Senior Service Designer

The role

Your job will be to design accessible and impactful services and products for prison and probation. You could be designing a sophisticated case management system for probation staff or designing tools that help people in prison prepare for life after release.

As a senior designer, you’ll be a part of advancing our approach, helping to grow our design culture, coaching junior members of the team, and partnering with and inspiring our stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Analyse user needs and business objectives in highly complex service areas
• Lead on design concepts and service blueprints that help reimagine how services can be delivered end-to-end
• Help to define vision and outcomes for products, services and programmes, shaping strategy and influencing long-lasting change
• Lead on design workshops and design sprints with the team, senior stakeholders and users
• Rapidly design and test digital prototypes with users
• Train, mentor and manage other designers
• Take a lead in growing and advancing our Design Community of Practice

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• You have a strong grounding in user-centred design, from concept to final delivery. You know how to give direction on which tools, process or methods to use and how to bring an agile delivery team along with you.
• You’re experienced designing end-to-end public services, and navigating complex policy and operational areas.
• You can listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them in a way that is clear for both audiences. You know how to manage stakeholder expectations, set direction and navigate difficult discussions.
• You create high-quality, compelling design concepts and artefacts such as service maps, models and blueprints.
• You are experienced in paper and digital prototyping. You understand the way the internet works and are responsive to changes in technology, adapting your concepts and approach accordingly
• You know what good public services look like and how to design in an inclusive, accessible way. You know how to share best practice and can coach others.
• You are a strong team player who knows how to work with and get the best out of a multi-disciplinary delivery team

Desirable:

• You have experience working in government
• You can confidently work with developers and understand security, accessibility, version control and hosting.
• You have experience designing at scale and in technical environments

What to expect from our application process

Candidates MUST submit the following:

• a current and relevant CV, including a link to a portfolio showing your relevant work (if you don’t have a portfolio online, please upload it to Google Drive and include a link to it in your CV);
• a Cover letter (1 page max) outlining why you are interested in the role and how you meet the essential skills and experience required;

Through shortlisting applications and at interviews we will be assessing how you meet the skills and experience outlined in the job description. We look for people who exhibit the core civil service behaviours:

• Communicating and influencing
• Working together
• Managing a quality service

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.

Note: due to the volume of applications we receive we are unable to provide feedback after the CV review (sift) stage.

Salary and working arrangements

If successful, the salary we offer you will be within the advertised range and will depend on the skills and experience you demonstrate at the interview. Therefore in your cover letter it would be helpful to the hiring teams if you can indicate your salary expectations and if possible your notice period.

Benefits:

• Flexible working options — working from home or remotely, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours — we have people doing it and are happy to discuss further
• Lots of training and development opportunities
• A civil service pension with an average employer contribution of 22%
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), and an extra day off for the Queen’s birthday.
• Great maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Bike loans and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers, and eye-care vouchers.

Things you need to know

Security and Immigration checks

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 security check.

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules.

If you’re applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.