Service Designer

Hard Problems; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

LGPS

Flexible working

Season ticket loan

Gym discounts

Job summary

Lewisham Council in London is seeking a Service Designer to lead user-centred design and improvements across council services. You would work on a range of service improvement and transformation projects, sitting within a multidisciplinary team.

The role is based primarily at Laurence House, Catford, London, SE6 4RU, with a hybrid working arrangement requiring regular time both in the office and at home. The role requires proven experience in service discovery and redesign, strong design

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading complex service discovery and redesign, influencing decisions and delivering practical service improvements.
• Skilled in conducting design research, collecting and analysing evidence, and using findings to develop and test service journeys or prototypes with residents, staff and other users.
• Strong facilitation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to apply systems thinking to understand how different services, processes and systems interact.
• Ability to make sense of operational and technical complexity, explain risks and trade-offs, and work with multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• Commitment to accessible, inclusive services.
• Experience in local government or another complex service environment is welcome; candidates available to start immediately or at short notice are particularly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Lead defined areas of service discovery and redesign across council services and transformation programmes.
• Plan and conduct design research, gather and analyse evidence, and map end-to-end journeys and processes across different channels.
• Work with colleagues to identify opportunities, simplify services, and develop and test improvements with clear measures of success.
• Consider how people, processes, data, technology and channels of access work together.
• Help teams understand complex problems, assess options and develop practical improvements.
• Create clear design artefacts and recommendations to support senior decision-making.
• Provide professional guidance to colleagues and help strengthen service design practice across the Council.

Skills

Service design

Design research

Facilitation

Systems thinking

Accessible design

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Service Design

Job description

Lewisham Council is a London borough council providing a wide range of public services to residents across the borough. It is recognised as the UK's first Borough of Sanctuary for its work championing the rights of refugees and migrants. The Council operates a multidisciplinary team bringing together service design, data science, insight and performance.

The role

The Service Designer leads user-centred design and improvement of complex, end-to-end services across Lewisham Council. You would work on a range of service improvement and transformation projects, sitting within a multidisciplinary team. The role is based primarily at Laurence House, Catford, London, SE6 4RU, with a hybrid working arrangement requiring regular time both in the office and at home.

What you would do

• Lead defined areas of service discovery and redesign across council services and transformation programmes.
• Plan and conduct design research, gather and analyse evidence, and map end-to-end journeys and processes across different channels.
• Work with colleagues to identify opportunities, simplify services, and develop and test improvements with clear measures of success.
• Consider how people, processes, data, technology and channels of access work together.
• Help teams understand complex problems, assess options and develop practical improvements.
• Create clear design artefacts and recommendations to support senior decision-making.
• Provide professional guidance to colleagues and help strengthen service design practice across the Council.

What they are looking for

• Proven track record of leading complex service discovery and redesign, influencing decisions and delivering practical service improvements.
• Skilled in conducting design research, collecting and analysing evidence, and using findings to develop and test service journeys or prototypes with residents, staff and other users.
• Strong facilitation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to apply systems thinking to understand how different services, processes and systems interact.
• Ability to make sense of operational and technical complexity, explain risks and trade-offs, and work with multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• Commitment to accessible, inclusive services.
• Degree-level qualification in Service Design or a closely related field (Human-Centred Design, User Experience Design, Design Management), or equivalent substantial experience.
• Experience in local government or another complex service environment is welcome; candidates available to start immediately or at short notice are particularly encouraged to apply.

Working arrangements

The role is primarily based at Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, London, SE6 4RU. A hybrid approach is in place, requiring regular work both in the office and from home. The position is full time at 35 hours per week and is a permanent contract.

Pay and benefits

The salary is £57,180 – £59,394 per annum (PO5). All appointments are offered at the minimum spinal column point for the grade, with the exception of salary matching (up to the scale maximum, subject to evidential proof).

Benefits include

• a generous holiday allowance
• Local Government Pension scheme
• flexible working and family-friendly policies
• season ticket and bicycle loans
• staff discounts including subsidised gym memberships
• supportive staff networks