Senior Service Designer (12-Month FTC)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Service Designer (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Company: Lloyds Banking Group

Location: Leeds or Bristol, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Service Design / User Experience Operations

Date Posted: 2025-09-30

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office/week)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the creation and delivery of seamless digital and service experiences for millions of customers, driving customer advocacy and advancing the practice of Service Design across a leading UK financial institution.

• Own the Service Design craft within agile teams, providing thought leadership, facilitating strategic discussions, and ensuring user-centricity is embedded in product and service development.

• Mentor and coach a diverse team of designers, researchers, and strategists, fostering innovation and continuous improvement while managing relationships with senior stakeholders and Product Owners.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to uncover priorities, visualize outcomes, define scope, and translate complex business needs and risks into well-informed, user-centered design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is crucial for a large financial institution undergoing digital transformation. The emphasis on leading a team, providing thought leadership, and managing senior stakeholder relationships indicates a significant level of autonomy and strategic influence within the Service Design function. The fixed-term contract nature suggests a project-driven need, likely related to specific transformation initiatives.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a diverse squad of designers, researchers, and strategists, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences.

• Act as the subject matter expert for Service Design and Design Thinking methodologies, guiding agile teams in needs definition, journey mapping, blueprinting, and storytelling.

• Facilitate workshops and strategic discussions with internal customers and stakeholders to deeply understand business context, identify needs, assess risks, and inform critical design decisions.

• Champion the user perspective, ensuring it's at the forefront of all design decisions, and actively challenge constraints to achieve optimal service outcomes.

• Research, document, and communicate current-state services and experiences, and develop compelling visions for future-state services that align with business objectives and customer needs.

• Cultivate an environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement, proactively identifying new opportunities and responding to emerging priorities within the digital transformation landscape.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Senior Product Owners and Lab Product Owners, ensuring alignment and effective collaboration on design initiatives.

• Actively contribute to the broader design community through knowledge sharing, idea generation, and embedding design principles across various product, service, and customer journey initiatives.

• Coach and mentor team members and colleagues across the business to develop their design capabilities and foster a shared understanding of design thinking.

• Manage expectations and incorporate multiple perspectives when defining solutions, ensuring effective communication with colleagues and internal customers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, hands-on design expertise, and team development. The emphasis on "owning relationships with Senior and Lab Product owners" and "providing thought leadership" suggests a senior individual contributor role with significant influence over product strategy and design execution, particularly within agile frameworks.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Business, or a related field is typically expected for senior roles in this domain. Continuous professional development and relevant certifications are highly valued.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in Service Design, UX Design, or a related customer experience field, with a proven track record of leading design initiatives and teams. Experience within the financial services industry is a significant advantage.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in Service Design principles and methodologies, including journey mapping, blueprinting, user flows, and service prototyping.

• Deep expertise in Design Thinking frameworks and the ability to confidently facilitate workshops and design sprints with diverse groups.

• Proven ability to conduct and leverage user research methods to inform design choices and validate solutions.

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, capable of articulating complex ideas to senior, technical, and non-technical audiences.

• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and gain buy-in from senior stakeholders.

• Experience working effectively within agile development environments, collaborating closely with Product Owners, developers, and researchers.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and coach design teams and individuals, fostering their professional development.

• An innovative and proactive approach to problem-solving, with the ability to identify risks and respond to emerging priorities.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the financial services or highly regulated industry.

• Familiarity with digital banking platforms and customer journeys within this sector.

• Experience in defining and measuring KPIs related to customer experience and service adoption.

• Proficiency in relevant design and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Miro, Mural).

• Understanding of UX writing principles and how to apply them in service design.

• Experience with change management and embedding new ways of working within large organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description emphasizes practical, hands-on experience with core service design tools and methodologies, alongside strong leadership and communication abilities. The "5-10 years" experience level is inferred from the "Senior" title and the responsibility of leading a team and providing thought leadership.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio demonstrating end-to-end service design projects, showcasing the candidate's ability to define problems, ideate solutions, and deliver tangible results.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the business problem, the user needs addressed, the design process followed, and the measurable impact of the implemented solutions.

• Examples of service blueprints, customer journey maps, user flow diagrams, and wireframes/prototypes that illustrate complex service interactions.

• Evidence of leading design workshops, facilitating stakeholder discussions, and incorporating feedback into iterative design processes.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to document current-state and future-state service processes clearly and concisely, using appropriate visual aids and narrative.

• Experience in creating detailed service blueprints that map customer interactions, backstage processes, and organizational touchpoints.

• Capacity to define and articulate new ways of working, including process optimization strategies and the integration of design thinking into existing workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Service Designer role, a portfolio is critical. It should not only showcase design artifacts but also the strategic thinking, problem-solving approach, and leadership demonstrated in bringing those designs to fruition and achieving business objectives. The focus is on demonstrating impact and process ownership.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £76,194 - £89,640 per annum.

Benefits:

• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%.

• Annual performance-related bonus scheme.

• Share schemes, including free shares, offering ownership and long-term financial participation.

• Adaptable benefits package allowing customization to individual lifestyle needs, such as discounted shopping.

• 30 days of annual holiday, in addition to bank holidays, providing significant time for rest and rejuvenation.

• A comprehensive range of wellbeing initiatives designed to support physical and mental health.

• Generous parental leave policies to support new parents.

Working Hours: Full-Time, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week. The role incorporates hybrid working, requiring at least two days per week (40% of time) in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and competitive for a senior role in the UK financial services sector. The benefits package is extensive, reflecting the offerings of a large, established organization like Lloyds Banking Group. The explicit mention of hybrid working and office days provides clarity on the work arrangement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Banking and Finance). Lloyds Banking Group is the UK's leading digital bank and one of its largest financial institutions, serving millions of individuals and businesses. This industry context implies a strong focus on security, compliance, customer trust, and digital innovation.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (over 10,000 employees). This scale means extensive resources, complex organizational structures, and opportunities for significant impact across a broad customer base.

Founded: The current Lloyds Banking Group was formed through a series of mergers, with its origins tracing back to the late 17th century. This long history suggests a stable, established organization with a deep understanding of the financial landscape.

Team Structure:

• The role involves leading a "design squad" comprising designers, researchers, and strategists, indicating a cross-functional, agile team structure.

• The Senior Service Designer will report to a more senior design or product leader, with a dotted line to various Product Owners and business stakeholders.

Methodology:

• The company is undergoing an "ambitious transformation programme" and has placed a "multi-channel approach to banking at the heart of our strategy," indicating a strong focus on digital transformation and customer experience.

• The role operates within agile teams, emphasizing iterative development, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback loops.

• A commitment to "design thinking methods" and "evidence to influence internal customers" points to a data-informed and user-centric approach to decision-making.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group's focus on digital transformation and customer-centricity is a key cultural driver. The "large enterprise" size implies a need for strong process adherence and navigating complex organizational dynamics, while the financial services industry context brings a unique set of regulatory and security considerations to design work.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Senior Individual Contributor level, with significant leadership and mentorship responsibilities. It's a stepping stone towards potential Lead Service Designer, Head of Design, or Design Manager roles, depending on career aspirations and performance. The focus is on driving design strategy and practice within a critical transformation program.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Service Designer will lead a design squad and report to a higher-level design or product management role. They will also work closely with Product Owners, ensuring a collaborative, project-focused reporting dynamic.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on shaping the digital and service experiences for millions of Lloyds Banking Group customers. Success will be measured by improved customer satisfaction, increased digital adoption, enhanced operational efficiency through better service design, and fostering a stronger design culture within the organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of service design, user research, design strategy, or leading design operations within a large enterprise.

• Leadership Development: Progress into formal leadership roles managing larger teams or broader design functions, honing strategic planning and people management skills.

• Industry Expertise: Gain extensive experience in digital transformation within the financial services sector, a highly valuable and transferable skill set.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Work on diverse projects across different customer segments and business units, broadening understanding of the financial landscape.

• Mentorship & Advocacy: Develop skills in mentoring junior designers and advocating for design best practices across the organization, building a reputation as a design leader.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fixed-term contract (FTC) nature of this role implies a defined project scope. While it offers significant growth within that scope, long-term career progression would typically involve securing a permanent position or moving to other opportunities that build upon the experience gained. However, the FTC itself can be a strategic move for candidates looking to gain experience in a specific domain or project type.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, requiring a minimum of two days per week in the office. This suggests a blend of focused individual work and collaborative team activities.

Office Location(s): Roles are available in Leeds (Wellington Place) and Bristol, United Kingdom. These are major operational hubs for Lloyds Banking Group, likely offering modern facilities and a dynamic work environment.

Workspace Context:

• The Leeds and Bristol offices are expected to be modern, well-equipped workspaces conducive to collaboration.

• The hybrid model necessitates effective use of digital collaboration tools for seamless interaction between in-office and remote team members.

• Opportunities for informal "water cooler" conversations and spontaneous idea generation are likely to exist on office days, complementing structured remote collaboration.

Work Schedule: Full-time (approximately 40 hours per week). While core hours will apply, the hybrid nature and focus on agile methodologies may offer some flexibility in how the 40 hours are structured, provided team collaboration and project needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates should be comfortable with structured office days for collaboration and independent work for focused tasks. The specific office locations suggest access to well-established corporate facilities.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of CV and portfolio to assess alignment with required skills and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focused on experience, leadership style, and understanding of Service Design principles.

• Portfolio Presentation & Workshop: A practical session where candidates present case studies from their portfolio, followed by a design thinking or service design challenge to assess problem-solving skills, facilitation abilities, and strategic thinking.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with potential peers, direct reports (designers/researchers), and key stakeholders (e.g., Product Owners) to evaluate cultural fit, collaboration style, and ability to influence.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss strategic fit and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio with clear case studies. For each, define the problem, your role, the process, the solution, and the impact (quantifiable where possible).

• Process Focus: Emphasize your end-to-end Service Design process. Showcase how you moved from understanding user needs and business context to ideating, prototyping, testing, and implementing solutions.

• Visual Storytelling: Use visuals (journey maps, blueprints, personas, wireframes) effectively to tell the story of your projects.

• Impact & Metrics: Clearly articulate the outcomes and results of your work. If possible, include metrics related to customer satisfaction, efficiency gains, or adoption rates.

• Leadership & Collaboration: Highlight instances where you led teams, facilitated workshops, or influenced stakeholders.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Research Lloyds Banking Group's current digital transformation initiatives, customer segments, and strategic priorities.

• Practice Facilitation: Be ready to lead a short workshop or facilitate a discussion on a given design problem. Practice framing problems, brainstorming, and synthesizing ideas.

• Problem-Solving: Prepare to tackle a hypothetical service design challenge. Think about how you would approach understanding the problem, identifying user needs, generating solutions, and outlining an implementation plan.

• Articulate Your "Why": Be ready to explain your design philosophy, your approach to user-centered design, and why you are passionate about Service Design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a senior role like this will be thorough, assessing not only technical skills but also leadership potential, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. A strong portfolio presentation is paramount, demonstrating not just design output but the strategic thinking and impact behind it.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) – for creating wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and visual assets.

• Collaboration & Ideation: Miro, Mural, Confluence, Jira – for facilitating remote workshops, journey mapping, blueprinting, backlog management, and agile team coordination.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for user testing, surveys, and data analysis (specific tools may vary, e.g., UserTesting.com, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics – for understanding user behavior on digital platforms.

• Business Intelligence Tools: Tableau, Power BI – for visualizing data, creating dashboards, and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs).

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

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics (though less directly used by designers, understanding CRM data context is beneficial).

• Workflow Automation Tools: While not directly managed, an understanding of how automation impacts customer journeys and service design is valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't list specific tools, a Senior Service Designer in a large organization like Lloyds Banking Group would be expected to be proficient in industry-standard design and collaboration software. Familiarity with agile project management tools and data analytics platforms is also highly advantageous.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A relentless commitment to understanding and serving customer needs, ensuring that all design decisions prioritize the user experience and deliver value.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and individuals work together effectively across teams to achieve common goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging creative thinking, embracing new ideas, and consistently seeking ways to enhance services and processes.

• Integrity & Trust: Upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and transparency, essential in the financial services industry.

• Inclusivity & Diversity: Actively building a workforce and designing services that reflect and serve the diverse society Lloyds Banking Group operates within.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, working closely with Product Owners, engineers, researchers, and business stakeholders in an agile setting.

• Emphasis on open communication, constructive feedback, and shared ownership of outcomes.

• Proactive engagement with other design disciplines and the broader design community to share knowledge and best practices.

• A willingness to challenge constructively and advocate for user needs while respecting business constraints and objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group explicitly mentions its commitment to inclusivity and diversity, which is a significant cultural value. The emphasis on collaboration within agile teams and a user-centric approach are core to the operational ethos of the design function.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating a Large Organization: Adapting to and influencing within a complex, matrixed corporate structure with established processes and diverse stakeholder interests.

• Balancing User Needs with Business Constraints: Finding optimal solutions that satisfy customer requirements while meeting regulatory compliance, security standards, and business objectives within budget and timelines.

• Driving Design Maturity: Continuing to advocate for and embed advanced service design practices and user-centric thinking across various departments and teams.

• Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Effectively communicating design rationale and managing expectations with senior leaders and diverse teams who may have varying levels of design understanding.

• Fixed-Term Contract Context: Adapting quickly to project goals and delivering significant impact within a 12-month timeframe, while also considering the longer-term implications of the role.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Leadership: Opportunities to hone skills in leading design teams, strategic planning, and influencing organizational change.

• Industry-Specific Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the financial services sector, regulatory environments, and digital banking trends.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broad experience working with different business units and customer segments within Lloyds Banking Group.

• Mentorship Programs: Participate in or lead mentorship initiatives, developing coaching and leadership capabilities.

• Industry Conferences & Training: Access to external training, conferences, and professional development resources to stay abreast of the latest trends in Service Design and UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in large, established organizations, particularly in regulated industries. The fixed-term nature presents a unique challenge and opportunity for focused impact and rapid learning.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex service you designed. What was the problem, your process, and the outcome? How did you measure success?" (Focus on problem framing, user-centricity, process, and impact).

• "How do you approach leading and mentoring a diverse design team, especially within an agile framework?" (Highlight leadership style, coaching techniques, and agile collaboration).

• "Imagine you're tasked with improving the onboarding experience for a new digital banking customer. How would you start, what key considerations would you have, and how would you involve stakeholders?" (Demonstrate strategic thinking, user empathy, and stakeholder management).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Lloyds Banking Group's digital transformation strategy, and how do you see Service Design contributing to it?" (Research the company's recent news, strategy documents, and digital initiatives).

• "How would you describe your ideal collaborative working environment, and how do you foster inclusivity within a team?" (Align with the company's stated values of diversity and inclusion).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: Frame your case studies as narratives with a clear beginning (the problem), middle (your process and solutions), and end (the impact).

• Highlight Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, especially if you led the project or team.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (journey maps, blueprints, wireframes) to illustrate your points, but be prepared to explain the thinking behind them.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, and alternative approaches you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills but also strategic thinking, leadership, and the ability to navigate a large corporate environment. Understanding Lloyds Banking Group's specific context and challenges will be key to tailoring responses.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the Lloyds Banking Group careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and tailored to showcase projects that demonstrate leadership in Service Design, experience with complex customer journeys, and impact within large organizations. Prioritize case studies relevant to financial services or digital transformation.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to highlight your experience in Service Design, Design Thinking, team leadership, stakeholder management, and agile methodologies. Use keywords found in the job description and quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice your portfolio presentation, focusing on clear storytelling and demonstrating your thought process. Prepare for behavioral and situational questions related to leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration. Research Lloyds Banking Group's strategy and values.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Lloyds Banking Group's mission, values, recent digital initiatives, and target customer segments. Understand their commitment to customer-centricity and their role in the UK financial landscape.

⚠️ 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.

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