Senior Service Designer

Senior Service Designer
6 month contract initial
3 days onsite per week: Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield or Birmingham
£700 per day (Inside IR35)
Lead service design activity for complex, user-centred digital services, ensuring that services meet user needs, business objectives and government service standards. The role will drive end-to-end service design across multidisciplinary teams, helping to identify opportunities for service improvement, reduce complexity and deliver measurable outcomes for citizens and colleagues.
The post holder will provide service design expertise, facilitate collaborative design activities and support strategic decision-making through evidence-based design approaches.
Responsibilities

• Lead the design and improvement of complex, end-to-end services across multiple channels.
• Map journeys and service blueprints, using research and data to identify pain points and opportunities.
• Turn user, policy and operational needs into practical service improvements.
• Facilitate workshops and align stakeholders across digital, policy, programme and operational teams.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary agile teams throughout discovery, alpha, beta and live.
• Create clear design artefacts and recommendations that support senior decision-making.
• Support service assessments and champion the Government Service Standard and Service Manual.
• Bring experience from UK government, the public sector or another highly regulated environment.

Service Design Leadership

• Demonstrable experience leading service design on complex digital transformation programmes.
• Ability to design and improve end-to-end services spanning multiple teams, systems and channels.
• Advanced knowledge of service mapping, blueprinting and systems thinking.

User-Centred Design

• Strong understanding of user-centred design principles and practices.
• Ability to synthesise user research findings into actionable service improvements.
• Experience balancing user, organisational and policy needs.

Digital Delivery in Agile Environments (Essential)

• Experience working within agile, multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Understanding of modern digital delivery methods and government service design practices.
• Ability to prioritise work and adapt to changing requirements.