Senior Customer Experience Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Customer Experience Designer

Company: myCareer - NSW Government

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Job Type: Temporary Full-time (up to 30 September 2027)

Category: Customer Experience Design / Service Design / Government Operations

Date Posted: April 13, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (approx. 5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (In-office presence required)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design and enhancement of customer experiences for individuals and businesses facing complex needs within the NSW Government ecosystem.

• Operationalize the Customer Care Service Model to ensure consistent, empathetic, and effective service delivery across all touchpoints.

• Translate complex customer insights derived from qualitative and quantitative research into actionable design artifacts and strategic initiatives.

• Collaborate extensively with internal teams, partner agencies, and stakeholders to influence service improvements and build scalable care capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Customer Experience Designer," the responsibilities and context strongly align with a "Service Designer" or "Senior Service Designer" role, particularly within a government operations framework. The emphasis on operationalizing a service model, working with partner agencies, and managing complex stakeholder environments points towards a strategic design function that bridges policy, operations, and customer needs. This role is critical for ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of government services.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Contribute significantly to operationalizing the Customer Care Service Model, ensuring it effectively addresses the needs of people and businesses with complex, intersecting requirements.

• Collaborate closely with internal teams and partner agencies to translate synthesized customer insights into prioritized improvements and deliver strategic initiatives that advance customer care objectives.

• Plan, conduct, and synthesize findings from qualitative and quantitative customer research, producing practical design artifacts such as customer journey maps, personas, service blueprints, and comprehensive insight reports.

• Influence and advise diverse stakeholders by employing clear storytelling and evidence-based recommendations, adeptly balancing customer needs with policy, operational, and technical constraints.

• Champion a human-centered design approach throughout the service delivery lifecycle, ensuring design solutions are empathetic, scalable, and outcome-driven.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities indicate a need for robust data synthesis and translation skills, crucial for any operations-focused role. The emphasis on "operationalizing" models and translating insights into "prioritized improvements" suggests a direct impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of government service delivery.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While specific educational requirements are not detailed, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior Designer role. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in customer experience design, service design, or a related human-centered design discipline, with a proven track record of delivering impactful solutions for complex user groups.

Required Skills:

• Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems, identify root causes, and develop strategic, innovative solutions that align with organizational goals.

• Human-Centered & Service Design Methodologies: Proficient in applying a range of design thinking tools and techniques, including user research (qualitative and quantitative), journey mapping, persona development, service blueprints, and prototyping.

• Customer Insight Synthesis: Strong ability to gather, analyze, and synthesize complex customer data from various sources into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for service improvement.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Proven experience in effectively engaging with, influencing, and managing expectations of diverse stakeholders across different organizational levels and departments.

• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to articulate complex design concepts, research findings, and strategic recommendations persuasively and empathetically to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Design Artifact Creation: Proficiency in creating professional design deliverables such as journey maps, service blueprints, personas, user flows, and insight reports.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within a government or public sector environment.

• Familiarity with agile methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Experience in designing for individuals or businesses with complex needs (e.g., socio-economic disadvantage, digital exclusion, crisis situations).

• Knowledge of relevant NSW Government policies and service delivery frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "To be successful" section highlights "strategic thinker," "track record of using insights," "passion for understanding and improving customer experience for people and businesses with complexity," and "ability to challenge the status quo." These directly translate to the required skills and emphasize the strategic and analytical components of the role, crucial for operations-focused candidates.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies Demonstrating Impact: A portfolio showcasing at least 3-5 detailed case studies that highlight your process from problem identification to solution implementation and measured outcomes.

• Process Optimization Examples: Specific examples within case studies that demonstrate how you identified inefficiencies or pain points in existing processes and designed improvements that led to tangible benefits.

• Research & Synthesis Artifacts: Include examples of research plans, user interview summaries, synthesized insights, journey maps, and service blueprints that were instrumental in driving design decisions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Evidence: Showcase projects where you effectively collaborated with diverse teams (e.g., policy, IT, operations, frontline staff) to bring design solutions to life.

• Quantitative & Qualitative Data Integration: Evidence of how you incorporated both quantitative data (e.g., usage metrics, survey results) and qualitative insights to inform and validate design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate experience in mapping existing workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and designing optimized future-state workflows that improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

• System Implementation & Integration: Provide examples of how your design solutions integrated with existing operational systems or led to the specification of requirements for new systems to support enhanced service delivery.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Showcase how you defined success metrics for design initiatives and tracked their performance against operational goals and customer outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Customer Experience/Service Designer role, a strong portfolio is paramount. It must go beyond visual design and demonstrate a deep understanding of service operations, process improvement, and the ability to translate user needs into actionable, scalable solutions that impact government service delivery. The focus should be on the "how" and "why" of your design process, with clear evidence of impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: AUD $130,705 - $157,430 per annum (base salary)

• This range reflects a Grade 9/10 classification within the NSW Government framework, commensurate with the seniority and responsibilities of the role.

• 📝 Enhancement Note: This salary range is competitive for a senior-level design role in Sydney, Australia, aligning with industry benchmarks for experienced professionals in specialized design fields within the public sector. The cost of living in Sydney supports this compensation level.

Benefits:

• Employer Superannuation Contributions: Generous employer contributions to superannuation (Australia's retirement savings scheme), typically above the mandated minimum.

• Annual Leave Loading: An additional payment of 17.5% on top of your base rate when you take annual leave, a common benefit in NSW public sector roles.

• Work-Life Balance: Commitment to achieving work-life balance with formal and informal opportunities to connect and collaborate.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing learning and development, including access to resources like the Capability Application Tool for interview preparation.

• Diverse and Inclusive Workplace: Commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where contributions from all backgrounds are valued.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week (standard full-time hours).

• The role offers a hybrid work arrangement, requiring in-office presence as per directive, balancing flexibility with the need for collaborative design and team engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package is standard for NSW Government roles and provides good security and work-life balance. The explicit mention of "achieving work-life balance" and "formal and informal opportunities to connect" suggests a supportive team environment, which is a key consideration for operations professionals seeking stability and engagement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Government & Public Sector Services. The Department of Customer Service (DCS) is focused on improving government services, digital transformation, and regulatory reform for the state of New South Wales.

Company Size: Large (NSW Government is a vast employer). This scale implies significant operational complexity, diverse stakeholder groups, and the potential for wide-reaching impact.

Founded: The Department of Customer Service was established in 2019, consolidating various government service functions to create a more unified and efficient citizen experience. This relatively recent consolidation suggests an ongoing evolution and drive for innovation within its operational framework.

Team Structure:

• Program Delivery Team: This team within the Customer Care and Business Bureau is responsible for planning, designing, implementing, tracking, evaluating, and evolving strategic and operational initiatives to achieve customer care outcomes.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior Customer Experience Designer will likely report to a Manager or Director within the Program Delivery team, working closely with product owners, delivery leads, policy advisors, and frontline service staff.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: This role is inherently collaborative, requiring close partnerships with internal teams (e.g., digital, policy, operations, frontline service delivery) and external partner agencies to ensure integrated and effective service design.

Methodology:

• Customer-Centricity: A core operational principle is providing meaningful, customer-centric experiences.

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on translating customer insights (qualitative and quantitative) into practical actions and design solutions.

• Iterative Improvement: The team's function involves planning, designing, implementing, tracking, evaluating, and evolving initiatives, indicating an iterative approach to service improvement.

• Digital Transformation: DCS is focused on digital transformation, suggesting that design solutions will often intersect with digital platforms and services.

Company Website: https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/department-of-customer-service

📝 Enhancement Note: Working within a large government department like NSW DCS means navigating complex bureaucratic structures but also offers the opportunity to influence services used by millions. The "Program Delivery" team context suggests a focus on executing strategic goals through well-defined operational initiatives.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position, indicating a significant level of autonomy, responsibility, and expertise. The role requires not just design skills but also strategic thinking, stakeholder influence, and the ability to operationalize complex service models. It sits above junior or mid-level designers and likely contributes to setting design strategy within its domain.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Customer Experience Designer will report into a leadership role within the Program Delivery team, likely a Manager or Director. They will work closely with cross-functional teams, acting as a subject matter expert in customer and service design.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct and significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of NSW Government service delivery. By designing better customer experiences and optimizing service models, the designer contributes to improved citizen outcomes, increased operational efficiency, better resource allocation, and enhanced public trust in government services. The focus on "people and businesses with complexity" highlights the critical nature of this impact.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Potential to deepen expertise in specific areas of service design, such as designing for crisis response, digital service transformation, or accessibility.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design workstreams, and potentially move into team leadership or program management roles within DCS or other NSW Government agencies.

• Strategic Influence: Grow influence by successfully championing customer-centered approaches and demonstrating the ROI of design initiatives to senior leadership and policymakers.

• Broader Government Operations Exposure: Gain exposure to a wide range of government services and operational challenges, broadening understanding of public sector service delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, this role offers a path to influence large-scale service delivery and gain deep experience in public sector operational frameworks. Growth opportunities are strong, particularly for those who can demonstrate strategic impact and leadership within complex environments.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role requires in-office presence as per DCS directives, suggesting a blend of remote flexibility and collaborative office work. This is typical for roles requiring significant teamwork, stakeholder engagement, and access to shared resources.

Office Location(s): Haymarket (McKell), Parramatta, or Gosford. These locations offer hubs for government operations in different regions of New South Wales, providing accessibility for candidates.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on "formal and informal opportunities to connect and collaborate" and working "closely with internal teams and partner agencies" indicates a dynamic, team-oriented workspace.

• Operations Tools & Technology: While specific tools aren't listed, expect access to standard design software, collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack), project management tools, and potentially specialized government systems. The role requires proficiency in research and synthesis tools.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with diverse teams, including policy advisors, delivery managers, analysts, frontline staff, and potentially external agency representatives, fostering a rich exchange of perspectives.

Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours/week) with a hybrid arrangement. This provides structure while allowing for some flexibility, essential for balancing demanding project work with personal commitments. The hybrid nature supports both focused individual work on design tasks and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a significant factor for operations professionals, balancing the need for focused analytical work with the collaborative aspects of service design and stakeholder management. The choice of office locations is also a practical consideration for candidates in NSW.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Your cover letter and resume will be assessed against the key accountabilities and required skills. Focus on demonstrating your strategic thinking and impact in previous roles.

• Capability-Based Assessment: Expect interview questions aligned with the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework. The "Capability Application Tool" is explicitly mentioned as a resource to prepare for practice application and interview questions.

• Portfolio Presentation/Discussion: Be prepared to walk through 1-2 key case studies from your portfolio that best demonstrate your experience in user research, journey mapping, service blueprinting, and influencing stakeholders to drive operational improvements.

• Stakeholder Simulation/Scenario: You may be asked to tackle a hypothetical design challenge or discuss how you would approach a specific problem relevant to NSW Government services.

• Final Interview: Likely with senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the problem, your process, the solution, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact of your work (e.g., improved efficiency, increased user satisfaction, cost savings).

• Showcase Process: Don't just present the final deliverable; explain your methodology, the research you conducted, how you synthesized insights, and how you iterated based on feedback.

• Tailor to Government Context: If possible, include examples that demonstrate an understanding of public sector constraints, policy considerations, and designing for diverse citizen needs.

• Highlight Collaboration: Illustrate instances where you successfully collaborated with cross-functional teams and managed stakeholder expectations.

• Conciseness and Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and clearly communicates your contributions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the NSW Government Context: Research current initiatives, challenges, and priorities of the Department of Customer Service and NSW Government generally.

• Practice with the Capability Application Tool: This is a direct resource provided by the employer to help you prepare for the specific types of questions and assessment methods.

• Anticipate "How would you..." Questions: Be ready to discuss your approach to common service design challenges, such as designing for complex user needs, integrating digital and physical services, or influencing resistant stakeholders.

• Focus on Empathy and Empathy: Demonstrate your ability to understand and advocate for the needs of citizens, especially vulnerable populations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of the "Capability Application Tool" is a crucial piece of advice. Candidates should prioritize using this resource to tailor their application and interview responses to the specific assessment framework used by NSW Government. This indicates a structured and competency-based recruitment process.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), Miro, or Mural for wireframing, prototyping, journey mapping, and collaborative ideation.

• User Research Platforms: Familiarity with tools for conducting online surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics), user interviews (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet), and usability testing.

• Collaboration & Communication Tools: Expertise in using platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Confluence, and Jira for project management, documentation, and team communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Synthesis Tools: While not explicitly mentioned, the ability to work with data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to inform design decisions is valuable.

• Reporting & Visualization: Experience using tools to present research findings and design impacts, potentially including PowerPoint, Google Slides, or basic data visualization tools.

CRM & Automation:

• While direct CRM/automation tool proficiency might not be a primary requirement for a designer, understanding how customer data is managed and how automation impacts customer journeys is beneficial for designing holistic experiences. Awareness of government-specific systems or platforms used for service delivery management would be a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Designer role, the emphasis is on the application of these tools to achieve design outcomes, rather than just technical proficiency. The ability to use these tools to gather insights, visualize complex systems, and communicate design ideas effectively is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of the people and businesses of New South Wales.

• Empathy: Designing with genuine understanding and compassion for users, especially those facing complex challenges.

• Collaboration: Working effectively across teams and agencies to achieve shared goals and deliver integrated services.

• Efficiency & Effectiveness: Striving to design services that are not only user-friendly but also operationally sound and deliver tangible outcomes.

• Innovation: A willingness to challenge the status quo and explore new approaches to improve government service delivery.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role necessitates seamless collaboration with policy, operations, IT, and frontline service teams to ensure designs are feasible, implementable, and meet diverse needs.

• Evidence-Based Decision Making: Design decisions are expected to be grounded in customer research and data, fostering a culture of informed strategy.

• Open Communication & Feedback: A willingness to share work early and often, solicit feedback, and iterate constructively is crucial for success in a design-focused role within a large organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The NSW Government emphasizes values such as Integrity, Collaboration, Respect, and Accountability. Candidates should demonstrate how their work ethic and approach align with these core public sector values, particularly in how they collaborate and drive outcomes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Bureaucracy: Working within a large government structure can involve complex approval processes and competing priorities. Strategy: Focus on building strong stakeholder relationships and clearly articulating the value proposition of design solutions.

• Designing for Complexity: Addressing the diverse and often intersecting needs of citizens requires deep empathy, robust research, and innovative solutions. Strategy: Leverage user research rigorously and advocate for user needs with evidence.

• Balancing Constraints: Simultaneously meeting customer needs, policy requirements, operational capabilities, and technical limitations demands creative problem-solving. Strategy: Proactive engagement with all stakeholder groups to understand constraints early and co-design solutions.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the impact of design initiatives in a public sector context can be challenging. Strategy: Define clear metrics upfront and establish robust tracking mechanisms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Service Design Expertise: Deepen skills in complex service design, particularly within the public sector context, by working on high-impact initiatives.

• Government Operations Acumen: Gain a comprehensive understanding of how government services are planned, funded, delivered, and regulated.

• Stakeholder Influence & Policy Engagement: Develop advanced skills in influencing senior stakeholders and navigating policy landscapes.

• Access to Resources: Utilize internal training, workshops, and external professional development opportunities to stay abreast of design best practices and government service innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding these challenges and framing them as opportunities for growth and learning will be key during interviews. Demonstrating a proactive approach to overcoming these obstacles showcases resilience and strategic thinking.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used customer insights to significantly improve a service or process. What was your role, what insights did you uncover, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a case study focusing on research, synthesis, and impact).

• "How would you approach designing a new service for individuals experiencing homelessness, considering their complex needs and potential barriers to access?" (Focus on empathy, research methods, and multi-channel service design).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for the NSW Government, specifically the Department of Customer Service?" (Research DCS's mission, values, and current projects. Align your passion with their goals).

• "How do you foster collaboration within a cross-functional team, especially when dealing with diverse perspectives and priorities?" (Provide examples of your collaborative approach and communication style).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the challenge, your approach/methodology, your specific contributions, the solution, and the measurable results/impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (journey maps, blueprints, personas) to illustrate your process and findings. Be ready to explain the rationale behind your design choices.

• Emphasize Operations Alignment: For this role, explicitly link your design decisions to operational efficiency, service delivery improvements, and positive citizen outcomes.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your research methods, stakeholder engagement, and how you handled trade-offs or challenges.

• Practice Your Delivery: Ensure you can articulate your projects clearly, concisely, and confidently, staying within allotted timeframes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The NSW Public Sector Capability Framework is critical. Candidates should familiarize themselves with its components (e.g., "Inspire, promote and lead by example," "Influence and negotiate," "Think and solve problems") and prepare examples that directly map to these capabilities.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the nswconnect.csod.com portal.

• Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Tailor your cover letter (max 1 page) to directly address the "To be successful in this role you will demonstrate" section and the key accountabilities. Highlight your strategic thinking, passion for customer experience, and human-centered design skills, with specific examples.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume (max 4 pages) clearly details your experience, focusing on quantifiable achievements and responsibilities relevant to service design, user research, and operational improvement. Use keywords from the job description and NSW Public Sector Capabilities.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio that showcases your strongest case studies, emphasizing process, impact, and collaboration. Be ready to present this during the interview process.

• Utilize the Capability Application Tool: Actively use the provided link to practice application questions and prepare for interview scenarios aligned with the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework. This is a key differentiator for success.

• Research NSW DCS: Understand the department's mission, values, and recent initiatives to demonstrate your genuine interest and alignment with their operational goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.