Overall Purpose of the role

As Head of Service Design and Delivery, you will lead the re-design and delivery of our services to deliver our ambition to become a service led organisation. Placing the customer experience at the heart of this, this role will shape and implement services that are user-centred, modern, joined up and help the creative and cultural sector to thrive.

As our expert in Service Design, you will have experience of delivering user centred services across multiple sectors.  

You will:

·       Lead the vision and strategy for Service Design across the Arts Council, championing services that are user-centred, accessible, inclusive, simple, and digital-first.

·       Recruit, build, develop and lead a small team, working closely with the Head of Strategic Programs to re-design and delivery of our services.  

·       Work across multidisciplinary teams to embed design into policy, operations, technology and culture.

Main day to day responsibilities

·       Lead the vision and strategy for Service Design across the Arts Council, championing services that are user-centred, accessible, inclusive, simple, and digital-first.

·       Lead a small team in the scoping, designing, and delivering of user centred services.

·       Lead service design thinking across the organisation through embedding and building capability. 

·       Provide expert, strategic advice to senior leaders and governance groups, ensuring decisions are grounded in user insight, service performance, and opportunities for continuous improvement.

·       Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including government officials (particularly, but not exclusively, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport), to advocate for user-centred services.

·       Create the conditions for teams to succeed in our service design ambitions, setting high standards for design, delivery and continuous improvement and impact.

·       Lead the design and development of service design skills and capabilities across teams, to embed a user-centred design culture.

·       Use service design methods (e.g. journey mapping, personas, systems thinking) to co-create services that are efficient, inclusive, and meet real user needs.

·       Lead user research, co-design workshops, and ethnographic studies to generate deep insights to inform the development of new services.

·       Prototype and test new service concepts, iterating based on evidence to reduce risk and deliver practical, inclusive outcomes.

·       Collaborate with colleagues to simplify and improve internal processes, supporting a positive employee experience.

·       Establish and chair our Service Design Governance to uphold Service Design principles, share best practice, and ensure consistency of approach for all users.  

·       Lead the development and delivery of a transformation focused Programme Management Office (PMO).

·       Shape and support wider change programmes, ensuring service design is embedded from the outset.

·       Working with stakeholders including those with digital skills from within ACE, identify and implement digital tools and systems that that improve the efficiency, inclusivity and transparency of services.

·       Report into and advise the Transformation Board on strategic opportunities, risks, and delivery priorities.

·       You will contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility. ·

·       You will reflect the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Key relationships

This role will be working with stakeholders from across ACE; this includes Senior Leaders

·       Transformation Board

·       Governance Groups

·       DCMS

·       Managing and leading a small team.

What do I need to bring to the role?

Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

·       Deep expertise in service design methods, including journey mapping, systems thinking, and personal development.

·       Experience in creating the conditions for success to enable the delivery of a service led organisation

·       In depth understanding of how to influence organisational culture and set standards for design and delivery.

·       A collaborative, inclusive leadership style that brings people with you and builds shared ownership.

·       Experience building and supporting multidisciplinary teams; including user researchers, content designers, product managers and developers to deliver high-quality services.

·       A track record of using user research and ethnographic methods to generate insight and drive improvement.

·       Experience facilitating co-design workshops with diverse stakeholder groups to develop inclusive, practical solutions.

·       In depth knowledge and experience in making evidence-based decisions to guide strategy and service delivery.

·       The resilience and adaptability to lead through ambiguity and adapt to complex or changing priorities.

·       A commitment to a culture of continuous learning and the growth of a strong internal design community.

·       A strategic mindset and ability to embed design in organisational strategy, policy, delivery and technology.

·       Understanding of design systems, components and patterns, and how they enable scalable, consistent services.

Behaviours

Our Values describe how we work at Arts Council, and how we behave towards each other and guide how we make decisions. Our Values are “We are Ambitious” “We Care” and “We Learn”.

·       Actively seeks out the best way of doing things

·       Builds trusted and empowering relationships

·       Encourages a collaborative and respectful culture

·       Puts the welfare of our colleagues and stakeholders at the heart of what we do

·       Shares our learning experience with others.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they’re applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.

Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact recruitment@artscouncil.org.uk

Closing date: 23:59 Monday 8 September 2025

Interviews: First stage interviews will be the week commencing 22 September. These will be face to face at our office in Manchester.