Job Description

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to become a vital part of the Service Design team in Social Security Scotland and help shape the future of services people in Scotland rely on every day. The Service Design team is an influential and impactful group of designers who are experts in designing future services and visions in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary way. You'll join us in crafting well thought-through designs which are grounded in both user needs and organisational outcomes.

We really value the unique skills each of our team brings to the discipline. In this role, you will be trusted to make sound decisions, collaborate with experts across various fields, and contribute to impactful design concepts and documentation.

We are looking for people who understand the impact of services on users' lives. Your work will be instrumental in helping us deliver our life-changing services with dignity, fairness and respect, to a very diverse range of clients.

A Service Designer is a confident and competent designer who can develop designs based on evidence of user needs and organisational outcomes.

A relevant degree and experience in a role titled ‘service designer’ is not a requirement. What’s important is understanding how a service works to meet people’s needs.

At this role level, you will:

• be trusted to make good decisions
• work alongside multidisciplinary experts
• recognise when to ask for further guidance and support
• contribute to the development of design concepts and documentation
• interpret evidence-based research and incorporate this into your work
• raise awareness of how to make services accessible and inclusive
• engage with and contribute to the Scottish Government service design community of practice

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver user-centred service design by working in multidisciplinary teams, using iterative and evidence-based approaches to design, prototype, test and refine inclusive services that meet diverse user needs, balancing user needs against preferences and government context requirements.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships and facilitate collaboration by interpreting the needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders, managing expectations, fostering trusted relationships, supporting challenging discussions, resolving disputes, and creating connections that improve service outcomes.
• Use evidence, insight and critical thinking to inform decisions by synthesising large volumes of information, generating and testing multiple solutions, documenting iterations, recommending design decisions and risks, and balancing sustainability, complexity and risk.
• Adapt and continuously improve ways of working by responding constructively to feedback, identifying and resolving team challenges, adapting to organisational and technological change, contributing to best practice, and ensuring feedback results in meaningful and lasting improvement.
• Lead design strategy, governance and standards by defining and supporting strategic direction, shaping policies and business requirements, establishing and evolving design patterns, recommending appropriate tools and methods, and ensuring standards are met.
• Conduct and champion user-centred research and discovery by collaborating with subject matter experts and users to gather and analyse evidence, prioritising and defining approaches to understand user stories, championing accessibility and inclusion, and guiding others in understanding and meeting user needs and preferences.
• Manage constraints and delivery challenges effectively by identifying, communicating and working within constraints, challenging their validity where appropriate, and enabling rapid, flexible delivery through informed decision-making and collaborative prototyping practices.

Success Profiles 

We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Experience

1. Experience of the design process helps you to absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to generate and test designs.
2. Experience of working with user research and other user-centred design practitioners, allows you to make inclusive design decisions that meet the needs of a large range of users.

Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture (Level 3)
• Communicating and Influencing (Level 3)

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here. 

Technical / Professional Skills:  

This role is aligned to Service Designer within the Government Digital and Data Profession.

Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Service Designer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Note that these skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will not be assessed at application stage.

 How to Apply

Apply online, you must provide a CV and a Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the Success Profiles above. Both the CV and the Supporting Statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Supporting Statement on the first Experience criteria. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed.

Please note there may be a telephone interview prior to the final interview stage.

Full details of the interview and assessment process will be shared with shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed.

We aim to provide feedback on request. However, if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment.

Information Session  

We are holding a candidate information session to provide you with information about the application and interview process, as well as further information on the role and team.

The session will be held on Thursday 24th September 2026 at 1pm

We will be talking about:

• The Service Designer role and Service Design team
• About Social Security Scotland
• Our recruitment process
• Q&A with the hiring manager

Please join us using the link below.    

Join The Meeting Now

Expected Timeline (subject to change)

Sift – week commencing 28th September 2026

Interview – week commencing 26th October 2026

Location – In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow

Reserve List

In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.

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 offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find more about us here. 

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer. 

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.   

Working Pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. 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 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee.  If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Equality Statement

Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.  

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. 

Further Information

This role is only available to existing permanent civil servants who have successfully completed their probation period within Social Security Scotland, or the broader Scottish Government.

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot   

Apply before 23:55 on 29th September 2026

Contact Name - Resourcing Team

Contact Email - Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot