User-centred Design Lead

The Cabinet Office is a UK government department that supports the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and drives reform and efficiency across the public sector. Its Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) team sits at the heart of the government's initiative to innovate in public service delivery, collaborating with local authorities, mayoral strategic authorities, government departments, and the wider public sector across the United Kingdom to design, test, and grow solutions that improve public service outcomes.

The role

The User-centred Design Lead is mapped to the Lead Service Designer role in the Government Digital and Data capability framework. It sits within the TLG programme and reports to the Head of Design. The role bridges policy, digital, and user-centred design practices, working closely with senior leaders, local authorities, and policy leads to ensure test-and-learn approaches are grounded in clear theories of change. The contract runs until 31 March 2028 and is available on a fixed-term, loan, or secondment basis. The role is graded at Grade 6.

What you would do

• Work with the Head of Design to set overall design direction across the TLG programme.
• Provide leadership, coaching, line management, and professional oversight to designers and user researchers, building capability and setting high design standards.
• Identify and use opportunities to apply design thinking across the whole programme ecosystem.
• Assure the quality of design across multiple complex place-based projects and teams.
• Work with senior leaders and departmental stakeholders to frame systemic problems, map service ecosystems, and build consensus around evidence-based cases for change.
• Champion inclusive, equitable, accessible, and ethical design practices across all programme interventions.
• Build and maintain relationships across government digital and policy networks, driving shared design patterns and cross-organisational collaboration.
• Travel within the UK to work closely with local partners.

What they are looking for

Essential:

• Proven track record of leading teams of designers and/or user researchers, setting design direction, defining quality standards, and providing coaching, mentoring, and professional oversight across complex portfolios.
• Ability to build and nurture inclusive, high-performing design communities and establish best practice across teams.
• Expertise in using constraints, risks, and opportunities in policy, technology, and governance to shape high-level design strategies.
• Ability to negotiate critical design decisions with senior stakeholders, directors, and external partners.
• Capability to apply systems thinking frameworks to work across complex, multi-agency public service ecosystems.
• Ability to frame complex systemic problems, map end-to-end service ecosystems, and present clear, evidence-based cases for change.
• Strong facilitation skills with senior stakeholders, driving consensus and building strategic alignment.
• Deep commitment to embedding accessibility, equity, ethics, and sustainability into public services.
• Strong experience steering multidisciplinary teams to prototype complex service and policy concepts in agile environments.

Desirable:

• Understanding of the policymaking cycle and experience integrating participatory design, relational practice, and lived experience into policy development.

Behaviours assessed: Leadership, Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing.

Technical skills assessed (from the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework): Leading design practice, Designing strategically, Iterative design, Designing together, Design communication, Evidence-based design, Designing for everyone.

Working arrangements

The role can be based in Bristol, Glasgow, London, Manchester, or York. A minimum of 60% of working time must be spent at the principal workplace; for some roles this may be up to 100%. Travel within the UK to work with local partners is required. Flexible working, full-time, job share, and part-time working patterns are available. Interviews will be conducted on a hybrid basis. BPSS security clearance is required.

Pay and benefits

The salary range is £71,734 - £76,724 (National) or £76,454 - £83,355 (London).

• The role is also eligible for a DDaT (Digital, Data and Technology) allowance, the value of which depends on an assessment of skills and experience at interview.
• A Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension is provided, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days paid annual leave (rising by one day per year to a maximum of 30).
• Learning and development tailored to the role.
• Flexible working options.

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