Job vacancy: Senior Content Designer, UK Health Security Agency, Homeworker

Job summary

Main area

Content Design

Grade

Civil Service: Grade 7

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-JP-303217B-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: Homeworker
Town: Homeworker
Salary: £56,185 - £70,566 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 15/12/2025 23:59

Senior Content Designer

Civil Service: Grade 7

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As part of the main duties, you will be expected to:

Expert practice

Lead on the creation and iteration of content for multiple complex projects.
Be responsible for content quality. Ensure content design best practice and principles are applied across products and services. Review the work of others to ensure it is user focused, accurate, and meets government and NHS style, design standards and accessibility requirements.
Develop and contribute to content strategies based on research and data, to support service transformation. Balance user needs with business, operational and technical requirements.
Use collaborative design tools and techniques to explore problems and opportunities.
Create content assets to test ideas and solutions.
Build relationships and work closely with stakeholders. Promote and demonstrate the value of user-centred content design within the organisation and beyond. Advocate for the needs of users to be embedded within strategy, policy and service design, across all levels of the organisation.
Take a lead role in the UKHSA’s content design community of practice, helping to establish the user-centred content design profession within UKHSA.
Work collaboratively with other user-centred design professions in an agile team to create
quality user experiences.
Work with user researchers to discover and analyse insights to identify common themes,
pain points and user needs. Make actionable recommendations based on insights.
Communicate these to stakeholders clearly and confidently.

Leadership

Role model inclusive leadership behaviours to promote a diverse, supportive, and inclusive culture. Support a community of practice to thrive and mature within UKHSA.
Foster a culture of continuous professional development, working openly and collaboratively. Contribute to building the skills of all members of the UCD Team, including non-content specialists.
Lead and manage change positively. Champion and promote a culture of imaginative thinking, learning from experience, expanding mindsets and genuinely listen to and encourage ideas from key stakeholders, partners, and colleagues.
Line manage staff, undertaking the full range of line management responsibilities as well as providing coaching and support to staff across UKHSA. Proactively develop, promote and monitor staff engagement and wellbeing measures, striving to make improvements.
Represent UKHSA’s content design capability across government, NHS and the wider public health system. Proactively work across government departments to develop and promote excellence within the specialism. Contribute to cross-government communities of practice.

Communication and key working relationships

The Senior Content Designer will develop effective working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. Communication may be face to face, including delivering presentations and facilitating workshops, by phone, email, correspondence or via reports and briefings.

Essential Criteria

Significant experience of working at a lead / senior level within a content design role or a degree in a relevant subject (for example English, communication, journalism, design, UX design, UCD, Content creation) and able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge
Senior level experience in user-centred content design methods and best practice within large, complex organisations
Extensive experience of writing and editing accessible and usable content using a style guide and design standards. Ideally, experience on digital and non-digital platforms, including guidance and transactions.
Regularly use feedback, analytics data and user research insights to make strategic content decisions and explain these to others.
Experience of developing content strategies to plan, create, deliver, measure and manage content, to meet user needs and business objectives.
Experience of managing stakeholder relationships. Able to influence others to gain support for user-centred standards, strategies, and ways of working.
Experience of working in an agile or similar multidisciplinary team including user researchers, to discover user needs, map and define user journeys and create quality user experiences.
Experience of using collaborative design tools and techniques to explore problems and opportunities. Able to create content assets to test ideas and solutions.
Leadership skills. Strong coaching and mentoring skills to help others develop. Experience of managing others, including reviewing their work, and giving clear direction
Expert communication skills to promote best practice content design, including accessibility requirements, to non-experts, for example in presentations or workshops
Appreciation and acknowledgment of diversity and inclusion. Awareness of own emotional intelligence, biases, and personal triggers. Able to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and awareness.
Knowledge of the barriers to access which affect engagement with content. Be able to demonstrate the importance of designing inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services.

Selection Process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours and technical skills

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
a 750 word supporting statement

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

Meets all essential criteria
Meets some essential criteria
Meets no essential criteria

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

Significant experience of working at a lead / senior level within a content design role or a degree in a relevant subject (for example English, communication, journalism, design, UX design, UCD, Content creation) and able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge
Senior level experience in user-centred content design methods and best practice within large, complex organisations

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (Success Profiles)

You will be invited to a remote interview.

Behaviours and technical skills will be tested at interview.

You will be required to prepare a 5 - 10 minute presentation as part of the interview. This will be a scenario based task testing technical skills and experience. The full details of this will be sent to you prior to the interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

Communicating and Influencing
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Working at Pace

Interviews will be held week commencing 12th January 2026. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as home working.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).  

Security Clearance Level Requirement 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Salary Range

Grade 7 National: £56,185 - £66,581
Grade 7 Outer: £58,340 - £68,574
Grade 7 Inner: £60,494 - £70,566

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Person specification

Application form and supporting statement

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Behaviours

Essential criteria

Communicating and influencing
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Working at Pace

Presentation

Essential criteria

Presentation

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.

As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police Check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.