User Centred Designer - Working for Essex

About the role

User Centred Designer

Permanent, Full Time

£48,321 to £56,848 per annum

Location: Chelmsford*

Closing Date: 17th August 2026

*Please note this is a hybrid-working role, with a requirement to work in the Chelmsford office 2-3 days per month on average, depending on business need.

Join a Council Shaping the Future of Public Services

At Essex County Council, User Centred Design is central to high-impact programmes including Resident Experience and Local Government Reorganisation. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, this role will work on the development of service designs that support the council’s ambition to deliver better public services for citizens and businesses in Essex. The postholder will champion a user-centred, service design approach through the entire process, from Discovery through to roll-out and on-going improvement. They will align user research and service design methods to develop a deep understanding of the people that use our services and identify opportunities to improve service outcomes and efficiency.

Accountabilities

Champion the value of user-centred design across the council, work in the open to promote awareness and understanding of the diversity of users of government services, and advocate for services that work for all users.
Work as part of multidisciplinary teams to specify and design end-to-end digital services that meet user needs and business objectives within identified constraints and standards.
Use, develop and iterate service patterns and standards to create consistent user experiences across services as well as efficient service delivery built on common components.
Iterate and improve designs based on successive rounds of research, prototyping ideas at different fidelities to explore and test designs and help service areas understand the possibilities and how to make prototypes turn into services.
Plan, conduct and involve the wider team in user research, including the analysis of research data and synthesis of findings. Show integrity in your research practice and resilience in advocating for user needs based on user insights to ensure best outcomes for Essex citizens.
Use quantitative and qualitative data to produce designs that meet user needs, map user journeys and compile user research into actionable insights to make decisions about user need.
Explain and communicate problems and design ideas to senior stakeholders using appropriate tools and methods so they understand user needs and insights, their characteristics and tasks, and the technical, organisational and physical environment in which products or systems will operate, to build understanding and consensus.
Responsible for designing for both internal staff and external user experience together as front and backstage of how a service works, understanding that form follows function and designs ensure alignment of council structures to priorities and optimising service performance across the organisation.
Undertake assurance of ethics and consent processes and developing / reviewing
privacy and equality impact assessments to protect the dignity, rights and welfare of research participants.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
Influencing internal stakeholders and multiple external stakeholders.
The role will have critical and defining input to complex projects which impact significantly across the Council and carry high reputational risk.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor’s degree) in research, design or equivalent by experience.
Experience of managing relationships with stakeholders including influencing sceptical stakeholders and challenging decisions that don’t meet user need.
Experience of balancing the needs of users with organisation priorities to make the right decisions and supporting teams to act upon them.
Proven ability to understand technical complexity, risks and to communicate this in simple and accessible language to a wide range of audiences.
Experience of developing ideas using sketching, prototyping, iterative design and using testing tools to make sure prototypes and services meet user needs.
Experience of planning user research for services with challenging user needs and complex user journeys and advise on the choice and application of research methods to assure best practice.
Experience of working in agile, multi-disciplinary teams from discovery through to supporting a live service.
Strong and flexible communication skills. Able to communicate research in a meaningful way that engages stakeholders and teams to create shared understanding and alignment.
Knowledge and practical application of the Government Service Standards, Government
Accessibility Regulations and Information Governance principles.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.

To read more about us please visit: Corporate Services - Working for Essex

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site: devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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