Senior Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Service Designer

Company: Birmingham City Council

Location: Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Service Design / User-Centred Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-30T08:11:01

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design and improvement of complex, high-impact public services, ensuring they meet genuine user needs and organizational constraints.

• Champion and embed user-centred design principles, accessible, inclusive, and trauma-informed practices across multidisciplinary teams and the wider organization.

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform service enhancements and measure their impact.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, delivery teams, and service stakeholders to shape service visions, define outcomes, and develop strategic roadmaps.

• Act as a mentor and coach to other designers and service teams, fostering growth in service design capability and user-centred thinking throughout Birmingham City Council.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title "Senior Service Designer" and the description focus on design, the emphasis on leading complex services, embedding practices at scale, and working with product/data/tech teams aligns it with a strategic operations function within the public sector. This role requires operationalizing design thinking to achieve business outcomes for the council and its residents. The "Product function" mention suggests this role is part of a broader operational strategy for service delivery.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead service design initiatives from discovery through to live service and ongoing optimization, ensuring a holistic approach.

• Conduct and facilitate user research, discovery workshops, and co-design sessions to deeply understand user needs and test innovative solutions.

• Translate user insights and data into actionable design strategies, service blueprints, and user journey maps.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (including Product Managers, Developers, Data Analysts, Policy Advisors, and frontline staff) to ensure cohesive service delivery.

• Develop and present compelling design proposals, case studies, and service roadmaps to senior stakeholders to secure buy-in and resources.

• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for services, and establish systems for tracking and reporting on service performance and user satisfaction.

• Coach and mentor junior designers, service managers, and cross-functional team members on service design methodologies and user-centred principles.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of design standards, processes, and best practices within the Product and User-Centred Design function.

• Act as a change agent, advocating for evidence-based decision-making and iterative development to drive organizational adoption of user-centric approaches.

• Ensure all service designs adhere to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), inclusivity principles, and ethical considerations, particularly trauma-informed approaches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on design leadership and strategic operational influence, typical of senior roles in a GTM or product operations context. The emphasis on embedding practices at scale and coaching indicates a responsibility for operationalizing design frameworks across the organization.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and proven experience are prioritized. A degree in Design, HCI, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in service design, user experience (UX) design, or a closely related field, with a significant portion focused on leading complex service design projects.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience leading service design for complex, end-to-end services in multidisciplinary, agile environments.

• Expertise in a range of user research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative), including user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and data analysis.

• Strong proficiency in service design tools and techniques such as service mapping, journey mapping, persona development, and prototyping.

• Demonstrated ability to design services that effectively integrate people, processes, policy, and technology.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and facilitation skills, with a proven track record of influencing and collaborating with diverse stakeholders at all levels.

• Experience using qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform design decisions and measure service impact.

• A strong understanding of agile and iterative development methodologies.

• Experience in coaching and mentoring other designers or team members.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the public sector or local government, understanding its unique operational and policy landscape.

• Familiarity with government digital service standards and frameworks.

• Experience in culture-building and embedding user-centred practices within larger organizations.

• Knowledge of data visualization tools and techniques for presenting insights.

• Experience with specific government IT systems or platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level and the emphasis on leadership, coaching, and embedding practices suggest a role that requires not just individual contribution but also the ability to influence and scale design operations across the council.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 complex service design projects, ideally with examples of work in the public sector or for large organizations.

• Each project case study should clearly articulate the problem, your role, the methodologies used (research, co-design, prototyping), the design solutions, and the measurable impact achieved.

• Demonstrate proficiency in designing for "people, processes, policy, and technology," illustrating how these elements were integrated.

• Include examples of how you used qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform decisions and improve services.

Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of how you have documented service design processes, from discovery to iteration and improvement.

• Illustrate your approach to defining and mapping end-to-end service journeys, identifying pain points and opportunities.

• Showcase examples of how you have applied agile and iterative methods to optimize service delivery workflows.

• Demonstrate how you have established metrics and reporting mechanisms to track service performance and user satisfaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating operational capability in managing complex design projects and driving measurable service improvements. It needs to showcase not just design output but also the strategic and operational thinking behind it.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £45,091 – £51,356 per annum.

Note: This is a "Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review," indicating potential for future adjustment.

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Options: The council encourages a healthy work-life balance and offers flexibility where appropriate for service needs.

• Supportive Learning-Focused Environment: Opportunities for professional development, continuous learning, and career growth within a dedicated function.

• Pension Scheme: Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, a defined benefit scheme offering robust retirement provisions.

• Generous Annual Leave: Standard local government holiday entitlement, likely starting at 25 days plus bank holidays, with potential for increases based on service.

• Employee Assistance Program: Confidential support services for personal and professional well-being.

• Training and Development: Opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, and pursue further certifications relevant to service design and digital transformation.

• Career Progression: Pathways to further senior roles within the Product function or across other service areas within the council.

Working Hours: 36.5 hours per week. This is a standard full-time commitment, with flexibility in scheduling expected to be negotiated based on service requirements and team collaboration needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided, and the "Consultation grade" note is important for candidates to understand potential future changes. The benefits are standard for local government but highlight the supportive and developmental aspects relevant to a senior operations role.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Government & Public Sector. Birmingham City Council is one of the largest local authorities in Europe, responsible for delivering a vast array of public services to a diverse population.

Company Size: A large, complex organization with thousands of employees, operating across numerous departments and service areas. This scale presents significant opportunities for impact but also requires navigating intricate organizational structures.

Founded: Birmingham City Council has a long history, with its modern structure evolving over centuries, reflecting a deep-rooted commitment to public service within the city.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Service Designer will be part of the "Product function" within "Digital and Technology Services."

• This function likely comprises Product Managers, Service Designers, UX/UI Designers, Data Analysts, and other digital specialists.

• The role involves close collaboration with delivery teams, service areas, and potentially policy and operational departments across the council.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: Emphasis on using both qualitative and quantitative data to understand user needs, inform design decisions, and measure service effectiveness.

• Workflow Planning and Optimization: Focus on designing and improving end-to-end services by mapping processes, identifying bottlenecks, and implementing iterative enhancements.

• Automation and Efficiency Practices: While not explicitly stated as a primary focus, the drive for efficient public services implies an interest in leveraging technology and streamlined processes to achieve better outcomes.

• User-Centred Design: The core methodology, ensuring all service development and improvement efforts are grounded in the needs and experiences of residents and internal users.

Company Website: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the scale and public sector context of Birmingham City Council is crucial. This means navigating bureaucracy, diverse stakeholder needs, and a commitment to public good, which shapes how design and operational improvements are implemented.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior-level role within the Product and User-Centred Design function. It signifies a move beyond individual contribution to leadership, strategic influence, and capability building. The role is responsible for driving significant change in how services are designed and delivered.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Service Designer will likely report to a Head of Product or Head of Digital Services, providing a clear line of sight to senior digital leadership and strategic objectives. They will work collaboratively with Product Managers and delivery teams.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the efficiency, accessibility, and user satisfaction of public services used by millions of residents and businesses in Birmingham. By embedding user-centred design and continuous improvement, the Senior Service Designer influences operational effectiveness and the council's ability to meet its strategic goals.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Leadership: Potential to move into management roles, leading teams of designers or product specialists, or taking on broader strategic operational responsibilities within Digital and Technology Services.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like accessibility, complex system design, or digital transformation strategy within the public sector.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the council's overarching digital strategy and transformation initiatives, shaping policy and operational frameworks.

• Capability Building: Lead initiatives to scale service design and user-centred practices across different departments, becoming a recognized internal expert and facilitator of change.

• External Engagement: Represent the council at industry events, contribute to best practice sharing, and potentially engage with other public sector organizations on service transformation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title here implies a strategic operational role focused on scaling design practices and influencing organizational change, rather than just executing design tasks. Growth opportunities are tied to broader operational leadership and strategic impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Birmingham City Council operates a hybrid working model. This suggests a combination of remote work and in-office presence at council buildings, likely including the Council House in Victoria Square.

Office Location(s): Primarily based in Birmingham, with a central hub at Victoria Square, Council House, B1 1BB. This location is well-connected and central within the city.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role emphasizes working closely with multidisciplinary teams. Expect a dynamic environment with regular collaboration sessions, workshops, and team meetings, both in-person and virtually.

• Operations Tools and Technology: Access to standard digital design tools, collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack), project management software, and potentially specialized service design software. The council will provide the necessary technology to perform the role effectively.

• Operations Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with Product Managers, fellow designers, data analysts, developers, and various service delivery teams across the council, fostering a networked and collaborative approach to service improvement.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (36.5 per week) with flexibility. This allows for managing personal commitments while ensuring service needs and team collaboration are met. The hybrid model provides autonomy in structuring the work week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and emphasis on collaboration suggest a modern work environment designed to balance individual focus with team synergy, crucial for complex operational projects.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application & CV Review: Your CV is essential for shortlisting. Ensure it clearly highlights your experience in leading complex service design projects, your collaborative approach, and your impact.

• First Interview: Likely with a hiring manager from the Product function and potentially a peer designer. This stage will assess your experience, approach to service design, stakeholder management skills, and understanding of user-centred principles. Be prepared to discuss specific projects from your portfolio.

• Portfolio Presentation/Workshop: A key stage where you will present selected case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your process, problem-solving skills, and the impact of your work. This may also involve a practical exercise or a service design challenge to assess your on-the-spot thinking and application of methodologies.

• Final Interview: Potentially with more senior leadership within Digital and Technology Services. This interview will focus on your strategic thinking, leadership potential, cultural fit, and how you envision contributing to the council's broader goals and embedding service design at scale.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your most relevant and impactful projects that showcase leadership in complex service design, multidisciplinary collaboration, and measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Process & Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem statement, your specific role and contributions, the methodologies used (research, discovery, co-design, prototyping), the challenges faced, the solution devised, and most importantly, the tangible results and impact achieved (e.g., improved user satisfaction, increased efficiency, cost savings).

• Demonstrate "People, Process, Policy, Tech": Explicitly explain how you considered and integrated these four pillars in your design solutions.

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you worked with diverse stakeholders, including technical teams, policy experts, and frontline staff, and how you facilitated their involvement.

• Emphasize User-Centred & Inclusive Design: Clearly articulate how user needs drove your decisions and how you ensured accessibility, inclusivity, and trauma-informed principles were applied.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, how you handle conflicting priorities or stakeholder feedback, and how you measure success.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Birmingham City Council's services, strategic priorities, and any publicly available digital transformation initiatives.

• Practice Problem-Solving: Be ready to tackle a hypothetical service design challenge. Think about how you would approach understanding the problem, identifying users, mapping existing services, and generating potential solutions.

• Articulate Your Framework: Be prepared to explain your go-to framework for service design, discovery, or problem-solving.

• Consider Constraints: Public sector roles often involve complex constraints (budget, policy, legacy systems). Think about how you would navigate these.

• Focus on Impact and Scalability: For any proposed solutions, consider how they would be implemented, scaled, and measured within a large public sector organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio and potential practical exercises highlights the practical, results-oriented nature of this senior operations role. Preparation should focus on demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, and operationalizing design principles.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Miro, Mural (for collaborative whiteboarding and journey mapping).

• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, or similar tools for qualitative and quantitative data collection.

• Project Management & Collaboration: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Slack for team coordination and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (for understanding user behaviour on digital services).

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools for creating dashboards and reporting on service performance and user metrics.

• CRM & Case Management: Potentially experience with systems used by local authorities for citizen interaction and service delivery management (specifics will vary).

CRM & Automation:

• While direct CRM management might not be the core focus, understanding how citizen data is managed and how services are automated is beneficial. Experience with platforms that facilitate citizen engagement and workflow automation in public services would be an advantage.

• Integration Tools: Familiarity with how different systems integrate to deliver a seamless service experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with collaborative design tools and user research platforms is essential. Understanding how data is collected, analyzed, and visualized to inform service improvements is a key operational requirement for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centred: A fundamental commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of Birmingham's residents and businesses.

• Collaborative: Working effectively across diverse teams and departments to achieve shared goals.

• Evidence-Based: Making decisions informed by data and research, not just assumptions.

• Inclusive & Accessible: Ensuring all services are designed to be usable by everyone, regardless of ability or background.

• Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to learning, iterating, and enhancing services over time.

• Public Service Ethos: A dedication to making a positive difference in the community and serving the public good.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expect a highly collaborative environment where service design is integrated early and throughout the development lifecycle with product management, technology, data, policy, and operational teams.

• Open Communication and Feedback: A culture that encourages open dialogue, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing to foster collective problem-solving and learning.

• Agile and Iterative: Working in an agile manner means embracing flexibility, adapting to new information, and continuously refining approaches with team input.

• Empowerment and Autonomy: While collaborative, the senior role implies a degree of autonomy in leading design initiatives and empowering teams to adopt user-centred practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a strong sense of public service, collaboration, and a data-driven, user-focused approach to operationalizing improvements within a large public sector entity.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Bureaucracy: Working within a large local authority can involve complex approval processes, policy constraints, and established organizational structures that require strategic navigation.

• Scaling User-Centred Practices: Embedding design thinking and user-centred practices across a vast and diverse organization with varying levels of digital maturity.

• Balancing Diverse Needs: Designing services that meet the needs of a wide range of users with different backgrounds, abilities, and access to technology.

• Data Integration and Silos: Overcoming potential data silos and ensuring seamless integration of data from various council systems to provide a holistic view of service performance.

• Resource Allocation and Prioritization: Advocating for design resources and ensuring user-centred considerations are prioritized amidst competing demands and budget constraints.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Service Design Leadership: Opportunities to lead major transformation projects and influence strategic direction for service delivery across the council.

• Public Sector Innovation: Gaining deep experience in digital transformation within the public sector, a field with unique challenges and significant societal impact.

• Mentorship and Coaching: Developing strong coaching skills by mentoring junior designers and upskilling various teams within the council.

• Specialized Training: Access to training in areas like accessibility standards, trauma-informed design, advanced research techniques, and digital policy.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to represent Birmingham City Council at conferences, contribute to national policy discussions on public service design, and network with peers in other local authorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to large public sector organizations, requiring strategic thinking and strong interpersonal skills to overcome. Growth opportunities are geared towards broader operational leadership and strategic impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a new service for [a specific council service, e.g., housing support, waste management, adult social care], considering the diverse needs of Birmingham residents and the council's operational constraints?" (Focus on discovery, user segmentation, and iterative design).

• "Describe a time you successfully embedded user-centred design principles or a new design process within a complex organization. What were the key challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on change management, stakeholder engagement, and scaling).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for Birmingham City Council, and what do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for service design in the public sector?" (Demonstrate research and genuine interest).

• "How would you foster collaboration between design, product, technology, and policy teams to ensure cohesive service delivery?" (Focus on communication, integration, and shared goals).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the "Why": Clearly articulate the problem and the user need that drove each project.

• Show Your Process: Walk through your methodology step-by-step, explaining why you chose certain research methods or design techniques.

• Highlight Your Role: Be specific about your contributions, especially in leading discovery, design, and stakeholder engagement.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics and data to demonstrate the positive outcomes of your designs (e.g., "reduced call volume by X%", "improved task completion rate by Y%", "increased user satisfaction scores by Z points").

• Explain Trade-offs: Discuss any constraints or difficult decisions you had to make and how you navigated them.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, your approach to user testing, and how you would scale your solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on showcasing strategic thinking, leadership in complex environments, and a results-driven approach to service design and operational improvement.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Oracle Cloud link, ensuring all required fields are completed accurately.

• Crucially, upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments section as this is mandatory for shortlisting.

• Tailor your CV: Highlight your experience in leading complex service design projects, your skills in user research, stakeholder management, and your impact on service improvement. Use keywords from the job description (e.g., "end-to-end services," "user-centred," "multidisciplinary," "agile," "accessibility").

• Prepare your Portfolio: Curate a digital portfolio that clearly showcases 2-3 of your most impactful service design projects, focusing on process, problem-solving, collaboration, and measurable outcomes. Ensure it's easily accessible and well-organized.

• Research Birmingham City Council: Understand their services, strategic goals, and any recent digital initiatives. Familiarize yourself with the challenges and opportunities of public sector service design.

• Practice your Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on articulating your process, impact, and ability to collaborate effectively. Be ready to discuss how you would approach a hypothetical service design challenge for the council.

⚠️ 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.