NHS AfC:
Band 6Contract Permanent Hours
1. Full time
2. Flexible working
37.5 hours per week Job ref 914-BSA48780321-A Site Stella House Town Newcastle Upon Tyne Salary £38,682 - £46,580 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 08/12/2025 23:59
Job overview
As a service designer, you will design the end-to-end journey of a service. You will help users complete their goals and government deliver a policy intent. Your work will involve the creation of, or change to, transactions, products and content across both digital and offline channels provided by different parts of government.
You will work independently to develop designs based on evidence of user needs and organizational outcomes and will mentor junior designers and researchers.
What do we offer?
3. 27 days leave (increasing with length of service) plus 8 bank holidays
4. Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours)
5. Flexi time
6. Hybrid working model
7. Career development
8. Active wellbeing and inclusion networks
9. Excellent pension
10. NHS Car lease scheme
11. Access to a wide range of benefits and high street discounts!
Main duties of the job
12. You work in an agile way and have an awareness of agile tools and how to use them.
13. You listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders and interpret them clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences.
14. You work collaboratively within a group, actively networking with others and varying feedback for the appropriate time to ensure the discussion sticks - both internally and across other government agencies.
15. You are responsive to changes in technology that may impact designs, adapting your approach accordingly.
16. Evidence - and context-based design - you absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to produce simple designs to meet user needs.
17. You identify, communicate, and work within constraints, such as policy or legislation, recognising options that will help balance user need and expectation.
18. You contribute to best-practice guidelines around user-centred design and agile ways of working.
19. You have knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript prototypes, as well as Government and other design systems.
20. You approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others for feedback.
21. You recognise and define the design and implementation of strategy, provide guidance for the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible.
22. You collaborate with user researchers and represent users internally.
Working for our organisation
Here at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), what we do matters.
We manage the NHS Pension scheme, process prescription payments and much more. Our services are used by NHS organisations, contractors and the public: we’re proud to be part of something meaningful, that touches millions of lives.
We design our services around customer needs and place people at the heart of our organisation. That’s why when you join us, you’ll be empowered and supported to help your career grow.
As one of the UK’s Best Big Companies to work for, we’re connected to our values: Collaborative, Adventurous, Reliable and Energetic. We care about our people, our purpose, and your progress.
We strive to offer a fantastic colleague experience, where every colleague is heard, supported and respected. Wellbeing, diversity and inclusion is at the centre of this, and you can join our Lived Experience Networks who help us bring our authentic selves to work.
We’re committed to being a flexible employer and we try to offer a working pattern that suits you where possible, through hybrid working, flexible hours and more.
Alongside a competitive salary with pay progression, we offer a people-centric benefits package, connecting you to the rewards and benefits you value most!
Ready to join us in delivering business service excellence to the NHS, helping people live longer, healthier lives? Apply today and see where the NHSBSA can take you.
We are people connected to care.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
In this role, you are accountable for:
23. Working in an Agile way - you work in an agile way and have an awareness of agile tools and how to use them. You advise colleagues on how and why agile methods are used and provide a clear, open, and transparent framework in which teams can deliver. You adapt and reflect and are resilient to challenges. You see outside of the design process.
24. Communicating with others - you listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders and interpret them clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences. You build positive relationships within the team and with stakeholders and influence expectations. You are flexible and communicate both proactively and reactively. You facilitate difficult discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with diverse senior stakeholders and potentially difficult dynamics where the audience may not be familiar with user-centred design.
25. Community collaboration - you work collaboratively within a group, actively networking with others and varying feedback for the appropriate time to ensure the discussion sticks - both internally and across other government agencies. You use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them. You proactively pull out issues about design and research through agile health checks to provoke the best responses.
26. Digital perspective - you are responsive to changes in technology that may impact designs, adapting your approach accordingly. You make decisions to meet user needs in the government context. You understand the importance of assisted digital, design, and making decisions to meet users' needs and organisational outcomes.
27. Evidence - and context-based design - you absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to produce simple designs to meet user needs.
28. Experience of working within constraints – you identify, communicate, and work within constraints, such as policy or legislation, recognising options that will help balance user need and expectation. You help prioritise and challenge constraints and adapt your approach depending on the scenario. You ensure design standards are being met.
29. Leadership and guidance - you contribute to best-practice guidelines around user-centred design and agile ways of working. You understand the sustainability and consequences of your design decisions and make design decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity. You resolve technical design disputes between wider peers and indirect stakeholders, considering all views and opinions. You understand the importance of team dynamics and collaboration for good user-centred design, and can receive and deliver feedback appropriately.
30. Prototyping in code - you have knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript prototypes, as well as Government and other design systems. You understand coding for different screen sizes and accessibility needs.
31. Prototyping - you approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others for feedback. You establish the best designs that work across all touchpoints and channels including offline, conveying service blueprints and service mapping to your colleagues and stakeholders. You are able to balance strategy and user need and approach service design strategy from end to end.
32. Strategic thinking - You recognise and define the design and implementation of strategy, provide guidance for the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible. You work within a strategic context and communicate to your team how activities will help meet strategic goals. You understand the development of strategy and policies within a design context at the NHS Business Services Authority, and keep abreast of wider best practice across government. You advocate for user-centred design.
33. User focus - you collaborate with user researchers and represent users internally. You understand the difference between user needs, the desires of the user and balance these with organisational strategy. You give direction on which tools or methods to use. You demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they are met by the business. You apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user whilst aligning to organisational goals.
In addition to the above accountabilities, as post holder you are expected to:
34. Undertake additional duties and responsibilities in line with the overall purpose of your role.
35. Demonstrate NHSBSA (NHS Business Services Authority) values and Core Capabilities in all aspects of your work.
36. Promote and foster your own and colleagues’ safety and well-being.
37. Contribute to a culture that values diversity and inclusion.
38. Comply with NHSBSA policies, procedures, and protocols as they apply to your role.
Working relationships
Responsible to: Digital Team Manager, Professional Lead for Design and Digital Delivery Manager
Key relationships and connections:
39. Other Designers
40. Solution Designers
41. Testers
42. Developers
43. Change Team
44. Internal and external clients and customers
45. Internal and external Stakeholders
46. Delivery Managers
47. Professional Lead Design
48. Head of User Centred Design
Person specification
Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
49. Excellent communication skills to listen and respond to the needs of a range of audiences and interpret them clearly for both audiences.
50. Both proactive and reactive in communication. Able to engage in various feedback types, choosing the right style at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick.
51. Able to cope in complex environments, prioritise effectively and identify and work within constraints.
52. Able to apply best practices, deal with challenging situations and adopt a flexible approach to work and working hours.
53. Ability to wireframe, blueprint, and visualise data to play back to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.
54. Knowledge of interaction and content design, with an ability to demonstrate knowledge of user-centred service design outcomes.
55. Knowledge of and passion for user-centred design practices for both public-facing and internal services and applications.
56. Knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines and how to apply these standards to your work and others work.
57. Knowledge and appreciation of User Research.
Desirable criteria
58. Knowledge of standards such as NHS Service Standard, GDS Service Standard, ISO.
59. Familiar with frequently adopted design frameworks such as NHS design system, GOV.UK design system, BBC’s Global Experience Language (GEL). Experience with design patterns and their iteration.
60. Proven ability to transfer and develop skills and knowledge into new areas at short notice.
61. Knowledge and experience of HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript.
Experience
Essential criteria
62. Proven experience working as a designer supporting a product team and working with users and stakeholders to develop design concepts.
63. Experience in providing service design advice, embedding good practice, and making important decisions based on research to improve products and services.
64. Proven industry experience of applying design knowledge in service design and applying that to real-world applications.
65. Experience in designing user interfaces. Able to demonstrate service design skills and fulfil user needs in your designs.
66. Able to demonstrate your process in designing and building new digital services or improving existing ones.
67. Experience in working effectively with cross-disciplinary teams and ensuring that making design decisions is based on design knowledge, user research and knowing the user journey.
68. Experienced in creating concepts to explore potential solutions and meet requirements.
69. Experience in making complex things simple for users by distilling complex data and information into understandable and straightforward forms.
70. Experienced in identify and implement solutions for assisted digital.
71. Experience of improving services, considering multiple touchpoints and channels including digital, paper, and assisted digital routes.
72. Experience of aligning service designs with organisational and business strategy.
Desirable criteria
73. Experience in working in an agile/lean development process.
74. Experience in designing for users with low digital skills and/or designing for users with physical and cognitive impairments.
75. Experience in design using GDS standards.
76. Experience developing new functionality and services within an online or business.
77. Able to demonstrate strategic thinking and provide design consulting and leadership.
78. Experience working with communities of practice - leading discussions and fostering a culture of learning.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
79. Professionally qualified to degree level or equivalent professional experience or willingness to work towards.
80. Evidence of continuous professional development.
Desirable criteria
81. Working towards a recognised design qualification, for example in Service Design, Interaction Design, Design, Human-Centred Design, Ergonomics, etc. or Design Management or Management (e.g., MBA, Postgraduate certificate in Management).
The NHSBSA is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, which is a great place to work and truly reflects the diversity of our customers. We welcome applications from talented people of diverse characteristics including age, disability, gender identity and expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any marginalised group. We also welcome applications from all those in the Armed Forces Community.
At the NHSBSA we pride ourselves on being a Disability Confident Leader, Stonewall Top 100 employer and we’ve recently been awarded the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion Gold Standard benchmark.
We offer an invitation to the first stage of the selection process for people with disabilities that wish to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme, and for members of the Armed Forces Community, where all of the essential criteria in the person specification are met.
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