Senior Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Service Designer

Company: Bupa

Location: Salford Quays, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Experience Design / Service Design

Date Posted: 2026-09-11

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

Remote Status: Hybrid – 2 days per week in the office

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end service design initiatives to transform customer access to Bupa's products and services.

• Develop and utilize visual artifacts such as blueprints, process maps, and journey maps to foster a shared understanding of strategic vision.

• Collaborate in an agile, multi-disciplinary environment with user researchers, product designers, and content designers to create human-centered, evidence-led digital experiences.

• Engage senior stakeholders across business units to gather perspectives, prioritize initiatives, and drive alignment for new and existing services.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Service Designer, implying a need for significant experience in leading design projects, mentoring junior designers, and influencing strategic decisions within the experience design team and across the organization. The focus on "establishing service design at Bupa" suggests a foundational and influential role.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end service design initiatives that transform how customers access Bupa's products and services, focusing on improving user journeys and operational efficiency.

• Create and leverage visual artifacts, including service blueprints, process maps, and customer journey maps, to articulate complex service ecosystems and drive a shared strategic vision for both new and existing offerings.

• Develop a holistic understanding of the Bupa domain and problem spaces to formulate informed recommendations and guide strategic decision-making for service improvements.

• Engage and collaborate with stakeholders across multiple business units, gathering diverse perspectives, defining priorities, and driving consensus and alignment on service design initiatives.

• Work closely with user researchers to validate hypotheses, ensuring services are designed with a human-centered, evidence-led approach that directly addresses customer needs and pain points.

• Facilitate cross-functional discussions and workshops using established service design frameworks (e.g., problem-framing, journey mapping, process mapping) to foster collaboration and co-creation.

• Present project outcomes, conduct design critiques, and contribute to community of practice sessions to promote knowledge sharing and elevate the quality of design work within the team.

• Balance business requirements, customer needs, and technical feasibility to guide the optimal customer experience across all touchpoints.

• Contribute actively to fostering a positive team culture aligned with Bupa's core values: psychological safety, celebrating success, and mutual learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic execution and tactical design work. The emphasis on "transforming how customers access products and services" and "establishing service design at Bupa" indicates a mandate for driving significant change and embedding best practices.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design (Service Design, Interaction Design, UX Design), Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is highly beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in service design, product design, or UX design, with a proven track record of leading complex design initiatives.

Required Skills:

• Service Design Mindset: A systems-thinking approach, viewing problems holistically across front-stage and back-stage operations, and understanding end-to-end service lifecycles.

• Design Thinking Proficiency: Demonstrated ability in applying design thinking principles, including strong empathy for user needs, iterative exploration of ideas, and implementing a "test and learn" approach.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Confidence in engaging with and influencing stakeholders across various business units with diverse levels of understanding of service design principles.

• Artifact Creation: Expertise in creating and utilizing key service design artifacts such as journey maps, service blueprints, process maps, and user flows, with a clear understanding of when to apply each method.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with product designers, user researchers, product managers, engineers, and other teams, particularly within a product operating model.

• Complex Problem Solving: Skill in navigating complex business areas with multiple customer journeys to identify and articulate key opportunity areas to diverse teams.

• Facilitation Expertise: Experienced facilitator capable of bringing together and engaging diverse groups through workshops and collaborative design sessions.

• Customer Advocacy: A strong commitment to championing the customer's perspective while maintaining awareness of and alignment with business requirements.

• Storytelling & Influence: Strong storytelling capabilities to influence and gain buy-in from stakeholders and peers for new concepts and approaches.

• Accessibility Champion: Acknowledgment and proactive integration of the needs of users with diverse backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and environments.

• Passion for Service Design: Motivated and passionate about the value of service design, with the ability to advocate for it across the organization and support the development of the experience design team.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within an FCA regulated business.

• Familiarity with specific tools within Bupa's toolkit: Figma, Optimal, Miro, Jira, and Confluence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements lean heavily on practical experience and soft skills crucial for a senior role. The emphasis on "systems-thinking," "stakeholder engagement," and "storytelling" points to the need for a candidate who can not only design but also strategize and influence. The mention of "FCA regulated business" as a bonus suggests familiarity with compliance and regulatory considerations in design is advantageous.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate end-to-end service design projects that showcase a holistic understanding of user needs, business goals, and operational realities.

• Include examples of complex service blueprints, detailed customer journey maps, and process flows that illustrate problem-solving and strategic vision.

• Showcase instances where you have influenced strategic decisions or driven alignment among senior stakeholders through design artifacts and presentations.

• Highlight projects where you have collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams (e.g., product, research, engineering) to bring a service to life. Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of your ability to document and communicate complex service designs clearly, including detailed process maps and workflow diagrams.

• Showcase projects where you have employed a "test and learn" approach, documenting the iterative process and the insights gained from user feedback.

• Include examples of how you have facilitated workshops and collaborative sessions, documenting the outcomes and how they informed the design process.

• Demonstrate how your service design work has led to measurable improvements in customer experience, operational efficiency, or business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role, emphasizing practical application of service design methodologies, stakeholder influence, and cross-functional collaboration. The expectation is to see tangible evidence of how the candidate has "established service design" and driven improvements through their work.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £53,500 - £63,800 per annum.

• The exact salary will be determined based on the candidate's experience and qualifications, aligning with the Job Grade C15. Benefits:

• Holiday: 25 days holiday per year (pro rata), with opportunities to increase through length of service, and the option to buy or sell additional days.

• Health & Wellbeing: Private Medical Health Insurance, and access to Viva, Bupa's global wellbeing programme covering mental, physical, financial, social, and environmental wellbeing.

• Financial Security: An enhanced pension plan and life insurance.

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly benefits.

• Discounts: Various online discounts and perks.

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week.

• The role is hybrid, requiring 2 days per week in the office, offering a balance between in-person collaboration and remote flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and competitive for a Senior Service Designer role in the UK. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing wellbeing and work-life balance, which are attractive to experienced professionals. The hybrid work model is clearly defined.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare and Health Insurance. Bupa is a global health insurance and healthcare provider with a unique structure as it has no shareholders, meaning profits are reinvested to benefit customers.

Company Size: Large enterprise. Bupa operates globally and employs a significant number of people, indicating a robust organizational structure with ample opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and career development.

Founded: Bupa was founded in 1947. This long history suggests a stable and established organization with deep roots in the healthcare sector.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Service Designer will be part of a passionate and talented multi-disciplinary experience design team.

• This team includes user researchers, product designers, content designers, and design operations professionals, fostering a collaborative and diverse design environment.

• The role involves working collaboratively in an agile environment and building strong relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple business units. Methodology:

• The team operates within an agile environment, emphasizing iterative development and collaboration.

• A human-centered, evidence-led approach is core to the design process, heavily relying on user research and data validation.

• Systems thinking and end-to-end service design are fundamental methodologies applied to transform customer experiences.

• There is a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and continuous improvement through communities of practice and peer feedback.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Bupa's mission-driven, customer-focused approach, combined with its large scale and long history, provides a stable yet dynamic environment for a Senior Service Designer. The established, multi-disciplinary design team suggests a mature design practice that values collaboration and professional growth.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as a Senior Service Designer, indicating a mid-to-senior level position within the Experience Design function. It requires a high degree of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to lead projects and mentor others.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior Service Designer typically reports to a Head of Design, Experience Design Lead, or similar senior management role within the product or digital division. They will work closely with Product Managers, User Researchers, and Product Designers within agile squads.

Operations Impact: The Senior Service Designer will have a direct impact on the customer experience across Bupa's UK operations. By transforming how customers access products and services, the role contributes significantly to customer satisfaction, retention, and ultimately, business growth and Bupa's mission to "make health happen."

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership & Mentorship: Opportunities to lead complex service design initiatives and mentor junior designers within the experience design community of practice.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to establishing and evolving service design practices at Bupa, influencing the strategic direction of customer experience initiatives.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning through collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, exposure to diverse customer needs in the healthcare sector, and potentially opportunities for further training in specialized design or leadership areas.

• Career Progression: Potential pathways into Lead Service Designer, Head of Experience Design, or other strategic design leadership roles within Bupa.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers substantial growth potential for an experienced service designer. The opportunity to "establish service design at Bupa" and mentor others provides a clear trajectory for leadership and strategic impact, moving beyond individual contribution to shaping the design practice itself.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, with 2 days per week required in the office. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed for teamwork, workshops, and in-person interactions, balanced with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): Bupa Place, M50 3SP (likely Salford Quays) or Angel Court, EC2R 7HJ (London).

• Salford Quays: A vibrant media and business hub in Greater Manchester, offering modern office spaces and good transport links.

• London (Angel Court): A central London location, providing access to a major business district and extensive amenities.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment likely supports collaborative activities such as workshops, design crits, and team meetings, essential for the agile and cross-functional nature of the role.

• Access to standard office technology and collaboration tools will be available.

• Opportunities for interaction with a diverse range of design professionals and business stakeholders within the Bupa offices.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (37.5 per week), with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid model. The nature of service design often requires adaptability to project timelines and stakeholder availability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and dual office locations offer flexibility. The emphasis on collaboration within the office suggests a work environment that values face-to-face interaction for key design activities.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Application review, focusing on resume and portfolio relevance to service design, stakeholder management, and agile methodologies.

• First Interview: Likely with a hiring manager or senior member of the design team to assess experience, approach to service design, and cultural fit. Expect questions on your experience with journey mapping, blueprints, and stakeholder engagement.

• Portfolio Presentation & Workshop: A key stage where candidates present their portfolio, showcasing specific projects and their impact. This may be followed by a practical exercise or a facilitated workshop simulation to assess problem-solving, facilitation skills, and approach to a design challenge.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a more senior leader to discuss strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit within Bupa's culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Select Projects: Focus on 2-3 complex service design projects that best demonstrate your end-to-end capabilities, strategic thinking, and impact.

• Structure Your Narratives: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the methodologies used (journey maps, blueprints, etc.), the challenges faced, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase instances where you successfully collaborated with cross-functional teams and influenced stakeholders.

• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Emphasize how you approached the problem from a holistic, systems perspective, considering front-stage and back-stage elements.

• Showcase Artifacts: Include high-quality visuals of your service blueprints, journey maps, process flows, and any other relevant design artifacts.

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

Challenge Preparation:

• Practice Facilitation: Be ready to facilitate a hypothetical workshop scenario, demonstrating your ability to guide discussions and achieve outcomes.

• Anticipate Problem-Solving Scenarios: Prepare to tackle a design challenge related to healthcare services, customer access, or operational efficiency. Think about how you would frame the problem, gather insights, and ideate solutions.

• Articulate Your Process: Be able to clearly explain your service design process, including how you decide which tools and methods to use and why.

• Understand Bupa's Context: Research Bupa's services, customer segments, and current market position to tailor your approach and demonstrate understanding of their business.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is expected to be rigorous, with a strong emphasis on practical application and portfolio demonstration. Candidates should prepare to showcase their ability to lead, influence, and execute complex service design initiatives.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: A collaborative interface design tool likely used for wireframing, prototyping, and UI design within the product design process. Proficiency in Figma is expected for creating visual assets and collaborating on digital product interfaces.

• Miro: A popular online collaborative whiteboard platform, essential for remote and hybrid workshops, brainstorming, journey mapping, service blueprinting, and process mapping.

• Jira: A project management and issue tracking tool commonly used in agile environments for managing workflows, tasks, and project progress. Familiarity with Jira is crucial for working within agile squads.

• Confluence: A wiki-based collaboration tool often used alongside Jira for documentation, knowledge sharing, and project planning.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as primary tools for the designer, understanding how to leverage insights from analytics platforms and reporting tools is important for evidence-led design. This could include tools that track customer behavior, service usage, and satisfaction metrics. CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with CRM systems and automation tools may be beneficial for understanding how customer data and service processes are managed and optimized within Bupa.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with collaborative design and project management tools like Figma, Miro, Jira, and Confluence is explicitly required. These tools are central to the agile, cross-functional way of working.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values: Bupa's core values are likely to permeate the experience design team:

• Psychological Safety: Fostering an environment where team members feel safe to express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences. This is crucial for innovation and learning.

• Celebrating Success: Recognizing and appreciating individual and team achievements, which boosts morale and reinforces positive behaviors.

• Learning from Each Other: Encouraging a culture of continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and mutual support among team members, especially within the multi-disciplinary design team and community of practice.

• Customer Focus: A deep-seated commitment to understanding and serving customer needs, which is central to Bupa's mission.

• Bravery, Care, Responsibility: These are Bupa's overarching principles, likely influencing how the team approaches challenges, treats colleagues and customers, and makes decisions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The team operates in an agile, multi-disciplinary setting, requiring close collaboration with user researchers, product designers, product managers, and engineers.

• Workshop-Centric: A strong emphasis on collaborative workshops to frame problems, map services, and co-create solutions.

• Peer Feedback & Critiques: Regular design critiques and peer feedback sessions are integral to refining work and sharing knowledge.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue and sharing of insights and challenges to ensure alignment and effective problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture emphasizes collaboration, safety, and continuous learning, aligning with Bupa's broader values. The Senior Service Designer is expected to be a proactive contributor to this culture, both through their work and their interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Service Design: A key challenge will be to further establish and embed service design best practices within Bupa, potentially navigating existing processes or organizational structures.

• Balancing Complex Needs: Effectively balancing the diverse needs of customers, business goals, and technical feasibility within the complex healthcare sector.

• Influencing Stakeholders: Gaining buy-in and driving alignment from senior stakeholders across multiple business units who may have varying levels of understanding or prioritization of service design.

• Navigating FCA Regulations: If working with regulated products, ensuring design solutions comply with financial conduct authority regulations, which can add complexity to the design process.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen Healthcare Domain Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the healthcare and insurance industry, customer needs, and regulatory landscape.

• Service Design Leadership: Developing leadership and mentorship skills by guiding junior designers and influencing strategic design direction.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Collaborating with a diverse team to expand knowledge in user research, product design, content design, and agile methodologies.

• Strategic Impact: Contributing to significant transformations in customer experience, providing opportunities to build a strong portfolio of high-impact projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents opportunities to tackle significant challenges in a large organization and a complex industry, offering substantial professional growth and the chance to make a tangible impact on customer experience.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led an end-to-end service design initiative. What was the problem, your approach, and the outcome?" (Prepare a detailed case study highlighting your process, artifacts, and impact.)

• "How do you balance customer needs with business requirements and technical constraints in your service design work?" (Focus on your decision-making process and prioritization strategies.)

• "Walk us through a complex service blueprint or journey map you've created. What insights did it reveal, and how did it influence decisions?" (Be ready to explain the context, your role in its creation, and its strategic implications.)

• "How do you engage and influence senior stakeholders who may not be familiar with service design principles?" (Discuss your communication, storytelling, and negotiation tactics.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Bupa's mission to 'make health happen' and our customer-centric approach?" (Research Bupa's values, recent initiatives, and market position.)

• "How would you contribute to a culture of psychological safety and continuous learning within our experience design team?" (Relate your personal values and past experiences to Bupa's stated values.)

• "Describe your experience working in an agile, multi-disciplinary team. What are the key elements of successful collaboration?" (Highlight your experience with cross-functional teams and agile methodologies.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio presentation as a narrative for each project, focusing on the problem, your journey, your contributions, and the ultimate impact.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Visually showcase your key artifacts (blueprints, journey maps, process maps) and explain their significance.

• Quantify Your Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the tangible results of your work (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced customer effort, increased satisfaction scores).

• Highlight Collaboration: Emphasize how you worked with others – designers, researchers, product managers, engineers, and stakeholders – to achieve project goals.

• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your choices, challenges, and alternative approaches. Be articulate and confident in your responses.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples and case studies that align with Bupa's context and the role's responsibilities will be crucial. Demonstrating strategic thinking, stakeholder influence, and a strong grasp of service design methodologies will be key to success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Bupa careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your experience in service design, product design, journey mapping, service blueprints, stakeholder management, and agile methodologies. Quantify achievements with metrics where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest service design projects that demonstrate end-to-end capabilities, strategic thinking, and collaborative impact. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., PDF or personal website).

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice presenting your portfolio projects, focusing on the problem, your role, your process, challenges, solutions, and measurable outcomes. Be ready to articulate your systems-thinking approach.

• Research Bupa: Understand Bupa's mission, values, customer base, and current offerings in the healthcare sector to tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest. Familiarize yourself with their digital presence and customer journeys.

⚠️ 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.