Who are you?
As a Senior Service Designer at DrDoctor, you are a strategically minded designer who thinks in systems and brings proven domain expertise when it comes to working with the NHS. You understand that great services are not just well-designed digital products and interfaces; they are the sum of people, processes, technology, and organisational structures working in harmony. You bring that holistic thinking to everything you do, whether you're mapping a complex NHS patient pathway, facilitating a co-design session with clinicians and administrators, or helping a Trust reimagine how they deliver care at scale. You'll want to be where the work is. This role will require regular onsite presence with NHS trust partners across the UK, with an initial focus on a trust in the Midlands. You understand that the best service design happens in context.
You are equally comfortable working in-house on DrDoctor's own products and services, and alongside NHS trust partners as a trusted expert and strategic collaborator. You know how to read a room, adapt your approach, and bring people with you, even when the problem is messy, the stakeholders are stretched, and the constraints are real.
You have a working fluency with AI tools that goes beyond curiosity; you use them deliberately, you design services that incorporate them thoughtfully, and you understand the particular challenges of deploying AI in regulated, high-stakes healthcare environments.
OK, that’s me, but who are DrDoctor?
Take a look at our careers page or our website to find out a bit more about our mission, vision, and impact!
But ultimately, we the NHS and want to help it work better. We radically transform the delivery of health services to make healthcare work for everyone – for patients, doctors, administrative teams and taxpayers.
DrDoctor was built on a simple belief: technology can transform the NHS. Our B Corporation certification holds us accountable not just for what we build, but for how we build it - and the impact that has on people, patients and the health system around us.
️What would I be doing day to day?
One of the great things about DrDoctor is that every day is different and there is always an opportunity to get involved in something outside of your ‘BAU’ or your regular teams!
However, the key things you could expect would include:
You'll be leading service design projects end-to-end, from discovery and framing through to design, prototyping, testing, and implementation, both for DrDoctor's internal products and in partnership with NHS trust clients
You'll be mapping and visualising complex NHS service ecosystems and processes, producing high-quality artefacts including service blueprints, experience maps, system maps, SOPs and as-is and to-be journey maps that make complexity legible for all audiences
You'll be facilitating workshops, co-design sessions, and alignment activities with a wide range of stakeholders — from frontline NHS staff and patients to clinical leads, operational managers, and C-suite executives
You'll be bringing a systems thinking lens to problems, identifying interdependencies between people, processes, technology, and organisational structures, and designing services that account for the full ecosystem
You'll be working closely with product designers, product managers, engineers, and researchers to ensure service design thinking is embedded throughout the product development lifecycle
You'll be actively using AI tools as part of your design practice — for research synthesis, service modelling, rapid prototyping, and more, and helping DrDoctor develop responsible, considered approaches to AI-assisted design
You'll be designing for AI-powered features in DrDoctor's products, navigating the unique service design challenges that arise when automation, clinical decision making, and patient experience intersect
Comfortable working within documented design controls and treating design decisions as safety-critical. The role will collaborate closely with clinical safety and QA and so must have an appetite to develop fluency in medical-device design standards, especially IEC 62366-1 (usability)
You'll be building design maturity with NHS trust partners, helping them understand and adopt user-centred, evidence-based approaches to service improvement
You'll be contributing to DrDoctor's service design practice, sharing your expertise, developing shared tools and methods, and raising the standard of service thinking across the organisation
This role will involve a lot of time on site with our clients, we estimate up to 60% of your time will be spent working outside of your home (travel is paid for). It's a highly collaborative role and will suit someone who is excited by getting out there and to the heart of things.
OK, I’m interested. What experience do I need to have?
A strong portfolio showcasing your service design experience and demonstrating end-to-end service design across complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Deep, demonstrable experience working within the NHS. This is a must-have. You understand how NHS trusts operate, how clinical and administrative workflows are structured, and the real-world constraints that shape service design in this context
Demonstrable, hands-on experience using AI tools as part of your design practice. We'll want to hear specifically how AI has changed how you work, and ideally experience designing services that incorporate AI or automation
Strong systems thinking ability, with the capacity to understand and design across organisational, technical, and operational boundaries
Proven ability to lead and facilitate workshops and co-design sessions with diverse groups, including senior leaders and non-design audiences, translating complexity into clear, actionable outcomes
Experience working in a blend of in-house product environments and client-facing or consultancy contexts
The ability to communicate complex service design ideas compellingly, through visual artefacts, written rationale, and verbal storytelling, to audiences who may be unfamiliar with design
Comfort with both qualitative and quantitative data, using research insights, performance metrics, and user feedback to inform and iterate on design decisions
A proactive, bias-for-action mindset; you identify opportunities, frame problems clearly, and drive towards solutions without waiting to be directed
A low ego and a collaborative spirit. You lead through the quality of your craft and the strength of your relationships, not your title
Thinking of applying?
We know from research and experience that candidates may not apply if they don’t think they meet 100% of our requirements. If you don’t tick all the boxes but feel you would be a good fit, we would still love to hear from you. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture!
We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments at any stage of the hiring process and in the role.
Just to let you know too, we will need you to have the Right To Work in the UK.
We're perfect for each other, what are the next steps?
We are currently recruiting heavily and have a lot of CVs to go through. However, we don’t wait for roles to close before going through your CV. We will be in touch in a few days to let you know if we think we might be a match, and if we are not. Unfortunately, because we get so many CV’s we are not able to send a personalised reply if it’s not a match. However, if you want more details as to why, just drop us a note and we will arrange to get some feedback over to you.
If it’s a match, then we will arrange a time to talk to you on a quick 30 minute call. It’s just an informal chat so you can relax! We will tell you more about the role, the team and why you should want to join us.
If we continue, then we will invite you to meet some of the team, most likely virtually. Some our roles will also be subject to completing an assessment or a role related exercise.
We get there are a lot of great roles out there, so we will make sure to get through the rounds as quickly as possible. All we ask is you keep us up to date with your plans.
I can’t wait to get started, what are the perks?
You can find our Perks and Benefits here! We like to think there's something for everyone! We're a social and pretty casual bunch who love to spend time together, virtually and in person.
We have social budgets and encourage everyone to organise something that they're interested in, from casual nights at the pub to hiring football pitches, going for Iftar dinner or making your own silver rings, we love a bit of variety!
Salary banding for this role is: £69,000 to £84,000
#LI-Hybrid
