Total remuneration: £90,463-103,401 – Please note this is a defined pay scale Pay Supplement: The base salary for this role is £77,986-£89,139. This job qualifies for a 16% Digital, Data and Technology Annual Pay Supplement, which is included in the total remuneration above. Pension: 28.97% of base salary (RoS contribution) Annual leave: 42 days annual holiday Duration: Permanent Working Pattern: 35 hours per week. We are a flexible employer and will consider a variety of working patterns on a case-by-case basis. For example, compressed hours, term-time working or part-time working. Location: Hybrid working model. Contractual base either at Meadowbank House, Edinburgh (EH8 7AU), or St Vincent Plaza, Glasgow (G2 5LD). You will be expected to attend these locations as required by the role. Department: User Centred Design (UCD) Directorate: Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Role Reports to: DDaT Director Grade: C2 Closing date: 2 November at 11.59pm Number of vacancies: 1 Registers of Scotland (RoS) Join an award-winning organisation recognised for its technology and innovation. Registers of Scotland is a world-leading pioneer in land and property registration. Our full-stack teams design, architect, and build all our registration products in-house. We work to create digital solutions for the people of Scotland. You will get an opportunity to nurture your creativity and develop with us through access to the latest data, software engineering and product delivery techniques. Inclusion We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects Scotland. We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups in Technology and design. Your unique perspective and experience will strengthen our team's ability to create services that work for all our communities. This job is for you if you want… Work with purpose: working for the people of Scotland to set the bar for land and property registration worldwide. Inclusive and supportive culture: RoS values diverse perspectives and experiences. We're an agile, digital organisation where everyone has a voice in shaping our strategy. You'll join a collaborative environment where different approaches are celebrated and where we actively work to ensure everyone can contribute their best work. Flexible and hybrid working: depending on the role and team requirements, work when and where it’s best for you and your stakeholders. Benefits: enjoy pay progression, pension contributions of up to 28.97%, up to a year’s parental leave, and 42 days annual holiday. Investment in professional development: we invest in all our people so that they have the right skills to be productive and confident in their job. Diversity and Inclusion: We are an ‘Investor in People’ and a ‘Disability Confident’ employer. We are inclusive, stronger together, and committed to putting our people first. To learn more about RoS and what we offer visit our careers pages or watch this short video. Hear from our colleagues about their experience of working within our Digital, Data and Technology teams on our website. The Role RoS is looking for an exceptional Head of Design to lead and evolve our User-Centred Design (UCD) capability, shaping how we create inclusive, accessible, and consistent services that put customers at the heart of everything we do. As a key member of our Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) leadership team, you’ll set a bold vision for design at RoS, embedding the Scottish Approach to Service Design, the Digital Scotland Service Standard, and GDS principles across all channels. You’ll champion design excellence, innovation, and customer-centricity, ensuring every experience reflects our commitment to Scotland’s people, property, and economy. Leading a multidisciplinary community of around 17 designers, spanning service design, user research, content design, and UX, you’ll foster an open, collaborative culture that attracts, develops, and retains design talent. You’ll strengthen our design operations, grow our permanent capability, and shape the next generation of designers through apprenticeships and graduate programmes. Over the next 12–24 months, success in the role will mean: • A clear, endorsed design vision and strategy guiding all change and investment • Design represented at Executive and Board level, influencing strategic decisions • Consistent visual and interaction design standards across all RoS services • A mature DesignOps model driving efficiency and reuse of assets • 100% WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility compliance for new services • Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction and cost-to-serve metrics • Piloting responsible use of AI in design practice • Recognition for RoS as a leader in design-led public service transformation This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of customer experience for one of Scotland’s most trusted public bodies, where your leadership will have national impact. Responsibilities Setting Direction Define and deliver RoS’s design vision, strategy, and principles, aligned with the corporate plan and national digital strategies. Champion evidence-based, user-centred design approaches that translate customer and colleague insight into effective solutions. Lead adoption of the Scottish Approach to Service Design and the Digital Scotland Service Standard across all services. Shape a sustainable and scalable operating model for User-Centred Design (UCD). Establish and champion consistent visual and interaction design standards across all RoS services. Explore and integrate innovative tools and technologies, including responsible use of AI in design (e.g. prototyping, accessibility testing, persona mapping). Represent design at Executive and Board levels, embedding customer-centric thinking in strategic decision-making. Act as an ambassador for RoS design leadership across public sector and industry networks. Delivery & Operations Ensure delivery of inclusive, accessible, and commercially effective design services that meet customer and business needs. Embed design practices and service design culture across change programmes and BAU activities. Champion a data-led, customer-journey mindset across the wider business. Oversee customer experience and channel strategies, ensuring user insight drives decision-making. Establish design metrics and evaluation frameworks to measure impact on satisfaction, accessibility, and business outcomes. Manage budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money and efficient supplier engagement. Governance & Standards Define and embed design governance frameworks ensuring compliance with Government Digital Service (GDS) and Digital Scotland Service Standards. Guarantee accessibility and inclusion by default, achieving and evidencing WCAG 2.2 AA compliance across all services. Provide strategic consultancy on design methods, tools, and practices to senior leaders. Contribute to UCD communities of practice, promoting RoS as a leader in design-led service delivery. People Leadership Lead and develop a multidisciplinary design community spanning service design, UX, content design, and research. Build leadership capability and clear career pathways in line with the DDaT framework. Promote collaboration across the wider DDaT community, including engineering, product, and data functions. Establish sustainable talent pipelines through apprenticeships, graduate schemes, and partnerships with education providers. Foster a culture of creativity, inclusion, and continuous learning that encourages innovation and professional growth. For more information, please review the candidate information pack here: Registers of Scotland – Head of Design Candidate Pack Key Responsibilities Essential Criteria – Skills and Attributes for Success Technical Experience We will assess you against the following Experience and Technical skills during the application and assessment process: Significant experience leading multi-disciplinary design teams within a digital environment. Proven track record in embedding user-centred design and accessibility standards in large-scale digital transformation. Strong knowledge of service design, UX, systems thinking, and customer journey mapping. Experience shaping and implementing design strategies at organisational level. Demonstrable leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior executives and external partners. Experience managing budgets and ensuring effective allocation of design resources. Behaviours You will be scored against the below Behaviours at the assessment stages: Leadership Communicating and Influencing/ Developing Self and Others (Cluster) Seeing the Big Picture / Making Effective Decisions (Cluster) Changing and Improving Delivering at Pace/ Managing a Quality Service (Cluster) Application Process To apply, click on 'Apply now' and complete the online application form. You will need to submit: A CV outlining your career history and how you meet the technical/experience criteria (max 4 pages). Please provide a supporting statement of no more than 500–750 words. Your statement should take the form of a covering letter and include an example of leading or developing strategy within a large-scale organisation, particularly at a pivotal moment. The panel will assess your statement against the experience and technical criteria outlined above. Please ensure you clearly demonstrate how your skills and achievements meet these requirements. Your CV and Supporting statement should be submitted as a single PDF file. Please note: If we receive a high volume of applications, we may complete an initial sift on Technical/ Experience Criteria We reserve the right to invite candidates to participate in a telephone interview prior to being further assessed. Applications that are not accompanied by CVs will not be scored or statements over 500 words will not be considered. We would strongly recommend that your statement is written in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action & Result) and suggest preparing your answers using software such as MS Word or Google Docs, and then uploading the file. We strongly advise you review our policy on responsible use of AI in the application process. RoS may check answers with an AI detection tool and will contact you for a pre-screening call to verify your responses. Applications and appointments are subject to a strict merit-based assessment process, in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. Assessment Stage 1 If successful at application stage, you will be invited to a 30-minute online interview which will include the following: Behaviour and experience and technical criteria Assessment Stage 2 If you are successful at the first-stage interview, you will be asked to complete an online psychometric test and will be invited to attend an in-person assessment at our Glasgow office. The assessment will include the following: Behaviour based interview Further applied exercise Please note the final assessments will require ½ a day presence in our office Information on Success Profiles For further information on success profiles, visit our Success Profiles. Recruitment timeline Closing date: 2 November at 11.59pm Assessment Stage 1: 4-7 November Psychometric Testing: 7-12 November Assessment Stage 2: is scheduled to run from 13 November (dates are subject to change) Feedback Feedback will only be provided if you progress to interview stage. Reserve List In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 12 months. Nationality and immigration status In general, only nationals from the following countries (and associations of countries) are eligible for employment in the Civil Service: the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Commonwealth. EU nationals (with settled or pre-settled status), certain EEA nationals, Swiss and Turkish nationals are also eligible for employment. Detailed provisions on determining eligibility on the grounds of nationality and, where relevant, immigration status can be reviewed here. Security Successful candidates must undergo a Level 1 Disclosure check. Individuals working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks. Equality, diversity and inclusion As a proud member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. RoS is a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of selection process is used. To learn more about diversity at RoS please see our EDI strategy. As part of the application process, we would like to invite you to please complete our diversity monitoring form. This information is not shared with recruitment panels. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via talent@ros.gov.uk. Please see this page for more information on adjustments. DDaT supplement This post is part of the Digital, Data and Technology profession (DDAT) and attracts a pay supplement. This is a tool which RoS uses to benchmark our salaries against current market rates. A review of the benchmark is undertaken every two years, this means that the supplement may go up or down depending on market activity. Advance notice will be given of any changes. Further information For further information relating to RoS, including: Additional details on pay & benefits The Civil Service Code Complaints process Use of AI in the application/recruitment process, Please view our additional information page online. If you have any questions, please contact talent@ros.gov.uk