Head of Creative and Design, i.AI.
Cabinet Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 27th October 2024
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Fixed term
Secondment
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Senior leadership
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About the job
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join a brand new team operating at the heart of government. The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI) is a brilliant new team, comprised of technical experts who are set up to harness the opportunity of AI to improve lives, drive growth and deliver better public services.
This role is a critical one, sitting at the heart of the user-centred design team within the Incubator. You will be responsible for creating a modern, innovative visual identity and designing cutting edge user experiences for how people use artificial intelligence products and services within government departments.
As Head of Creative and Design for i.AI you'll lead user-centred design in the Incubator. You’ll create excellent user experiences for all the Incubator’s projects and lead design practice for AI products in the wider public sector. You’ll also be responsible for creating a striking visual identity for our work.
Part of the Incubator’s work is to discover design patterns fit for adoption across the civil service and beyond. You will work with engineers and users to understand user needs, and design services and components to meet those needs.
You will be responsible for this strategic design leadership, and part of the role will be building strong, collaborative working relationships across government to get the work delivered. This is a hands-on role and you will work directly on projects as the designer in the team. You’ll need to be flexible and pragmatic about getting things done, and balancing the tactical with the strategic.
You’ll have extensive experience working in evidence-led multidisciplinary teams in an agile environment, collaborating directly with product, research and engineering colleagues to deliver world-class software that meets user needs. You’ll understand how to design across devices and platforms in an agile environment, and you’ll be motivated to help the government transform the way it delivers services. You can find out more about the work of our team on our website, here: https://ai.gov.uk/
Information Session:
To give you an idea of working in i.AI and to answer any questions you might have, we encourage you to attend our information session on Friday 18th October 13:30pm. You can join the session here: http://meet.google.com/xte-iocu-yug
Job description
As Head of Creative and Design for i.AI you'll lead user-centred design in the Incubator. You’ll create excellent user experiences for all the Incubator’s projects and lead design practice for AI products in the wider public sector. You’ll also be responsible for creating a striking visual identity for our work.
Part of the Incubator’s work is to discover design patterns fit for adoption across the civil service and beyond. You will work with engineers and users to understand user needs, and design services and components to meet those needs. You will be responsible for this strategic design leadership, and part of the role will be building strong, collaborative working relationships across government to get the work delivered.
This is a hands-on role and you will work directly on projects as the designer in the team. You’ll need to be flexible and pragmatic about getting things done, and balancing the tactical with the strategic.
You’ll have extensive experience working in evidence-led multidisciplinary teams in an agile environment, collaborating directly with product, research and engineering colleagues to deliver world-class software that meets user needs. You’ll understand how to design across devices and platforms in an agile environment, and you’ll be motivated to help the government transform the way it delivers services.
Key Responsibilities
- In this role you will directly lead a team of designers and user researchers to deliver AI products that meet user and business needs. You will oversee the creation of all visual content, including website design, product interfaces (dashboards/web and mobile apps).
- At a strategic level, this will also involve developing and implementing a comprehensive creative strategy that aligns with i.AI’s goals and brand identity. You will design marketing materials, video and motion graphic deliverables, infographics, ensuring a cohesive visual identity across all platforms and media.
- You will have a focus on AI and data. You will be able to demonstrate or be motivated to develop capability with AI, able to craft prompts in text to image/video/music Gen AI platforms and create intuitive and engaging user experiences for data analytics products, AI interfaces, reports and other digital products (dashboards/web and mobile apps, web design).
- As one of i.AI’s leaders, you will work directly with the leadership team, to take forward their creative vision and build inspirational products and lead brainstorming sessions and creative meetings to generate innovative ideas. You will also have a role in identifying risks, issues and opportunities for further development of digital products.
- You will champion accessibility and inclusion, consider the impact of new technologies and ensure that designs meet legal requirements as well collaborating with designers and user research leads in other teams and cross-departments, reviewing each other's work and developing shared patterns and understanding.
Person specification
It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement, you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post. Please also take this opportunity to explain your motivations for applying.
Essential Criteria:
- Can create and deliver working designs as part of a multidisciplinary team, guided by user research and data.
- Can coach and lead teams in agile practices, supporting them to reflect on their ways of working and choose the best available approach.
- Communicate clearly and persuasively to technical and non-technical colleagues and stakeholders, including ministers or C-suite, facing constrained timescales, high risk and complexity.
- Have a track record of successfully leading and developing an organisation’s user centred design culture, for example through mentoring programmes and leading a community of practice.
- Hands-on experience designing multiple products from scratch, owning the delivery of the design from ideation to production.
- Can design services strategically from end to end.
- Can navigate ambiguity in product development, bringing clarity and alignment across project and leadership teams.
- Comfortable with a variety of prototyping methods, and proficient in interface design tools such as Figma and Miro.
- Has established design systems and had them successfully adopted.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead. You’ll benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities, regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.
This includes:
- 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays.
- This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday;
- A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire;
- Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers;
- Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax- Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here;
- Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;
- The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable); and occupational sick pay.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application process
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23:55 pm, Sunday 27th October.
- A CV (no longer than 1250 words) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Selection process
- Shortlist
Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
A panel, including the hiring manager, will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decision is expected to be made, and all longlisted and shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.
- Assessment
If shortlisted, you will be invited to undertake a technical assessment, followed by a panel interview. These will take place on the same day, one immediately after the other. The total time slot will be approx 75 minutes.
For the technical assessment, we’ll send you a scenario-based question 20 minutes prior to your interview slot, with some background context to read. You’ll then join a meeting with a project team, where you’ll play the role of lead designer to verbally present your answer to the question. During this process we’ll be assessing you on your leadership, collaboration and design skills. This section will take approx 15 minutes.
At the panel interview section, you will have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. We will be assessing against Success Profile Behaviours: Leadership, Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace and Experience. This section will take approx 45 minutes.
A portfolio of work examples with links to external thought leadership activity should be presented at interview, we will communicate exactly what is expected to those candidates who are shortlisted. We will be assessing visual impact and brand consistency.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
All technical assessments and interviews will be conducted online.
If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Civil Service requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Shortlist - Week commencing 4th November 2024.
Assessment/Interviews - Week commencing 18th November 2024.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Reserve lists
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.
Further Information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Any move to Cabinet Office 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 here.
Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.
Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: here.
