HM Revenue & Customs
Senior Service Designer
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Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester - Three New Bailey, Stratford.
Please note that due to workforce controls, posts in Stratford are only available to existing HMRC staff already based in this location. HMRC staff based in Reading can also apply to move to Stratford in line with Migration path. HMRC staff based in 100PS can also apply to move to Stratford
Job Summary
At HMRC, we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who works for us, and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make an exciting career at HMRC accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we encourage applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.
Job Description
HMRC is looking for a Senior Service Designer who is passionate about User Centred Design to support the work of our Policy Lab team. HMRC Policy Lab puts users at the heart of policy design, helping to bridge the gap between policy and digital delivery.
HMRC’s services are complex, you need to enjoy tricky problems, how design can influence policy making, and thinking about how services and policies will interact. With complex services we have a complex user base – millions of people have to use these services, which means a range of different needs and outcomes.
We want people who are curious about who will use a service, how they will interact with it and how something can be improved, testing those improvements through their design work.
Alongside working on a policy or service problem you’ll be a member of a developing service design community; the community provides a safe space to test out design ideas and offer support to other service designers to attain the best possible outcomes.
If this sounds like the sort of thing which excites you, this is the job for you. Watch this video, where we talk about what HMRC Policy Lab does and how the work we do helps create better services.
Further Information
If you want to know more, we will be running an interactive webinar event, we'll chat to you about what we do and give you a chance to ask us any questions before you apply – see more details below.
Candidate Information Session - Senior Service Designer - Monday 13th July 2026 12pm - 1pm – Fill in form
Person specification
Responsibilities
As a senior service designer, you will:
- Provide service design expertise across complex services and policies to help shape policy decisions.
- Develop an understanding of policy intent and design user-centred services that meet user needs and fulfil business outcomes.
- Use and promote best practice and standards to design usable and inclusive services consistent with the rest of government and HMRC.
- Analyse pain points and failure points within services and create recommendations to address any issues identified.
- Map current service journeys and design service blueprints for new and/or improved services or processes across multiple channels.
- Effectively communicate complex information and ideas using sketches, scenarios, diagrams, maps, prototypes, and written narratives for multiple audiences.
- Build collaborative relationships within teams and with senior stakeholders across the organisation.
- Effectively use facilitation skills with teams and stakeholders to build a shared understanding of problems to be solved, work through challenges and enable design-led decision making.
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You Will Also Be Expected To
- Line manage, coach and mentor Service Designers - providing them with guidance, support, constructive feedback and design direction.
- Lead peer review sessions with other profession members to ensure service design standards are upheld across the organisation.
- Actively participate in the HMRC and cross-government design communities by leading community sessions and supporting initiatives.
- Seek out opportunities for learning and improvement by getting feedback from your colleagues and the business.
Essential Criteria
You will already have considerable experience and understanding of:
- Designing large or complex services that meet user needs and organisational outcomes, across all channels.
- Using user research and data to understand user needs, identify and understand problems, inform design decisions and influence stakeholders.
- Clearly and effectively communicating complex information and ideas, using things like sketches, user journeys, diagrams, maps, prototypes, and written narratives.
- Planning and facilitating workshops with senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries, end users and/or internal users.
- Engaging and collaborating with teams and stakeholders in a variety of ways to build a shared understanding of problems to be solved, work through challenges and facilitate design-led decision-making.
- Experience of leading, managing, coaching or mentoring people.
Additional Information
Leeds Locations
Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Evidence-based design
- Designing strategically
- Design communication
- Leading design
Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 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).
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
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.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
How To Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history qualifications and key achievements reflecting the key responsibilities of the role. Provide employer details and dates of employment. Include instances from your career to support how you meet the key responsibilities.
- A 1000-word Personal Statement - Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience reflect the essential criteria of the role, providing specific examples from your career.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be carried out on your CV to assess your experience.
At full sift, your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
The interview will be 1 hour in length and will be held by a 3-person panel. You will be asked 1 question per technical skill as listed below, and at least 1 experience questions to assess your suitability against the criteria of the role, outlined in the job description.
- Evidence-based design
- Designing strategically
- Design communication
- Leading design
https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/service-designer
As part of the interview, you will also be asked to deliver a ten-minute presentation. This will be a scenario-based question that demonstrates one of the technical skills listed above. Further details of this will be shared at a later stage, prior to the interview.
Interviews will take place via video link.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met. If this applies, we will contact you directly.
The HMRC app can help you with your application
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If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.
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