SC-Cleared Senior Service Designer – Public Sector

Sanderson Government and Defence; Northern Ireland; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government and Defence is seeking a Senior Service Designer to lead end-to-end service design workstreams for public sector programmes.

You will shape approaches, artefacts and outcomes, mentor junior colleagues, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver user-centred, accessible services in fast-paced environments. Active SC clearance is required. This role offers opportunities to influence policy and transformation across central and local government.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience designing services and products.
• Proven experience leading service design workstreams across multiple projects or clients with minimal supervision.
• Strong expertise in Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and principles, including experience supporting and passing service assessments.
• Experience selecting and tailoring service design methods, approaches and artefacts to suit client requirements and organisational maturity.
• Strong workshop facilitation and design sprint experience.
• Ability to simplify and solve complex problems in fast-paced environments.
• Excellent storytelling and communication skills with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Experience working within agile, cross-functional teams alongside user researchers, UX/UI designers, business analysts, product owners, delivery managers and developers.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work proactively under tight timescales.
• Experience engaging with legal, policy and other specialist teams to drive service and design decisions.
• Flexibility to support activities across wider user-centred design disciplines or project delivery where needed.
• Ability to showcase examples of service design work and demonstrate your design process through artefacts and outcomes.
• Active SC (Security Check) Clearance is required for this role.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end service design activities from ideation through to solution development and testing.
• Define and tailor service design approaches, methods and outputs to meet client needs and levels of design maturity.
• Develop and oversee high-quality service design artefacts, ensuring consistency and impact.
• Apply expertise in Government Digital Service (GDS) standards, accessibility and inclusive design to support successful service assessments.
• Facilitate workshops, co-design sessions and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Communicate complex ideas through clear storytelling and visualisation techniques.
• Manage stakeholders effectively, balancing competing perspectives while advocating for user-centred design.
• Identify and manage priorities, risks, dependencies and delivery requirements.
• Mentor and support junior colleagues, delegating responsibilities where appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of service design tools, methods and propositions by staying current with industry trends and emerging technologies.

Skills

Service design leadership

GDS standards

Workshop facilitation

User-centred design

Agile teams

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Mentoring

Job description

Sanderson Government and Defence is seeking a Senior Service Designer to lead end-to-end service design workstreams for public sector programmes.

You will shape approaches, artefacts and outcomes, mentor junior colleagues, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver user-centred, accessible services in fast-paced environments. Active SC clearance is required. This role offers opportunities to influence policy and transformation across central and local government.