Job Description
This role sits within a major programme to design and deliver a new native app and web app for public services in Scotland. By 2026, the Scottish Government will deliver a pilot of a new app that will be integrated with other digital components, providing a gateway for people to access personalised public services.
We are seeking a skilled and motivated Senior Service Designer during a period of maternity leave who will support teams in the design of end-to-end services across multiple channels, ensuring alignment between user needs, policy intent and technical constraints. You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including product, engineering, policy and delivery to ensure services are user-centred and evidence-based.
This is a critical role to maintain delivery momentum and support the timely launch of the pilot. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape a flagship digital service that will improve how people interact with public services across Scotland.
Responsibilities
- Work in agile teams and help them to manage, evaluate, and visualise outcomes,
prioritise work, define scope and agree a minimum viable product. - Help the team to decide the best processes, delivery method and approach to use. - Create and maintain design documentation.
- Listen to the needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders and interpret them.
- Effectively manage and communicate stakeholder expectations.
- Support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior
stakeholders. - Work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others.
- Create connections that help inform better service design.
- Adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting.
- Use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and resolve
them. - Understand the wider digital ecosystem and guide how these impact in a government
context. - Apply a digital understanding to your work.
- Design services that are inclusive of a diverse range of users.
- Design systems for use across multiple services and identify the simplest of a variety
of approaches. - Identify how evidence will inform iterations for testing.
- Build consensus between services or independent stakeholders.
- Provide varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and
ensuring the discussion and decision stick. - Bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment
for a team to work in. - Facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation.
- Make decisions with medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions
as risk and complexity increase. - Build consensus between services or independent stakeholders.
- Lead others to make good design decisions.
- Apply different risk methodologies in proportion to risks.
- Apply a variety of prototyping methods.
- Share best practice and coach others.
- Look at strategic service design in the full.
- Lead the design and implementation of strategy, directing the evaluation of strategies
and policies to ensure business requirements are being met. - Give direction on which tools or methods to use.
- Define how the needs of users will be met across a variety of channels.
- Provide insight and expertise to continually improve and measure the design to keep
up with changing user needs and ensure they’re met by the business. - Apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user.
- Identify, communicate and work within constraints.
- Challenge the validity of constraints.
- Ensure standards are being met.
Working pattern
This role is a permanent level transfer position.
How to Apply
Applications for this position will only be accepted from substantive B3 employees.
Please submit a statement outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team (maximum 500 words).
Selection Process
All candidates will be invited to an informal discussion with the Hiring Manager.
Informal discussion dates tbc.
Please be advised this vacancy is open only to Priority Movers.
Further Information
If you have specific questions about the role, please contact digitialcareers@gov.scot
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
