Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner

Eastlight-Community-Homes; Braintree; On-site; GBP 83,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary £92,000 per annum

37 hours per week — permanent

Group stakeholder pension (up to 15%)

33 days leave + bank holidays

Wellbeing grant £200/year

Family leave (maternity/paternity/adop

Job summary

Eastlight Community Homes seeks a Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner to lead the development and embedding of systems thinking across the organisation. This strategic role ensures services are designed from the customer perspective, with needs shaping improvement and redesign initiatives.

You will champion human-centred design, help build operating models and foster a culture of continuous improvement across senior teams and departments.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of systems thinking, service design and human-centred design.
• Experience leading organisation-wide transformation or service redesign.
• Ability to diagnose end-to-end services and operating models.
• Use customer insight and performance data to drive decisions.
• Excellent facilitation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and embedding of systems thinking across Eastlight.
• Advise senior leaders to shape operating models and improvements.
• Champion customer-focused service design and continuous improvement.
• Provide insight, challenge and practical support to executives and teams.

Skills

Systems thinking

Service design

Human-centred design

Operating model development

Continuous improvement

Facilitation

Stakeholder management

Executive advisory

Job description

Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner

Salary: £92,000 per annum

Working Pattern: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 1

Closing Date: Mon 21 Sep 2026 - 10:59 PM

Eastlight’s current agency PSL is at capacity, so we will not be able to consider candidate applications introduced by agencies outside of our selected suppliers.

Who We Are

Eastlight Community Homes is proud to be the largest community gateway social housing provider in the country. Together with our residents and communities, we create safe, affordable homes and neighbourhoods that people are proud to live in.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner to lead the development and embedding of systems thinking across Eastlight. This is a pivotal role, working at a strategic level to ensure services are designed and delivered from the customer perspective, with customer, colleague and stakeholder needs shaping how we improve, transform and redesign services.

You will champion human-centred design and service design principles, helping the organisation better understand customer needs, remove barriers to excellent service, reduce failure demand and deliver improved outcomes for customers. Working closely with senior leaders and teams across the organisation, you will provide insight, challenge and practical support to shape future operating models and build a culture of continuous improvement.

This is an opportunity to make a significant impact in an organisation committed to improving services around the people who use them. You will play a key role in shaping how Eastlight designs, delivers and improves services, helping to create better customer outcomes, stronger cross-functional collaboration and a more resilient organisation for the future.

To succeed in this role you will have:

Strong knowledge of systems thinking, service design, human-centred design, operating model development and continuous improvement methodologies.

Proven experience leading organisation-wide transformation, service redesign or operational excellence programmes.

Experience diagnosing end-to-end services, customer journeys and operating models to identify root causes and opportunities for improvement.

Ability to use customer insight, performance data and organisational intelligence to drive evidence-based decisions.

Excellent facilitation, coaching, stakeholder management and communication skills.

Confidence advising and constructively challenging Executive Teams, Boards and senior leaders.

Knowledge of the social housing operating environment, resident expectations, regulatory standards and service performance requirements.

Benefits and Compensation

To demonstrate our commitment to you, we have developed a sector leading total rewards package:

• £92,000 per annum
• 37 hours Permanent Contract
• Group stakeholder pension plan (Eastlight will double, up to 5% of the employee’s contribution - Employee 5% + Eastlight 10% = Total 15%)
• 33 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual wellbeing grant of £200 per annum – Subject to eligibility
• Trailblazing family leave (Maternity, Paternity and Adoption – 12 weeks full pay/6 weeks half pay) – Subject to eligibility
• Formal qualifications and paid professional membership

Next Steps

At Eastlight we support, develop, and invest in our people, together creating a culture where people love to work. There has never been a better time to join us!

Eastlight Community Homes is a disability confident leader and equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse culture, which is why we encourage applications from everyone. If you require any support with the application process, please contact [e-mail]

Eastlight Community Homes are unable to provide Visa Sponsorship.

Interview date: Interviews are expected to be held on 1 October 2026 and be held virtually.

We reserve the right to close or withdraw this vacancy earlier than advertised should we receive a sufficient number of applications.