Junior User Centred Design Officer (Entry-Level/Trainee Role)

The Role and Our TeamAbout the Team We are the OPSS Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) team, and we build digital services focused on product safety and regulation. Our digital services are ultimately responsible for protecting people and places from product related harm.We have an exciting portfolio of services that have internal and external users with further services in our pipeline for future development.OPSS DDaT develop digital services and tools in line with Government standards. We are a mixed team of civil servants and contractors building services that use user-centred designs. This means that we put users at the centre of what we do by talking to our users and listening to what they say. Their feedback helps us to design services that they need and will want to use. About the Role Are you curious about how digital services are designed and developed? We need a Junior User Centred Design (UCD) Officer to help us build great digital services. This role is about supporting these three UCD areas and developing the skills to become capable in them. You will work alongside and have the support of experienced digital UCD specialists. Together you will work on building digital services that help OPSS keep people safe. Our digital service portfolio is growing all the time and at different stages of maturity from live to emerging services. You could be working on an existing live service or one that is in the development pipeline. Along with the rest of the team, you will be helping lead OPSS colleagues through the service development lifecycle.User Centred Design (UCD) is at the core of our digital work, encompassing three main areas:User ResearchUser Experience (UX) DesignContent DesignUser Research involves understanding our users: who they are, what they aim to achieve, why they need to do it, and how they currently go about it. This research informs our designs and functionalities, ensuring they support user needs. It also helps us test these designs with users, and their feedback allows us to refine and improve them.UX Design includes both service and interaction design. Service design shapes the user journeys based on insights from user research, outlining the steps needed to complete a task from start to finish. Interaction design focuses on the individual steps or screens that users navigate through the service.Content Design is about creating clear and understandable content for each step of the user journey. This content can be informational or instructional, ensuring users know what is required of them. We write content from the users perspective, making it easy to understand and follow.In this role, you will develop your skills and have the opportunity to earn various certifications that can propel your digital career. These include highly sought-after qualifications such as:Certified Scrum MasterAgile Project Manager (APM)Certified Practitioner in UX - FoundationQuantitative User Research MethodsThis role involves supporting the three key areas of User Centred Design (UCD) and developing the skills to excel in them. You will work alongside and receive support from experienced digital UCD specialists. Together, you will build digital services that help OPSS keep people safe. Our digital service portfolio is continuously expanding and includes services at various stages of maturity, from live to emerging. You could be working on an existing live service or one in the development pipeline. Along with the rest of the team, you will help guide OPSS colleagues through the service development lifecycle.Key Responsibilities:As a Junior User Centred Design Officer, we will provide you with the support, training, and experience needed to:Support our service teams by helping them focus on delivering business priorities and user needs.Assist in user research by identifying users, arranging interviews/workshops, and conducting the research.Conduct usability testing of our services.Analyse research to identify priorities for your service team.Develop service designs to ensure our services are easy to use and meet user needs.Create wireframes and prototypes to test design ideas with users and incorporate their feedback for improvements.Develop roadmaps to outline the future direction of services.Represent us across stakeholder groups, championing UCD in digital delivery.This role is designed to help you develop a broad range of UCD skills while retaining the flexibility to specialise in any of the three main areas over time. Further information can be found here: https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/Our flexible working policy ensures a healthy work-life balance. We nurture talent and offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities to help you flourish in your role.We strive to maintain a positive working culture and are committed to helping you reach your full potential. We value diversity and provide an open, inclusive, and supportive environment to help you do your best work.