Lead Content Designer

Job Location: Milton Keynes, Remote/Hybrid Department: Content Design Closing Date: 3 August 2026 Weekly Working Hours: 37 Contract Type: Permanent Fixed Term Contract: End Date: Not Applicable Welsh Language: Not Applicable About the Role The role of Lead Content Designer sits within Digital Services which is aligned with the Digital, Data and Design Profession that provides communities of practice to support professional development. The focus of this role will be to lead the content strategy, and the creation and management of user‑centred content across services and products to ensure the best possible outcomes for our users. The role sits within the Design Profession in Digital Services and reports into the Head of UX, Interaction and Content Design. Your main accountabilities will be the vision, strategy and design of content across services that are especially complex, high‑risk or sensitive, and the development of the Open University’s wider content design strategy. You will also line‑manage Senior content designers and support their professional development. Key Responsibilities * Lead content design, strategy and information architecture across a service area containing multiple agile teams, working in collaboration with senior leadership and teams to ensure the service meets user needs and aligns with the organisational content strategy. * Lead the development and application of content and format strategies that work across the OU’s content and service landscape, in line with industry best practice, collaborating with other disciplines as required to implement these strategies. * Lead and coach more junior content designers to design and improve content within a service, and design and improve content across more complex services or service areas with a strategic and holistic mindset. * Champion usability, accessibility, accuracy and consistency in content design. * Create space and right conditions for good content design within teams, and across a service area. * Lead teams and other content designers to identify the needs of users and how well content is performing using analytics, user feedback, user research and other sources of information, to inform content design decisions. * Enable content designers to identify and collaborate effectively with stakeholders and subject‑matter experts in the content design process. * Line manage other content designers, supporting their professional development, providing pastoral care and supporting them to do their best work within their teams. * Establish, maintain and improve team processes, templates and guidance to ensure content design consistency and best practice across style, accessibility and usability. * Lead in the development and sharing of knowledge and best practice in content design, and support internal stakeholders across the OU on content design, including content management standards and the content style guide. * Be a leader and ambassador of the Open University’s User‑Centred Design Communities of Practice, contributing to our collective knowledge and skills, and joining up to make the design of our content and services more consistent. * Work with leadership to develop the role of content design in holistically improving the OU’s products and services, and the organisation’s approach to being service‑led and focused on user needs. * Enable content designers to negotiate, plan, allocate, manage and deliver content design work across your service area, collaborating where needed, while also managing BAU or unplanned content support work. * Identify capacity and capability gaps in your teams, working closely with senior leadership to fill those gaps, and identify opportunities for specialist learning and development for yourself and others. * Support other content designers to onboard and upskill in content management tools, systems, processes and principles, and manage content management system (CMS) and content tools—including permissions. * Keep up to date with developments in user‑centred design, content design, trends and technologies, and share with the wider content design team to build a deep understanding and appreciation of best practice in this field. About You * Extensive experience designing, improving and publishing user‑centred digital content. * Strong understanding of how the web works and how to design effective online content. * Expert knowledge of user‑centred design principles and applying accessibility and usability requirements to the design and delivery of service content. * Proficient in using analytics, user research and user feedback to inform content decisions and improvements. * Experienced in developing content strategies, improving content processes and using content management systems. * Proven ability to lead content design work in agile, complex and ambiguous environments. * Skilled at prioritising, planning and delivering content design projects independently and collaboratively. * Experienced in coaching, mentoring and establishing content design best practice within and across teams. * Strong collaborator, able to engage multidisciplinary teams throughout the content design process. * Experienced in working with stakeholders to understand their issues while maintaining content quality, representing content design both internally and externally. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate and advocate for user needs. * Demonstrates curiosity, initiative, continuous improvement and openness to constructive feedback. * Committed to professional development with the ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and the University’s values and relevant policies. Whats in it for you? At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work‑life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window). We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part‑time, compressed hours or another working arrangement, please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you. It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some office attendance will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We expect this to be approximately once per month. The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all under‑represented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks. J-18808-Ljbffr