Role Summary
The Senior Service Designer will lead the design of end-to-end services for the Discovery and subsequent phases, working at the intersection of user needs, policy intent and technical constraints. Operating at SFIA Level 5, this role requires a practitioner who can own the service design process from discovery through to alpha, collaborating closely with user researchers, business analysts and technical architects to produce compelling, evidence-based service designs that work for all users.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead service design activities across the discovery, including mapping end-to-end service journeys for building control authority teams and installers
• Facilitate[5.1] co-design workshops with users, policy teams and technical stakeholders to develop service concepts
• Produce high-quality service design artefacts including service blueprints, user journey maps, ecosystem maps and experience maps
• Work closely with user researchers to ensure service designs are grounded in user evidence and tested with real users
• Define and articulate the ‘to-be’ service vision, identifying opportunities to improve the user experience of the SCS-N system
• Translate complex policy and regulatory requirements into clear, usable service designs
• Identify and document service-level pain points, dependencies and constraints that should inform the design of the new system
• Present service design outputs to senior stakeholders at BSR and MHCLG, making the case for user-centred design approaches
• Contribute to the GDS service assessment process, ensuring designs meet the Service Standard
• Mentor and support junior designers within the team[6.1]
Essential Skills & Experience
• Significant experience as a Service Designer in UK public sector or government digital delivery
• Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end service design across complex, multi-channel services
• Proficiency in service design tools including Miro, FigJam, Figma or equivalent
• Experience producing service blueprints, ecosystem maps, user journey maps and interaction models
• Ability to facilitate co-design workshops with diverse stakeholders
• Strong understanding of the GDS Service Standard and the Design phase expectations
• Experience working in multidisciplinary Agile teams alongside researchers, product managers and engineers
• SFIA Level 5 competencies as defined in the SFIA framework
Desirable Skills & Experience
• Experience designing services in a regulatory, local government or building control context
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and inclusive design principles
• Experience of GDS service assessments (alpha, beta and live)
• Understanding of policy design and the relationship between policy intent and service delivery
SFIA Level 5 Behaviours Expected
At SFIA Level 5 (Ensure, Advise), the successful candidate will demonstrate the following core behaviours:
• Takes ownership of service design outputs and is accountable for their quality and fitness for purpose
• Advises senior stakeholders on service design strategy and approach
• Works autonomously, self-directing research and design activities within the broader programme
• Influences the design direction of significant and complex digital services
• Actively builds design capability within the team and wider organisation