Policy designer

Policy designers are specialist policymakers who use design to improve how policy problems are framed, how options are developed and how policies are prepared for delivery.

They apply design to complex, ambiguous or contested challenges, helping government connect policy intent with evidence, future possibilities, institutional constraints and the realities of implementation.

Policy designers build on the capabilities required by the Policy Profession. Their specialist skills are:

• the seven Universal Public Design Practices;
• framing policy problems;
• futures;
• strategic design;
• policy instruments;
• machinery of government.

Together, these capabilities help policy designers define problems more clearly, explore and compare possible interventions, test their long-term implications and design policies that can operate within government systems.

Policy design is a specialism within the Civil Service Policy Profession.

The Policy Profession Standards define the core capabilities expected of all policy professionals. The Policy Profession sets out a career pathway and responsibilities for Policy Designers at different grades.

The Government School of Design curriculum is built around the capability expectations for policy designers.

The pathway comprises:

• Introduction to Public Design;
• the seven Universal Public Design Practice modules;
• specialist modules for policy designers.

The universal modules develop the design practices shared across public design roles. The specialist modules develop the additional capability to frame policy problems, use futures and strategic design, select and combine policy instruments, and work effectively within the machinery of government.

Together, these courses cover the learning objectives expected of policy designers at the relevant level. Specialist modules will be introduced progressively.