2921 - Policy Designer

Reporting to a Senior Policy Adviser/Designer in Policy Lab, you will bring your design skills to a range of innovative projects which meet the complex needs of policy teams across Government. You will:

• Manage a range of projects with departments where you will bring design, data and digital tools to policy teams - helping them to design policy around the lived experiences of those affected
• Commission external experts (e.g. ethnographers, data scientists, service designers) and manage their input into projects
• Be on the lookout for new tools, techniques and approaches (‘next practice’) that can be brought into government
• Use your practical design skills to improve the Policy Lab's suite of tools, techniques and communications materials
• Organise workshops and ‘sprints’, including: agreeing outputs and outcomes; setting the agenda; preparing materials; facilitation
• Produce high quality outputs for Policy Lab projects, including creating clear and visually compelling project reports and presentations
• Support the creation and testing of prototypes in policy delivery environments, making physical, digital and speculative mock-ups of policy ideas
• Support the Lab’s wider learning agenda: helping other civil servants to understand and use new ways of working

In your statement, which should not exceed 500 words, please tell us why you are interested in the job and what skills and experience you would bring to the Policy Lab. We would also like short examples of where you have demonstrated the following competencies:

Leading and communicating. You will be a confident communicator who is used to leading teams, explaining new ideas and inspiring people to work in new ways that might take them outside their comfort zone.

Collaborating and partnering: You will be experienced in engaging different groups of people and helping them agree shared visions, aims and work together to achieve them.

Delivering a quality service: You will set high standards for yourself and others. You will have practical experience of people-centred research activities; applying service design tools and methods and prototyping new ideas. You will be able to present information in a clear and compelling way, in particular using your design skills.

Seeing the big picture: You will understand the context in which the Lab operates, recognising but not being constrained by the complexities of working in central government. You will be able to scan the political context, taking account of wider impacts to develop long term implementation strategies that maximise value to the citizen.

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally require 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement but supplementary checks may be required where individuals have not lived in the UK for the required period. This may mean that your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

The UK government’s Policy Lab is a dynamic and inclusive team that sits in the Cabinet Office, but works across the whole of the public sector. The current Lab team is a mix of designers, ethnographers, social researchers and policy makers.

The Lab brings new approaches to complex policy challenges, ranging from housing and transport through to health and work. We use design, data and digital tools that put people at the centre of policy-making. We create space to collaborate across departments and engage with the public and external experts. We influence policy making across government by:

• delivering new policy solutions through inspiring practical projects
• building the skills and knowledge of the policy profession and wider civil service through workshops, training and talks
• inspiring new thinking and innovations in policy through our experiments, blogs and writing.  

Demand for the Lab’s services has continued to grow. We’ve worked with over 7000 civil servants, on 25 large and many smaller projects.  This year we have a wider range of projects and commissions than ever, allowing us to experiment with a range of exciting techniques on some of the most interesting challenges in government.

More about the Lab and our projects can be found on twitter @PolicyLabUK, on our blog: https://openpolicy.blog.gov.uk or on slideshare at: https://www.slideshare.net/Openpolicymaking/spring-2018-edition-of-the-introduction-to-policy-lab-uk. 

Closing Date: 23rd September 2018 at 23:55 hours

If you have any questions, please contact Vasant.Chari@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Due to the high volume of applications received for Cabinet Office vacancies, we regret that feedback is only available - at the discretion of the vacancy manager - following the interview stage. Vacancy managers may also sift on one lead competency at the application stage.

Terms, Conditions and Benefits

This is a Permanent appointment. This role is based within the Cabinet Office at Band B2 £31,029 - £38,484. Annual salary increases will depend upon individual performance and contribution to the organisation’s success. In addition there will be the opportunity to earn performance related bonuses.

Being mindful of the scrutiny on public sector pay, external candidates should expect their salary on appointment to be £31,029 per annum.

Existing civil servants can take up the post on loan from their parent department for the duration advertised. Those joining on level transfer will retain their current salary. Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.

Staff joining on promotion will adopt the modernised terms and conditions of employment which came into force in 2013.

There is a choice of excellent pension schemes. More information about pension provisions can be found at www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions  

Flexible Working

Flexible working including job-share arrangements may be considered for this role.

Leave allowances

25 days' paid leave per annum rising to 30 days after five years service. In addition, full-time staff receive eight public holidays and the Queen’s Birthday privilege day as well as competitive maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave.

Probation

Staff new to the Civil Service will be required to serve a six month probationary period.

Location

The post will be based in 1 Horse Guards Road, London.

Relocation Costs

No relocation costs will be available.

Equality and Diversity

The Cabinet Office is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all staff. We will not discriminate on grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, those with caring responsibilities, part time workers or any other factor irrelevant to a person’s work.

We encourage a diverse workforce and aim to provide a working environment where all staff at all levels are valued and respected, and where discrimination, bullying, promotion of negative stereotyping and harassment are not tolerated.

Assessment for recruitment, selection, appraisal, training and career progression purposes is based both on the individual’s ability and suitability for the work. We are committed to providing all staff with opportunities to maximise their skills and achieve their potential, offering flexible working arrangements wherever possible.

As public authorities departments have statutory duties placed on them that require them to promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination. We expect all staff to assist the department in meeting these obligations. All staff should have due regard for the need to promote good relations between individuals from different groups and work towards achieving equality of opportunity for all.

Civil Service Code

All civil servants are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code (see Annex A) which details Civil Service values, standards of behaviour, rights and responsibilities. Go to http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk for more information.

Childcare

We recognise that many staff balance working lives with the demands of a family life. We offer support with childcare and holiday playschemes costs by providing childcare vouchers for staff who meet the eligibility criteria. Current civil servants applying for Cabinet Office vacancies on or after 06 April 2018 may experience implications in continuing to claim childcare vouchers.

Recruitment and Selection Process

Nationality

You must be a British Citizen, citizen of the British Commonwealth* an EC national or a national of specified Member States of the European Free Trade Area, together with certain members of their families. Certain Turkish nationals are also eligible to apply. In the first instance it is advisable to refer to the Civil Service Nationality Rules which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules  

If you have any further questions about nationality requirements, please contact the Recruitment Team at: corecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. (*Commonwealth citizens not yet in the UK, who have no right of abode in the UK and who do not have leave to enter the UK are ineligible to apply.)

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Cabinet Office is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people and will guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Pre-appointment Checks

The successful candidate’s appointment will be subject to a series of checks including security, nationality, health and references before a formal offer of appointment is made. Subject to satisfactory completion of the pre-appointment checks, you will be invited to take up the post as soon as possible. The National Insurance numbers of successful applicants will be shared with the Ministry of Defence to aid the tracking of Armed Forces Reservist levels across government.

The Selection Process

Assessment at sift and interviews will be based on meeting any defined skill/qualification requirements along with a competency based assessment. The competencies to be assessed will be outlined within the job advert. The Civil Service Competency Framework is publically available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework.

We would generally expect answers to follow the STAR or CAR structure and encourage candidates to use this throughout their application.

Application/Interview Scoring System

The Cabinet Office adopts a scoring system of 0-3.

3 - The evidence provided demonstrates that they exceed the level of competence required.

2 - The evidence provided demonstrates that they fully meet the level of competence required.

1 - The evidence provided demonstrates that they generally meet the level of competence required, but with a few minor gaps that could be developed.

0 - The evidence provided fails to demonstrate that they meet the level of competence required for the post.

Recruitment into the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission which has two key functions.

• To maintain the principle of selection for appointment to the Civil Service on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
• To promote an understanding of the Civil Service Code which sets out the constitutional framework in which all civil servants work and the values they are expected to uphold, and to hear and determine appeals made under it. More detailed information can be found at on the Civil Service Commission website: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Complaints

The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk    

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Cabinet Office Recruitment Team, Human Resources, 4th Floor, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ or email corecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at:

Email: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or in writing to:

Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ