Service Design Lead

Job description This is an exciting time to join us as we continue to evolve our services and increase our ability to put learners at the centre of education. Education Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government and the national improvement agency for education. Our role is to progress the Scottish Government's ambitious vision for education, where educators, learners and parents can take full advantage of the opportunities offered by technology to raise attainment, ambition and opportunities for all. This role sits within the Glow team in Digital Services. Glow is the national online platform for education in Scotland and regularly supports more than 350,000 users each month. As Service Design Lead, you will ensure that user-centred service design practices are embedded and that the Scottish Approach to Service Design is applied to evolve and improve Glow. You will lead the work of the Senior Service Designer and Senior User Researcher, overseeing the design activities required to support the future vision for a nationally provided digital education service. The role will drive service improvements through user-centred design, collaboration and evidence-based decision-making. Responsibilities Conduct systematic quality assurance checks of evidence categorisation and filing, ensuring accuracy and promptly identifying, correcting and reporting any inconsistencies. Shape and evolve service design strategies that align user needs, organisational objectives and wider government priorities. Design inclusive, accessible and evidence-based services and systems that work seamlessly across multiple channels and services. Provide expert leadership on complex, high-risk and high-impact programmes, making informed decisions and adapting approaches in response to changing priorities and constraints. Influence strategic decision-making by providing insight, expertise and guidance on service design, digital transformation and organisational change. Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, fostering collaboration, managing expectations and achieving consensus across diverse organisations and teams. Champion user-centred design, using research, data, prototyping and iterative approaches to inform decisions and improve outcomes. Resolve complex organisational, team and delivery challenges through effective mediation, coaching and conflict resolution. Represent and advocate for service design best practice both internally and externally, building networks and sharing knowledge across the wider community. Lead the evaluation and continuous improvement of services, ensuring they remain sustainable, effective and responsive to evolving user and business needs. Apply robust risk management approaches, guiding teams and senior leaders in identifying, assessing and mitigating risks proportionately. Success profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on. Technical / Professional Skills: This role is aligned to the Lead Service Designer job role within the User-centred design job family within the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Service designer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework . Experience Your experience of coaching and leading service design teams in agile and lean practices allows you to determine the right approach for the team or project. Your experience of large scale service design projects allows you to create systems for use across multiple services and make evidence based decisions for a team. Your experience of meeting the needs of users in the design of inclusive services and evidencing the success or need for further improvements to a service, allows you to advocate in your team or projects for solutions that are most suitable. Your experience of the wider digital ecosystem and accessible considerations, in a government context, enables you to apply a digital understanding to your work. Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture - Level 4 Making Effective Decisions - Level 4 Leadership - Level 4 Communicating and Influencing - Level 4 Find out more about Success Profiles . How to apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the experience criteria listed in the Success Profiles above. The experience criteria listed in the Success Profile above will be tested at sift stage If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and GDD technical assessment where the experiences, behaviours and technical skills outlined in the Success Profile will be assessed. A Technical Assessment Candidate Pack outlining the details of the assessment will be issued. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 7th September 2026 however this may be subject to change. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK. Recruitment Principles As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases. About us Education Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government and is the national improvement agency for education. The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service , observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland. We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer . As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules . Working pattern Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave. Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. Security checks Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions). You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website , and read about the Government Vetting Charter , or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide . Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application. Equality statement We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. Further information Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website . Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes. Apply before 23:59 on 26th August 2026. This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship Organisations only. External candidates and staff from UK Other Government Departments are not eligible to apply for this vacancy.