Design Director – GDS
Role Overview
We are seeking a strategic and experienced Design Director (UX, Research & Service Design) to lead end-to-end user-centred design across complex digital services. This role spans UX design, UX research, and service design, with a strong focus on GDS (Government Digital Service) standards and the pensions domain. You should have demonstrable experience delivering user-centred services within Government, including leading research across GDS lifecycle phases, contributing to successful service assessments, and shaping end-to-end services on GOV.UK in collaboration with policy, service design, and delivery teams
You will play a hands-on leadership role, guiding multidisciplinary teams, embedding best practice research methodologies, and ensuring compliance with GDS service standards while navigating the unique challenges of pensions products and services.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategy
- Act as a senior design authority, influencing stakeholders at executive and programme levels.
- Build, mentor, and lead high-performing design teams, promoting a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
- Close collaboration with service designers and operational teams
- Champion user-centred design (UCD) across the organisation.
- Experience preparing for and leading GDS service assessments
- Understanding of service standard expectations at each phase
UX & Delivery
- Oversee end-to-end design activities across the GDS service lifecycle (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live).
- Experience shaping end-to-end service journeys across channels (digital, assisted, offline)
- Establish scalable research frameworks, methodologies, and standards aligned with GDS service standards and accessibility requirements.
- Lead complex research initiatives across pensions systems, including policy-driven services, customer journeys, and operational processes.
- Track record of research directly influencing service design, policy decisions, or funding approvals
- Close collaboration with service designers and operational teams
Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate with senior stakeholders, product owners, policy teams, and engineering leaders to ensure alignment between user needs, business objectives, and regulatory requirements.
- Communicate research findings through compelling storytelling, influencing decision-making at all levels.
- Work closely with government bodies or regulated environments to ensure compliance and alignment with public sector expectations.
Domain Expertise – Pensions
- Apply deep understanding of the pensions landscape (e.g., retirement journeys, contributions, pension schemes, regulatory requirements).
- Conduct research with diverse user groups, including vulnerable or less digitally confident populations.
- Address challenges around complex policy, financial literacy, and accessibility within pensions services.
- Experience designing for assisted digital journeys and non-digital users
- Understanding of inclusion, accessibility, and support channels in public services
Governance & Standards
- Ensure all outputs adhere to GDS Design Principles, Service Standard, and WCAG accessibility guidelines.
- Drive governance and quality assurance across design and research outputs.
- Support service assessments and audits within GDS frameworks.
Skills & Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in GDS interactive leadership, ideally at Director or Head level.
- Demonstrable experience delivering services that have passed GDS Service Assessments (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live)
- Experience preparing for and leading GDS service assessments
- Understanding of service standard expectations at each phase
- Experience working on transactional services published on GOV.UK
- Familiarity with GOV.UK design system and patterns in real delivery contexts
- Experience working across multiple departments or shared platforms (e.g. Notify, Pay, One Login)
- Deep expertise across the full research lifecycle, including qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Strong knowledge of pensions products/services and associated regulatory frameworks.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary teams (design, product, engineering, policy, content) aligned to GDS ways of working
- Ability to influence at senior leadership level and drive strategic decisions.
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills.
Desirable
- Experience working with UK Government departments or regulated industries.
- Knowledge of service design, content design, and interaction design.
- Familiarity with data analytics and behavioural insights.
- Experience in accessibility and inclusive design practices.
Key Competencies
- Strategic Thinking
- Leadership & Mentorship
- Stakeholder Influence
- User Advocacy
- Analytical & Insight-Driven Decision Making
- Collaboration & Communication interaction
What Success Looks Like
- User-centred design is embedded across all services.
- Research insights directly influence product and policy decisions.
- Services successfully meet GDS assessments and standards.
- Improved user outcomes across pensions journeys, including accessibility and trust.
- High-performing, engaged design and UCD teams.
About Us
TCS Interactive is a world leader in the digital customer experience space. With a human-first approach, we apply design, engineering, business strategy and subject matter expertise to deliver award-winning iconic design and digital experiences for our customers. We pride ourselves in our ability to influence products at the highest level by delivering strategic ideas from inception to launch.
By helping clients understand the context of their products, we create compelling visions for them and then make these experiences a reality. Success in our work comes from the diversity of perspectives, skills, and backgrounds of our talented team.
…