Lead Service Designer

Job summary

• Can you lead the design of end-to-end services that seamlessly support user needs and deliver clear policy outcomes?
• Do you have experience influencing stakeholders and mentoring others to strengthen service design capability across teams?
• Can you collaborate across disciplines to create inclusive, user-centred services spanning both digital and offline channels?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

This role sits within the Government Digital and Data (GDD) profession, a cross-government community focused on delivering high-quality, user-centred services. The team works collaboratively across disciplines to design and improve end-to-end services that enable users to achieve their goals while supporting the delivery of government policy outcomes. The team champions inclusion, recognition, continuous learning and professional growth. You will influence design practice, mentor colleagues and help build capability across the organisation. The department values collaboration, innovation and evidence-based decision making, ensuring services meet user needs and policy intent. This is an opportunity to contribute to meaningful public services while strengthening a thriving and inclusive design community aligned to Civil Service values.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DVLA: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

In this role you will be leading complex, end-to-end services across digital and offline channels, taking ownership from development through to continuous improvement. You will set direction and assure high-quality design delivery, while inspiring and supporting teams to innovate and grow. Working closely with service owners and programme leaders, you will shape strategy and delivery, champion user needs, use insights to drive improvements, define user journeys, manage contracts, and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience across all channels.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

1. Set direction and assure the quality of design delivery across teams. Lead, support and inspire your team, creating a strong team culture where colleagues can develop and be creative.
2. Championing user needs throughout the organisation and working with other heads of product to ensure user needs are met. Monitor and improving the performance of their service via management information, customer feedback.
3. Make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity. Apply risk methodologies at the most complex levels of risk and guide others in applying risk methodologies in proportion to the risk.
4. Act as an advocate for the digital transformation of services both within and outside of DVLA in line with government digital strategy, supporting all of government to share good practice and learning within and outside government.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile.Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

You’ll be a big picture thinker with future vision and the ability to lead. You will ensure your team and wider stakeholders are also fully engaged with this vision.

The successful candidate will be a confident and passionate professional who has successfully led a service focussed business though change.

The role requires a future focussed mindset, able to make effective decisions and balance long and short-term priorities to implement business, process, people and customer strategies.

You will be a credible influencer at all levels and an authentic leader who creates an open and dynamic working environment which encourages others to develop. You’ll promote a culture of innovation; where shared vision, collaboration and learning from mistakes enables continuous improvement.

You’ll be a calculated risk taker with high levels of resilience, drive and determination to achieve goals.

We welcome applications from candidates who can speak Welsh and English. Welsh language skills could be useful in this role, but it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t put you at any disadvantage during recruitment if you aren’t a Welsh speaker. Please note that the application and assessment process will be held in English.

Candidates should have a professional qualification from NNGroup at UX Certification or willingness to work toward this if successful.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 20 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Designing for everyone (Expert)
• Designing strategically (Practitioner)
• Evidence-based design (Expert)
• Leading design (Practitioner)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,515, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1:Sift of CV and Personal Statement

Stage 2: Interview and Presentation

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1:Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and Personal Statement (1000 wordcount). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
  1. Working with service managers and programme directors to develop design concepts.
  2. Setting direction and assuring the quality of design delivery across teams.
  3. Leading multiple or highly complex services.

The sift will take place week commencing 20th July 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviour – Seeing the Big Picture
• Experience
• Technical - GDD Profession Capability Framework – Lead service designer: designing for everyone (Expert), designing strategically (Practitioner), evidence-based design (Expert) and leading design (Practitioner)

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the technical skill; Designing for Everyone. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing 3rd August 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at our Swansea office (DVLA, Longview Road, Morriston, Swansea, SA6 7JL). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however there may be occasions where these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : OCSD Recruitment
• Email : OCSDRecruitment@dvla.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

Role Profile (6) Opens in new window (pdf, 374kB)Role Profile CY Opens in new window (doc, 202kB)