UX Designer

[What the role is]

You will work across the design process - from understanding users and framing problems, to prototyping, testing and supporting delivery. A key part of your role is making sense of complex services, workflows and operational constraints, and turning them into experiences that are clear, accessible and practical.

You will work closely with the Design Lead, product managers, engineers, business teams, vendors and users to ensure what we build is grounded in real needs and works in the real world. This role is suited for a designer who is curious about how things work, comfortable navigating ambiguity, and able to turn complexity into clarity through research and design.

[What you will be working on]

Understand users and frame the right problems

• Plan and conduct user research, including interviews, contextual inquiry, workshops, surveys, usability testing and concept validation, to uncover user needs, behaviours, pain points and service constraints.
• Synthesise research, product data and operational knowledge into clear insights, user journeys, service blueprints and opportunity areas.
• Frame problems through evidence rather than assumptions, helping teams align on the right priorities before moving into solutions.
• Facilitate workshops and co-creation sessions to build shared understanding between users, stakeholders and delivery teams.
• Turn complexity into clear experiences.
• Simplify complex workflows, business rules and information into experiences that are intuitive, accessible and easy to navigate, while balancing user needs with business, policy, technical and operational realities.
• Structure user journeys, task flows, interaction patterns and information architecture across digital products, platforms and internal systems.
• Create and iterate wireframes and interactive prototypes, using testing and feedback to refine solutions from early concepts to detailed designs.
• Apply and contribute to reusable design patterns and systems that improve consistency and quality across products.

Drive design from insight to delivery

• Own design work from problem framing and exploration through validation and refinement.
• Partner with product managers and engineers to shape feasible solutions, make clear trade-offs and maintain design intent through implementation.
• Use prototypes and experiments to make ideas tangible early, reduce uncertainty and help teams make better product decisions.
• Apply research findings, usability evidence, product data and user feedback to continuously improve products after launch.

Collaborate and influence

• Bring together product, engineering, business, operations, vendors and other stakeholders to shape solutions that are desirable, feasible and workable.
• Communicate research findings, design rationale and trade-offs clearly, using evidence, prototypes and storytelling to build shared understanding.
• Advocate for users while recognising the operational and organisational context in which services need to work.
• Constructively challenge assumptions and contribute to raising the quality and maturity of design practices across DPP.

Experiment and improve how we design

• Explore AI-enabled and emerging tools to improve research synthesis, ideation, prototyping and design workflows, while applying sound judgement to their outputs.
• Share practices, patterns and lessons with designers and product teams to improve how NCSS designs digital services.

[What we are looking for]

Competencies

• Thinking Clearly and Making Sound Judgements
• Working Effectively with Citizens and Stakeholders
• Systems Thinking
• Project Management
• Business Partnering

Skills Required

• 5-8 years of experience in UX design, product design, service design or a related discipline, with experience designing and shipping digital products end-to-end.
• A portfolio that shows how you use research and design to simplify complex problems, improve real user experiences and shape practical solutions.
• Strong grounding in user-centred design, UX research, interaction design, information architecture, service design and prototyping.
• Ability to connect research, data, user needs, business requirements and service constraints into clear product and design decisions.
• Strong interaction design skills, with the ability to create clear flows and prototypes for complex workflows, systems and services.
• Proficiency with tools such as Figma, FigJam, Figma Make or equivalent research and prototyping tools.
• Ability to communicate design rationale and research findings clearly to product teams, senior stakeholders and non-design audiences.
• High standards of design craft and attention to detail, balanced with the judgement to know when speed, experimentation or pragmatism is needed.

Experience

• Relevant qualifications, experience, or demonstrated capabilities in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Social Sciences, or related fields.
• Experience working on enterprise platforms, workflow systems, government digital services or other complex digital products will be an advantage.
• Experience working with government agencies, vendors or external development partners will be valued.
• An interest in using design and technology to improve public and social services is a strong plus.