Department for Education
Service Designer
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Coventry, West Midlands (England), CV1 2WT : Manchester, North West England, M1 2WD : Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, S1 2FJ
Job Summary
As a service designer you'll create and improve services so they work well for users and meet business goals. Your job is to look at the whole journey a user takes when using a service and make sure every part of that journey is designed to work smoothly.
Service designers work closely with different teams, including users, business analysts, developers, and other designers. You will use research and data to understand what users need, where things might be going wrong, and how to make services better.
You will often create maps of the user's journey to identify key points where improvements can be made.
A big part of the role is ensuring that services are accessible and inclusive, so they work for everyone, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
As a service designer, you will combine creativity with practical problem-solving, working closely with others to improve services continuously.
If you are successful, you will be working as a part of a user-centred design unit, responding to demand across a broad portfolio of work within the Department for Education’s Enterprise Delivery Services division. The division develops and maintains the core platforms and technology that underpins and integrates with DfE's digital services. This includes AI product development, identity management and API management platforms, Eligibility Checking and Customer Relationship Management services. The division also develops and maintain cloud computing environments, networks and on-premises infrastructure.
IMPORTANT - This vacancy is using the Civil Service Numerical and Verbal tests. The deadline for completing the tests is the same as the vacancy closing date. Please ensure you complete the tests with sufficient time to complete the written application.
Job Description
As a service designer you will:
- Lead the iterative design of user-centred services, adapting based on user feedback, data, and requirements.
- Use both qualitative and quantitative data to inform your design decisions, ensuring services meet user needs and department requirements.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, contributing to shared visions, goals, and outcomes.
- Communicate design concepts clearly to stakeholders, using storytelling and evidence to influence decision-making.
- Support the implementation of service design strategies that align with broader department objectives.
- Ensure products are accessible and designed inclusively, meeting the diverse needs of all users, in line with government and department standards.
As a Service Designer You Will
- Lead the iterative design of user-centred services, adapting based on user feedback, data, and requirements.
- Use both qualitative and quantitative data to inform your design decisions, ensuring services meet user needs and department requirements.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, contributing to shared visions, goals, and outcomes.
- Communicate design concepts clearly to stakeholders, using storytelling and evidence to influence decision-making.
- Support the implementation of service design strategies that align with broader department objectives.
- Ensure products are accessible and designed inclusively, meeting the diverse needs of all users, in line with government and department standards.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Applications will be assessed against the following essential criteria:
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- Proven experience leading user-centred design initiatives, applying iterative design principles, and using user research to drive continuous improvement, including mapping services and user journeys.
- Ability to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data, including user behaviour and service performance insights, to inform and iterate on service design decisions.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex design ideas, influence stakeholders through storytelling and evidence-based insights.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary teams, incorporating diverse perspectives, and ensuring designs are inclusive and meet accessibility standards.
Desirable Criteria
The following criteria are desirable. Applicants’ evidence against these criteria will be used in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision:
- Experience of working with advanced iterative methodologies such as Lean UX.
- Proficiency in advanced data analysis tools and techniques to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement.
- Expertise in facilitating co-design workshops with diverse stakeholders and enabling effective collaboration across large or complex organisations.
- Advanced understanding of inclusive design principles, with experience of working in projects that prioritise accessibility and cater to the diverse needs of users.
Alongside your salary of £44,305, Department for Education contributes £12,835 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).
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
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
Stage 1: Civil Service Numerical Test (CSNT)
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When you have completed your personal information, you will be asked to complete the CSNT. You must achieve the minimum pass mark to progress to the next stage.
Stage 2: Civil Service Verbal Test (CSVT)
When you have completed the CSNT, you will be asked to complete the CSVT. You must achieve the minimum pass mark to progress to the next stage.
Stage 3: Written Application
At application you will be asked to provide your CV and a statement of suitability. Both should be anonymised (all personal information removed, such as your name, date of birth, gender, contact information, nationality etc).
Your CV should include details of previous roles held and responsibilities / previous skills and experience. Your statement of suitability (max 1000 words) should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above.
Stage 4: Sift
We reserve the right to increase the minimum pass mark for the CSNT and CSVT where there is a high volume of applications or a particularly strong field of candidates. Where this occurs, candidates who do not meet the revised pass mark will not progress further, and their written application will not be assessed.
Your CV and statement will be assessed together against the listed essential criteria.
Stage 5: Interview:
Those successful at sift will be invited to attend an hour long interview, made up of two parts:
Part 1 – 10 minutes - presentation You will be asked to prepare and present a piece of service design work you have done and be prepared to answer some questions from the panel.
Part 2 – Questions At interview we will ask questions to further assess your experience in relation to the listed essential criteria. You will get these questions the day before the interview. The presentation and questions together will be used to assess your experience against the essential (and in the case of a tie, the desirable) criteria.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Timing
We expect to sift in week commencing 12 October 2026.
Interviews will likely take place in the week commencing 2 November 2026.
Interviews will be on MS teams, which may be remote or from a DfE office - we will confirm which when you are invited to an interview.
Once a provisional offer has been made, you will be invited to participate in a capability assessment to determine the value of the CBP allowance we can offer you. The assessment compares your skills against the Senior Service Designer role described in DfE’s local Service Design Capability Framework, which is based on the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.
Subject to your availability, we will aim to conduct the capability assessment and confirm the allowance offer to you within a week of the provisional offer being made.
This is a discretionary non-consolidated, non-pensionable allowance which, if awarded, is attached to the post. The value of the allowance is based on the outcome of a capability assessment and is reviewed annually. Allowance values range up to £13,000, with the highest values reserved for candidates whose capability is above the expected level for all of the skills.
Important Information
If you fail to complete the tests before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn. Guidance will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are untimed, administered via Civil Service Jobs, and applicant guidance is available during the test and online
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