Health Research Authority

Service and Interaction Design Lead

The closing date is 03 August 2025

Job summary

1. The service and interaction design lead is a key part of the user centred design team within the digital directorate, an expert practitioner responsible for providing professional leadership to ensure the most appropriate service design and interaction design decisions are taken for service users.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

2. leading our design community, demonstrating a range of leadership and management skills, guidance and supportive approaches for the activities required in the HRA's journey to develop its digital services for the research community

3. working with the Head of User Centred Design and the product team undertake strategic planning through service design responsible for ensuring the team takes a user-centred, evidence based approach to service design and delivery

4. considering the impact of new technologies and ensuring that designs meet legal requirements and government guidelines

5. blue-printing, prototyping, user journey flows and story boarding

6. Communicating the importance of inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services.

The role sits within the HRA digital directorate which is responsible for developing, providing, and supporting complex solutions within the HRA's portfolio of national information systems for health research.

Main duties of the job

The service and interaction design lead will:

  1. Demonstrate excellent communication skills, influencing across multiple groups of people including suppliers, external partners, and senior internal stakeholders, you will form a deep understanding of user and organisational needs.
  2. Lead internal and external activities within the design specialism to develop and convey complex concepts.
  3. Engage with stakeholders to facilitate and foster collaborative approaches to prioritising service and interaction design requirements of users and partners.
  4. Lead a proactive approach to our alignment with the Government Service Standard and work with user centred design colleagues to constantly improve the design of our services.
  5. Work collaboratively with the Head of User Centred Design and the product team to guide both design and organisational strategy and priorities.
  6. Using expert knowledge and previous experience to advise on design standards, methods, tools and applications, so that optimum approaches and solutions are delivered to meet user needs, organisational objectives and policy intent.
  7. Analyse and interpret functional and non-functional design requirements to ensure the overall needs of the business are met from a digital perspective

About us

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.

We're committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that help us to deliver the best services.

We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community. This includes:o ageo disabilityo ethnicityo gender identity and expressiono religion or beliefo sexo sexual orientationo other diverse characteristics

We have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement - if it works for you, we'll do our best to make it work for us.

Please note, if applying to our Manchester, Nottingham or Bristol locations, we are only able to offer the role as home based.

Details

Date posted

18 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

980-HRA7341135-A

Job locations

Nottingham Office

Equinox House, City Link

Nottingham

NG2 4LA


Job description

Job responsibilities

This role sits within HRA Digital. The HRA Digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRAs portfolio or national information systems for health research. This includes a major programme to build a new Integrated Research Application and Workflow system and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems (IRAS and HARP).

The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job descriptionattached.In submitting your application with us, please note the following:

We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.

The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This role sits within HRA Digital. The HRA Digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRAs portfolio or national information systems for health research. This includes a major programme to build a new Integrated Research Application and Workflow system and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems (IRAS and HARP).

The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job descriptionattached.In submitting your application with us, please note the following:

We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.

The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Master's Degree or post-graduate qualification in a relevant area or significant relevant experience in service and interaction design
  • Ongoing continuous professional development

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise:

Essential

  • In depth specialist knowledge and significant experience of developing service designs based on evidence of user needs and organisational outcome.
  • Expert interaction design practitioner with experience of influencing and mentoring others
  • Set direction and assure best practice by determining and documenting design standards and policies.
  • Thorough knowledge of user centred design and product development process.

Experience

Essential

  • Onboarding of new staff within a user centred design team or professional community
  • Identifying design needs, creating new design patterns and components where needed and ensuring they are captured and implemented as part of a project and across the government design system.

Desirable

  • Experience of successfully leading a design team through GDS/CDDO or NHS Service Standard assessments
  • Past experience working in government or an NHS Organisation

Analytical and Judgemental Skills:

Essential

  • Able to have an overall perspective on business issues and activities, understand their wider implications and long-term impact
  • Evaluate design proposals from external suppliers, and make recommendations to senior stakeholders
  • Working across multiple services and leading groups of UCD professionals to set direction, assuring the quality of service and interaction design

Desirable

  • Interpreting strategy and translate emerging trends and technologies which might impact or benefit the organisation

Interpersonal Skills:

Essential

  • Engaging and building relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of user and business needs

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

Essential

  • Confident in providing advice and guidance across projects on service design and interaction design to influence others, in line with the Government Service Standard.
  • Knowledge and expertise in blue-printing, prototyping, user journey flows and story boarding techniques, including giving direction on tools and methods to use

Experience

Essential

  • Designing clear, usable, accessible digital interfaces that are inclusive and work across a range of devices
  • Demonstrable experience of managing service and interaction design as a lead or as part of a user centred design team to iterate design processes
  • Work effectively in a multidisciplinary, agile environment, adapting quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

  • Coaching and leading teams in user centred design principles
  • Influence and manage in a complex matrix department

Other

Essential

  • Champion accessibility and inclusion, consider the impact of new technologies and ensure that designs meet legal requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

Essential

  • Significant experience in combining user research and analytics to problem solve through design iterations to improve user experience.
  • Understand and communicate the importance of inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Essential

  • Multi-tasking, analysing opportunities, defining successful approaches, and proactively solve problems

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

  • Supporting the design team to maintain a focus on delivery whilst instilling the importance of professional development and continual learning
  • Facilitating conflict resolution within teams or professions
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Master's Degree or post-graduate qualification in a relevant area or significant relevant experience in service and interaction design
  • Ongoing continuous professional development

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise:

Essential

  • In depth specialist knowledge and significant experience of developing service designs based on evidence of user needs and organisational outcome.
  • Expert interaction design practitioner with experience of influencing and mentoring others
  • Set direction and assure best practice by determining and documenting design standards and policies.
  • Thorough knowledge of user centred design and product development process.

Experience

Essential

  • Onboarding of new staff within a user centred design team or professional community
  • Identifying design needs, creating new design patterns and components where needed and ensuring they are captured and implemented as part of a project and across the government design system.

Desirable

  • Experience of successfully leading a design team through GDS/CDDO or NHS Service Standard assessments
  • Past experience working in government or an NHS Organisation

Analytical and Judgemental Skills:

Essential

  • Able to have an overall perspective on business issues and activities, understand their wider implications and long-term impact
  • Evaluate design proposals from external suppliers, and make recommendations to senior stakeholders
  • Working across multiple services and leading groups of UCD professionals to set direction, assuring the quality of service and interaction design

Desirable

  • Interpreting strategy and translate emerging trends and technologies which might impact or benefit the organisation

Interpersonal Skills:

Essential

  • Engaging and building relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of user and business needs

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

Essential

  • Confident in providing advice and guidance across projects on service design and interaction design to influence others, in line with the Government Service Standard.
  • Knowledge and expertise in blue-printing, prototyping, user journey flows and story boarding techniques, including giving direction on tools and methods to use

Experience

Essential

  • Designing clear, usable, accessible digital interfaces that are inclusive and work across a range of devices
  • Demonstrable experience of managing service and interaction design as a lead or as part of a user centred design team to iterate design processes
  • Work effectively in a multidisciplinary, agile environment, adapting quickly to changes in requirements, priorities or user needs

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

  • Coaching and leading teams in user centred design principles
  • Influence and manage in a complex matrix department

Other

Essential

  • Champion accessibility and inclusion, consider the impact of new technologies and ensure that designs meet legal requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

Essential

  • Significant experience in combining user research and analytics to problem solve through design iterations to improve user experience.
  • Understand and communicate the importance of inclusive, equitable, accessible and sustainable public services

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Essential

  • Multi-tasking, analysing opportunities, defining successful approaches, and proactively solve problems

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

  • Supporting the design team to maintain a focus on delivery whilst instilling the importance of professional development and continual learning
  • Facilitating conflict resolution within teams or professions

Employer details

Employer name

Health Research Authority

Address

Nottingham Office

Equinox House, City Link

Nottingham

NG2 4LA


Employer's website

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Health Research Authority

Address

Nottingham Office

Equinox House, City Link

Nottingham

NG2 4LA


Employer's website

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Lead Content Designer

Steve Wright

steve.wright@hra.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

18 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

24 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

980-HRA7341135-A

Job locations

Nottingham Office

Equinox House, City Link

Nottingham

NG2 4LA


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Health Research Authority's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)