Principal Service Designer

The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) works hard to create equal opportunities for all Victorians to live a safe, respected and valued life.

Our areas of focus are child protection, housing, disability, the prevention of family violence, multicultural affairs, LGBTIQA+ equality, veterans, women and youth. The work we do benefits thousands of Victorians, particularly those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

We work in a variety of community-based settings, including people’s homes, residential facilities and secure settings across metropolitan, rural and regional Victoria.

We are committed to developing and supporting a workforce that is well equipped and highly motivated. All jobs can be worked flexibly, and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from diverse backgrounds and abilities.

If you’re having any trouble viewing this ad and would like it or any attachments in an accessible format (such as large print), please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on the ad.

For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Victoria | Jobs (www.dffh.vic.gov.au/jobs)

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Strategic Engagement Manager, Families and Fairness, the Principal Service Designer is a key role within the Information Technology Services (ITS) Branch. The role ensures ICT initiatives are grounded in evidence, shaped by genuine user needs, and positioned for investment decisions that drive long-term value. By leading discovery processes, problem framing, and service blueprint development, the Principal Service Designer establishes the foundations for effective, coherent, and strategically sound technology outcomes.

Operating at the intersection of user needs, technology capabilities, and organisational strategy, the Principal Service Designer creates key artefacts, design principles, and evaluation criteria that guide initiative development and solution assessment. Working closely with enterprise architects, business analysts, and business leads, they ensure design decisions align with long-term objectives and future state architectures. They also foster strong collaboration with delivery teams to ensure solutions address cross-organisational needs seamlessly.

As a leader and advocate for human-centred design, the Principal Service Designer builds capability, models best practices, and influences senior stakeholders to embed design thinking into decision-making. Thriving in a dynamic and collaborative environment, they shape ICT initiatives to meet immediate and strategic needs, ensuring lasting impact for the organisation and its stakeholders.

ACCOUNTABILITIES INCLUDE

• Foster collaborative and productive working relationships with the business and shared services delivery partners, ensuring that service design activity reflects cross-organisational dependencies and that solutions are designed to work across organisational boundaries.
• Lead workshops and co-design sessions with domain experts, business stakeholders, and technology teams to build shared understanding, surface assumptions, and align diverse perspectives around a common direction.
• Act as a bridge between internal teams and delivery partners to ensure alignment throughout the shaping process.