Principal Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Service Designer Company: Humana Location: Remote US Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Service Design / Operations Strategy Date Posted: August 22, 2025 Experience Level: 10+ Years (Principal Level) Remote Status: Fully Remote (US-Based)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead strategic service design initiatives across Humana's diverse ecosystem, encompassing insurance, digital, operations, and clinical services to ensure seamless member experiences.
• Apply advanced systems thinking methodologies, including service blueprints, journey maps, and ecosystem models, to bridge frontstage and backstage operations.
• Act as a key cross-functional leader, fostering alignment and driving coherent, multi-touchpoint service delivery across various business functions.
• Contribute to the advancement of Humana's design practice by mentoring junior designers and evolving service design methodologies.
• Define and measure the impact of designed services, ensuring they deliver tangible business value and enhance member outcomes through robust measurement frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: This Principal Service Designer role is positioned at a senior level, focusing on strategic impact and cross-functional leadership rather than purely execution. The emphasis on "operational integration" and "connecting member needs to operational capabilities" strongly suggests a need for candidates who understand backend processes and can design services that are both customer-centric and operationally feasible, bridging the gap between user experience and business operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Service Strategy & Vision: Define and champion service design strategy across enterprise-wide initiatives, ensuring a clear connection between member needs, business objectives, and underlying operational capabilities.
• Systems Thinking & Ecosystem Mapping: Develop and utilize comprehensive service blueprints, detailed customer journey maps, and holistic ecosystem models to visualize end-to-end service flows, identifying critical touchpoints and operational dependencies.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Alignment: Facilitate collaborative design processes and drive consensus among diverse teams (e.g., insurance, digital, operations, clinical, support) to ensure consistent and coherent service delivery across multiple touchpoints.
• Practice Development & Mentorship: Actively mentor and guide other designers within the organization, contributing to the continuous improvement and evolution of service design methods and fostering a strong design culture at Humana.
• Measurement & Impact Assessment: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and success metrics for designed services, leading post-implementation evaluations to quantify and demonstrate measurable business value and impact on member experience.
• Operational Integration & Feasibility: Collaborate closely with process owners and operational teams to ensure that designed services are not only desirable for members but also practical, scalable, and grounded in the realities of Humana's operational constraints and capabilities.
• Stakeholder Influence & Storytelling: Craft compelling narratives, visual frameworks, and presentations to build empathy, influence senior leadership and stakeholders, and drive strategic decision-making for service enhancements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for strong analytical and strategic skills, particularly in understanding how service design impacts operational efficiency, scalability, and the delivery of member value. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they've translated complex member needs into actionable operational improvements and how they've measured the success of these integrations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Design, Human-Centered Design (HCD), Interaction Design, Business Operations, or a closely related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 12+ years of progressive experience specifically in service design, systems-oriented user experience design, or a related field with a strong focus on process optimization and operational integration.
• Demonstrated experience in leading complex, end-to-end service design initiatives from conception through implementation and evaluation.
• Proven track record of designing services that effectively integrate digital touchpoints with offline delivery mechanisms, including human interactions and physical environments.
• Substantial experience working within Agile product development frameworks and collaborating effectively with cross-functional delivery teams.

Required Skills:

• Service Design Fluency: Deep expertise in a wide range of service design methodologies, including comprehensive service blueprinting, detailed customer journey mapping, rapid prototyping, effective workshop facilitation, and persuasive storytelling.
• Systems Thinking: Proven ability to analyze and understand complex systems, identify interdependencies, and design holistic solutions that address frontstage and backstage operational components.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated capacity to lead and influence diverse teams and stakeholders across various business functions (e.g., IT, Operations, Marketing, Clinical, Legal) to achieve common goals.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence: Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build relationships, manage expectations, and influence decision-making at all levels of an organization.
• Ambiguity Navigation: Demonstrated success in driving clarity and progress in ambiguous, complex environments, translating uncertainty into actionable design strategies.
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working effectively within Agile development cycles and collaborating with Agile teams to deliver iterative service improvements.
• Portfolio Demonstration: A robust portfolio showcasing strategic service design leadership, impactful journey maps, service blueprints, and evidence of measurable business impact.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the healthcare or insurance industry, understanding the unique operational and regulatory landscapes.
• Familiarity with design thinking principles and their application to business process improvement.
• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) and collaboration platforms (e.g., Miro, Mural).
• Experience in developing and implementing service design training programs or best practices within an organization.
• Understanding of operational metrics and how to align service design efforts with key business performance indicators.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "systems-oriented experience design" and "operational integration" suggests that candidates with a background in operations consulting or a strong understanding of business process re-engineering will be highly competitive. The "principal" level implies a need for strategic thinking that goes beyond tactical execution, focusing on how service design can drive systemic improvements.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Strategic Impact: Showcase case studies that clearly articulate the business problem, the strategic approach taken, the service design artifacts created (e.g., blueprints, journey maps), and the measurable outcomes achieved.
• Process Optimization: Demonstrate how your service design work has directly led to improvements in operational efficiency, cost reduction, or enhanced service delivery processes.
• Systems Integration: Provide examples of designing services that effectively integrate multiple systems, channels, and operational touchpoints (both digital and human).
• Stakeholder Alignment: Highlight instances where you successfully influenced senior stakeholders or cross-functional teams to adopt new service designs or operational approaches.
• End-to-End Design: Present a complete service design project that illustrates your ability to manage the process from initial research and discovery through to implementation considerations and impact measurement.

Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of creating detailed service blueprints that map frontstage customer interactions to backstage operational processes, identifying areas for improvement and innovation.
• Include examples of how you've documented user journeys and identified key pain points or opportunities within existing service delivery workflows.
• Showcase how you've used process mapping and analysis to inform service design decisions and ensure the feasibility and scalability of proposed solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this Principal level role, the portfolio needs to go beyond just showcasing deliverables. It must demonstrate strategic thinking, leadership in driving change, and a clear understanding of how service design impacts business operations and delivers measurable value. Expect to discuss the "why" and "how" behind your design decisions and their operational implications.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $206,300 per year.

Benefits:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans designed to support overall well-being.
• Retirement Planning: A robust 401(k) retirement savings plan with potential company matching contributions.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off (PTO), company holidays, personal holidays, and volunteer time off to encourage a healthy work-life integration.
• Family Support: Paid parental leave and paid caregiver leave to support employees during important life events.
• Income Protection: Short-term and long-term disability coverage to provide financial security.
• Life Insurance: Life insurance policies to provide for loved ones.
• Incentive Opportunities: Eligibility for a bonus incentive plan based on company and/or individual performance.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.
• While the role is remote, occasional travel to Humana offices for training or meetings may be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Principal-level Service Designer in the US, reflecting the strategic nature and experience required for this role. The extensive benefits package underscores Humana's commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance, which are often attractive to operations-focused professionals who value stability and comprehensive support. The mention of potential travel, even for a remote role, is typical for senior positions requiring strategic alignment and team building.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Services and Health Insurance. Humana is a major player in the U.S. healthcare market, serving millions of individuals across various government and commercial plans. This industry context means a strong focus on member outcomes, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Company Size: Large Enterprise (implied by the scope of operations and career site). Humana is a Fortune 500 company with a significant number of employees, indicating a complex organizational structure with numerous departments and interdependencies. Founded: Humana was founded in 1961. This long history suggests a mature organization with established processes, but also one that is likely undergoing continuous transformation to adapt to evolving healthcare needs and technologies.

Team Structure:

• Operations Integration Focus: The Principal Service Designer will likely sit within a design or innovation team, but will work intimately with various operational departments (e.g., Member Services, Claims Processing, Clinical Operations, Digital Product Teams, Customer Support).
• Reporting Lines: This role likely reports into a Director or VP of Design, Experience, or Innovation, with dotted-line reporting or strong collaborative relationships with leaders in Operations, Product Management, and Business Strategy.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Expect to collaborate extensively with product managers, business analysts, UX researchers, engineers, operational leaders, and strategy teams to map, design, and implement services.

Methodology:

• Human-Centered Design (HCD): Humana emphasizes putting health first, which aligns with HCD principles. The service designer will be expected to deeply understand member needs and translate them into practical, empathetic solutions.
• Systems Thinking: A core requirement, indicating a focus on understanding the entire service ecosystem and how different parts interact and influence each other.
• Agile Delivery: Collaboration with Agile product teams suggests an iterative approach to developing and refining services, with a focus on continuous feedback loops and adaptability.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: The emphasis on measurement and impact implies a reliance on data analytics to inform design choices and validate the success of implemented services.

Company Website: humana.com

📝 Enhancement Note: As a large healthcare organization, Humana likely has established operational frameworks and a significant focus on process compliance and member satisfaction. A Principal Service Designer here needs to be adept at navigating complex organizational structures and influencing change within a regulated industry, balancing user needs with operational realities and business objectives.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Principal. This signifies a senior, expert role responsible for leading complex, strategic initiatives. It implies a high degree of autonomy, influence, and responsibility for driving significant organizational impact. Reporting Structure: The role likely reports to a Director or VP within a Design, Innovation, or Experience function. Collaboration will be extensive with VPs and Directors across Operations, Product, and Business units, positioning the Principal Service Designer as a key strategic partner. Operations Impact: The role's core function is to design services that improve member experiences and operational capabilities. This directly influences customer satisfaction, retention, operational efficiency, and potentially revenue through service effectiveness and reduced costs. The Principal Service Designer acts as a critical bridge between user needs and the operational execution required to meet them.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow into a leadership role managing a team of service designers or leading larger, more strategic design programs across the enterprise.
• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of healthcare service design, operational transformation, or digital-physical service integration.
• Strategic Influence: Gain greater influence on organizational strategy, product roadmaps, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Mentorship & Practice Building: Develop and lead the service design practice within Humana, establishing best practices, training programs, and fostering a design-centric culture.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into related strategic roles within Product Management, Operations Strategy, or Digital Transformation based on demonstrated success and expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title suggests a career path that emphasizes thought leadership, strategic impact, and the ability to influence organizational direction. For an operations-minded candidate, this role offers a chance to leverage design skills to drive tangible improvements in business processes and outcomes within a large, impactful organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This role is designated as "Remote US," allowing individuals to work from their home office. The company provides equipment and has specific internet requirements. Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the job posting mentions "occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be required." This suggests that while day-to-day work is remote, there may be opportunities or requirements to visit physical Humana locations for key events or team gatherings.

Workspace Context:

• Dedicated Workspace: Employees are required to maintain a dedicated, interruption-free space to protect sensitive member information (PHI/HIPAA), emphasizing a professional and secure home office setup.
• Technology Provision: Humana will provide necessary telephone equipment, ensuring employees have the right tools for communication.
• Collaboration Tools: Expect to utilize digital collaboration platforms (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Miro, Mural) for virtual meetings, workshops, and design sessions, fostering a connected remote work environment.

Work Schedule:

• Standard 40-hour work week.
• While remote, maintaining consistent availability during core business hours for collaboration with teams across different time zones will be important. Flexibility may exist, but responsiveness to team needs is key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of this role requires strong self-discipline and effective communication skills. The emphasis on a dedicated workspace and the potential for occasional travel are standard considerations for senior remote positions, highlighting the need for both autonomy and the ability to engage in person when necessary.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit. Be prepared to articulate your understanding of service design and its impact on operations.
• Portfolio Presentation & Deep Dive: Expect a session where you will present your portfolio, detailing 2-3 key projects. Focus on projects that demonstrate strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, and measurable impact, especially those involving operational integration.
• Case Study/Workshop: You may be asked to complete a take-home exercise or participate in a live workshop simulating a design challenge. This will assess your approach to problem-solving, systems thinking, and ability to articulate design decisions under pressure.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with potential peers, cross-functional partners (including from operations), and senior leaders to evaluate collaboration style, strategic alignment, and leadership potential.
• Final Interview: Likely with the hiring manager or a senior executive to make a final assessment of fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the "so what?" for each project. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "reduced call handling time by X%", "improved member satisfaction scores by Y%", "streamlined process Z leading to cost savings").
• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Explain the strategic rationale behind your design choices. How did your service design address a larger business objective or operational challenge?
• Highlight Operational Integration: Emphasize projects where you successfully bridged user needs with operational realities. Detail how you collaborated with operational teams and ensured feasibility.
• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Use your service blueprints and ecosystem maps to illustrate your understanding of complex, interconnected systems and how your design addressed them holistically.
• Storytelling is Key: Structure your presentations with a clear narrative: problem, approach, solution, and outcome. Engage your audience and make your contributions clear.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Operational Scenarios: Be ready for challenges that require you to think about scaling services, integrating with existing systems, or addressing operational constraints common in large enterprises.
• Practice Articulating Trade-offs: Demonstrate your ability to weigh different design options and explain the trade-offs, particularly concerning operational feasibility versus user desirability.
• Prepare for Stakeholder Management: Think about how you would communicate complex service design concepts to non-design audiences, including operational leaders, to gain buy-in and drive action.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Principal role will be rigorous, focusing heavily on strategic impact and leadership. Candidates should prepare to go deep on their portfolio projects, demonstrating not just design skills but also business acumen and the ability to drive significant operational and experiential improvements.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Axure for creating wireframes, prototypes, and user flows.
• Mapping & Diagramming: Expertise with tools such as Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or Visio for creating service blueprints, journey maps, ecosystem models, and process flows.
• User Research & Analysis: Familiarity with tools for qualitative and quantitative user research (e.g., UserTesting.com, Optimal Workshop, survey platforms like Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Visualization: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for analyzing service performance data and creating dashboards to communicate insights.
• Web Analytics: Understanding of tools like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics for tracking digital service performance.
• CRM & Customer Data Platforms: Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and customer data platforms to understand member interactions and operational data.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Experience working with or designing services that integrate with major CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) for managing customer relationships and tracking interactions.
• Process Automation Tools: Understanding of how service design can leverage or inform process automation (e.g., RPA, workflow automation) to improve operational efficiency.
• Integration Platforms: Awareness of how services connect across different enterprise systems and a general understanding of integration concepts.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tool requirements aren't detailed, the role's nature suggests a need for strong skills in visual collaboration and diagramming tools. For a Principal role, understanding how to leverage data analytics to measure the operational impact of service designs is crucial. Familiarity with enterprise-level systems and the ability to design for integration is also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Member-Centricity: A core value in healthcare, ensuring that all design decisions prioritize the needs and well-being of members, translating into accessible and supportive services.
• Operational Excellence: A strong emphasis on efficiency, reliability, and scalability in service delivery, requiring designs to be practical and sustainable within Humana's operational framework.
• Data-Driven Insights: Utilizing data and analytics to inform design, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement in both member experience and operational processes.
• Collaboration & Partnership: Fostering strong working relationships across diverse teams and functions, recognizing that successful service delivery is a collective effort.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: A culture that encourages exploring new approaches to service delivery, embracing change, and consistently seeking ways to enhance both member value and operational effectiveness.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect a highly collaborative environment where the Service Designer acts as a hub, connecting different departments to ensure cohesive service delivery and operational alignment.
• Process Review & Feedback: A culture that values constructive feedback on design proposals and operational workflows, encouraging iterative refinement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Emphasis on sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across teams to build collective expertise in service design and operational improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely balances a strong focus on patient/member care with the rigorous operational demands of the healthcare industry. A successful candidate will be comfortable working in a structured environment while advocating for human-centered approaches that drive operational efficiency.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complex Healthcare Operations: Understanding and designing for the intricate web of processes, regulations, and diverse stakeholders within the healthcare system.
• Balancing Member Needs with Business Constraints: Effectively advocating for member experience while ensuring designs are operationally feasible, scalable, and financially sustainable for Humana.
• Driving Change in a Large Organization: Influencing stakeholders and gaining buy-in for new service designs and operational improvements across multiple departments.
• Measuring Intangible Value: Quantifying the impact of service design on elements like member satisfaction, trust, and long-term loyalty, and linking it to operational metrics.
• Keeping Pace with Evolving Healthcare: Adapting service designs to new technologies, care models, and changing member expectations within the dynamic healthcare landscape.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Healthcare Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge of healthcare delivery models, insurance operations, and patient/member journeys.
• Strategic Leadership Skills: Develop advanced skills in stakeholder management, influencing, and driving strategic initiatives within a large enterprise.
• Advanced Service Design Techniques: Explore and implement cutting-edge service design methodologies and tools.
• Cross-Functional Acumen: Gain a comprehensive understanding of different business functions within Humana, broadening your operational perspective.
• Mentorship Programs: Opportunities to learn from and be mentored by senior leaders in design, innovation, and operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in large, complex industries like healthcare. The growth opportunities are significant, offering a path for professionals to become leaders in service design and operational strategy, particularly within the healthcare sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a service that balanced conflicting needs between different operational departments. How did you achieve alignment?" (Focus on collaboration, compromise, and systems thinking.)
• "How would you approach designing a new member onboarding process that integrates digital self-service with human support, considering operational capacity and member adoption?" (Demonstrate process mapping, journey design, and operational integration.)
• "What metrics would you use to measure the success of a redesigned service, and how would you tie those metrics to business outcomes and operational efficiency?" (Highlight data-driven approach and ROI.)
• "Walk me through a complex service blueprint you've created. What were the key operational touchpoints, and what improvements did you identify?" (Showcase technical service design skills and analytical ability.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How does your understanding of Humana's mission to 'put health first' influence your approach to service design?" (Connect personal values to company mission.)
• "Describe your experience working with Agile teams and how you integrate service design into their sprints and workflows." (Assess collaboration within development cycles.)
• "How do you foster a human-centered design culture within teams that may not have a design background?" (Evaluate your ability to evangelize and educate.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Problem -> Research -> Design Solution (Artifacts) -> Operational Integration -> Impact/Results.
• Focus on "Why": Be ready to articulate the strategic rationale behind every decision.
• Quantify Impact: Use numbers and data to demonstrate the value of your work, especially regarding operational improvements.
• Highlight Collaboration: Explicitly mention who you worked with (e.g., "collaborated with claims operations to...") and how you managed those relationships.
• Be Concise: Stick to the most impactful projects and insights. Respect the interviewer's time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a strategic thinker who can translate complex operational realities into effective, member-centric services. Prepare to discuss your process, your leadership in driving change, and the quantifiable impact of your work, particularly in relation to operational efficiency and member satisfaction.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-focused service design position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link on the Humana career site.
• Operations Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your experience in improving operational processes, integrating digital and human touchpoints, and driving measurable outcomes in complex environments. Highlight service blueprints and journey maps that clearly show backstage operational elements.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords from the job description such as "Service Design," "Systems Thinking," "Cross-Functional Leadership," "Operational Integration," "Agile," and specific methodologies like "Blueprinting" and "Journey Mapping." Quantify your achievements with metrics related to efficiency, cost savings, or customer satisfaction.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, your strategic approach to solving operational challenges, and the impact of your work using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Be ready to present your portfolio with confidence and answer questions about how your designs translate into tangible business value.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Humana's mission, values, and recent initiatives in the healthcare space. Understand their commitment to putting health first and how service design contributes to achieving these goals by improving member experiences and operational effectiveness.

⚠️ 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.