Service Designer (12 Month FTC)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer (12 Month FTC)

Company: Lloyds Banking Group

Location: Chester or Manchester, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time, Temporary (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Category: Service Design, UX/UI Design, Digital Transformation

Date Posted: 2026-06-10

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

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

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and deliver seamless, customer-centric digital experiences that drive advocacy and enhance service propositions.

• Champion and advance the practice of Service Design within an agile, large-scale financial services organization.

• Collaborate with cross-functional agile teams to uncover priorities, visualize outcomes, and define project scope effectively.

• Shape pivotal initiatives by integrating colleague, customer, and market insights to define and enhance propositions and services.

• Develop engaging, accessible, and readable content that contributes to exceptional digital customer journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is crucial for a financial services institution undergoing significant digital transformation. The focus on customer advocacy, cross-functional collaboration within agile teams, and the explicit mention of advancing Service Design practices suggest a strategic role with a high degree of influence on product and service development. The 12-month FTC nature indicates a project-based need, likely tied to a specific transformation initiative.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Actively participate in agile teams, employing creative and confident approaches to uncover priorities, visualize desired outcomes, and define scope for new and enhanced services.

• Shape key initiatives by ensuring they are driven by comprehensive colleague, customer, and market insights, leading to improved propositions and service delivery.

• Facilitate and attend workshops and discussions, ensuring a thorough understanding of business context, stakeholder needs, and associated risks to inform critical decision-making.

• Manage expectations and integrate diverse perspectives from colleagues and partners to collaboratively define optimal service solutions.

• Support the research, documentation, and analysis of both current state and future state service ecosystems, identifying key touchpoints and opportunities for improvement.

• Make sound design decisions that prioritize the user perspective and critically challenge the validity of existing or proposed constraints.

• Foster close collaboration with a range of stakeholders including other designers, customer journey managers, product owners, and engineers to ensure cohesive service development.

• Actively contribute to the broader design community within Lloyds Banking Group, sharing knowledge, generating innovative ideas, and embedding design principles across various product, service, and customer journey initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a hands-on approach to service design within a structured, yet agile, environment. The need to "advocate for Service Design," "define new ways of working," and "evolve the craft" indicates a senior-level expectation for driving best practices and influencing organizational change, beyond just executing design tasks.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is explicitly required, a strong portfolio and demonstrated experience in relevant fields are paramount. A background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Business, or a related discipline would be beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of dedicated experience as a Service Designer is required. This experience should encompass a proven track record of designing and delivering successful digital and service propositions within complex organizational structures.

Required Skills:

• Service Design: Deep understanding and practical application of service design methodologies, principles, and tools.

• Agile Methodology: Proven experience working within agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban) to deliver iterative design solutions.

• User Research: Proficiency in conducting and synthesizing user research to gather actionable insights from customers and internal stakeholders.

• Design Thinking: Strong command of design thinking processes, including empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to analyze and understand how various components (people, processes, platforms, products) interact within a larger ecosystem to design cohesive services.

• Customer Journey Mapping: Expertise in creating detailed customer journey maps to visualize end-to-end experiences and identify pain points and opportunities.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent ability to build relationships, manage expectations, and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership.

• Content Design: Skill in creating clear, engaging, and accessible content that enhances user experience.

• Problem Solving: Innovative and analytical approach to identifying and resolving complex design challenges.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to articulate ideas, issues, and implications clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, at all levels.

• Workshop Facilitation: Experience in designing and leading effective workshops to gather insights, foster collaboration, and drive decision-making.

• Digital Experience Design: Understanding of digital product design principles and how to translate service design concepts into tangible digital solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the financial services sector.

• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar.

• Experience in accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.

• Knowledge of service blueprinting techniques.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "5 years experience" combined with the need for "senior audiences" credibility and "healthy challenge" suggests this role is for a mid-to-senior level Service Designer. The extensive list of required skills underscores the multifaceted nature of the role, requiring both strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 comprehensive service design projects that demonstrate the end-to-end design process and impact.

• Clearly articulate the user research methodologies employed, insights gained, and how these informed design decisions.

• Include examples of customer journey maps, service blueprints, and/or system diagrams that illustrate complex service ecosystems.

• Provide tangible examples of how your design solutions addressed specific business challenges and delivered measurable improvements in customer experience or operational efficiency.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how digital touchpoints integrate with broader service offerings. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of documenting current and future state services, including detailed process flows, stakeholder interactions, and system dependencies.

• Examples of how you've translated research findings and design concepts into actionable design specifications for development teams.

• Documentation of design iterations, user testing feedback, and how these informed final design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Service Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It should not only showcase visual design but, more importantly, the strategic thinking, research-backed decision-making, and process-oriented approach to creating holistic service experiences. The emphasis on "systems thinking" and "end-to-end customer lifecycle" means portfolios should highlight how individual touchpoints connect and contribute to the overall customer journey.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £61,344 - £68,160 per annum.

Benefits:

• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%.

• An annual performance-related bonus scheme.

• Share schemes, including free shares, offering potential ownership and participation in company success.

• A wide range of lifestyle-adaptable benefits, such as discounted shopping.

• 30 days of annual holiday, in addition to public bank holidays.

• A comprehensive suite of wellbeing initiatives.

• Generous parental leave policies.

Working Hours: Full-Time, typically 40 hours per week. The work style is hybrid, requiring at least 2 days per week (or 40% of time) spent in one of the designated office sites (Chester or Manchester).

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a senior Service Designer in the UK financial services sector. The benefits package is robust, reflecting Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to employee well-being and long-term engagement. The hybrid working model is standard for many large organizations, balancing flexibility with in-person collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services. Lloyds Banking Group is one of the largest and most established financial institutions in the UK, offering a wide range of banking and financial products and services. This context implies a regulated environment with a strong focus on customer trust, security, and compliance.

Company Size: Large Enterprise. As a major banking group, Lloyds Banking Group employs tens of thousands of people globally. This scale means opportunities for impact are significant, but also that processes can be complex and change management is critical.

Founded: The group has a long history, with its origins tracing back to the early 19th century. This legacy suggests a company with established processes, a deep understanding of its market, and a current focus on modernizing its operations and digital offerings.

Team Structure:

• The Service Designer will likely be part of a broader Design or Digital Transformation function, potentially within a specific business division.

• They will work within cross-functional agile teams, which typically include Product Owners, Developers, Testers, Business Analysts, and other specialists.

• Reporting will likely be to a Design Lead, Head of Service Design, or a Digital Transformation Manager.

• Collaboration is expected across various departments, including product development, customer experience, marketing, IT, and compliance teams. Methodology:

• Data Analysis & Insights: Emphasis on using customer data, market research, and user feedback to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: Focus on mapping, analyzing, and improving existing service workflows and designing new, efficient processes.

• Automation & Efficiency: Leveraging technology and design to automate processes and enhance operational efficiency in service delivery.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Working within a large, established financial institution like Lloyds offers the chance to influence significant change and work on projects with broad customer impact. The hybrid model and focus on agile teams suggest a move towards more modern ways of working, balancing tradition with innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-to-senior level Service Designer, requiring substantial experience (5+ years) and the ability to "help cultivate an environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement." The expectation to "advance the practice of Service Design" and engage with "senior audiences" indicates a role with significant autonomy and influence, beyond individual contribution.

Reporting Structure: The Service Designer will report to a Design Lead or Manager within a larger digital transformation or design department. They will be embedded within multiple agile teams, reporting functionally to the design leadership and project-wise to the agile team's structure.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the operational efficiency and customer satisfaction of Lloyds Banking Group's services. By designing seamless digital experiences, the Service Designer contributes to reduced operational costs (e.g., fewer support queries), increased customer loyalty, and enhanced brand perception. The focus on "advocacy" and "advancing the practice" means the impact extends to improving the overall design maturity and effectiveness of the organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Service Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced service design techniques, customer lifecycle management, and complex ecosystem design.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and potentially move into a Design Lead or Managerial role.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gain extensive experience in financial services, agile development, and digital transformation, broadening career options within the sector.

• Innovation & Strategy: Contribute to strategic planning and innovation efforts, influencing the future direction of digital services at a major institution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 12-month FTC nature of this role means growth is primarily focused on skill development and project impact rather than long-term career progression within this specific position. However, successful candidates will build a strong portfolio and gain valuable experience that can lead to permanent roles or other senior contract opportunities.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model. Employees are expected to spend at least 40% of their time in one of the company's office sites (Chester or Manchester) per week. This balances the flexibility of remote work with the benefits of in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Chester (Cawley House) and Manchester. These locations are equipped to support hybrid work, likely offering collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, and standard office amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and agile team structure foster a collaborative environment where designers work closely with product owners, developers, and other specialists.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to relevant design software, collaboration platforms, and potentially internal LBG systems for research and ideation.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for face-to-face interaction during office days for workshops, brainstorming sessions, and team building.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week). The hybrid arrangement allows for flexibility in managing personal time while ensuring consistent presence and contribution during designated office days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid setup is designed to maximize the benefits of both remote and in-office work. The expectation of two days in the office suggests a deliberate effort to facilitate spontaneous collaboration, team bonding, and effective problem-solving sessions that are often enhanced by in-person interaction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of CVs and portfolios, focusing on directly relevant experience and demonstrated skills in service design.

• First Interview: Likely a conversation with a hiring manager or senior designer to assess experience, understanding of service design principles, and cultural fit. Be prepared to discuss your approach to key responsibilities.

• Portfolio Presentation/Workshop: A more in-depth session where candidates present their portfolio, potentially working through a design challenge or discussing case studies in detail. This assesses practical application of skills and problem-solving abilities.

• Final Interview: May involve a panel interview with stakeholders from different departments (e.g., product, engineering, business) to evaluate collaboration skills and strategic thinking.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process you followed, the solutions you designed, and the outcomes achieved. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) where applicable.

• Highlight Process Over Polish: While visually appealing designs are good, LBG will be more interested in your thought process, research methodologies, systems thinking, and how you arrived at your solutions.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics and data to demonstrate the impact of your designs on customer experience, operational efficiency, or business objectives.

• Showcase Collaboration: Include examples of how you've worked with cross-functional teams and managed stakeholders.

• Tailor to LBG: If possible, subtly tailor your examples to showcase experience in scale, complex systems, or regulated environments, similar to financial services.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready to discuss how you would approach a typical service design challenge, such as improving a customer onboarding process or designing a new digital banking feature.

• Prepare to articulate your thought process, research methods, and how you would integrate user insights and business constraints.

• Practice presenting your ideas clearly and concisely, anticipating questions about feasibility, impact, and stakeholder buy-in.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's emphasis on process, systems, and collaboration, interviewers will likely probe deeply into how candidates manage complexity and influence outcomes within large organizations. The portfolio presentation is a critical opportunity to demonstrate this.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in industry-standard tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), or similar for creating wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and visual assets.

• Collaboration Platforms: Experience with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Confluence for team communication, project management, and documentation within agile environments.

• Service Design Specific Tools: Familiarity with tools for service mapping and blueprinting (e.g., Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or dedicated service design software).

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics: Understanding of how to interpret data from user analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to inform design decisions.

• Customer Feedback Tools: Experience with survey tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics) and feedback aggregation platforms.

• BI Tools (Familiarity): While not necessarily a primary user, an understanding of how to interact with data presented in Business Intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) for insights.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (Awareness): Familiarity with how customer relationship management systems (e.g., Salesforce) store customer data and support customer journeys, even if not directly administering them.

• Workflow Automation Tools (Awareness): Understanding of how workflow automation impacts service delivery and customer experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't list specific tools, a strong Service Designer should be proficient in a range of design and collaboration software. The ability to interpret data from analytics and feedback tools is crucial for a data-driven approach, and understanding how CRM and automation systems underpin customer journeys is beneficial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs, ensuring services are intuitive, accessible, and valuable.

• Collaboration: Valuing teamwork, open communication, and the integration of diverse perspectives to achieve common goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging new ideas, experimenting with solutions, and constantly seeking ways to enhance processes and experiences.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Using insights from research, analytics, and feedback to inform design choices and measure success.

• Integrity & Trust: Upholding high ethical standards, particularly crucial in the financial services sector, to build and maintain customer trust.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expected to work seamlessly with product owners, developers, researchers, business analysts, and other design disciplines.

• Process Review & Feedback: A culture that encourages constructive feedback on designs, processes, and ways of working to drive improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively participating in design communities, sharing best practices, and mentoring colleagues to elevate design capabilities across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group's emphasis on "making a difference to customers, businesses and communities" and its commitment to diversity and inclusion suggest a culture that values purpose-driven work and inclusive collaboration. The "values-led culture" mentioned in the description means candidates should align with these core principles.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Scale and Complexity: Designing services within a large, established financial institution involves dealing with intricate legacy systems, strict regulations, and diverse stakeholder needs.

• Balancing Innovation with Compliance: Introducing new digital experiences while adhering to stringent financial regulations and security protocols requires careful design and rigorous testing.

• Driving Design Maturity: Advocating for and embedding service design best practices in a potentially traditional organizational structure can be challenging but rewarding.

• Measuring Impact in a FTC: Demonstrating significant, tangible impact within a 12-month timeframe requires focused effort and clear prioritization.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Service Design Techniques: Opportunity to work on complex, multi-faceted service design challenges that push the boundaries of current expertise.

• Industry-Specific Knowledge: Gaining deep insights into the financial services industry, its operational nuances, and regulatory landscape.

• Agile Transformation: Extensive experience in large-scale agile implementations and digital transformation initiatives.

• Mentorship: Potential to learn from experienced design leaders and contribute to the growth of a burgeoning design community within LBG.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to working in a large, regulated industry. The growth opportunities are significant, especially for a candidate looking to deepen their experience in financial services and large-scale digital transformation.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a user-centric solution against significant business or technical constraints. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses stakeholder management, problem-solving, and influence.)

• "Walk us through your process for designing a new customer service journey. What research methods would you employ, and how would you ensure it integrates seamlessly with existing systems?" (Assesses understanding of end-to-end design, research, and systems thinking.)

• "How do you measure the success of a service design initiative? What KPIs would you focus on, and how would you track them?" (Assesses data-driven approach and impact measurement.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Lloyds Banking Group's digital transformation efforts, and how do you see service design contributing to them?" (Assesses research and understanding of company strategy.)

• "How do you foster collaboration within a cross-functional agile team, especially when dealing with differing priorities or perspectives?" (Assesses collaboration and communication skills.)

• "What are your thoughts on balancing speed and iteration in an agile environment with the need for thoroughness and compliance in financial services?" (Assesses understanding of industry context and agile/regulatory balance.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Craft a Compelling Narrative: For your chosen case studies, focus on telling a clear story that highlights your strategic thinking, problem-solving process, and the impact of your work.

• Emphasize Your Role: Be specific about your contributions, especially in team projects.

• Showcase Process: Detail your research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration phases. Visuals of journey maps, blueprints, or user flows are highly effective.

• Quantify Results: Present metrics that demonstrate the positive outcomes of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced support tickets, improved customer satisfaction scores).

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, challenges encountered, and alternative approaches considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviews for this role will likely be rigorous, focusing on practical application of service design principles within a complex organizational context. Demonstrating an understanding of the financial services industry and the ability to navigate its specific challenges will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

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

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects that highlight your experience in designing complex service ecosystems, working within agile teams, and driving measurable customer experience improvements. Prioritize projects with clear problem statements, detailed process flows, and quantified outcomes.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 5+ years of service design experience, using keywords such as "Service Design," "Agile," "User Research," "Systems Thinking," "Customer Journey Mapping," and "Stakeholder Management." Highlight achievements that demonstrate your ability to influence and drive change.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and key project outcomes. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions related to collaboration, problem-solving, and navigating complex organizational structures. Be ready to present your portfolio with confidence.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Lloyds Banking Group's mission, values, recent digital initiatives, and its commitment to customer service and financial inclusion. Understand the challenges and opportunities within the UK financial services sector.

⚠️ 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.