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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Design user-centred services and improve policy processes for real-world impact.
- Company: Join the innovative Home Office Policy and Innovation Lab (CoLab).
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous leave, and a civil service pension.
- Why this job: Make a difference in people's lives through impactful service design.
- Qualifications: Experience in prototyping, service design, and user-centred approaches.
- Other info: Flexible working options and excellent career development opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 46062 - 51100 £ per year.
Overview
Salary: £46,062 (National) or £50,182 (Croydon) plus up to £11,338 skills allowance, pending assessment
Location: Croydon, Manchester or Sheffield (hybrid with 60% office attendance)
Close Date: 11:55pm Tuesday 20th January 2026
Please note: This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years.
About CoLab
The Home Office Policy and Innovation Lab (CoLab) is a creative team of service designers, user researchers, content designers and behavioural scientists that work closely with policy and operations teams from across the Home Office to bring user-centred and explorative approaches to policy making. CoLab works in policy spaces that require a deeper understanding of service users. Projects you could work on could include:
- Improving the Windrush Compensation Scheme application process, to make it more user-friendly, accessible and trauma-informed
- Refreshing the Life in the UK test to better support people as they prepare to get settled status or become citizens
- Working in passports to speed up the processing of people’s applications
- Identifying ways to support criminal justice system actors to tackle organised crime groups involved in organised immigration crime.
Essential skills
You will be assessed against the following skills and experience during the selection process:
- Prototyping and concept creation: able to independently develop prototypes and sketches for more complex projects. Able to use design software or physical mock-ups or code to visualise and test concepts.
- Service design: independently contributes to the design and implementation of services or policies, ensuring they meet user needs and target outcomes. Participates in managing the design process for smaller projects.
- Accessibility and inclusion: able to regularly apply accessibility standards to their work and begins to understand the broader aspects of inclusive design.
- Service analysis: independently maps and analyses service processes from a user perspective. Identifies opportunities for improvement and frames problems in terms of user needs.
- Collaboration: actively facilitates group activities and seeks feedback for continuous improvement.
- Communicate, persuade and advocate: comfortable advocating for UCD principles to peers and immediate stakeholders through well-prepared presentations. Plans and facilitates engaging workshops to engage different stakeholders.
The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework.
Benefits
- A civil service pension with employer contribution rates of at least 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- The ability to potentially adopt flexible working options that suit your work/life balance, plus the opportunity in future to take a career break.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
- Eight days public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
- 26 weeks maternity, adoption or shared parental leave at full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, after qualifying service.
- Maternity and adoption support leave (also known as paternity leave) of two weeks full pay, after qualifying service.
- Paid leave for fostering approval processes, support when a child is substantively placed with you plus a foster to adopt policy.
- Support for guardians and kinship carers.
- Corporate membership of ‘Employers for Carers’ providing additional information and advice for carers, plus a ‘Carer’s Passport’ to discuss workplace needs and underpin supportive conversations.
- Time off to deal with emergencies and certain other unplanned special circumstances.
Application
Please click on the apply now to be redirected to the full job advert and our application portal.
Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Information Technology, Design, and Business Development
Industries: Government Administration, Design Services, and IT System Design Services
Service Designer - Policy Lab in London employer: UK Home Office
Contact Detail:
UK Home Office Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Designer - Policy Lab in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at the Home Office, especially those in CoLab. A friendly chat can give us insider info and might just get our foot in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off our skills! Prepare a portfolio that highlights our prototyping and service design projects. Make sure it’s user-friendly and visually appealing – just like the services we aim to create!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Get ready for interviews by role-playing common questions related to service design and user-centred design principles. The more we practice, the more confident we’ll be!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure our application gets noticed. Plus, we can keep track of our application status easily. Let’s make it happen!
We think you need these skills to ace Service Designer - Policy Lab in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the role of Service Designer. We want to see how you can contribute to CoLab's mission, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant projects!
Showcase Your Prototyping Skills: Since prototyping is key for this role, include examples of your past work where you've developed prototypes or sketches. We love seeing your creative process, so feel free to share any design software or mock-ups you've used!
Emphasise User-Centred Design: This role is all about understanding user needs, so make sure to highlight your experience in service design and how you've applied user-centred design principles in your previous projects. We’re keen to see how you advocate for users!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about the role and our team at CoLab.
How to prepare for a job interview at UK Home Office
✨Know Your Service Design Basics
Before the interview, brush up on your service design principles. Be ready to discuss how you’ve applied prototyping and concept creation in past projects. Think of specific examples where you’ve improved user experiences and be prepared to share them.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
Collaboration is key in this role, so think about times when you’ve facilitated group activities or workshops. Be ready to explain how you gathered feedback and used it to improve your designs. This will show that you can work well with others and value their input.
✨Demonstrate Your Understanding of Accessibility
Make sure you can talk about accessibility standards and how you’ve applied them in your work. Prepare to discuss any challenges you faced in making designs inclusive and how you overcame them. This will highlight your commitment to user-centred design.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills. Think about how you would approach real-life issues related to the projects mentioned in the job description, like improving the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Practising these scenarios can help you articulate your thought process clearly.