Lead Service Designer - EXT

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social, and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

Digital Services (DS) delivers critical digital and technology capabilities for the whole organisation. Our purpose is to enable innovation at speed and scale to keep the ONS at the forefront of providing high quality data and analysis to inform the UK, improve lives and build the future. As a trusted partner, we work collaboratively to identify leading-edge technologies and ways of working to deliver technical and digital solutions that meet the needs of the ONS and wider government.

This campaign is for external candidates who wish to be based at either our Newport or Titchfield site. Therefore, this campaign has been linked with the internal advert 463883 Lead Service Designer. If you are an internal candidate to ONS please apply via the other campaign. The selection and interview process will be combined, so you do not need to apply to both campaigns.

Job description

As a Lead Service Designer, you will play a lead role in articulating the transformational aims of the programme, statistical and operational design and will be committed to continuous improvement and optimization with an emphasis on stakeholder and end user needs. Having a goal of ensuring the service designs of the various components of end-to-end statistical production are brought together to form a consistent design.

A Lead Service Designer is an expert practitioner who influences and mentor’s others.

Role Responsibilities:

• Lead, understand and communicate the big picture while working to assure the overall goal is maintained in the development of the artefacts that high-level design and its application.
• Be responsible for engagement with programmes and projects, promoting the service design approach to ensure that plans / solutions are aligned to our design, key performance measures and are user centred.
• Define scope whilst shaping and challenging business priorities and value through collaboration.
• Bring together the component service blueprints to develop one consistent end-to-end view.
• To be an advocate for end users and ensure their needs are identified in strategic designs.
• Create models demonstrating how products, operations and systems interoperate within the organisation.
• Work with ONS enterprise architecture, data architecture and business analysis colleagues to deliver a holistic view across these disciplines, ensuring consistent processes, standards and working practices are adopted.
• To lead collaborative design activities, recognising that teams have different working styles so you will need to adapt to accommodate.
• Deliver at pace using agile methodologies and principles.
• Actively participate in service design communities to refine and develop standards, working practices, sharing of knowledge, and understanding.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Design Communication (Expert): Recommend design decisions and design strategy to senior leaders. Communicate design strategy across organisational boundaries. Coach others in how to effectively communicate design. Develop or introduce more effective methods of communicating design and working in the open.
• Designing Strategically (Expert): Work with others to promote the adoption of design in the implementation of your organisation’s strategy. Work with leaders to support the inclusion of design in policy, technology and delivery processes early enough to inform effective decision making. Promote use of reuseable Service Architecture across the organisation.
• Evidence Based Design (Expert): Guide the organisation in how to use evidence to improve services. Promote a practice of hypothesis- driven design in a team. Analyse, synthesise and use evidence to improve the way the organisation works. Ensure user insights are shared with and used by the wider organisation or across government. Evidence that design aligns user needs with business aims and benefits.
• Designing Together (Expert): Effectively plan and run design sessions that include senior leaders or stakeholders. Help teams connect and work across organisational boundaries. Coach other designers in how to involve stakeholders of any level in the design process. Develop or introduce more effective ways to design together.
• Community Skill (Expert): Act as a champion for community-led initiatives, supporting their delivery and encouraging broader engagement. Foster engagement and encourage active participation in the community, role modelling collaborative behaviours. Advocate and role model knowledge sharing (for example, mentoring community leads). Work with the Head of Function/Head of Practice/Community Lead to develop the maturity of the community and professional growth of its members, providing leadership, feedback and insight

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Design communication - Expert
• Evidence based design - Expert
• Designing Strategically - Expert
• Designing Together - Expert

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,007, Office for National Statistics contributes £17,384 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

This role is part of the cross-government Government Digital and Data (formerly DDaT) profession framework. As a role within Government Digital and Data (formerly DDaT) at the ONS, we also offer benefits such as:

• Protected Learning Time to spend on your personal development and side-projects.

• A supportive and active Community of Practice which you will be expected to contribute to, helping ensure you and your colleagues get the training, development and opportunities you need to progress your careers.

We are committed to supporting our people’s wellbeing by offering flexible ways of working that support a healthy work life balance. We are happy to explore opportunities with you about working flexibly in line with our hybrid working policies.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

ONS are committed to flexible ways of working that support a healthy work-life balance. ONS has already considered how this job could be right sized for applicants working flexibly and we are happy to explore options with you about working part time, in a job share or flexibly, in line with our hybrid working policies.

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.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk this link,or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records

Applicant Support

Artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini are powerful tools that can create and review text in ways that mimic what people can do. These tools can help you enhance your application and prepare for the process, but it is essential you use them appropriately.

They must also not be used to provide misleading or false information at any stage of the application journey.

It is also important to understand that while AI can help you prepare for an interview, you must not use it to produce responses during an interview.

For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please read A candidate’s guide to artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

A personal statement is required at application stage, it will state the maximum word count allowed 1250 words, which should not be exceeded. Where it is a requirement to make a personal statement, you should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.

We may also reach out to you mid-campaign to confirm eligibility for this role.

Stage 2 – Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.

Interviews may be in person or via Microsoft Teams.

A presentation against the behaviour "Communicating & Influencing" will be required at interview.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

The Sift will be conducted from 10/07/2026

Interviews will be conducted from 23/07/2026

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.

Near Misses

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills.

This role is eligible for the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Capability and Pay Framework. If you are successful at interview, your salary will be directly linked to your capability outcome, as determined by your performance in the Technical section of the interview.

• Capability Outcome: Assessed based on scores achieved during the technical interview.
• Salary Determination: Your starting salary will reflect the capability level assigned.
• Feedback: Full feedback on your capability outcome will be provided at the point of offer.

All successful candidates are required to undertake an annual capability assessment as part of their ongoing employment terms. The outcome of this assessment directly influences individual pay levels:

• Higher Capability Outcome: Results in an increase in pay.
• Lower Capability Outcome: Results in a decrease in pay.

Completion of the assessment is mandatory. Failure to complete the annual capability assessment will result in the individual being transitioned to ONS pay terms and conditions, with a corresponding adjustment to their pay.

If you're already in a GDD Group 1 role and receiving GDD pay, and you make a lateral move (i.e. same grade, different role):

Initial Capability Assessment:

• You’ll be assessed in your new role through the interview process.
• If your proficiency level is lower than your current one, you retain your current level and pay for 6 months.
• If your proficiency level is higher than your current one, you will move to that level of pay.

Development Plan:

• During those 6 months, you’ll work with your line manager to create and follow a development plan to build the required skills.

Reassessment at 6 Months:

• If you reach your previous proficiency level, you keep your current pay.
• If your proficiency is still lower, your pay will decrease to match the new level.
• If your proficiency level is higher, your pay will increase to match the new level.

Starting salary for roles within the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Capability and Pay Framework is determined solely by the capability outcome achieved during the recruitment process.

Please note:

• Existing allowances (scarce skills) will not be taken into account when calculating starting salary.
• This policy applies to all candidates, including existing Civil Servants and ONS colleagues transitioning to the GDD Capability and Pay Framework.

Curious about Government Digital and Data? Dive into the Candidate Pack to learn more

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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.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 : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk
• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.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 recruitment.complaints@ons.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission

Attachments

2721 DDAT Advert 1B Permanent - ONS National v1-00 Opens in new window (pdf, 87kB)1361_ Role Profile_Service Designer Opens in new window (docx, 127kB)