Overview
Associate Content Designer – Industrial Placement – Manchester
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
Would you learn new skills that are highly sought after across the public and the private sector?
University students are invited to enhance their employability through a unique learning experience at HMRC. Develop highly sought-after skills applicable to both public and private sector careers.
Job description
As an Associate Content Designer industrial placement, you will earn while you learn to work on content design projects that have a real impact for millions of taxpayers.
Joining the Government Digital and Data profession, you’ll work closely with more senior content designers, helping to design inclusive and accessible content, making sure appropriate content is shown to users in the right place and in the best format, and developing your knowledge and skills. You will work closely with other user-centred design professionals, policy and process experts, product managers and technology experts.
In this role you will learn to:
- Define user needs and contribute to the gathering and analysis of data and user feedback to support content design decisions
- Design content to meet user needs and make complex language and processes easy to understand
- Work collaboratively and understand the importance of managing stakeholder relationships, and what evidence is important and relevant to them
- Build an awareness of the strategic context of your work and understand why it is important
What Can we offer you?
- Community of practice sessions where you can learn from others, grow and develop
- Peer support channels where you can ask questions, share experiences and learn from others
- Opportunities to grow your skills and experience outside of your main role
- As an Associate Content Designer industrial placement, you’ll gain valuable experience working on real-world content design projects that impact millions of taxpayers. This role offers an exceptional opportunity to develop your skills within the Government Digital and Data profession.
You’ll collaborate with senior content designers, contributing to the creation of inclusive and accessible content, ensuring users find the right information in the most effective format.
You’ll hone your abilities in:
- Defining user needs and contributing to data analysis and user feedback integration to inform content design decisions.
- Designing user-cantered content, simplifying complex language and processes for easy understanding. Collaborating effectively and understanding stakeholder management, including identifying relevant evidence.
- Developing an awareness of the strategic context of your work and its importance.
- Building a strong foundation in content design principles and practices.
- Effective content design.
Person specification
We are looking for a student who:
- Has a keen interest in creating clear content tailored to the needs of the audience
- Strong communicator, possessing excellent writing skills
Essential Criteria:
We are looking for a student who:
- Has a keen interest in creating clear content tailored to the needs of the audience
- Strong communicator, possessing excellent writing skills
Eligibility Criteria
- Undergraduate student with a mandatory or optional 9-12 month industrial placement course requirement
- You must be in the penultimate year of your degree course
- Studying towards a degree in one of the following -IT, Design/Web Design, Computer Science, or Business-related degree
Other Information
We’re here to answer any questions about the Industrial Placement Scheme or the role, if there is anything you would like to know please contact us :digitalapprenticeshipsandindustrialplacements@hmrc.gov.uk
If you are successful, your placement will start once you have passed all pre employment checks. the Placement will be for a minimum of 9 months. We cannot accept placements any earlier than this
Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however, applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly as any agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate. Any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £29,475, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £8,538 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history. Think of your CV as a snapshot of your skills, knowledge, and experience. Don’t forget to mention the degree you’re currently pursuing and what year of study you’re in.
- A 500-word Personal Statement demonstrating:
“What excites you about this role, how you meet the essential criteria listed and why you believe you’re a good fit?
We can’t wait to learn more about you!
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelines here.
Sift and Interview Process:
We will review your CV and Personal Statement focusing on how well you meet the essential criteria. If we receive a large number of applications we will only focus on the Personal Statement.
After the closing date you will be invited to a virtual interview using Microsoft Teams.
As part of the recruitment process, you will be required to verify your student status by providing one of the following:
- A valid, in-date Student ID
- Official university confirmation of your full-time undergraduate status and a 9 -12 month industrial placement requirement.
Please email these documents to: digitalapprenticeshipsandindustrialplacements@hmrc.gov.uk upon request. Failure to provide the required documentation may result in the withdrawal of your application.
During the interview, we’ll dive into your application, exploring your knowledge, experience, and skills related to the essential criteria. Just a heads up, feedback will only be given if you’re selected for an interview. Best of luck!.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 397863 & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
