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- Tasks: Lead the design of user-centred services that enhance student and staff experiences at UCL.
- Company: UCL is a top global university committed to academic excellence and real-world impact.
- Benefits: Enjoy 41 days holiday, a pension scheme, gym access, and employee support programmes.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact in a collaborative environment while shaping UCL's future.
- Qualifications: Experience in service design, user research, and collaboration in complex environments is essential.
- Other info: Portfolio required; applications may close early due to high interest.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
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This range is provided by UCL. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range
UCL is one of the world\’s leading universities, recognised for academic excellence, global impact, and a strong commitment to tackling real-world challenges. We are a diverse community where bold ideas are not only welcomed but expected- where thinking differently is part of our culture.
Now is an exciting time to join us as we build a new service design capability and lead transformation that is reshaping how students and staff experience UCL. User-centred design enables us to simplify complexity, create great experiences, and deliver meaningful, measurable value across the university.
About the role
As a Senior Service Designer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how UCL delivers its most critical services to students and staff. Sitting within the Strategic Change team, you\’ll lead the design of services that are intuitive, inclusive, and aligned with UCL\’s strategic priorities-transforming how people experience the university every day.
This is a high-impact role at the heart of UCL\’s transformation agenda. You\’ll collaborate across complex systems and structures to design services that connect people, processes, and technology, whether that\’s improving student enrolment, streamlining staff onboarding, or enhancing access to core university functions.
You\’ll help us to grow UCL\’s internal service design capability- coaching colleagues, sharing best practice, and utilising tools and methods that embed user centred design at every stage of transformation. Championing the voice of the user, you will support us to build a culture of design-led improvement that will shape UCL\’s future.
You will:
- Lead the design of end-to-end services that are seamless, inclusive, and user-centred.
- Conduct deep user research to uncover insights and drive meaningful change.
- Collaborate with users, academic and professional teams to co-create impactful services.
- Ensure alignment across operating models, organisational structures, and processes.
- Champion service design in strategic change initiatives, from discovery through to delivery.
- Define success metrics and demonstrate the tangible value of your work.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, influencing decisions at the highest levels.
About you
You are a confident and curious designer with a strong track record of shaping and delivering user-centred services in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. You bring deep expertise in service design, from research and journey mapping to prototyping and testing, and you thrive on turning complexity into clarity. You also understand how operating models can shape service delivery and ensure they support seamless, scalable, and sustainable experiences.
You\’re skilled at navigating large organisations and understand how to design services that work across digital, physical, and organisational boundaries. You know how to engage diverse voices and translate their needs into great services.
You lead with empathy and evidence, facilitating collaborative design and supporting delivery teams to bring ideas to life. You\’re as comfortable in a workshop as you are advising senior leaders, and you know how to build trust, influence decisions, and embed sustainable design practices that leave a lasting legacy.
In return, you\’ll have the opportunity to make a significant impact in our new Service Design team, working alongside visionary leaders and talented colleagues. We offer a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your work directly contributes to the university\’s bold strategic goals. Our people really are our greatest asset and we invest in them so that they can fulfil their potential. Equity, diversity and inclusion is important to us. We are committed to creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to give their best in a place where their unique experiences, perspectives and skills are seen as valuable assets.
Please ensure that you attach a portfolio with your application and use the cover letter to demonstrate how you meet the person specification and the desired criteria for this role.
We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we may close applications early if we receive a high volume of interest.
We regret to inform you that we cannot currently sponsor or support visa applications for this role. Applicants must possess the legal right to work in the UK.
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Additional 5 days\’ annual leave purchase scheme
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- Relocation scheme for certain posts
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits.
Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London\’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world\’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL\’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.Our department is working towards an Athena SWAN award. We are committed to advancing gender equalitywithin our department.
You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
Work at UCL pages: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/
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Senior Service Designer employer: UCL
Contact Detail:
UCL Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Service Designer
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with UCL's strategic priorities and values. Understanding their mission will help you align your service design approach with their goals, making you a more attractive candidate.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former UCL employees on platforms like LinkedIn. Engaging in conversations about their experiences can provide valuable insights into the culture and expectations of the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of your past work that demonstrate your ability to lead user-centred design projects. Highlight how you've successfully navigated complex environments and influenced stakeholders.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your understanding of service design methodologies by being ready to discuss tools and techniques you’ve used in previous roles. This will illustrate your expertise and readiness to contribute to UCL's new service design capability.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Service Designer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Cover Letter: Make sure your cover letter specifically addresses how your skills and experiences align with the requirements outlined in the job description. Highlight your expertise in user-centred design and your ability to lead service design initiatives.
Showcase Your Portfolio: Attach a well-organised portfolio that demonstrates your previous work in service design. Include case studies that highlight your process, from research to prototyping, and showcase the impact of your designs on user experiences.
Emphasise Collaboration Skills: In your application, emphasise your experience working collaboratively with diverse teams. Mention specific examples where you have co-created services or facilitated workshops, as this is crucial for the role at UCL.
Highlight Metrics and Outcomes: When discussing your past projects, focus on the metrics and outcomes that demonstrate the success of your service design efforts. This could include improvements in user satisfaction, efficiency gains, or other measurable impacts.
How to prepare for a job interview at UCL
✨Showcase Your Portfolio
Make sure to bring a well-organised portfolio that highlights your previous service design projects. Include case studies that demonstrate your user-centred approach and the impact of your work, as this will be crucial in showcasing your skills.
✨Understand UCL's Vision
Familiarise yourself with UCL's strategic priorities and how they relate to service design. Be prepared to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals and how you can contribute to their transformation agenda.
✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios
Since the role involves working with diverse teams, think of examples where you've successfully collaborated with various stakeholders. Be ready to discuss how you facilitated workshops or co-created services, as this will highlight your teamwork skills.
✨Demonstrate Empathy and User Advocacy
Emphasise your ability to champion the voice of the user throughout the design process. Prepare to share specific instances where you've conducted user research and how those insights led to meaningful changes in service delivery.
