Head of User Centred Design (UCD)

Band: 6

Salary: 72771 - 80776 (plus allowance up to 12000 per annum depending on technical assessment)

Location: Liverpool/Newport/Norwich/Birmingham

Terms: Permanent

Hours: Full Time/ Compressed Hours

Closing Date: 21/01/26

Ready to deliver digital transformation with a national impact Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is the UKs largest public procurement 2023/24 we delivered 4.9 billion in commercial benefits for the taxpayer. Join our Digital and Data Services team to lead on high-impact digital products implement our Data Strategy and influence the adoption of new technologies like AI. We are a Top 50 Inclusive Employer with significant opportunities for career growth. Make your mark on public services. Apply today

Job Summary

As Head of UCD you will be crucial in leading CCSs shift to being a customer-focused organisation. You will recruit inspire and develop a team of UCD professionals set best practices influence organisational priorities and collaborate across CCS and wider government to deliver for our customers.

Directorate Overview

The Digital & Data Services (DDS) directorate is at the heart of CCSs digital transformation journey responsible for delivering modern efficient and user-centred digital services that support over 30bn of public sector procurement annually. Were building a world-class digital capability that will revolutionise how the public sector buys common goods and services.

Team Summary

You will be heading up an expanding User Centred Design team that when fully resourced will include service designers user researchers interaction designers and accessibility specialists. We are building a culture that values user-centricity experimentation and agility where team members will work closely with Digital and Commercial colleagues.

Key Accountabilities

• Visionary Leadership: Provide strategic direction to the UCD community fostering a culture of excellence in product and service development while championing uncompromising standards for inclusivity and accessibility.

• Strategic Governance: Establish and lead robust design assurance frameworks and cross-portfolio governance clarifying accountabilities and streamlining workflows to ensure all products align with unified standards and organisational goals.

• Stakeholder Influence: Build high-impact partnerships with senior leaders and stakeholders positioning UCD as a strategic driver to ensure all activities are directly aligned with broader organisational objectives.

• Talent & Capability Building: Oversee the full talent lifecycle for the UCD professionincluding recruitment performance management and career progressionwhile providing high-level coaching and mentorship to empower practitioners at all levels.

• Community & Advocacy: Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and innovation; collaborate with government and industry peers to advocate for UCD standards and ensure a relentless focus on customer-centricity across the organisation.

• Performance & Standards: Set and elevate the benchmark for UCD excellence by implementing policies frameworks and performance metrics that ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality work that meets both user needs and business outcomes.

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• Strategic Influence: Proven experience in shaping both design and organisational strategy with the ability to navigate complex environments to align user-centered priorities with overarching business goals.

• Professional Leadership & People Management: A track record of coaching and mentoring UCD professionals at all levels with expert ability to manage the full talent lifecyclefrom recruitment and performance management to career progression.

• Excellence in UCD Standards: Deep expertise in translating user insights into inclusive accessible products with a demonstrated mastery of applying government digital standards and theService Standard at scale.

• Senior Stakeholder Engagement: Highly skilled in building and sustaining influential relationships with senior leaders and diverse professional communities to advocate for UCD interests and secure buy-in for design-led initiatives.

• Governance & Quality Assurance: Substantial experience in establishing organisational frameworks governance structures and performance metrics that raise design standards and guarantee the delivery of quality outcome-driven services.

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

You will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Leadership

• Communicating and influencing

• Developing self and others

You will be assessed against the following Technical Skills (Some of the below technical skills will be tested via a presentation at interview)

• Designing strategically

• Applying user centred insights

• Stakeholder relationship management

• Agile research practices

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Assessment

If you are shortlisted you will be asked to take part in an alternative leadership assessment. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather they are designed to support the panels decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

You will also be required to complete a presentation within the final interview stage with more information to follow on this should you be successful

Please note that as part of this recruitment process if you are unsuccessful at interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

What we will offer you here are some of the benefits you can expect:

• Competitive salary

• Generous pension scheme

• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus

• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location

• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)

• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Explore fully how we will reward your work.

Want to make a difference Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil ServiceD&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone so if there is any way that we can support you please contact

Working flexibly delivering outcomes

CCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or off site meetings with suppliers customers partners networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time. Our smarter working principles mean that our people have the advantage of both office and offsite based collaboration and learning as well as working from home. This way of working allows us to honour our commitment to being a responsible business offer flexibility and better work life balance as well as ensuring we deliver our business with confidence and in accordance with our CCS values.

Selection Process

Candidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift will commence WC 26th January and interviews will be held WC 23rd February either at one of our offices or via video with interview times and dates to be confirmed. (Subject to change)

To find out more about our recruitment process please click here

Please note: Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application however all examples and statements 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 as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Complaints procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint you should contact in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at