Senior Service Designer

The Abbey; Stoke-on-Trent; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Abbey is seeking a Senior Service Designer to lead end-to-end service design workstreams for public sector and transformation programmes. You will shape approaches, artefacts and outcomes to deliver user-centred services that meet client needs while working within multidisciplinary teams.

You will apply GDS standards, facilitate workshops, and mentor junior colleagues. The role emphasizes collaboration, agility, and delivering impactful, accessible digital services across complex stakeholder

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

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, 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

Job description

Key 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, 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

Required Clearance

Active SC (Security Check) Clearance

Career Development & Growth

In addition to project delivery, you will have opportunities to contribute to the wider business through:

• Business Development: Supporting proposals, bids and client presentations
• Contributing to proposition development and solution shaping
• Participating in client-facing events and engagement activities

• Internal Contribution: Supporting recruitment and capability development
• Contributing to thought leadership, whitepapers and innovation initiatives
• Participating in internal communities, events and practice development activities

• Learning & Development: Access to professional training and certifications
• Ongoing career development support
• Opportunities to build expertise across a range of digital, technology and transformation disciplines

Why Join?

• Work on high-profile digital transformation programmes with significant public impact
• Join a collaborative and growing community of service design and digital professionals
• Gain exposure to leading technologies and innovative delivery approaches
• Benefit from a strong culture of learning, knowledge sharing and professional growth
• Access a wide range of technical, consulting and delivery-focused training opportunities
• Participate in regular team events, knowledge-sharing sessions and networking opportunities

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

Job Description

Senior Service Designer

About the OpportunityOur client is a leading transformation and digital consultancy that helps organisations solve complex challenges through the combination of strategy, design, technology, data and innovation.This is an opportunity to join a growing digital and transformation practice, working on large-scale public sector programmes that deliver meaningful outcomes for users. You'll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to design and improve services that are accessible, inclusive and centred around user needs.The RoleAs a Senior Service Designer, you will lead service design workstreams from discovery through to delivery, shaping innovative products and services for public sector organisations. You will take ownership of the design approach, outputs and outcomes, ensuring solutions are practical, user-centred and aligned to organisational objectives.You will work independently within multidisciplinary teams while supporting the growth of

Skills & Experience

• EssentialMinimum 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