Service Design Lead

WPP; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading creative transformation company in the UK is seeking a Lead Service Designer to shape employee journeys for an AI-enabled marketing platform. The role involves strategic service design initiatives, collaboration with global teams, and mentoring design professionals. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in service design leadership and a strong grasp of journey management in large-scale organisations. This position offers a hybrid work model, promoting creativity and collaboration.

Benefits

Challenging and stimulating work

Passionate, inspired people

Scale and opportunity

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading service design initiatives in enterprise digital transformation.
• Deep expertise in service ecosystems design focusing on employee experiences.
• Strong ability to leverage user research effectively.

Responsibilities

• Orchestrate and optimise end-to-end employee journeys for the marketing platform.
• Facilitate co-creation workshops with diverse global stakeholders.
• Champion best practices in enterprise service design.

Skills

Service Design Leadership

Journey Management

System Thinking

Service Ecosystem Design

Communication

Collaboration

Tools

Journey Mapping

Service Blueprinting

Job description

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 talented people dedicated to doing extraordinary work for our clients. We operate in over 100 countries, with corporate headquarters in New York, London and Singapore.

What you’ll be doing:

As our Lead Service Designer, you will be a strategic force, shaping the future of employee journeys and ways of working for our AI‑enabled marketing platform. You will lead complex service design initiatives across Journey Management, System Thinking, Service Offerings, and Service Ecosystems, optimising every interaction for clarity, efficiency, and interoperability to make work seamless for our global workforce. Collaboration with researchers to leverage insights will be key.

Lead End‑to‑End Service Experience Design:

• Orchestrate and optimise end‑to‑end employee journeys for the new marketing platform, leveraging research insights to drive innovation.
• Apply system thinking to design and integrate complex service ecosystems, ensuring seamless interoperability across tools and processes.
• Develop and prototype innovative service concepts and offerings, streamlining processes from onboarding to daily usage and support.

Drive Strategic Collaboration & Integration:

• Facilitate co‑creation workshops with diverse global stakeholders to develop comprehensive service blueprints and ecosystem maps.
• Integrate behavioral and instructional design principles to embed learning pathways and drive platform adoption and new ways of working.
• Partner with researchers to leverage qualitative and quantitative insights for informed journey mapping and service design.

Champion Design Excellence & Mentorship:

• Champion enterprise service design best practices, ensuring alignment with strategic vision for standardisation and interoperability.
• Mentor and guide design professionals, fostering their growth in large‑scale organisational transformation.
• Present compelling design solutions and strategic rationale, effectively incorporating feedback from diverse global teams.
• Define and track KPIs for service efficiency, adoption, and employee satisfaction.
• Identify and reduce friction points to accelerate proficiency and enhance onboarding experiences.

Who you’ll be working with:

Reporting to: Senior Director, Strategic Design

What you’ll need:

• Extensive Service Design Leadership: Proven track record leading service design initiatives within large‑scale enterprise digital transformation or organisational change programs.
• Core Expertise: Deep expertise in Journey Management, System Thinking, Service Offerings, and Service Ecosystems design, with a focus on internal employee experiences in complex, global, matrixed environments.
• Methodology & Tools: Proficient in service design tools and methodologies (e.g., journey mapping, service blueprinting), emphasising internal employee experiences.
• Research & Insights: Strong ability to leverage user research findings and collaborate effectively with research teams to inform design.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional facilitation, communication, and visual storytelling skills, capable of engaging and influencing diverse internal audiences at all levels.
• Strategic Impact: Demonstrated ability to drive process standardisation and interoperability across complex systems and varied business units.

Who you are:

You're open‑minded, inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures for our people, our clients and our communities.

You're extraordinary: We are stronger together, through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary everyday.

What we’ll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

Equal Opportunity Statement

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.