Service Designer outside of IR35

Job Description

Venesky-Browns client, a public sector organisation in Edinburgh, are currently looking to recruit a Service Designer for an initial 9 month contract on a rate of c.£400-450/day (outside of IR35). Due to the current circumstances this role will initially be remote based.Responsibilities:• The role of Service Designer will lead service design of the end to end journey for students across critical services, ensuring that user centred design is at the very core of our services and using data and evidence from service users to explore problems and opportunities, both within Digital delivery and wider process and service improvement.• Planning and executing field and lab based user research according to business and project needs.• Advising colleagues on choice and application of appropriate user research methods and tools to assure best practice and ensure that research findings are robust, actionable and suited to the overall aims and objectives of the project.• Facilitating the inclusion of different types of users in appropriate research activities.• Supporting accessibility, assisted digital, and inclusive design practices and helping teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users. • Supporting teams to continually improve their understanding of and engagement with users. • Running appropriate Sense Making and validation exercise to ensure research is robust and accurately uncovers user needs. • Providing actionable insights to support design decision making.• Championing and advocating for user research and engaging sceptical colleagues and stakeholders.• Undertaking development and or assurance of ethics and consent processes, and supports the development of privacy and equalities impact assessments.• The role will also include coaching and supporting colleagues to help incorporate service design and agile methodologies, practice and principlesEssential Skills:• Agile working - Expert• Communication skills and Community collaboration: Must demonstrate excellent communication skills and ability to develop and build strong collaborative networks. • Digital and Technical Knowledge: Must have a proficient knowledge of digital landscape and be familiar with current IT development concepts and practises. • Experience of working within constraints: Must be comfortable with working within external constraints and be capable of innovative responses to problems and blockers.• Leadership and guidance: Must have experience and expertise in leading and coaching others in Service design activity• Prototyping proposed designs: Must have experience and expertise in designing prototypes that allow objective and unbiased feedback and QA of service design.• Facilitating: Must have seasoned experience and expertise in facilitating engagements with wide ranging stakeholders and users.• Evidence and context-based design: Must have a proven track record in designing high quality services based on the balance of sound evidence from multiple sources.Desirable Skills:• Experience and skill in prototyping of outline solutions in code;• Experience engaging directly with users to gather and validate user needsIf you would like to hear more about this opportunity please get in touch.