CX and Service Designer
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: CX and Service Designer Company: AIA Location: Melbourne, Australia (with potential for Sydney, Australia) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Customer Experience (CX) & Service Design Date Posted: 2026-02-06 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years implied) Remote Status: On-site
🚀 Role Summary
- Champion human-centered design principles and lead end-to-end design processes to shape exceptional customer, partner, and employee experiences.
- Develop and articulate the Customer Experience (CX) Vision, strategy, and execution plans in alignment with AIA's overarching business objectives.
- Utilize insight-led journey mapping to identify customer pain points and unmet needs across key value stages within Life, Health, and Vitality business channels.
- Contribute to the Enterprise CX & Service Design Centre of Excellence to ensure consistent application of HCD methodology and design of optimal, validated experiences.
📝 Enhancement Note: The role title "CX and Service Designer" and the responsibilities described, particularly around journey mapping, HCD methodology, and collaboration with business partners, strongly indicate this is a strategic role focused on improving customer interactions and service delivery within a complex financial services organization. The implied experience level suggests a need for demonstrated leadership and strategic influence.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
- Lead the design of exceptional customer, partner, and employee experiences by creating insight-led current and future state end-to-end journey maps.
- Identify customer pain points and unmet needs, and surface opportunities to improve customer experience across the Learn, Buy, Service, and Claim journeys within the Life, Health, and Vitality business channels.
- Support the Head of CX & Service Design in developing and articulating the CX Vision, strategy, and execution plans.
- Contribute to the AIA Enterprise CX & Service Design Centre of Excellence to ensure consistency of design artefacts and adherence to Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology.
- Balance human insight with commercial drivers to design optimal, validated, and profitable experiences that support AIA's brand, Customer Value Proposition (CVP), and Customer Experience promise.
- Facilitate internal and external workshops effectively to gather insights, align stakeholders, and drive design outcomes.
- Collaborate with all partners to define, design, and implement "Best of the Best" solutions, ensuring successful integration of new service designs.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a proactive and strategic approach to CX improvement, requiring the candidate to not only design but also to influence and drive adoption of these designs across the organization. The mention of "leading without authority" and "virtual cross-functional Customer Champion teams" implies a need for strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education:
- Degree qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g., Design, Business, Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field).
Experience:
- Proven success in defining and operationalizing Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design (HCD), and Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) methodologies.
- Significant practical experience in one or more design disciplines, such as Strategic Design, CX Design, Service Design, or UX Design.
- Experience in Business Process Analysis with a track record for driving change that has delivered step-change customer growth outcomes.
- Demonstrated experience in customer research and insights gathering, synthesis, and presentation.
- Experience in presenting, communicating, and facilitating research insights and design outcomes to diverse audiences.
- Understanding of Behavioural Economics and its application to journey development.
- Experience working in complex service organizations, preferably within financial services or insurance.
Required Skills:
- Human-Centered Design (HCD) & Design Thinking: Deep understanding and practical application of HCD principles and Design Thinking frameworks to solve complex customer problems.
- Service Design: Proficiency in service design methodologies, including journey mapping, service blueprinting, stakeholder mapping, and customer journey analysis.
- Customer Research & Insights: Ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative customer research, analyze data, and translate findings into actionable design recommendations.
- Workshop Facilitation: Skilled in designing and leading workshops with cross-functional teams to drive ideation, problem-solving, and strategic alignment.
- Business Process Analysis: Ability to analyze existing business processes and identify opportunities for improvement through service design interventions.
- Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas and design outcomes clearly and persuasively to various stakeholders.
Preferred Skills:
- UX Design: Experience in user experience design, including wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.
- Agile/Lean Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile or Lean project management frameworks and their application in design processes.
- Financial Services/Insurance Industry Knowledge: Specific experience or understanding of the financial services and insurance sectors.
- Behavioral Economics Application: Practical application of behavioral economics principles to influence customer behavior and improve journey outcomes.
- Strategic Design: Ability to contribute to broader organizational strategy through design thinking.
📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of design expertise, strategic thinking, and practical application within a business context. The preference for financial services experience and Agile/Lean methodologies suggests a need for candidates who can navigate complex organizational structures and fast-paced environments.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Case Studies: A portfolio showcasing end-to-end design projects, demonstrating a clear problem statement, research insights, design process, and measurable outcomes.
- Journey Maps & Blueprints: Examples of detailed current and future-state customer journey maps, service blueprints, and stakeholder maps that illustrate complex service ecosystems.
- Research & Insight Synthesis: Evidence of customer research methodologies employed and how insights were synthesized to inform design decisions.
- Problem-Solving & Impact: Demonstrations of how your design solutions have addressed specific customer pain points, business challenges, and delivered tangible improvements (e.g., increased customer satisfaction, reduced churn, improved efficiency).
Process Documentation:
- HCD/Design Thinking Process: Clearly articulated steps taken in applying HCD and Design Thinking methodologies from problem definition to solution validation.
- Service Design Frameworks: Documentation of how service design frameworks were utilized to map and optimize customer journeys and service interactions.
- Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Examples of how collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders was managed throughout the design process.
- Outcome Measurement: Evidence of how the success of designed experiences was measured and reported, linking design efforts to business results.
📝 Enhancement Note: For a CX and Service Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase design artifacts but also the strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and quantifiable impact of their work. Demonstrating an understanding of how to operationalize designs within a complex organization will be highly valued.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range:
- Based on industry benchmarks for experienced CX and Service Designers in Melbourne, Australia, with a mid-to-senior level of experience (5-10 years), the estimated annual salary range is AUD $120,000 - $170,000. This range accounts for the complexity of the role, the strategic nature of the responsibilities, and the specific industry requirements.
Benefits:
- Access to comprehensive training and development programs to build and enhance current skills.
- Opportunities for career development and advancement through internal mobility.
- Additional leave days per year to promote work-life balance and personal well-being.
- Access to various Health and Wellbeing initiatives designed to support employees.
- Contribution to a business that positively impacts millions of Australians daily through health and insurance services.
- Work within a supportive and inclusive management environment.
Working Hours:
- Standard full-time working hours, approximately 40 hours per week, with potential for flexibility depending on project needs and team agreements.
📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research of similar roles in Melbourne, Australia, considering the specified experience level and the nature of the financial services industry. Benefits are extracted directly from the provided text, highlighting their relevance to professional development and well-being.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Financial Services (specifically Life Insurance, Health Insurance, and Wealth Management/Vitality programs). AIA is a major player in the pan-Asian life insurance market. Company Size: Large Enterprise (implied by AIA Group's global presence and the mention of "millions of Australians" served). Founded: AIA Group was founded in 1919, indicating a long-standing history and established presence in the market.
Team Structure:
- This role is likely part of a dedicated CX & Service Design team or function within AIA Australia.
- It will report to the Head of CX & Service Design.
- Close collaboration is expected with various business units (Life, Health, Vitality), IT, Marketing, and potentially other design or innovation teams.
- The role requires leading "virtual cross-functional Customer Champion teams," indicating a matrixed and collaborative working style.
Methodology:
- Human-Centered Design (HCD): A core methodology that guides the design process, ensuring customer needs and insights are paramount.
- Design Thinking: Employed for problem-solving and innovation, moving from empathy to ideation and prototyping.
- Jobs To Be Done (JTBD): Utilized to understand customer motivations and underlying needs that drive their choices.
- Agile/Lean: Preferred methodologies, suggesting an iterative and adaptable approach to design and implementation.
- Data-Driven Insights: Emphasis on research and synthesis to inform strategic decisions and validate designs.
Company Website: www.aia.com
📝 Enhancement Note: AIA's mission to help people live "Healthier, Longer, Better Lives" is central to its culture. The company emphasizes making a difference, supporting employee well-being, and fostering continuous learning. The context of a large, established financial services group suggests a structured yet evolving environment where design thinking is being integrated into core business strategy.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level:
- This role represents a mid-to-senior level position within the Customer Experience and Service Design domain. It requires significant practical experience and the ability to lead design initiatives and influence stakeholders without direct authority. The scope includes shaping strategic vision and contributing to a Centre of Excellence, indicating a role with considerable impact and responsibility.
Reporting Structure:
- The CX & Service Designer will report to the Head of CX & Service Design.
- This structure places the role within a dedicated CX function, likely collaborating closely with various business leaders and operational teams across AIA Australia.
Operations Impact:
- The primary impact of this role is on enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention through improved service experiences.
- By identifying and addressing pain points, the designer will contribute to operational efficiency, reduce service costs, and drive customer acquisition and lifetime value.
- The role also influences the overall brand perception and customer value proposition of AIA Australia.
Growth Opportunities:
- Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of CX, Service Design, or related fields like UX Research or Strategic Foresight.
- Leadership: Advance into a Senior Service Designer, Lead Service Designer, or potentially team management roles within the CX function.
- Cross-Functional Expertise: Develop broader business acumen by working across different product lines (Life, Health, Vitality) and functions within AIA.
- Strategic Influence: Grow to influence broader organizational strategy and innovation initiatives through design leadership.
- Industry Recognition: Contribute to AIA's reputation as an innovator in customer experience within the financial services sector.
📝 Enhancement Note: The growth potential is significant, moving from a lead design role to strategic leadership within the CX domain or broader organizational innovation. The emphasis on HCD and service design within a large financial institution offers a robust platform for career development.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type:
- The role is primarily on-site, based in a corporate office environment at AIA's Melbourne location (509 St Kilda Rd). This suggests a professional, collaborative workspace.
Office Location(s):
- Melbourne, Australia (primary).
- Sydney, Australia is also mentioned as a potential location, indicating broader company presence and potential for cross-location collaboration or relocation opportunities.
Workspace Context:
- Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on workshop facilitation and leading "virtual cross-functional Customer Champion teams" points to a work environment that encourages close collaboration, idea sharing, and cross-functional teamwork.
- Tools & Technology: Access to design software, research tools, and collaboration platforms typical for CX and Service Design professionals.
- Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage with a dedicated CX/Service Design team, business leaders, and operational stakeholders to drive design initiatives.
Work Schedule:
- Standard full-time work schedule (approx. 40 hours per week). While on-site, there may be some flexibility offered, but the core requirement is presence in the office for collaborative activities and engagement with internal teams.
📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement at a specific corporate address in Melbourne highlights the importance of in-person collaboration for this role. The inclusion of Sydney as a secondary location might hint at potential interstate travel or future opportunities.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the core requirements, particularly experience with HCD, Design Thinking, journey mapping, and relevant industry background.
- First Interview (Hiring Manager/Recruiter): Focus on your background, experience, motivation, and understanding of CX/Service Design principles. This stage will likely assess your fit with the team and company culture.
- Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: You may be asked to complete a take-home design challenge or present a case study from your portfolio. This will evaluate your problem-solving skills, design methodology, and ability to articulate your process and outcomes.
- Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with key stakeholders, including potentially the Head of CX & Service Design, business unit leaders, or other members of the design team. These will assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and communicate effectively with diverse groups.
- Final Interview: A final discussion to confirm fit, address any remaining questions, and discuss compensation and logistics.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your skills in HCD, Service Design, journey mapping, and problem-solving within complex environments.
- Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the methodologies used (HCD, JTBD, etc.), your process, the challenges faced, your solutions, and, crucially, the measurable impact or outcomes achieved.
- Showcase Process: Detail your research methods, insight synthesis, ideation techniques, prototyping, and validation steps. Highlight how you translated insights into actionable design solutions.
- Quantify Impact: Where possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improvements in NPS, CSAT, conversion rates, efficiency gains, cost savings).
- Tailor to AIA: If possible, subtly tailor your presentation to highlight how your experience aligns with AIA's mission and the financial services industry.
Challenge Preparation:
- Understand the Brief: If given a design challenge, thoroughly analyze the brief, identify the core problem, and clarify any ambiguities.
- Embrace HCD/JTBD: Apply your core methodologies logically to the challenge. Demonstrate your thought process clearly.
- Focus on Impact: Think about how your proposed solution would deliver value to the customer and the business.
- Time Management: Allocate your time effectively across research, ideation, solution design, and presentation preparation.
- Presentation Clarity: Prepare a concise and clear presentation that walks through your approach and solution logically.
📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, focusing on both design craft and strategic business acumen. A strong, well-documented portfolio that clearly articulates the "why" and "how" behind design decisions, along with demonstrable impact, will be key to success.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar for wireframing, prototyping, and UI design.
- Journey Mapping & Service Blueprinting Tools: Experience with tools like Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, Smaply, or dedicated service design platforms for creating visual representations of customer journeys and service interactions.
- Collaboration Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom for virtual workshop facilitation and team communication.
Analytics & Reporting:
- Customer Feedback Platforms: Experience with tools for collecting and analyzing customer feedback (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Medallia).
- Web Analytics Tools: Understanding of tools like Google Analytics to track user behavior on digital platforms.
- Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: Familiarity with BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) for understanding performance metrics and identifying trends.
CRM & Automation:
- CRM Systems: Understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) store customer data and influence customer journeys.
- Workflow Automation Tools: Awareness of how automation can enhance service delivery and customer experience.
📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, a CX and Service Designer would typically be expected to be proficient in a range of visual design, collaboration, and data analysis tools. The ability to integrate insights from various sources is crucial.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- Customer-Centricity: A paramount value, ensuring that all design decisions are driven by a deep understanding of customer needs and behaviors.
- Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively with diverse teams across the organization to co-create and implement solutions.
- Innovation & Continuous Improvement: A commitment to exploring new ideas, challenging the status quo, and continuously refining processes and experiences.
- Impact & Results: A focus on delivering tangible business outcomes and making a positive difference in people's lives, aligning with AIA's mission.
- Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, applied both to customers and internal stakeholders.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Integration: Actively partnering with business units, IT, marketing, and operations to ensure seamless integration of designed experiences.
- Co-Creation: Facilitating collaborative sessions where stakeholders contribute to the design process.
- Data-Informed Dialogue: Using research insights and data to drive discussions and decision-making.
- Feedback-Oriented: Open to constructive feedback and iterative refinement of designs.
📝 Enhancement Note: AIA's stated mission of "Healthier, Longer, Better Lives" likely underpins many of its core values. The CX and Service Design team would embody these values by focusing on customer well-being and creating experiences that support these life goals.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Navigating a Large Organization: Working within a large, established financial services company like AIA can present challenges in terms of organizational silos, legacy systems, and established processes. Overcoming these requires strong influencing skills and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics.
- Translating Insight to Action: Effectively bridging the gap between customer research insights and actionable, implementable design solutions that gain cross-functional buy-in.
- Balancing Customer Needs with Business Objectives: Ensuring that designed experiences are both desirable for customers and viable/feasible from a business perspective.
- Driving Behavioral Change: Encouraging adoption of new service designs and behaviors from both customers and internal stakeholders.
- Measuring Impact in Complex Journeys: Quantifying the ROI of service design initiatives, especially within long, complex customer journeys and across different product lines.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Advanced CX/Service Design Training: Opportunities to attend workshops, conferences, or pursue certifications in specialized areas of CX and Service Design.
- Industry Exposure: Gaining deep insights into the Life, Health, and Insurance sectors, understanding regulatory environments and market dynamics.
- Leadership Development: Potential to take on more complex projects, mentor junior designers, and move into leadership roles within the CX function.
- Cross-Functional Skill Development: Expanding knowledge in areas such as business strategy, product development, and operational efficiency through collaboration.
📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for resilience, strong communication, and strategic thinking. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering pathways to both deep specialization and broad leadership within a major financial services organization.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe a time you used Human-Centered Design to solve a complex customer problem. What was your process, and what was the outcome?"
- "How do you approach identifying customer pain points and unmet needs within a specific value stage (e.g., 'Service' or 'Claim')?"
- "Walk us through how you would design or improve a customer journey for a new insurance product launch, considering both customer desirability and business viability."
- "How do you ensure that your design solutions are effectively integrated into business operations and adopted by stakeholders?"
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What do you know about AIA's mission to help people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, and how would your role contribute to this?"
- "How do you approach collaboration with cross-functional teams, particularly in a matrixed organization?"
- "Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders who were resistant to change or new design ideas."
- "What are your thoughts on the application of Behavioral Economics in designing customer experiences for financial services?"
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Structure: For each case study, clearly present: Problem Statement -> Your Role -> Research & Insights -> Design Process (Methodologies, Ideation, Prototyping) -> Solution -> Impact & Outcomes -> Learnings.
- Visuals: Use strong visuals – journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, research findings – to support your narrative.
- Conciseness: Be articulate and to the point. Focus on the most critical aspects of each project.
- Quantification: Emphasize measurable results and business impact.
- Engagement: Be ready to discuss your decisions, answer challenging questions, and engage in a discussion about your work.
📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a practical understanding of HCD and Service Design methodologies, the ability to translate insights into actionable solutions, strong stakeholder management skills, and a clear understanding of how design contributes to business objectives within the financial services sector.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this CX and Service Designer position:
- Submit your application through the provided Workday link.
- Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and prominently features projects showcasing your expertise in Human-Centered Design, Service Design, journey mapping, and demonstrable impact within complex service environments. Tailor your selection to highlight relevant financial services or complex organizational experiences.
- Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your experience in leading design initiatives, applying HCD/Design Thinking/JTBD methodologies, conducting customer research, and facilitating workshops. Use keywords from the job description such as "CX Design," "Service Design," "Journey Mapping," and "HCD."
- Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and the business outcomes of your past projects. Prepare to discuss your understanding of AIA's mission and how your skills align with the company's goals.
- Company Research: Familiarize yourself with AIA Australia's products, services, mission, and recent news. Understand their commitment to customer experience and health and well-being. Research their current CX initiatives if publicly available.
⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
Application Requirements
Successful applicants must possess a degree qualification in a relevant discipline and proven success in defining and operationalizing Design Thinking, HCD, and Jobs To Be Done methodologies. Significant practical experience in design disciplines or Business Process Analysis with a track record of driving change that delivered customer growth outcomes is required.