software Proficiency: Proficient in an industry-standard design software, particularly the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) with a strong portfolio of information design or data visualisation.
• Process & Principles: You have an understanding of design principles, layout, typography, and hierarchy, with the ability to negotiate design solutions under tight deadlines. A track record of identifying design trends or tools and successfully implementing them to improve organisational outputs.
• User Experience (UX) Application: Demonstrable experience in applying UX principles to document or digital product design, with an ability to map user journeys.
• Information Synthesis: Excellent ability to simplify complex concepts and large amounts of information into digestible, accurate visual formats.
• Consultative Communication: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interpret requirements from non-technical stakeholders and negotiate design solutions under tight deadlines.
• Implementation Track Record: A track record of identifying new design trends or tools and successfully implementing them to improve organisational outputs.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience of intelligence assessment or working within a national security context.
• An existing network of contacts in the design, visualisation, or user-centred design fields across government, external organisations or international partners.
• Experience in using a Geographic Information System (GIS), particularly MAPublisher, QGIS or ArcGIS Pro.

We invest in upskilling our team members to enable them to thrive once they start working with us. As such, if you don’t quite match these desirable skills, don’t let it put you off applying as we will equip the successful candidate with them once you are in post.

Additional information

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. 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:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

Alongside your salary of £47,670, Cabinet Office contributes £13,809 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Annual salary increases will depend upon individual performance and contribution to the organisation’s success. In addition, there will be the opportunity to earn performance-related bonuses.

Existing civil servants can take up the post on loan from their parent department for the duration advertised (permission from their parent department would need to be secured in order to take up the post).