Lead Service Designer

83zero; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Job summary

83zero is seeking a Lead Service Designer to shape the UK Digital Customer Experience. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on design, leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver human-centered, scalable services.

Based in Manchester with hybrid work (3 days on-site), the salary range is £90,000–£100,000 with a 5–10% bonus and benefits. You will influence senior stakeholders and drive AI-enabled service improvements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading end-to-end service design through pilot and live operation.
• Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders in complex or regulated environments.
• Expertise in service blueprinting, journey mapping, systems mapping and proposition development.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and mentoring designers.
• Excellent facilitation and workshop skills.
• Bridge design and delivery in agile or hybrid environments.
• Experience with AI-enabled services and accessibility a plus.

Responsibilities

• 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, building a high-performing practice.
• Contribute to proposals, client shaping and new business opportunities.
• Evolve design standards, methodologies and AI-enabled approaches.

Skills

End-to-end service design

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Team leadership

Job description

Lead Service Designer – Digital Customer Experience

Location: Manchester | Hybrid – 3 days per week on-site

Salary: £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.