Principal Service Designer - Research Services

Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, focused on creating a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project, we support the NHS’s world-first national whole genome sequencing service and run the growing National Genomic Research Library, alongside delivering numerous major genomics initiatives. By connecting research and clinical care at national scale, we enable immediate healthcare benefits and advances for the future.

Our mission is to provide the evidence and digital systems so that by 2035 genomics could play a role in up to half of all healthcare interactions, whilst securing the UK’s position as the best place to discover, prove and benefit from genomic innovations.

We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody.

Behind the Healthcare and Research outcomes, Genomics England delivers through designing, developing and operating complex healthcare software systems.

We're on the cusp of big changes with the real prospect of genomics becoming the fabric of everyday healthcare through the lifetime – from birth to old age.

We are seeking a Principal Service Designer to join Genomics England in supporting the delivery of our Research Services, enabling scientists from academia and industry to translate genomic and health data into scientific breakthroughs, new diagnoses, and treatments for patients living with cancer and rare diseases. 

In this role you will work closely with Service Owners, Programme leads and other cross functional partners to co-create the vision and strategy of the service and bring a human centred, systems approach to service delivery. 

Everyday responsibilities include:   

• Lead service design of the end to end academic and industry scientific research journey, ensuring the service is user-centred, cohesive, and impactful.   
• Set and shape service strategy in partnership with Service Owner and senior leaders, defining vision, outcomes, scope, and long-term direction.  
• Navigate ambiguity and complexity to prioritise effectively and guide multidisciplinary teams toward impactful, outcome-focused solutions.   
• Oversee service design delivery across multiple workstreams in the service, ensuring coherence, quality, and alignment to organisational strategy.  
• Collaborate with product and delivery teams, facilitating co-creation and decision-making across internal and external stakeholders, while ensuring regulatory compliance and cohesive end-to-end service experiences.   
• Collaborate with data, technology, and architecture teams in complex environments to ensure services are feasible, scalable, and future-ready.  
• Recommend, advocate for, and actively participate in design research to inform evidence-based decision making.   
• Scope your own work and support other designers in defining priorities and planning effectively across the service area.   
• Coach and mentor fellow designers, helping them grow their skills and tackle complex service challenges with confidence. 

Skills and Experience for success:  

• Demonstrated experience delivering human-centred design in healthcare, life sciences or other highly regulated environments, with a track record of impact and confidence navigating ambiguity and complex systems.   
• Strong skills in facilitation, systems thinking, prioritisation, and strategic communication, enabling them to operate effectively in evolving contexts.   
• Proven expertise in stakeholder engagement and influence, building trusted relationships with senior leaders, service owners, and multidisciplinary teams.   
• Experience at Principal Service Designer level, shaping service strategy, vision, and organisational direction, within complex data or technical infrastructure environments.   
• A portfolio showing end-to-end ownership of complex services, with breadth, scale of impact, and strategic influence, while defining and evolving service strategy and testing solutions iteratively.   

  Desirable skills:   

• Experience working under Government Digital Service Standard.    
• Strong understanding of data, technology infrastructure and integration across the UK life sciences ecosystem.  
• Experience working confidently within highly regulated, risk-sensitive contexts, preferably strong awareness of regulation with regards to bio-banks or Trusted Research Environments.  
• Awareness and sensitivity to ethical, compliance, and regulatory considerations when designing and delivering services.   
• Experience supporting, coaching, and enabling colleagues to navigate complex regulatory constraints effectively.   
• Advanced storytelling skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex problems, decisions, and outcomes to diverse audiences, influencing understanding and alignment across multidisciplinary and senior teams.   

While your qualifications are certainly important and provide a foundation, we are particularly interested in understanding the breadth and depth of your overall experience, as this gives us a clearer picture of what you can bring to the role.

Salary from: £92,000

Closing date for applications  - Wednesday 17th June.

Please provide a cover letter highlighting how your skills and experience aligns with the role and also a portfolio of your work.

Being an integral part of such a meaningful mission is extremely rewarding in itself, but in order to support our people, we’re continually improving our benefits package. We pride ourselves on investing in our people and supporting them to achieve their career goals, as well as offering a benefits package including: 

• Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, additional leave for long service, and the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
• Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
• Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
• Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.

Equal opportunities and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace 

Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background. 

Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity and will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part-time or employed under a permanent or a fixed-term contract or any other relevant factor.  

Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties. Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity. 

We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us. 

Culture

We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage, in order for us to achieve our mission. These behaviours help us all work well together, deliver on our outcomes, celebrate our successes and share feedback with each other. You can read about these and other aspects of our culture here Culture | Genomics England

Blended working model

Genomics England operates a blended working model as we know our people appreciate the flexibility that hybrid working can bring. We expect most people to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month. However, this will vary according to role and will be agreed with your team leader. There is no expectation that people will return to the office full time unless they want to, however, some of our roles require full time on site attendance e.g., lab teams, reception team. 

Our teams and squads have, and will continue to reflect on what works best for them to work together successfully and have the freedom to design working patterns to suit, beyond the minimum. Our office locations are: Canary Wharf, Cambridge and Leeds.

Onboarding background checks

As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.  We therefore require applicants to disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may mean we are unable to proceed with your application due to the nature of our work in healthcare.