About the job

Job summary

Are you someone who enjoys putting users’ needs at the heart of your work?

Are you someone who enjoys shaping strategy and translating policy into true end-to-end services?

Would you enjoy working with the service design community to make ongoing improvements across DWP?

If so this role may be perfect for you.

We are looking for a Lead Service Designer to work in our Fraud and Error team.  

Our Fraud and Error team is integral to the department. You will be at the heart of a team that is integral to the efforts to reduce fraud and error in the benefit system.

Services and tools for citizens today are provided by lots of different organisations, making it hard for people to navigate when they need help. And although individual services might be meeting the needs for their part of a wider journey, overall needs are often unmet, this would be where your skills and experience could come in.

Job description

A Lead Service Designer is an expert practitioner, with experience of large-scale and complex projects.

You will ensure the quality-of-service design across teams and its alignment to departmental goals. Using research, data and other evidence, you will translate user needs into whole services (including non-digital parts).

As Lead Service Designer you will work closely with several multi-disciplinary teams, including with product managers, programme directors and other senior stakeholders, to help ensure that we meet the Government service standard – including that our services solve whole problems for users and provide a joined-up experience across all channels.

This will include supporting existing teams with their visions and work, contributing to wider departmental target operating models, and leading on the design and strategy for the far future of our end-to-end services, ensuring that users’ needs are at the heart of all our work.

Our Lead Service Designers are an advocate for best practice in service design, lead on cross-government design projects and keep up to date with industry changes. They help to shape service design career paths and may manage senior service designers.

You will collaborate with several teams and colleagues to create End to end services that support our citizens and meet departmental goals.

Person specification

The essential criteria for this role are:

• Have Significant experience of service design in practice.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to develop end-to-end services (including non-digital parts), that meet citizens’ needs, colleague needs and department objectives.
• Provide leadership at program level to understand citizens’ behaviour and use evidence to help support strategy decisions.
• Assist the development of the service design community within the department and across the government.
• Ensure that the design of services are consistent, both internally and with wider Government principles, across multiple projects.
• Lead on the creation and maintenance of a positive and collaborative working environment.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact felicity.smith@dwp.gov.uk.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Salary Information

Pay for this role is from £69,869 to £77,740.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.

Hybrid Working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home.  This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.

3. Personal statement up to 1250 words. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with the Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview

If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.

You will be asked to do a 10-minute presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview. 

Interviews will take place from Mid-January onwards.

Sift and Interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit page

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.