Senior Service Designer

Are you passionate about designing user-centric services that have a positive impact on people’s lives? Do you thrive in a collaborative environment and enjoy working with diverse stakeholders? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

As a Senior Service Designer at Social Security Scotland, you will play a crucial role in shaping the future design of our end-to-end service. With a growing number of people in Scotland relying on our financial support, we need innovative thinkers like you to meet their diverse needs.

Social Security Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government, has the largest and most complex IT and digital change programme since devolution. With a lifetime budget of over £300m, we are delivering a social security system that will support the people of Scotland for decades to come.

This role sits within our Live Service Team who are responsible for the maintenance and further development of the live benefit services being delivered to clients. The team is multi-disciplinary and brings together a vast range of skills and expertise to ensure that clients are at the centre of the design and developments.

As a Senior Service Designer you will work closely with various teams across the organisation, leading on the development of design concepts to test and scale. Your focus will be on championing citizen and stakeholder involvement throughout the design process, ensuring that our services align with user goals and government policies. This may involve creating or modifying transactions, products, and content across digital and offline channels.

What do we offer you? 

We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance. We provide an employment package that attracts, develops, and retains only the best talent. 

• B3 – Salary between £43,725 – £52,353 plus a £5,000 annual Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) pay supplement after a 3 month qualifying period. This supplement is backdated and paid with your monthly salary
• Flexible working arrangements with potential of up to 4 days off per month
• You will have an annual leave allowance of 5 weeks, rising to 6 weeks after 4 years. In addition, the Scottish Government observes 11½ days public and privilege holidays, dates of which are set annually
• Workplace adjustments for everyone that needs them to ensure your comfort and safety in your new role
• Learning and development opportunities to support your personal and professional growth
• Career progression – join a rapidly growing and developing organisation with excellent opportunities for career advancement
• Contributory Pension Scheme (employee contributions 5.45% employer contributions 27.1 – 27.9%)
• Health and wellbeing support including 24 hour access to our Employee Assistance Programme, plus counselling support available for all
• Discounts on gym memberships and retail outlets

DDaT Pay Supplement

This post attracts a £5,000 DDAT pay supplement after a 3 months DDaT competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role.  Pay supplements are temporary payments designed to address recruitment and retention issues caused by market pressures and are subject to regular review. This post is part of the Scottish Government DDaT profession. As a member of the profession, you will join the professional development scheme, currently BCS RoleModel plus.

Hybrid Working

We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 1-2 days per week in your assigned location, however role specific attendance will be discussed and agreed with successful candidates. Base office location can be in either Dundee or Glasgow. 

About Us 

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve.   

• Support the design and implementation of services, strategies, and policies to meet business requirements and user needs

• Advocate for inclusive, collaborative, and user-centred service design practices, embedding them into service delivery

• Provide guidance on service design tools and methods to use

• Collaborate with user researchers to understand and address the needs of users across various channels

• Champion design for users who require assisted digital or accessibility technologies

• Facilitate co-design sessions with design teams, citizens, service users, and stakeholders

• Prototype and validate design solutions using a range of prototyping tools

• Identify and understand constraints, communicate them effectively, and work within them while maintaining standards

• Make informed design decisions and communicate the decision-making process

Additionally, you will participate in Agency delivery assurance activities and contribute to the DDaT community by actively engaging in events and reviewing processes, tools, and guidance. You will also collaborate closely with the service design community in the Social Security Directorate to ensure alignment of standards and approach, avoid duplication of efforts, and maintain consistency of assets.

How to apply

To apply for this post, you will need to provide the information requested below via the online application process.   

A CV (no longer than two pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements – this is accessed through the candidate profile.   

In addition, please record your Personal Statement (no longer than 750 words) explaining why you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience suitable for this role, with particular reference to the essential criteria below.  

1. Lead service design work on projects and ensure that teams are taking a user-centred, evidence-based approach.

2. Create compelling service solutions by identifying opportunities to improve the performance or management of existing services, and drawing on findings from user research, data patterns, policy and operational intent.

3. Engage with senior stakeholders, presenting findings and related recommendations to senior decision makers across agency.

4. Coach and co-ordinate multidisciplinary teams to help them successfully design good services