Key Roles in a Digital Service Team
The roles you need depend on what your team is focused on and how it grows over time
How to Think About Roles
Digital service teams are built around a mix of skills, not just job titles. The roles you prioritize should reflect the problems you’re solving, the services you’re delivering, and your current level of maturity.
Core roles and capabilities
Most digital service teams include a mix of:
User experience (UX) and research
Product or service management
Engineering or technical delivery
Data and analytics
Subject matter expertise
On smaller teams, one person may cover complementary roles, such as product management and research or engineering and data analysis. AI tools can help them complete tasks across those roles more efficiently. As the team takes on larger, more complex, or higher-risk services, it may need more dedicated specialists.
Determining what roles you need
Successfully hiring for digital service roles starts with understanding the capabilities your team needs most.
Use the table below to identify which role best matches your team's needs.
Prioritizing work and defining outcomes
Product Manager
Understanding user needs
User Researcher
Designing digital experiences
UX Designer
Improving end-to-end services
Service Designer
Creating accessible content
Content Designer
Accessibility compliance
Accessibility Specialist
Building software
Software Engineer
Technical architecture
Technical Lead
Managing engineering teams
Engineering Manager
Infrastructure and deployment
Platform / DevOps Engineer
Reporting and performance measurement
Data Analyst
Data pipelines and infrastructure
Data Engineer
Improving accessibility and equitable access
Accessibility Specialist
How Digital Service Roles Evolve Over Time
Most digital service teams in government focus on three core areas: user experience, data, and innovation and delivery. Together, these capabilities ensure services meet user needs, are informed by data, and can be built, improved, and delivered reliably at scale.
Build your team based on your current needs, then grow and specialize as your services mature.
Small, generalist team. Roles are combined or informal
Design/research handled by generalists
Limited or no dedicated UX roles
Minimal data use- Basic reporting or ad hoc analysis
1–2 people driving delivery
Product, engineering, and delivery often combined
Emerging team with clearer responsibilities
Early UX or service design support- Some user research introduced
Basic analytics and reporting
Early use of data to inform decisions
Dedicated product or delivery lead
Initial engineering support
More structured planning and iteration
Dedicated roles and consistent team structure
User researcher, designer, or service designer roles defined
Consistent UX practices
Data analyst role established
Regular tracking of performance and outcomes
Product manager, engineers, and delivery roles clearly defined
Consistent ways of working
Multiple teams or expanded capacity across the organization
Specialized roles (e.g., content design, accessibility)
UX embedded across teams
Data engineering and advanced analytics
Shared metrics across services
Multiple product teams
Technical leadership and coordination roles
Support for multiple initiatives
Mature, multidisciplinary teams with leadership and career paths
Full UX discipline (research, service design, content, accessibility)
UX leadership roles
Advanced data capabilities (engineering, science, performance)
Data drives strategy and improvement
Strong product and engineering leadership
Continuous delivery and improvement
Cross-org and cross-agency collaboration
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