Content Designer

Job summary

Do you have a passion for creating engaging content and a keen eye for detail?

Would you embrace the opportunity to be part of an organisation that delivers content to millions of customers?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity available to join our friendly team of communications professionals and would love to hear from you!

You will join the External Communications team who are responsible for all external-facing communication and media activity at DVLA. As a Content Designer, you will create content that meets customer needs in a clear, simple, and easy to understand manner. You will also develop, maintain and improve customer journeys, following current content publishing guidelines and Government Digital Service (GDS) publishing guidelines, where appropriate.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - Department for Transport Careers.

Job description

As the subject matter expert on content creation, you’ll be skilled at taking complex information and making it accessible to a public audience. This will include creating engaging content for a diverse range of channels, such as GOV.UK, social media, letters, forms and other literature.

You will also support communications campaigns by drafting and publishing proactive content, including social media posts, blogs, and email alerts.

Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to:

• Create and publish engaging, accurate content across a range of digital and offline channels, ensuring it meets business objectives, serves the needs of the target audience, and delivers a positive user experience.
• Continuously produce and evaluate data to improve content. Understand user needs by analysing user research, feedback and other data to develop recommendations for improvements.
• Be able to recommend the most appropriate channels to satisfy user and business needs (based on all available insight).
• Collaborate with colleagues within DVLA and the wider content community to design, agree and publish high quality content and services. This includes agreeing an evidence base for change, applying GDS publishing standards and working with the GDS content team to update GOV.UK.
• Monitoring and maintenance of the shared inbox to ensure you and the team are meeting all SLAs.
• Support DVLA’s communications campaigns by writing and publishing proactive posts on DVLA’s social media channels, blogs, and email alerts.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Strong understanding of a range of online and offline communications channels, to effectively deliver information.
• Seeking and identifying opportunities for content to be made more effective by developing recommendations for continuous improvement using available insight and digital tools.
• Writing clear and engaging content for a range of communication channels.
• Working as part of blended teams alongside stakeholders to create and deliver content for the best customer experience.

Additional Information:

We welcome applications from candidates who can speak Welsh and English. Welsh language skills could be useful in this role, but it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t put you at any disadvantage during recruitment if you aren’t a Welsh speaker. Please note that the application and assessment process will be held in English.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements:

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Government Communication Service - Ideas (AIOs/IOs)
• Government Communication Service - Implementation (AIOs/IOs)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,485, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency contributes £8,831 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and Personal Statement

Stage 2: Interview and Written Exercise

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and Personal Statement (1000 wordcount). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Strong understanding of a range of online and offline communications channels, to effectively deliver information.
• Seeking and identifying opportunities for content to be made more effective by developing recommendations for continuous improvement using available insight and digital tools.
• Writing clear and engaging content for a range of communication channels.
• Working as part of blended teams alongside stakeholders to create and deliver content for the best customer experience.

The sift will take place week commencing 20th July 2026.

Stage 2: Interview and Written Exercise

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Behaviours - Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service and Working Together

Technical:

• https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Government-Communications-Professional-Competency-Framework.pdfGovernment Communication Service - Ideas (AIOs/IOs ) The link to the GCS Framework can be found here
• Government Communication Service - Implementation (AIOs/IOs ) The link to the GCS Framework can be found here

You will also be required to complete a written exercise on the day of your interview. You will be assessed against the Technical points listed above.

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to the assessment.

The assessment and interviews will take place week commencing 3rd August 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at our Swansea office (DVLA, Longview Road, Morriston, Swansea, SA6 7JL). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

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.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Jonathan Silk
• Email : jonathan.silk@dvla.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

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 Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 290kB)Role Profile Cy.doc Opens in new window (pdf, 152kB)