The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:
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an initial sift of applications
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if you make it through the sift, you will be invited to a 20 minute screening call where you present a response to a short task sent to you 40 minutes ahead of the call (cumulatively requiring 60 minutes of the candidates time on the day)
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if successful, the final stage is a 60 minute remote interview where you take us through 1 or 2 pieces of work from your portfolio and we will ask a series of behavioural questions.
How to apply
If this role is a good fit for you, you must submit all 3 of these for your application to be considered.
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a cover letter with a 500 word cap, to tell us about you and why you think you are suitable for this role, addressing the points in the person specification section above.
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a CV to show us your work history
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a portfolio to show some examples of your design work. If it's available online, you can add the URL in your cover letter or CV, or email it as a PDF directly to [email protected] (referencing your application number). Don't forget to share the password if applicable.
Successful candidates will be matched to the most relevant team based on your skills, experience, and preference. Please note that the Product and Services (GOV.UK App) roles are exclusively based in Manchester.
Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.
In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: experience in facilitating and engaging with people in a variety of ways (e.g. workshops, co-design activities or documentation)
In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. Well be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.
For this role well be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:
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Seeing the big picture
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Changing and improving
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Communicating and influencing
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Working together
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Leadership
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Making effective decisions
For this role well be assessing you against all of the Government Digital and Data (GDaD) Profession Capability Framework skills for Senior Service Designer:
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Design communication
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Designing for everyone
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Designing strategically
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Designing together
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Evidence-based design
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Iterative design
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Leading design
Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here
Recruitment Timeline
Sift completion: 1st September
Phone screening: W/C 8th September
Panel interviews: W/C 14th September
Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Careers event to learn more about the role and application process
We plan to run a careers event for anyone who is thinking about applying to an interaction or service design role to attend, to learn more about the roles and how the application and interview process works.
This event will be held on Tuesday 18th August 2026 at 1700 -1800. Please email [email protected] to let them know if you would like to attend and the team will send you a link to a video call to join.
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.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Sponsorship
DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
