Senior Service Designer

Job brief

Are you passionate about making technology work better for everyone? Are you excited about helping governments deliver modernized services and programs that are more accessible, equitable, inclusive, responsive, and better meet people where they’re at? Do you thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoy working in a team atmosphere? At Code for Canada, you’ll be part of a mission-driven organization where your skills will help make life better for everyone in Canada.

The Senior Service Designer is accountable for using their expertise in service design to lead and deliver innovative, user-centred service methodologies to meet the needs of users and the partners. This role oversees the research, design, and delivery of great end-to-end services in collaboration with other Code for Canada colleagues and the partner.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Strategic thinking. A Senior Service Designer can lead the design and implementation of strategy, directing the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met. They can apply a strategic lens to designing end-to-end services. (Skill level: Expert)
• User focus. A Senior Service Designer can give direction on which tools or methods to use when engaging users. They can demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. They can bring insight and expertise into how user needs have changed over time to ensure users are at the center of business processes they’re met by the business. They can apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user. (Skill level: Expert)
• Agile working. A Senior Service Designer can coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices. They can determine the right approach for the team to take and evaluate progress throughout the life of a project. They can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. They can act as a recognized expert and advocate for approaches by continuously reflecting and challenging the team. (Skill level: Expert)
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical. A Senior Service Designer can mediate between people and mend relationships while communicating with stakeholders at all levels. They can manage stakeholder expectations and moderate discussions about high risk and complexity, even within constrained timescales. They can speak on behalf of and represent the community to large audiences inside and outside of government. (Skill level: Expert)
• Community collaboration. A Senior Service Designer can solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level. They can understand the psychology of the team and have strong mediation skills. They can coach the organization on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community. (Skill level: Expert)
• Digital perspective. A Senior Service Designer can demonstrate knowledge of the wider digital economy and advances in technology, and understand how these impact in a government context. They can make decisions that set the standards for others to follow. They can understand how to work using an Agile methodology at an organizational level and can create an environment for success. (Skill level: Expert)
• Evidence- and context-based design. A Senior Service Designer can design systems for use across multiple services and can identify the simplest of a variety of approaches. (Skill level: Expert)
• Leadership and guidance. A Senior Service Designer can influence changes to organizational structures through strategic and sustainable design solutions. They can lead on the strategy for the whole organization by marrying business needs with innovative analysis. They can make and justify decisions characterized by high levels of risk, impact, and complexity. They can build consensus between organizations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders. They can solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level. They can understand the psychology of a team and have strong mediation and conflict-resolution skills. (Skill level: Expert)
• Managing decisions and risks. A Senior Service Designer can make and justify decisions characterized by high levels of risk, impact, and complexity. Senior risk owners can trust them as an expert in service design. They can apply risk methodologies at the most complex levels of risk, and guide others in applying risk methodologies in proportion to the risk in question. (Skill level: Expert)
• Prototyping. A Senior Service Designer can use a variety of prototyping methods from paper to Figma or even HTML. They can share best practices in prototyping and coach others. (Skill level: Expert) (Skill level for Prototyping in Figma or HTML: Working)
• Working within constraints. A Senior Service Designer can influence, challenge, and coach. They can anticipate how constraints might change and know where to challenge or remove constraints. (Skill level: Expert)
• Communication. A Senior Service Designer communicates effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, team members, and users. They listen actively and tailor messages to different audiences and contexts.
• Empathy. A Senior Service Designer places users first to understand their needs, goals, and pain points. They extend the same empathy towards both team members and stakeholders.
• Collaboration. A Senior Service Designer works effectively with cross-functional teams, including developers, subject matter experts, and business analysts. They lead and facilitate meetings and workshops, and provide & receive feedback in positive, constructive ways that contribute to everyone’s success.
• Creativity. A Senior Service Designer effectively facilitates innovative solutions for complex problems. They brainstorm new ideas, prototype, and iterate on designs.
• Adaptability. A Senior Service Designer adapts to shifts in the design process and feedback from stakeholders and users. They adjust their approach and pivot quickly in response to new information.
• Problem-solving. A Senior Service Designer identifies and defines problems, and develops solutions that meet the needs of users and stakeholders. They can analyze data, conduct research, and evaluate the effectiveness of designs.
• Leadership. A Senior Service Designer leads and inspires team members, and manages expectations and stakeholders in a government context. They motivate team members while fostering a collaborative environment. They mentor and coach junior designers by providing feedback and support to help them develop their skills and achieve their goals.

Qualifications

• A deep understanding of service design, design thinking, user-centered research and design, systems thinking, and human behaviour.
• Proven experience in the design and implementation of service design projects for nonprofit, consumer or enterprise applications across a variety of platforms.
• Knowledgeable in service design best practices and demonstrated enthusiasm for staying current and sharing learnings with partners and team members.
• Experience conducting a wide variety of service design methods including user interviews, focus groups, journey mapping, service blueprinting, prototyping, testing, or other service design methods.
• Experience creating design artifacts such as ecosystem maps, impact journeys, service blueprints, low- and hi-fidelity prototypes, design systems, or other design artifacts.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills to hold space for one-on-one conversations as well as large or small groups of all seniority levels.
• Strong project management skills to create project plans, monitor progress, and report on risks and milestones throughout a project’s lifespan.
• Strong stakeholder management skills to foster connection and trust among stakeholders of all seniority levels.
• Being Bilingual is an asset (French/English).
• Proficiency in virtual collaboration tools (e.g.: Miro, Google Drive, etc.) is an asset.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma or Adobe Creative Suite is an asset.