Lead Service Designer

Lead Service Designer - Digital Customer Experience

Manchester | Hybrid - 3 days per week on-site
£90,000-£100,000 + 5-10% bonus + benefits | Permanent

Lead the design of services that shape the future.

We're looking for an experienced Lead Service Designer to join a growing Digital Customer Experience practice and lead complex transformation programmes across the UK.

This is a high-impact role combining strategic leadership with hands-on design. You'll lead multidisciplinary teams, influence senior stakeholders and turn complex challenges into human-centred, scalable and AI-ready services.

What you'll do

* Lead complex service and product design programmes end-to-end
* Define service strategies, future-state experiences and architectures
* Lead research, prototyping, testing and delivery
* Facilitate design sprints, workshops and co-creation sessions
* Create service blueprints, journeys and propositions
* Influence senior stakeholders and guide complex decisions
* Mentor and develop designers, helping build a high-performing design practice
* Contribute to proposals, client shaping and new business opportunities
* Help evolve design standards, methodologies and approaches to AI-enabled services

What we're looking for

You'll be a confident, strategic design leader with:

* Proven experience leading end-to-end service design, through to pilot and live operation
* Strong experience influencing senior stakeholders in complex or regulated environments
* Expertise in service blueprinting, journey mapping, systems mapping and proposition development
* Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams
* Excellent facilitation and workshop skills
* The ability to bridge design and delivery in agile or hybrid environments
* Strong commercial awareness and the confidence to challenge constructively

Experience with GDS Service Standard, accessibility, regulated industries or AI-enabled services would be highly desirable.

Why this role?

You'll have the opportunity to shape major digital and organisational transformations, work alongside talented design and technology specialists, and play a key role in developing a growing Experience Design practice.

If you're ready to lead from the front, influence at senior level and create services that genuinely make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Eligibility for SC level security clearance is required, with additional eligibility checks where applicable.

Apply now.