We are looking to recruit an adaptable User Centred Design Consultant who can work effectively in a multidisciplinary team, and deliver excellent results across GDS projects for Version 1’s customers in the public sector.

You will be experienced in working with users and stakeholders to determine the best way to design products and services, considering both the end-to-end journey and individual design elements.

Your portfolio will demonstrate your ability to understand users and design to meet their needs, work to relevant design standards and communicate your design decisions effectively.

You will need to be eligible for SC clearance to be considered for this role

Design thinking and evidence-based design.

• You have a strong understanding of design thinking. You can apply frameworks and approaches as appropriate to the circumstances of a project.
• You take an evidence-based approach to design. You seek to test your assumptions to ensure that your designs are the simplest feasible approach to solving problems for users.

Concepts and prototyping.

• You can create and iterate a variety of different prototypes, selecting the appropriate level of fidelity and tools for the task.
• You can appropriately evaluate concepts and prototypes and explain them to stakeholders and team members.
• You can select, apply and adapt appropriate design patterns, and participate in wider design community discussion and activities.

Experience of accessible/ inclusive design.

• You understand the key principles and considerations for accessible/inclusive design and can apply these appropriately in your designs.
• You can evaluate your designs in relation to appropriate accessibility standards.

Knowledge and experience of design standards.

• You understand common design standards and can demonstrate how your designs comply with the appropriate standards for the sector or project.
• You are aware of the design standards that apply to public sector projects in the UK and the GDS assessment processes.

Focus on users and their needs.

• You can undertake basic user research activity as appropriate to your design work. You can collaborate with user researchers to understand your users and their needs and to test your designs to ensure usability and accessibility.
• You can design to meet a wide range of user needs, explain design decisions in relation to user needs and explain the constraints on your designs.

Consultancy skills.

• You have experience of communicating your design process and decisions effectively to gain the confidence of internal colleagues and customers.
• You can appropriately manage the stakeholders you encounter within your work, and know how to escalate issues and when to seek support in unblocking your design work.

Agile working in multidisciplinary teams.

• You understand user-centred design practices and know how to align your work to agile workflows across all stages of the development lifecycle.
• You can work in an open, iterative and collaborative way in a multidisciplinary team.