West Northamptonshire Council is a unitary local authority serving the people of West Northamptonshire. Its mission is to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive, with a strong focus on accessible, customer-centred digital services. The Council operates under its THRIVE values (Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower) and is committed to diversity, equality and inclusion across its workforce.
The role
The Lead Content Designer sits within Customer Services in the Resources Directorate. The role exists to lead content design across the Council's corporate website and microsites, managing a digital estate of more than 2,000 webpages and working with over 100 page owners across the organisation. You would manage a team of two Content Designers and act as a trusted adviser to services throughout the Council.
What you would do
- Set standards, principles and direction for content quality, accessibility and usability across the Council's digital channels.
- Create, edit and improve web content so that residents can find information, understand their options and access services easily.
- Manage and develop a team of two Content Designers, setting priorities, providing coaching and building capability across the wider organisation.
- Work with page owners and digital colleagues to improve content governance, strengthen accessibility and embed user-centred approaches to content creation.
- Use analytics, website performance data and customer feedback to identify improvement opportunities and support evidence-based decisions.
- Manage content across the corporate website and microsites within the Council's Drupal content management platform.
- Maintain the content style guide and accessibility statement, and ensure compliance with WCAG, Government Digital Service standards and data protection requirements.
What they are looking for
- Proven experience in content design, with a strong track record of creating and managing user-centred web content in a large, complex organisation.
- Experience leading a content design function or high-profile programmes of work.
- Skills in coaching, mentoring and influencing others.
- Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills, with the ability to simplify complex information without losing accuracy.
- Strong knowledge of accessibility, human-centred design principles and digital best practice.
- Experience working with content management systems, particularly Drupal.
- Ability to balance user needs, business requirements and legal obligations.
- Collaborative, curious and confident in challenging approaches that create unnecessary barriers for customers.
Working arrangements
The role is based on-site in Northampton, England. It is a full-time position within the Council's Resources Directorate.
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