Senior Service Designer

Job summary

The Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) directorate has recently been established in UKEF, drawing together the expertise in digital currently within the organisation to provide representation of digital services, user centred design, analytics and technology at the highest levels. The areas with the directorate work closely with all areas of the business such as the Business Group, Operations and Strategy and Policy.

Job description

UKEF is committed to be a more customer-centric organisation, making it easier for customers to deal with us, offering improved response times, quicker decision-making and improved case-processing. To enable this, UKEF is committed to using digital as a primary means for managing relationships with a wider range of stakeholders. Focusing on developing end-to-end services that meet user need and enable business outcomes, this is an exciting new role showing the growth and drive of UKEFs digital ambition.

This role will design services for UKEF that meet users’ needs and the Service Standard. They’ll work with multi-disciplinary teams to improve and design new or existing services, researching with both internal and external users taking into consideration the service design from a digital and non-digital perspective.

A service designer will lead on the design for user centred services, based on evidence of user needs and organisational outcomes. You will:

• work with multi-disciplinary teams to produce and develop design concepts, re-using common component design patterns from across government where appropriate.

• implement design concepts into practical working prototypes to test with users.

• set direction and embed good practice within teams for products and services they are working on.

• lead on accessibility, user centred design and assisted digital for projects and services.

• assure the quality of research and design delivery across teams for multiple or highly complex services.

• be able to interpret evidence-based research and incorporate this into your work.

• represent research and design for UKEF at cross-government and internal assessments against the Service Standard.

• work with Service Owners, Product Managers, User Researchers, Business Analysts and Developers as part of a multi-disciplinary team

• have responsibility for design across complex services, ensuring services are outcome based and delivering against user needs

• lead on the development of design concepts for services, leveraging common component design patterns from across government, iterating based on research and insights

• provide expertise to the team in accessibility requirements and inclusive design

• help set direction and embed good practice within teams

• make important decisions based on research and understand how this research impacts others

• Build relationships with teams across the group and profession boundaries, working collaboratively and facilitating cross-team outcomes and understanding
• Embody inclusive leadership, advocating for user-centred design, line managing others and supporting the development of practice within the division and department

This list is not exhaustive; you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business need.

Person specification

Essential

Knowledge

• Evidence- and context-based design. You can analyse, synthesise and clearly explain complex evidence relevant to users or a service, for example, large data sets. You can help your team use design hypotheses effectively. You can use complex research and data to develop and test design ideas. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (A)

• Designing strategically. You can help a team understand how user-centred design helps it meet its goals. You can help teams align their work to the goals and vision of their organisation. You can use risks, opportunities and constraints in technology, systems and policy to shape design. You can identify and create new design patterns and components. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (A&P)

• User focus. You know how to give direction on which tools or methods to use. You are experienced in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You can bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business. You know how to apply strategic thinking in how to provide the best service for the end user. (Relevant skill level: expert) (A)

Skills/Ability

• Communication skills. You can clearly explain complex problems and ideas to teams or stakeholders outside of design. You can clearly document and communicate design decisions, related risks and any unresolved issues. You can build consensus around a design approach, for example, by asking difficult questions and challenging assumptions. (Relevant skill level: expert) (I&P)

• Iterative design. You can help other designers apply iterative design principles and agile methodologies to their work. You can iterate and improve complex designs based on successive rounds of research. You can independently prototype complex ideas at an appropriate fidelity. You can adapt designs quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (I)

Experience

• Agile working. You know how to coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You are able to act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (I)

• Digital Perspective. You know about the wider digital economy and advances in technology; you understand how these impact on a government context. You can make decisions that set the standards for others to follow. You understand working using agile methodology at an organisational level. You know how to create an environment for success. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (A)

• Facilitating decisions and risks. You can make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity. You know how to build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders. You can be trusted by senior risk owners as an expert in security. You can apply risk methodologies at the most complex levels of risk and guide others in applying risk methodologies in proportion to the risk in question. (Relevant skill level: working) (A)

• Leadership and guidance. You can change organisational structures to fixable and sustainable designs. You know how to lead on the strategy for the whole organisation, marrying business needs with innovative analysis. You can make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity. You know how to build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) (I&P)

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• There will be 10-minutes allocated for a presentation followed by a Q&A based on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance, the details of this will be provided to the relevant candidates.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,250, UK Export Finance contributes £17,744 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification.

• Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 750 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack. Your statement of suitability will also be assessed against how your knowledge, skills and experience meet those required within the Senior Service Designer Framework

For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:

1. Experience - Application and Statement of Suitability

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview, via MS Teams; this will include the following assessment:

1. Behaviours/Experience- a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all four behaviours and the line management standard highlighted in Appendix 1.
2. Technical - There will be 10-minutes allocated for a presentation followed by a Q&A based on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance, the details of this will be provided to the relevant candidates.

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 : UKEF Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Further information

Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk and include “Complaint” in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF’s investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission - http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint.

Attachments

Information Pack - Senior Service Designer - April 26 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 3646kB)