Senior User Centered Designer in Chelmsford

About the Role

Permanent • Full Time, 37 hours per week • £60,048 to £70,645 per annum • Location: Chelmsford • Working Style: Anywhere worker • Closing Date: 8th February 2026

Join a Council shaping the future of public services. Essex County Council (ECC) is ambitious and by 2030 will be one of the most forward looking, effective and financially sustainable councils in the country. ECC will be a leading-edge digital council driving excellent customer service with transformation at the heart of service excellence. The vision for the Architecture and Design area is to focus on user-centred design, data-driven innovation and future-proofing architecture. This role is responsible for developing service designs that support the council’s ambition to become a leading digital council and deliver better public services for citizens and businesses in Essex.

The postholder will champion a user-centred, service design approach through the entire process, from Discovery to roll-out and ongoing service improvement. They will align user research and service design methods to develop a deep understanding of the people that use ECC services and identify opportunities to improve service outcomes and efficiency. As a lead member of a multi-skilled team covering service design and user research, the postholder will be proficient in both domains and an expert in one.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design work of multidisciplinary teams, specifying and designing end-to-end digital services that meet user needs and business objectives, ensuring consistency with organisational standards and Government Accessibility Regulations.
• Accountable for working collaboratively with service areas to scope new service design statements of work based on ECC’s strategic aims and financial considerations.
• Use visual tools to align stakeholders on project goals, progress, and outcomes, developing compelling narratives that effectively communicate complex service design concepts.
• Responsible for identifying and developing service patterns and standards to create consistent user experiences across services and efficient service delivery.
• Lead the development and selection of appropriate design standards, methods and tools, ensuring they are applied effectively and documented to ensure best practice in service design and user research.
• Oversee the planning, arrangement and facilitation of user research using qualitative and quantitative methods, ensuring ethical conduct to industry standards.
• Communicate an understanding of the diversity of users of government services, advocate for inclusive practices and help design and deliver accessible services.
• Proactively contribute to Communities of Practice and support the Head of Design in coaching and mentoring business architects and user-centred designers.
• Operational planning and performance review to maintain exceptional service delivery and ensure the political objectives of the council are met.
• Work collaboratively within and across functions to support the delivery of best possible outcomes for customers.
• Maintain and nurture collaborative relationships with other teams and external organisations.
• Implement changes and continually evaluate the service to improve the area of work while maintaining high levels of service quality.
• Manage complex issues and resources to meet customer needs and deliver the best possible outcomes.
• Use professional expertise to translate goals and plans into compliant ways of working, managing risk appropriately.
• Deliver exemplary customer interactions, supporting strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes.
• Champion the value of user-centred design and user research across the council.
• Delegate responsibility for project budgets, authorising low-level spend and tracking commitments.
• People management responsibility for fixed-term project teams of multi-disciplined professionals.
• Influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide critical input to complex projects with significant cross-council impact.

Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF level 6 (bachelor’s degree) in design, research or equivalent by experience.
• Experience of successfully delivering user-centered design in Agile environments.
• Experience of balancing the needs of users with organisational priorities.
• Proven ability to understand technical complexity and communicate this in simple language.
• Experience of developing ideas using sketching, prototyping, testing tools and iterative design.
• Experience of using analytics and user insight to guide decision making.
• Experience of building and nurturing teams to adopt user-centered design practices.
• Knowledge of the Government Service Standards, Government Accessibility Regulations and Information Governance principles.
• Proven evidence of continuing professional development relevant to technology operations.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone’s Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Equal Opportunities

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and commits to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements. We also commit to interview all veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements of the role.

Contact

If you have queries on this role or require further information, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.