Job Advert
Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office, remote and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.
Work Pattern: Fixed-term, Full Time, 37 hours per week.
Fixed-term or Secondment until March 31st 2026
**For NHS applicants an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment will be considered.
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
Who We Are
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.
NES Technology Service has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government’s technology strategies.
Our Technology
We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Service Design Lead to initiate and grow the service design function in our small but talented and growing team.
The post-holder will work primarily on the Digital Front Door programme of work. The Digital Front Door is a key commitment in the Scottish Government’s Digital Health and Care Strategy to deliver the means for people to get direct access to their health and care information and wider services. This has the potential to be a truly ground-breaking service and when successful, you will have been at the heart of that success.
Do you want to play a lead role in understanding and articulating the end-to-end experience of major public and professional-facing digital services in Scotland?
Do you enjoy the challenge of developing practical service patterns and other assets which can be used again and again?
Do you want to work as part of the full discovery to deliver process, embedding good design yet pragmatic practice at all product life cycle stages?
Do you want to provide specialist support and advice to colleagues on how to apply design methods and thinking to wider NTS work.
Working within the User Centred Design team at NTS, you will have the opportunity to provide design direction and input which directly informs the development and delivery of good user-centred digital services for the general public and health and care professionals.
Does this sound like you?
What We Love to See
A Service Design Lead needs to offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
• You have proven experience as a senior service designer
• Expertise in service design methods and tools including participative processes
• Experience working in a cross-functional team and making (ideally consumer-facing) digital products & services
• Experience communicating design work and the service user perspective in a clear, meaningful and actionable manner
• Strengths in user focus, evidence and context-based design, prototyping, strategic thinking, communicating information and the digital perspective
• Skills in one or more of agile working, community collaboration, facilitating decisions, design leadership and visual design
• Awareness of how best to demonstrate the value of design methodologies and processes
• A genuine interest in improving health and social care/public services (direct experience is a bonus)
• Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise workload and to meet strict deadlines.
Benefits Which Matter
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
• Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and remote working
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual incremental progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
• Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
• NHS discounts and more
Diversity and Inclusion
Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.
We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.
It’s not essential to be in a user research role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning to user research after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.
If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact rohan.gunatillake@nhs.scot
Next Steps
**NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.
Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, only working from our offices once official guidance supports this.
All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.
Online interviews (including a presentation) will take place on December 11-16 2024. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview.
For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.
Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will note be accepted.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot