Lead Designer - GDS - G6

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government - setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. 

We are responsible for:

• Delivering the blueprint for a modern digital government
• Government Digital and Data Strategy and Standards, like the Technology Code of Practice, the Service Standard and Open Standards
• Cross-government Digital and Data performance and assurance, including Spend Controls
• Digital and Data Capability Development, including the Government Digital and Data pay framework

Job description

The lead designer on the GOV.UK AI team owns the design direction for the use of AI on GOV.UK. This primarily focuses on our flagship product, GOV.UK Chat, but includes other applications. You will be passionate about how emerging technologies can help make the public’s experience of government easier.

You'll be part of a fantastic design community in government, where we share ideas and challenges with 1000s of designers across the public sector. This is a chance to work on emerging services that matter, at a huge scale, with people who value design. Find out more about what it’s like designing in government on our Design in Government blog.

As a Lead Designer on GOV.UK AI you will: 

• lead design across one or more AI-focussed products, including GOV.UK Chat, ensuring that they meet user needs and achieve organisational priorities
• shape product strategy and delivery in collaboration with the rest of the leadership team, by forming a narrative around the team’s work, supporting with speculative design work
• represent the work with senior stakeholders, ensuring it meets the needs of other parts of the public sector and is clearly understood
• develop design patterns for use of AI in the public sector, in collaboration with other parts of GDS and the public sector, through communities of practice
• collaborate with the Head of Design to design a community within the directorate and beyond that delivers quality work on time, to a high standard, and that’s is bold and innovative 
• guide, support and mentor design team members within your team and beyond, ensuring designers have what they need to deliver quality work

Person specification

We are interested in people who have demonstrable experience in:

• designing usable, accessible digital products that work at scale across multiple channels, for example apps, conversational interfaces, or web
• working with emerging technology like AI to develop innovative, personalised products and services
• collaborating with other designers to develop new patterns or principles in novel areas
• negotiating important design decisions with senior stakeholders
• communicating long-term design vision for a product area
• supporting designers or design teams in delivering quality work, or in their own professional development