Service Designer

Summary of Role

The Digital Office is currently experiencing rapid growth and the post of Service Designer will contribute to the design, development and continual improvement of local authorities and the supporting services to benefit the citizens across Scotland.

This exciting role within the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government will support the delivery of the Digital Office strategic role which has evolved in helping link National Strategies and priorities with the equivalent at a local level, whilst also delivering a programme of work related to the revised Digital Scotland Strategy, Digital Health & Care strategy, Education, Analogue to Digital Switchover within Telecare and other key policy areas.

With minimum supervision, and demonstrating sound judgement in your approach, you will lead on the following activities: –

• Provide access to guidance and advice for embedding the Scottish Approach to Service Design within Local Authorities
• Support the building and access to Service Design standards and common templates that can be used to accelerate service design activities within the sector.
• Influence the direction for the Scottish Approach to Service Design on behalf of Local Government
• Increase focus on user research and service design within local government, which could provide direct evidence of actions taken in response to the findings of the Audit Scotland report
• Coordination of actions relating to service design within the Digital Strategy.

You’ll be a persuasive and engaging communicator, joining a thriving community of practice, where you’ll share best practice, insight and support with stakeholders within local authorities.

We’re looking for a service designer to represent the user and the business simultaneously – addressing the needs of both in order to drive value through experiences and deliver sustainable and efficient products and services.

You’ll need the skills and confidence to navigate a complex service and stakeholder environment. You’ll work strategically to design user-centred services and drive the best outcomes for our citizens and colleagues.

Principal Accountabilities

• Passionate about service design
• Knows how to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams that put user-centred design principles first
• Can adapt, reflect and be resilient to change
• Can see outside of the service process and think of the bigger picture
• Creative problem solver
• Interpret user research and incorporate it into plans for the programme
• Design the users’ end-to-end journey
• Prototype solutions with a view to testing them with users.
• Contribute to the design of the various aspects of the Digital Officet:
• Work in partnership with the third, private and public sectors including the NHS and Scottish Government
• Take responsibility for high-level service concepts and strategies, detailed delivery through to implementation

General Accountabilities

• You will foster collaborative working within and across teams and contribute to the fulfilment of the Digital Office’s plans and COSLA’s corporate objectives.
• You will act as an ambassador for the Digital Office and COSLA, upholding the good name and reputation of your employer and local government at all times.
• You will provide excellent customer service to member councils, colleagues, partners, and stakeholders.
• You are expected to:
• Behave in a consistent, fair and inclusive manner;
• Promote team working in an open and communicative environment;
• Support and encourage other team members.
• You will undertake any other duties consistent with your position as a key member of staff in the organisation.
• You will abide by staff policies in the conduct of your everyday business with COSLA.

COSLA SERVICE DESIGNER (Digital Office) – PERSON SPECIFICATION

ATTRIBUTES

Essential

• Ability to be innovative.
• Problem solver using design as an approach
• Been part of a team working on digital transformation
• Developed or refined a service
• Designed customer facing experiences that happen across multiple channels
• Are familiar with visualising tools like Miro or Figma
• Responsive to changes in technology, adapting approach accordingly.
• Ability to absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to produce simple designs.
• Ability to identify constraints, challenge their validity if necessary, communicate about these and work within them.
• Can generate multiple solutions to a problem and test them.
• Able to think strategically about their work.
• Ability to collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally.

Desirable

• Understanding of issues currently affecting Scottish Local Government
• Interest in adapting and developing Scottish Local Government Transformation

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Articulate, approachable
• Excellent communicator
• Present good image for COSLA and the Digital Office
• Work and study on own initiative

QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated to degree level in a relevant field to the post

EXPERIENCE

• Knowledge of how to work collaboratively within a group, actively networking with others and varying feedback for the appropriate time to ensure the discussion sticks.
• Experience of working in an agile fashion, including an awareness of agile tools.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to listen to the needs of technical stakeholders and interpret them in a way that is clear for both audiences.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES APPLICABLE TO POST

• Verbal/written communication skills
• Public speaking (basic level)
• Able to work on own initiative
• Development of interagency partnership/networks (basic level)
• Negotiation and influencing skills (basic level)
• Highly developed skills in using the full suite of Microsoft Office, in particular Word, Excel, Powerpoint