Deputy Director, Product Design App . Government Digital Service in London

As a public sector organization, GDS directly improves societal well-being by making essential public services highly accessible, inclusive, and efficient for millions of citizens.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of the UK government, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). It is responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. GDS is home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the GOV.UK platform, and leads the Government Digital and Data function. It employs more than 1,000 people across hubs in London, Manchester, and Bristol.

This Deputy Director role sits within the Products & Services directorate of GDS Digital Products. It exists to lead the design of strategic products that shape the experience between citizens and government, specifically across the GOV.UK App and AI and agentic experiences. The role is hands-on and sits at the centre of digital government, working with teams responsible for delivering next-generation digital services. It is a permanent, SCS Pay Band 1 appointment with a minimum assignment duration of three years.

What you would do:

• Lead a design team in creating and developing citizen-facing experiences across the GOV.UK App and AI chat and agentic interfaces.
• Drive new user experiences for app and AI chat interfaces, including agentic experiences, as part of multi-channel and personalised services.
• Design and establish new patterns that do not yet exist in government, such as agents for government and trust patterns for brand-new interaction models.
• Deliver the next phase of the GOV.UK App and GOV.UK Chat, including testing of agentic technology at scale.
• Design user experiences in data-sharing spaces that are new to government.
• Work alongside senior leadership in Legal, Procurement, InfoSec, Cyber, and Policy to implement innovative designs at national scale.
• Grow and develop a high-performing design team, establishing ways of working suited to emerging technologies and pattern development.
• Support other government departments in devising user-centred strategies that work for their users and contexts.
• Champion the adoption of design principles and practices across government.

What they are looking for:

• Demonstrable experience developing scaled, citizen-facing products using AI and/or agentic technology.
• Demonstrable experience developing and iterating nation-scale apps.
• A track record of taking complex strategies into pilot user experiences and through to deployment, with ongoing support from very senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to design, grow, and develop high-performing design teams in the context of emerging technologies.
• Experience working alongside senior leadership in Legal, Procurement, InfoSec, Cyber, and Policy to implement innovative designs at national scale.
• In-depth understanding of design principles, methodologies, and their application at scale in complex digital environments.
• A clear shipping mindset and track record of delivering.
• A systems-thinking approach, with the ability to quickly grasp design challenges facing other government departments.
• Bold leadership with the ability to identify opportunities for change where others see only constraints or legacy approaches.
• An analytical approach to prioritisation, comfortable making difficult decisions to progress rapid design-led delivery.
• SC security clearance eligibility (normally requiring five years' UK residency in the past five years).

Working arrangements:

The role can be based in Bristol, London, or Manchester. GDS operates a discretionary hybrid working policy; staff are expected to attend the office or a non-home location for 40–60% of their time. Flexible working options are available, including part-time, job share, compressed hours, and flexi-time. Full home working is not normally offered. The role requires SC (Security Check) clearance. DSIT cannot offer visa sponsorship for this campaign.

Pay and benefits:

The salary is £86,000. Non-civil servants will be expected to start at the salary minimum; existing civil servants will be appointed in line with Civil Service pay rules. Benefits include a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%, 25 days of annual leave rising to 30 days, an extra day off for the King's birthday, an in-year bonus scheme, a training budget for personal development, an employee assistance programme, advances on pay including travel season tickets, death in service benefits, a cycle-to-work scheme, access to an employee discounts scheme, 10 learning days per year, and five special leave days per year for volunteering.