Senior Service Designer

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives.   Whether it’s through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time.  We are looking for multiple Senior Service Designers to join our Digital teams including Private Rented Sector (PRS), Local AI and Digital Process Improvements.

The Private Rented Sector team are working on a crucial set of reforms to help improve the private rented sector, as the lowest quality, least secure and least affordable of all tenures. As the Senior Service Designer, you will be responsible for the design of the end-to-end Private Rented Sector Database. This includes services to register landlords and letting agents, for tenants to view information about landlords, for local authorities to access the database, and administration interfaces. You will be working closely with policy, operations and other services to create and iterate digital services and offline channels. The service will launch later this year, so you need to be confident delivering at pace.

The Local AI team (previously AI for Local Government) is an ambitious and friendly new team dedicated to accelerating the responsible use of AI across local government. Our mission is to help councils to use AI to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve services – especially in critical areas such as adult and children’s social care, homelessness, and special educational needs and disability. We identify high‑impact, reusable AI opportunities and amplify local innovation, while improving data, safety and market confidence so councils can make informed decisions about the technologies they use.  As the Senior Service Designer in the AI for Local Government team, you will lead the design of complex, user-centred AI services that meet diverse user needs and comply with government service standards. Collaborating closely with AI specialists, delivery teams, and local government stakeholders. Your role will be pivotal in shaping service design strategies that align with our long-term objectives.

Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog.  Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment.

As a senior service designer, you’ll:

• Lead the team to design and iterate the end-to-end service using your expertise, combined with evidence and knowledge you develop about the problem space
• Work as part of an agile, multidisciplinary team to design and deliver the service, including building consensus around the design approach
• Design collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, including policy and operational delivery teams
• Use research and evidence to identify and solve complex problems
• Work with digital and data leaders across the organisation to improve and align services in the wider problem space
• Be part of a growing community of designers in the department

As a senior service designer, you’ll have experience of:

• Designing end-to-end services for users in complex environments and to tight delivery timelines; as part of this you’ll be comfortable prioritising design choices to help shape the roadmap
• Involving a wide range of users and stakeholders in design activities and using user research and evidence to make informed choices
• Thinking strategically – considering how our service fits within the wider problem space – and negotiate and influence important design decisions on our own service, but also more widely
• Creating service blueprints and prototypes using a variety of methods and the ability to quickly understand the social, technological and political context of services
• Developing inclusive, accessible and sustainable public services using the GOV.UK Design System and in accordance to the Service Standard and Service Manual.

Desirable

• Experience of working with AI and / or working with local authorities