Service Design Lead

Civil Aviation Authority; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK aviation regulatory body is seeking a Lead Service Designer for a 12–18 month FTC. This role entails enhancing services, influencing change, and ensuring user-centered designs across processes. The salary is set between £70,000 to £80,000, dependent on experience. Candidates must have a background in leading design projects and a certification in Service Design. Hybrid work options are also available.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Free onsite gym at Gatwick

28 days annual leave plus additional purchase scheme

Generous pension scheme

Qualifications

• Experience leading user-centered design projects in a public sector.
• Ability to influence stakeholders at various levels.
• Familiarity with Government Digital Service Standards.

Responsibilities

• Ensure services are user-friendly and inclusive.
• Design multi-functional services that align with business objectives.
• Build relationships to influence and drive organizational change.

Skills

User-centered design

Stakeholder engagement

Service Design principles

Analytical skills

Project management

Education

Service Design certification

Relevant degree

Tools

Prototyping tools

Research software

Job description

Lead Service Designer

Salary: £70,000 to £80,000 , dependent on experience.

Contract Type: FTC 12-18months

Security Level: BPSS: For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance. To be vetted you must have the right to work in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken. For more information on BPSS clearance please visit - BPSS clearance

Visa Restrictions: This position does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

Please include a cover letter with your application

We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

The Role

Portfolio Delivery is core to the delivery of projects within the CAA, and we are now focussing on developing a Service Design capability. This will involve working with the Head of Continuous Improvement and Customer Experience to build capability and skills internally, to deliver knowledge and support across the business, and be responsible for key deliverables in one of our top strategic projects.

If you’d like to be a part of this exciting transformation journey read on for more info about this great opportunity where you will be influencing and inspiring change.

Key Accountabilities

• Ensure services are accessible and inclusive, catering to all users, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
• Design and enhance services impacting multiple functions with timescales of over 1 year, ensuring they are user-friendly and aligned with business objectives.
• Leverage research and data to understand user needs, pinpoint potential issues, and implement service improvements.
• Creating seamless user journeys, collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify transformation opportunities and identify key touchpoints where enhancements can be made to deliver optimal experiences.
• Identify and support implementation of changes to working practices and processes, ensuring that any impacts on service delivery are understood and agreed upon by stakeholders and are in alignment with the CAAs strategic objectives.
• Build relationships across the organisation to influence and drive change, both at the department head and operational process levels.
• Ensure that changes to working practices and processes are understood and embedded within our internal project teams, training/upskilling key individuals and building a Service Design framework is also key to ensure the CAA are set up for success moving forward including creation of templates and guidance.
  
  

About You

Essential Minimum Criteria:

You Will Have The Necessary Experience To Be Able To Quickly Build Effective Working Relationships With Our Leadership And Operational Teams. In Addition, You'll Need

• Appropriate certification in Service Design, ideally in a lead role.
• Proven experience leading complex, user-centered design projects in government or the public sector, such as applying iterative design principles and adapting based on user research and feedback.
• Able to deliver measurable improvements to the customer experience
• Confidently develop, mentor and foster a collaborative lean design culture across teams and the organisation.
• Champion user centric design and the role effective service design plays in creating services that meet user needs
• Confidently engage with stakeholders, with the ability to influence at different levels of the business to adopt user-centered design principles
• Familiarity with Government Digital Service Standards including leading Service Design and having a strong understanding of what’s required at each stage during Discovery, Alpha and Beta phases including how Service Design evolves through the journey
• Self-starter with the motivation and tenacity to see projects through to successful implementation.
• Confidently make decisions whilst balancing business needs.
• Able to lead teams through change, managing multiple priorities and deadlines, and confidently manage multiple workstreams against rigorous timelines.
• Ability to map complex services, producing user/customer journeys, personas, and service blueprints to generate actionable insights
• Experienced at rapid prototyping to test, iterate and validate design solutions
  
  

Desirable

• Understanding of major organisational restructuring, including Communications, Stakeholder Management, and Change Management.
• Confidently advise business teams and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on projects, solving or pre-empting problems.
• Knowledge of tools for diagnosing, designing, and implementing change interventions.
• Working knowledge of RPA, AI, and automation software/projects, and supporting process migration projects.
• Background in working within a regulatory environment within the aviation industry.
  
  

What Can We Offer You?

As an employer we are focused on the development of our people, and you will have the opportunity to work alongside creative and collaborative team members who are keen to make a difference to the organisation.

Relocation & Property

The CAA will be relocating from Aviation House (Our Gatwick Office) to new premises in a few years’ time. Our move is driven by strategic, operational and environmental considerations. We will be moving to a new local home, up to a 15-mile radius of Aviation House, to minimise disruption for our valued colleagues and customers. We are now working with colleagues and visitors to understand what we need in our new office, before we start our property search. We will sell Aviation House and land, vacate the site and move to new premises, but we do not expect to move before 2028

Inclusive Recruitment

We are passionate about diversity and ensuring all are included at the CAA. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

As a member of the Disability Confident scheme, applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role with us will be guaranteed an interview. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone. If you require an adjustment for any reason, please let us know.

Working With Us

We are on a journey towards being increasingly adaptable, where our colleagues collaborate as part of cross-functional teams. This approach ensures we never stop learning together. It also means that you may become involved in activities that take you out of your day-to-day role, providing you with opportunities to develop and grow your career with us.

We have embraced hybrid working and offer flexible working patterns, being open to having a conversation about what works for you. We know where and when we work is important in achieving a work-life balance.

We offer a range of excellent benefits such as flexible working arrangements, free onsite gym at Gatwick, discounted gym membership for London, 28 days annual leave, additional 5 days leave purchase scheme, a generous pension scheme and much more!

Our Values

Do The Right Thing, Never Stop Learning, Build Collaborative Relationships, Respect Everyone – For more information please Click Here

Closing Date: 25th Aug 2025

Interview Date: TBC In person Aviation House, Gatwick

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

No recruitment agencies please.

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