Current status

We received 113 applications for this job opportunity.

All applications received on or before the closing date are screened against the qualifications outlined below. Applicants who meet the qualifications will be invited to continue in the hiring process.

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Join us

Join the Ontario Digital Service (ODS) to design and deliver the future of government services.

People are at the heart of our mission to ensure that government works for everyone. Be a part of a world-leading public service, and help improve the lives of over 14 million people of Ontario, through our work using modern design, data and technology tools and practices.

Help us scale impact across the public sector, tackling some of the most important challenges of our time. We work in multidisciplinary, inclusive, collaborative teams. We’ve been a distributed team since day one, offering flexible work arrangements, where big ideas and extraordinary people come together to drive change.

Bring your curiosity and build the future with us.

The opportunity

We are looking for individuals to be part of a multi-disciplinary team that drives digital transformation using design thinking strategies and experience design methods and deliverables to inform the way we serve the citizens of Ontario. You will lead various types of research to build an understanding of all the players in a digital solution, and seek to build empathy for users to inform design decisions. You will design simple and elegant user experiences in keeping with current industry standards. This is one of the most exciting, innovative places to work in government today.

What can I expect to do in this role?

In the role of Senior UX Specialist, you will:

  • Facilitate a variety of design-thinking activities and collaborative sessions to understand the problem a digital solution needs to solve
  • Plan and execute user research to understand user expectations, behaviours and needs to inform design decisions
  • Develop user personas, journey maps, service design blueprints, information architecture diagrams and other design artefacts as suits the needs of your project or product team
  • Translate concepts into wireframes, low and high-fidelity mock-ups that illustrate the product's functionality and can be used for usability testing and user research
  • Take a user-centred design approach and rapidly test and iterate your designs
  • Collaborate with and advise a variety of project and product teams on experience design, including serving as an assessor for ministry-wide digital initiatives

How do I qualify?

Experience design expertise

  • Human-centred design experience and expertise in developing and executing strategies that improve overall user interactions with digital products and services, resulting in measurable enhancements and positive user feedback
  • The ability to lead the design of complex digital services from concept to production and the ability to draw on your expertise to develop and maintain a high bar for user experience standards and performance measures
  • Demonstrated experience creating design deliverables such as mood boards, collaboration boards, empathy maps, user flows, wireframes, mock-ups, presentations and reports
  • A solid understanding of generative and evaluative user research methods and how user research can be incorporated continuously in the digital product lifecycle
  • Hands-on experience creating user research plans, recruiting participants, facilitating user research, analyzing findings and delivering insights
  • Experience researching and applying industry best practices to support your design deliverables
  • The ability to incorporate web analytics, visitor feedback, performance metrics and other data to inform design decisions
  • Practice providing rationale for design decisions in group settings with multiple stakeholders

Communication, negotiation and partnership skills

  • Demonstrated experience using communication skills to discuss issues, seek common ground between parties, lead development of solutions and user experience development requirements
  • Ability to communicate visually as well as in verbal and written formats
  • Strong facilitation skills to lead design discussions and negotiations, present recommendations and advice to stakeholders on web/content design and strategy
  • Ability to collaborate and provide leadership and advice on digital product development
  • Proven experience building relationships liaising with external partners and vendors to coordinate projects and share information

Open house

If you're interested in learning more about the Ontario Digital Service, we are hosting an Open House where you'll hear from our team directly about our work, our culture and how we build products.

Open house signup

Job details

  • Job title: Senior UX Specialist
  • Job ID: 160946
  • Area of government: Ontario Digital Service
  • Location: Toronto Region
    The Ontario Digital Service is headquartered at 595 Bay Street (at Dundas Street West). In accordance with advice from the Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, due to COVID-19, alternate work arrangements may be available.
  • Salary:  $68,057.00 - $98,065.00 Per Year (at time of posting)
  • Job term: 7 Temporary - duration up to 12 months, with possibility for extension
  • Hours of work: 36.25/week (Schedule 6)
  • Compensation group: Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO)
  • Job code: 5A005 - Communications05

Apply online   View job description

How to apply

  • You must apply online
  • Your cover letter and resume combined should not exceed five (5) pages. For tips and tools on how to write a concise cover letter and resume, review the writing a cover letter and resume: tips, tools and resources
  • Customize your cover letter and resume to the qualifications listed on the job ad. Using concrete examples, you must show how you demonstrated the requirements for this job. We rely on the information you provide to us.
  • Read the job description to make sure you understand this job.
  • Please do not include shortened URLs, because your application may not reach us (e.g. https://goo.gl/8lvNl6)
  • Ontario Public Service employees are required to quote their WIN employee ID number when applying
  • If you require a disability related accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please Contact Us to provide your contact information. Recruitment Services staff will contact you within 48 hours.

We’re accepting submissions until Wednesday, March 31, 2021 11:59 pm EDT.
Late applications will not be accepted.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for further screening or an interview will be contacted.

Job advertisements for positions that have been designated bilingual will be provided in both English and French. Positions that are not designated bilingual are not translated and are displayed in English only.