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Lead Content Designer

Employer
Essex County Council
Location
England, Essex, Chelmsford
Salary
£51510 - £65000 per annum
Closing date
15 Feb 2021

Lead Content Designer

Permanent

Full Time, flexible working will be considered

Up to £65,000 per annum

Location: Chelmsford (remote initially*)

*This position will initially, in line with current government guidance be based from home, with an expectation of being home based for the foreseeable future. However, if / when government guidelines change the role may then revert to being office based, whilst retaining some flexible working options.

Who we are

Essex County Council's (ECC) reputation as an ambitious, progressive council has never been stronger. We continue to make Essex a thriving county to live, work and visit. ECC is one of the county's largest employers, with over 7,500 staff, providing many services including adults and children's social care, environmental, transport, education, planning and benefits.

These are unprecedented times. We are looking for exceptional people who want to apply their skills to important work supporting the needs of Essex residents and businesses and helping the County's recovery.

You'll find an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.

Who you are

You are an experienced, confident leader with expert content design skills. As Lead Content Designer, you will shape the profession and support all content designers in the organisation.

What you'll do

  • lead the Content Design team and manage hiring, development, pay and performance
  • build a community of practice for content design across ECC
  • collaborate with the Service Transformation leadership and a range of senior stakeholders to resource multi-disciplinary teams, resolve problems and develop future projects
  • help colleagues and stakeholders from other disciplines understand what content design is, why it's important and how to work with content designers
  • help stakeholders monitor the performance of content and identify areas for improvement and potential projects
  • plan and manage the different phases of content design, iterating over time to ensure end-to end journeys are based on evidence from user research and analytics
  • train and mentor other teams to develop and implement best practice
  • make sure content meets Government Service Standards and accessibility regulations and appropriate policy and legal checks are carried out

Your skills

An advocate for the profession

  • develop and improve relationships, and create understanding for content design and how it can help stakeholders at all levels
  • understanding risk, complexity and timescales when managing stakeholders' expectations
  • represent the content design community and team to audiences inside and outside of the Council

Agile working (relevant skill level: expert)

  • coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project
  • act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team

Stakeholder relationship management (relevant skill level: expert)

  • direct the strategic approach for stakeholder relationships, establishing and promoting the meeting of stakeholder objectives
  • influence senior stakeholders and provide an arbitration function

Strategic thinking (relevant skill level: expert)

  • lead the design and implementation of strategy to make sure business requirements are being met

User focus (relevant skill level: expert)

  • give direction on which tools or methods to use. You are experienced in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels
  • bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business
  • apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user

User-centred content design (relevant skill level: expert)

  • shape the design process using appropriate tools and methods
  • create and iterate content across multiple channels
  • be accountable for content decisions
  • coach your team

What's in it for you?

This is a unique opportunity to join an exceptional, high-performing team. You'll be working for an ambitious organisation seeking to improve experience by delivering first-class services. You'll break new ground in the sector. In doing so, you'll further your own profile and career. You'll also help improve thousands of people's lives for years to come.

 

Next steps

To apply, please submit a CV and a covering letter. Your cover letter should present demonstrable experience of all the competencies listed under "Your Skills". Please try to use real life examples, mostly drawing from your professional life.

Interviews will take place 3rd and 4th March 2021.


Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.

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