Lead Service Designer

Role Summary:

We are seeking a Lead Service Designer to guide the end-to-end service design of a complex, multi-stakeholder digital platform. This role will be responsible for understanding and mapping user journeys across multiple actors, aligning digital and operational touchpoints, and ensuring that the service is cohesive, intuitive, and accessible to all users. Working at the intersection of user research, product strategy, and technical delivery, the Lead Service Designer plays a pivotal role in shaping how the service delivers value to its users and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

1. Service Blueprinting and Experience Mapping

• Design, document, and evolve service blueprints, mapping the user experience across digital and offline channels.
• Ensure that service journeys account for diverse user roles (e.g. administrators, regulators, external partners, internal analysts).
• Align front-stage (user-facing) and back-stage (operational and system) processes in ways that enable a seamless user experience.

2. User Journey Optimisation

• Analyse existing “as-is” journeys (based on prior discovery or alpha research) to identify pain points, redundancies, and inefficiencies.
• Design “to-be” journeys that reflect service improvements, supported by validated user needs and organisational constraints.
• Support development of service KPIs by identifying measurable success indicators across the user journey.

3. Stakeholder Co-Design and Engagement

• Facilitate collaborative design sessions and workshops with end users, subject matter experts, and technical stakeholders.
• Translate stakeholder insights and organisational constraints into service propositions that balance desirability, feasibility, and viability.
• Champion inclusive service design principles—ensuring all users, including those with access needs, are considered in every design decision.

4. Collaboration with Multidisciplinary Teams

• Work closely with User Researchers, Product Managers, Delivery Managers, and Technical Architects to co-define requirements and validate service designs.
• Translate service journeys into actionable artefacts (e.g. wireframes, design specifications, process flows) for delivery teams.
• Ensure that design decisions align with GDS/NHS service standards, accessibility requirements (e.g. WCAG 2.2 AA), and good digital governance.

5. Communication and Alignment

• Present complex journey maps and service proposals to internal and external audiences, including senior decision-makers and delivery teams.
• Produce design artefacts that clearly communicate the value of service changes, and ensure alignment across business, delivery, and user needs.
• Support business change and implementation planning by highlighting service transition impacts.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven track record of leading service design for complex digital platforms or government/public sector services.
• Strong understanding of service mapping, journey design, experience strategy, and user-centred design principles.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesise research insights, technical constraints, and business goals into coherent service designs.
• Experience facilitating co-design and participatory workshops with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Familiarity with multi-channel service delivery environments, including integrations with legacy or third-party systems.
• Excellent visual communication and artefact creation skills (e.g. service maps, blueprints, journey diagrams).

Desirable Experience

• Previous work within health, life sciences, or regulated sectors, particularly in services involving suppliers, data validation, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with structured datasets, catalogues, or enterprise systems such as inventory management, procurement platforms, or regulatory databases.
• Knowledge of NHS or GDS design patterns, GOV.UK design system, and designing services that meet the Service Standard and pass service assessments.
• Understanding of FHIR, GS1, or UDI data standards and how these relate to service interactions.

Certifications and Training (Desirable)

• Certified Service Designer (e.g. through SDN or accredited institution).
• Agile training or certifications (e.g. SAFe, AgilePM, ICAgile).
• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or other relevant cloud certification (to support understanding of cloud-enabled service models).