Lead Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Service Designer

Company: PPL Corporation

Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States; Louisville, Kentucky, United States; Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design & User Experience Operations

Date Posted: May 11, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the development and strategic implementation of service design initiatives to create seamless customer and employee journeys across multiple operating companies.

• Drive innovation by deeply understanding problem spaces and translating insights into actionable service design strategies and artifacts.

• Act as a key strategic partner to leadership, collaborating to build and mature the Service Design practice within the organization.

• Foster a user-centric and inclusive design environment, mentoring emerging talent and championing diversity in all aspects of work.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Lead" within the Service Design team, indicating significant responsibility for strategic direction, practice building, and mentorship. The emphasis on building out the practice suggests a foundational role in establishing new processes and methodologies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Understand complex problem spaces and identify strategic opportunities for service design to drive innovation and enhance customer/employee experiences.

• Initiate, design, and iterate on comprehensive service design artifacts, including user journeys, service blueprints, and user flows, to communicate design vision and strategy.

• Collaborate closely with research teams to inform and refine research plans, ensuring a deep understanding of user needs and uncovering new opportunities for service optimization.

• Proactively seek opportunities to continuously satisfy and delight customers and employees through thoughtful and focused end-to-end experiences.

• Serve as the crucial link between front-stage (customer-facing) and backstage (internal operations) elements of services, ensuring cohesive and efficient delivery.

• Inspire, motivate, and guide members of the design and product organizations, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment.

• Mentor emerging design talent, guiding them in balancing business objectives, design principles, and end-user needs effectively.

• Champion diversity and inclusion within the team and across all design work, processes, and interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on design execution. The emphasis on "connecting the front stage and backstage" is a core tenet of service design, requiring an understanding of both user-facing touchpoints and the underlying operational processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced Degree in Design, Design Management, Business, or a related field, coupled with a minimum of 5 years of direct work experience in a relevant role.

Experience:

• Proven experience in user experience (UX) or service design, with a strong focus on process, strategy, user flows, and blueprinting.

• Demonstrated ability to create and utilize service design artifacts such as user journeys, service design blueprints, and user flows.

• Experience in project and stakeholder management, successfully navigating complex initiatives and diverse teams.

Required Skills:

• Service Design: Expertise in service design methodologies, principles, and frameworks for mapping and improving end-to-end experiences.

• User Experience (UX) Design: Strong foundation in UX design principles, user-centered design processes, and usability best practices.

• User Journey Mapping: Proficiency in creating detailed user journey maps to visualize customer interactions and identify pain points and opportunities.

• Service Design Blueprints: Skilled in developing comprehensive service design blueprints that illustrate front-stage and backstage elements, processes, and organizational responsibilities.

• User Flows: Ability to design and articulate user flows that represent the paths users take through a service or product.

• Project Management: Experience managing design projects from conception to completion, including scope, timelines, and resource allocation.

• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to effectively engage, influence, and manage relationships with various stakeholders, including leadership, product teams, and operational departments.

• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

• Problem Solving: Aptitude for dissecting complex problems, identifying root causes, and developing innovative solutions.

• Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in creative and collaborative environments, fostering a "yes, and..." attitude.

Preferred Skills:

• Innovation Strategy: Experience in developing and implementing innovation strategies within a design context.

• Research Acumen: Ability to partner with research teams and contribute to the development of research plans that uncover deep user insights.

• Mentoring: Experience in mentoring junior designers, providing guidance and fostering their professional development.

• Diversity & Inclusion Advocacy: A genuine commitment to and experience in incorporating diversity and inclusion principles into design work and team interactions.

• Digital Transformation: Understanding of digital transformation initiatives and their impact on service design.

• Energy Sector Familiarity: Knowledge of the energy utility industry and its unique customer and operational considerations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a strong strategic and process-oriented background in service design, moving beyond purely visual or interaction design. The need for project and stakeholder management skills is critical for a lead role that interfaces across multiple departments and operating companies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating end-to-end service design projects, from problem definition to implemented solutions.

• Artifact Examples: Include visual examples of key service design deliverables such as detailed user journey maps, service blueprints, user flows, and personas.

• Process Documentation: Illustrate your approach to understanding problem spaces, conducting research, and iterating on design solutions.

• Impact & Outcomes: Clearly articulate the business impact and user outcomes achieved through your service design work, highlighting metrics and ROI where possible.

• Collaboration Evidence: Provide examples of how you collaborated with cross-functional teams, managed stakeholders, and facilitated workshops.

Process Documentation:

• Problem Framing: Demonstrate how you approach understanding ambiguous problem spaces and define clear design objectives.

• Methodology Application: Showcase the application of various service design methodologies and tools to solve complex user and business challenges.

• Iteration & Refinement: Illustrate your iterative design process, from rapid prototyping and concept testing to refining polished deliverables.

• Cross-functional Integration: Provide examples of how you integrated service design insights with product development, operations, and customer support processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead Service Designer role, the portfolio should not just showcase final deliverables but also the strategic thinking, process rigor, and collaborative approach used to achieve them. Emphasis on impact and iterative design is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Lead Service Designer roles in major metropolitan areas like Allentown, PA, Louisville, KY, and Providence, RI, with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated salary range is

$110,000 - $150,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.

• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match.

• Paid Time Off (PTO), including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Life Insurance and Disability Coverage.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for well-being support.

• Professional Development and Training Opportunities.

Working Hours:

• Standard 40-hour work week.

• This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days in the office at one of the designated locations (Allentown, PA; Providence, RI; Louisville, KY).

• May be assigned an Electric Utilities emergency and storm role, potentially requiring work outside of normal hours during critical events.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on industry compensation data for similar roles, considering location, experience level, and the specific responsibilities of a lead position. Benefits are standard for large corporations and tailored to attract experienced professionals. The emergency role is a critical caveat for utility companies.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: PPL Corporation operates within the Energy Utilities sector, a critical infrastructure industry focused on providing reliable and affordable electricity to millions of customers. This context means a strong emphasis on safety, reliability, regulatory compliance, and increasingly, sustainability and digital transformation.

Company Size: PPL Corporation is one of the largest investor-owned utility companies in the United States, serving 3.5 million customers. This large scale implies complex operations, a diverse customer base, and significant resources for digital initiatives and employee development.

Founded: PPL Corporation has a history spanning over 100 years, indicating a stable and established organization that is now undergoing a significant digital transformation. This blend of legacy and innovation shapes its culture.

Team Structure:

• The Service Design team is in the process of being built out, working collaboratively with Product Design and Content Design leads.

• This role will partner closely with the Service Design Manager and Content Design Lead to establish the practice.

• The design team is internal and comprises over 20 individuals, suggesting a growing and evolving design function within the company.

Methodology:

• User-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and prioritizing customer and employee needs in all design and operational decisions.

• Data-Driven Insights: Utilizing research and analytics to inform design strategies and measure impact.

• Iterative Design & Fail Fast: Embracing experimentation and learning from failures as a path to success.

• Seamless Experience Design: Aiming to create continuous, thoughtful, and focused customer and employee journeys.

• Digital Transformation: Actively investing in new infrastructure and technology to modernize the energy grid and enhance digital services.

Company Website: https://www.pplweb.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding PPL's position as a large utility undergoing digital transformation is key. The service design team's foundational stage means this role will have a significant impact on shaping processes and culture.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a Lead level within the design and operations function. It signifies a transition from individual contribution to strategic leadership, practice development, and mentorship. The Lead Service Designer is expected to influence design strategy, guide junior team members, and build foundational elements of the service design practice.

Reporting Structure: The Lead Service Designer will likely report to the Service Design Manager or a Director of Design/Digital Transformation. They will work closely with peers in Content Design and Product Design, and collaborate extensively with product managers, business stakeholders, and operational teams across PPL's various operating companies.

Operations Impact: The Lead Service Designer's work directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of customer interactions and employee workflows. By unifying products and services into seamless journeys, they will contribute to improved customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, reduced support costs, and enhanced employee productivity and engagement. This role is pivotal in the company's digital transformation efforts to create a more reliable, resilient, and user-friendly energy ecosystem.

Growth Opportunities:

• Practice Development: Play a key role in defining and scaling the Service Design practice, establishing standards, processes, and best practices for the organization.

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Service Design Manager or Director role as the design function matures and expands.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Develop deep understanding and influence across PPL's multiple operating companies and diverse business functions.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of service design, customer experience strategy, or digital transformation within the utility sector.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Grow leadership skills by mentoring and developing emerging design talent.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title implies a significant growth trajectory, not just in individual contribution but in leadership and strategic influence. The opportunity to build a practice from the ground up is a major draw for ambitious design leaders.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a hybrid role, requiring employees to be in the office for 3 days per week. The company is investing in creating a modern, collaborative workspace.

Office Location(s): The designated office locations for this hybrid role are:

• Allentown, Pennsylvania (645 West Hamilton St, Allentown, PA 18101)

• Louisville, Kentucky

• Providence, Rhode Island

Employees are expected to work from one of these locations for their in-office days.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: The office environment is designed to foster collaboration, with dedicated spaces for workshops, brainstorming sessions, and team meetings.

• Digital Tools & Infrastructure: Access to PPL's technology stack, including collaboration platforms, design software, and project management tools necessary for service design work.

• Cross-functional Interaction: Frequent opportunities to interact with colleagues from product, engineering, research, marketing, customer service, and various operational departments, facilitating integrated design thinking.

Work Schedule:

• The standard work schedule is 40 hours per week.

• The hybrid model allows for flexibility in remote work, while the in-office days are structured to facilitate team cohesion and collaboration.

• Note: This role may require work outside of normal hours during emergencies or storms, as part of an assigned Electric Utilities emergency and storm role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and specific office locations are crucial for candidates to consider. The mention of emergency storm roles is a significant aspect of utility work environments.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key service design case studies. Be prepared to walk through your process, design decisions, and the impact of your work.

• Skills-Based Interview: Expect questions related to service design methodologies, user research, stakeholder management, project management, and problem-solving scenarios. Behavioral questions focusing on collaboration, leadership, and handling ambiguity will also be included.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: You may meet with the Service Design Manager, Content Design Lead, Product Managers, or other key stakeholders to assess cultural fit, collaboration style, and strategic alignment.

• Final Interview: A final conversation, potentially with senior leadership, to discuss overall fit, vision for the role, and strategic contributions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process followed, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, the solution designed, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize your ability to understand business objectives, user needs, and operational constraints to create holistic service solutions.

• Showcase Process Rigor: Detail the methodologies and tools used (e.g., journey mapping, blueprinting, user flows) and explain why you chose them.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present data, metrics, or user feedback that demonstrate the success and value of your design work.

• Tailor to PPL: Briefly explain how your experience and approach align with PPL's mission, industry, and digital transformation goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for hypothetical scenarios where you might be asked to:

  • Outline how you would approach designing a new service for a specific PPL customer interaction.
  • Explain how you would map the backstage processes for a given customer journey.
  • Discuss how you would gain buy-in for a new service design initiative from various stakeholders.

• Practice articulating your design thinking process concisely and clearly, focusing on clarity, strategic alignment, and user-centricity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a lead role emphasizes strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to articulate complex design processes and their impact. A strong, well-prepared portfolio is non-negotiable.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design Software: Tools like Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or similar for collaborative diagramming, journey mapping, and blueprinting.

• Prototyping & Wireframing Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or InVision for creating mockups, wireframes, and interactive prototypes to visualize service components.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for survey creation, usability testing, and qualitative data analysis (e.g., UserTesting.com, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

• Project Management Software: Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, or Microsoft Project for managing design tasks, timelines, and team workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics or similar for understanding digital touchpoint usage and customer behavior.

• Customer Feedback Platforms: Tools for collecting and analyzing customer feedback (e.g., Zendesk, SurveyMonkey).

• Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: Potential exposure to tools like Tableau or Power BI for understanding operational data and performance metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Familiarity with CRM platforms like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics, understanding how they support customer interactions and backstage processes.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Awareness of how automation can streamline service delivery and improve operational efficiency.

• Collaboration Suites: Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Office Suite) or Google Workspace for daily communication and document management.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, the nature of service design and operations in a large corporation suggests proficiency with collaborative whiteboarding tools, design software, and project management platforms. Familiarity with CRM and BI tools is also beneficial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and exceeding customer expectations through thoughtful service design.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and leveraged to achieve common goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging experimentation, learning from failures, and actively seeking new ways to enhance services and processes.

• Integrity & Trust: Upholding high ethical standards in all work and interactions, building trust with customers, colleagues, and stakeholders.

• Efficiency & Reliability: Striving for operational excellence and ensuring that designed services are both effective and dependable.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively partnering with product, engineering, marketing, customer support, and operational teams to ensure holistic service delivery.

• Co-creation Workshops: Facilitating and participating in workshops to bring diverse stakeholders together to ideate, problem-solve, and design solutions.

• Open Communication: Maintaining transparent and consistent communication channels, sharing insights, progress, and challenges proactively.

• Constructive Feedback Culture: Embracing feedback as an opportunity for growth, providing and receiving it respectfully to refine designs and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: PPL's stated values of safety, trust, and work-life balance, combined with their approach of "failing fast," suggest a culture that values learning, resilience, and a human-centered approach to problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New Practice: As part of building out the Service Design practice, challenges may include defining clear methodologies, securing buy-in across diverse business units, and integrating service design thinking into existing organizational processes.

• Navigating Legacy Systems & Processes: Working within a large, established utility company may involve integrating new service designs with legacy systems and navigating complex operational structures.

• Balancing Customer & Business Needs: Continually finding the optimal balance between delivering exceptional customer and employee experiences and meeting PPL's business objectives and operational constraints.

• Driving Change in a Traditional Industry: Influencing and driving adoption of new design-centric approaches within the energy sector, which may be more traditional in its operations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Service Design Leadership: Opportunity to define and refine service design strategies and best practices for a major utility company.

• Cross-Disciplinary Growth: Deepen understanding of utility operations, customer service, and digital transformation initiatives.

• Mentorship Programs: Formal and informal opportunities to mentor junior designers and be mentored by senior leaders.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend industry conferences and engage with professional networks focused on service design, customer experience, and digital innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge will be establishing and scaling a new practice within a large, established organization. This presents a significant growth opportunity for someone who thrives on building and influencing.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex problem space you've tackled using service design. How did you approach understanding it, what artifacts did you create, and what was the outcome?"

• "How would you go about building a service design practice within an organization that may not be fully familiar with it? What are your key strategies for gaining buy-in and demonstrating value?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see service design contributing to PPL's digital transformation goals and its mission to provide reliable energy?"

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with differing opinions on a design decision. How did you navigate that situation?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each case study, highlighting the problem, your role, the journey of discovery, the solution, and the impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to illustrate your process and deliverables. Be ready to explain your rationale behind specific design choices.

• Quantify Impact: Prepare to discuss metrics, KPIs, or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the success of your projects.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your specific contributions, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them.

• Connect to PPL: Briefly articulate how your experience and passion align with PPL's mission and the specific demands of this role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership potential, and a deep understanding of service design methodologies, particularly in the context of a large, complex organization like PPL.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the PPL Corporation careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in service design, user journeys, blueprints, project management, and stakeholder engagement. Quantify achievements with metrics where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your end-to-end service design process, strategic thinking, and impact. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your ability to create seamless customer and employee experiences.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio cases, focusing on storytelling, process clarity, and quantifiable outcomes. Be ready to articulate your strategic approach to building a service design practice.

• Research PPL Corporation: Understand their mission, values, recent initiatives (especially around digital transformation), and their position in the energy utility sector to tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.