Junior Content Designer

At Essex County Council, we are looking for a Junior Content Designer to bring their content skills to a role where Content Design helps shape and improve public services across Essex.

Salary: £33,128 to £38,973 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 30th July 2026

Please note this is a hybrid-working role, with a requirement to work in the Chelmsford office 2-3 days per month on average, depending on business need.

Role Overview:

At Essex County Council, Content Design is central to high-impact programmes, including Local Government Reorganisation, service transformation and the consolidation of our digital estate. Working as part of Essex Digital Service, you'll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to improve experiences for everyone we support, whether they're residents, staff or partners.

As a Junior Content Designer, you'll play an important role in maintaining and improving our websites by ensuring content is accurate, accessible and user focused. You'll join a team that is passionate about content standards, inclusive design and delivering great user experiences. We're looking for skilled content creators who want to develop their career in a creative, collaborative environment where they'll have the opportunity to learn, contribute and make a real difference to Essex residents.

Responsibilities:

• Advocate for user-centred design within the organisation and proactively contribute to the team’s open working practices and behaviours.
• Understand users, who they are, and what their needs are based on quantitative and qualitative insight.
• Create user focused content that it is accurate, compliant, and regularly reviewed.
• Test and monitor the performance of content and identify ways to iteratively improve it.
• Work with the wider content design team to support administration and publishing processes.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts across the organisation to simplify complex language and processes, and to make sure content is accurate.
• Use quantitative and qualitative insights to challenge assumptions, provide a persuasive case and explain decisions to stakeholders and senior decision makers.
• Collaborate with service managers to develop and agree metrics for content so they can monitor the performance of content and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Keeping up to date with new ways of working and applying best practice approaches in content design and skills transfer across the wider team and profession.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience:

• Educated to RQF level 6 (Degree) or have equivalent work experience in delivering digital services and content.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Proven experience of writing and editing digital content and using content management systems to publish content.
• Proven experience of user experience analytics and principles and use these to create user-focused content and to make content decisions.
• Proven experience of building relationships with stakeholders and proactively working to understand their needs and help develop solutions.
• Proven experience of working collaboratively in agile multi-disciplinary teams, using agile tools, and are responsive to feedback.
• Aware of the different types of prototypes, from paper sketches to coded prototypes and understand when and how to use them.
• Understand how activities meet strategic goals and can support the creation and development of strategies and policies.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site: devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

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.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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