Junior Service Designer

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a worldwide network of embassies and consulates, employing over 14,000 people in nearly 270 diplomatic offices. We work with international organisations to promote UK interests and global security, including the EU, NATO, the United Nations, the UN Security Council and the Commonwealth.

We are responsible for:

• safeguarding the UK’s national security by countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, and working to reduce conflict
• the UK’s prosperity by increasing exports and investment, opening markets, ensuring access to resources, and promoting sustainable global growth
• supporting British nationals around the world through modern and efficient consular services

Find out more at FCO.

Our Team

This is an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of driving how technology will transform how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) operates. FCO Labs are a service design team based in the FCO’s Knowledge and Technology Directorate (KTD). FCO Labs are KTD’s innovation team which brings together a mix of Civil Servant specialists and expert contractors to identify and create solutions to solve FCO challenges by exploiting technology to make the FCO more efficient and effective.

Job description

As a Junior Service Designer at FCO you’ll:

• work as part of a project team undertaking a variety of activities throughout the project including user-research, problem analysis, content creation, solution design and prototyping
• build effective relationships at a working-level with users, project stakeholders and colleagues across the FCO to build a network that can be used to gain insights we need to successfully deliver impactful projects
• contribute to the development of the UK Labs team; helping to build a sense of community and promoting the team’s work

ResponsibilitiesWe’re looking for natural problem solvers with a passion for digital transformation and human-centred design. You will work on projects as part of the FCO Labs team in the UK and work closely with our newly formed overseas Labs team based in Singapore.

We’re interested in people who have the following skills:

• some experience in human-centred design, service design, design-thinking and Agile working
• excellent communication skills with the ability to work with a wide • range of stakeholders across various locations
• excellent listening skills and the ability to engage and persuade

Note:
This role requires DV clearance. For more information on eligibility please refer to attachment.

What we value

Respect, collaboration and trust are at the core of our culture. We trust each other to do our best work. We believe in our mission and work for the whole population. We can only do that by being an inclusive and diverse organisation.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting.

Selection process details

Success profiles

In the Civil Service, we use our Success Profiles. For each role we advertise we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will be looking at your experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the specific job role. For this role we will be assessing your strength, experience, technical/specialist skill and behaviours, the following behaviours are the most relevant:

• changing and improving
• working together
• managing a quality service
• seeing the big picture

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :Name :   John Thurlow

Email :   John.Thurlow@fco.gov.uk

Recruitment team :Email :   ddat-recruitmentsupport@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk