Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer

Company: Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

Location: Stratford (2 Redman Place), United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME, TEMPORARY (12-month fixed-term contract)

Category: Service Design / Digital Transformation

Date Posted: 2026-04-24

Experience Level: Mid-Level (implied 2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (Office-based with high flexibility, 1-2 days per week in the office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and contribute to the co-design of new or improved services, grounding recommendations in user needs and evidence, and aligning with organizational outcomes.

• Research, design, and test end-to-end services using user-centred and evidence-based approaches to enhance organizational effectiveness.

• Collaborate within cross-functional teams, including UX, content design, business analysis, and solution architecture, to create service blueprints and prototype potential solutions.

• Influence and advocate for evidence-based decisions, ensuring a balance between user experience and organizational results in service offerings.

• Support Business Owners in scoping and delivering user-centred services, leveraging design thinking, Agile, and Lean principles to shape decisions and constructively challenge assumptions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is framed as a Service Designer but requires a strong foundation in user-centred, evidence-based approaches applicable to digital transformation and service improvement initiatives. The emphasis on collaboration with UX, content design, and business analysis suggests a role that bridges strategic service design with practical implementation. The 12-month fixed-term nature points towards a project-driven engagement, likely focused on specific service transformation goals within the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement Directorate.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to design work that informs organizational priorities, grounding recommendations in user needs and evidence.

• Research, design, and test end-to-end services using user-centred and evidence-based approaches.

• Partner with Business Owners, staff, and communities to co-design new service models and value propositions, defining how the organization can effectively deliver them.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (UX, content design, business analysis, solution architecture) to explore opportunities, create artefacts like service blueprints, and prototype potential solutions.

• Contribute to clear decision-making within delivery teams, supporting the successful delivery of service transformation initiatives.

• Deliver high-quality, user-centred services, confidently testing, learning, and iterating to improve outcomes.

• Support Business Owners in scoping and delivering user-centred services, using design thinking alongside Agile and Lean principles to shape and influence decisions, inform priorities, and constructively challenge assumptions with evidence.

• Work with Business Owners to define and track success measures for services and propositions, supporting evidence-based decision-making and helping teams use performance data to iterate and improve delivery.

• Act as part of the service design capability to connect initiatives, ensuring projects align and collectively deliver greater value.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a hands-on role focused on practical service design application. The emphasis on "grounding recommendations in user needs and evidence," "co-design," and "service blueprints" highlights core service design methodologies. The inclusion of "Agile and Lean principles" and collaboration with "solution architecture" indicates an integration of design thinking within a broader product development lifecycle, common in GTM and operational improvement projects.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background or demonstrable understanding of design, human-computer interaction, social sciences, or related fields is implied by the nature of service design.

Experience: Experience across service development and delivery, including planning, user research, experience design, usability testing, and ongoing service optimization for different audiences. Ability to question the status quo and contribute to beneficial process improvement.

Required Skills:

• Understanding of service design principles and their role in digital transformation.

• Ability to clearly communicate ideas, influence thinking, and engage a range of audiences.

• Experience in constructively challenging and influencing senior stakeholders, using evidence and user insight to build buy-in.

• Strong problem-solving skills, focused on user outcomes and service goals rather than technology solutions alone.

• User-centred mindset, with the ability to balance user needs alongside system, operational, and business constraints.

• Experience across service development and delivery, including planning, use-case creation, user research, experience design, usability testing, and ongoing service optimization.

• Ability to question the status quo and contribute to beneficial process improvement.

• Comfort working with the full range of service components, from user interactions across digital and non-digital channels to backend processes and policy considerations.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with creating service blueprints and other service design artefacts.

• Familiarity with Agile and Lean methodologies in a project delivery context.

• Ability to work with performance data to iterate and improve service delivery.

• Experience in a non-profit or mission-driven organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "What are we looking for?" section directly translates into required skills. The absence of specific educational requirements and the statement "You may not have worked as a Service Designer before. What matters is a strong grasp of service design principles..." indicate a focus on practical application and transferable skills over formal qualifications. This is common in roles that bridge design and operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrable examples of user-centred design projects, showcasing a deep understanding of user needs and how they were translated into service offerings.

• Case studies detailing the research, design, and testing phases of service development, including methodologies used (e.g., user interviews, journey mapping, prototyping).

• Evidence of creating and utilizing service blueprints or similar artefacts to map out end-to-end service experiences and identify areas for improvement.

• Examples of how user insights and evidence were used to influence decision-making and constructively challenge assumptions with senior stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase an ability to document service design processes, including user research methodologies, design thinking frameworks, and iterative development cycles.

• Provide examples of how design artefacts (e.g., personas, journey maps, service blueprints) were used to communicate service visions and facilitate cross-functional understanding.

• Evidence of contributions to process improvement initiatives, demonstrating an ability to identify bottlenecks and propose user-centric solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not explicitly stated as a "portfolio requirement," the "What will I be doing?" and "What are we looking for?" sections strongly imply the need for a portfolio. Service design roles inherently require demonstrating past work. The emphasis on "evidence-based," "user needs," and "service blueprints" guides the content expected in such a portfolio.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum.

Benefits:

• Generous benefits package (specifics to be explored via the provided link).

• Wide range of career development opportunities.

• Personal development opportunities.

• High-quality tools provided.

• Policies and processes designed to improve work-life balance.

• Opportunities to achieve personal wellbeing goals.

Working Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week. Compressed hours are considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided. The benefits are described generally but point towards a comprehensive package typical for larger non-profit organizations. The consideration of compressed hours indicates flexibility in work scheduling. The UK location means standard UK employment laws and benefits apply, with specific details likely available through the provided benefits link.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cancer Research & Healthcare Non-profit. This context is crucial for understanding the mission-driven nature of the organization and the impact of service design on fundraising, engagement, and ultimately, research outcomes.

Company Size: Large Non-profit Organization. This implies a structured environment with established processes, potential for cross-departmental collaboration, and a significant reach.

Founded: Cancer Research UK was founded in 2002 through the merger of the Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. This history suggests a long-standing commitment to its mission and a robust organizational structure.

Team Structure:

• The Service Designer reports to the Lead Service Designer.

• The role is within the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement Directorate.

Methodology:

• User-centred and evidence-based approaches are core to the service design methodology.

• Design thinking, Agile, and Lean principles are utilized to shape and influence decisions.

• Emphasis on data-driven decision-making and iterative improvement.

Company Website: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission ("to beat cancer") is a significant cultural driver. The Directorate placement suggests a focus on external-facing services related to supporters, donors, and potentially patients or researchers engaged through these channels. The collaborative structure implies a matrixed or project-based working environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Mid-level Service Designer. This role involves leading and contributing to design work, requiring a solid understanding of service design principles and practical application. It's a step beyond junior roles, involving stakeholder influence and project ownership.

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Lead Service Designer, indicating a clear reporting line within a dedicated Service Design capability.

Operations Impact: The Service Designer's work directly impacts the effectiveness of services that engage with the public, fundraisers, and donors. By improving these services, the role contributes to increased engagement, potentially higher fundraising yields, and better communication of CRUK's mission and impact, all of which are critical operational outcomes for a non-profit.

Growth Opportunities:

• Development within the Service Design capability at CRUK, potentially moving to Senior Service Designer roles or specializing in specific service areas.

• Opportunities to lead projects and mentor junior designers if the fixed-term contract leads to further engagement or internal opportunities.

• Broadening experience across different directorates and project types within CRUK.

• Gaining deeper expertise in user research, service blueprinting, and integrating design with Agile/Lean delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 12-month fixed-term nature might limit long-term career progression within this specific role, but it offers significant project experience and exposure to a large, mission-driven organization. The opportunity to work closely with a Lead Service Designer provides mentorship potential.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Office-based with high flexibility. This suggests a modern workspace designed for collaboration, equipped with necessary tools for design and analysis.

Office Location(s): 2 Redman Place, Stratford, London. This is a well-connected urban area, likely featuring contemporary office facilities.

Workspace Context:

• Highly flexible working arrangement, allowing 1-2 days per week in the office. This fosters a balance between in-person collaboration and remote work efficiency.

• Collaborative environment with multidisciplinary teams (UX, content design, business analysis, solution architecture).

• Access to high-quality tools for service design and project delivery.

Work Schedule: Full-time (35 hours/week), with consideration for compressed hours, offering flexibility for personal commitments and work-life integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "high flexibility" and "1-2 days per week in the office" indicate a modern hybrid work model. This setup typically requires strong self-management and communication skills from operations professionals to ensure seamless collaboration and productivity.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Stage 1: Task related to the role followed by competency and technical questions. This will likely involve a practical exercise demonstrating service design skills (e.g., analyzing a scenario, proposing a service improvement) and testing core competencies.

• Stage 2: Further competency-based interview. This will delve deeper into behavioural aspects, problem-solving approaches, and alignment with CRUK's values and team dynamics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Process: Clearly articulate your thought process, from understanding user needs and business objectives to ideation, prototyping, and testing.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify results where possible. Even if direct ROI is hard to measure in a non-profit, demonstrate improvements in user satisfaction, engagement metrics, or process efficiency.

• Service Blueprints: Include examples of service blueprints or similar artefacts that map out user journeys, touchpoints, backstage processes, and identify pain points or opportunities.

• User-Centred Focus: Emphasize how user research and insights directly informed your design decisions and led to improved user experiences.

• Collaboration: If possible, showcase projects where you collaborated effectively with multidisciplinary teams, demonstrating your ability to influence and work across boundaries.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand CRUK: Research Cancer Research UK's mission, current campaigns, and key services. Think about how service design can support their goals.

• Service Design Fundamentals: Be prepared to discuss core service design principles, methodologies (design thinking, Agile, Lean), and common tools (service blueprints, journey maps, personas).

• Problem-Solving: Practice articulating how you would approach a vague problem (e.g., "How can we improve donor retention?" or "How can we better communicate research progress?"). Use a structured, user-centred approach.

• Stakeholder Influence: Prepare examples of how you've influenced senior stakeholders or managed conflicting priorities, using evidence and clear communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process explicitly mentions a "task related to the role" and "competency and technical questions," underscoring the importance of a practical demonstration of skills, likely supported by a portfolio. The two-stage process suggests a thorough evaluation of both technical capability and cultural fit.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design Artefacts: Service blueprints, user journey maps, personas, journey mapping tools (e.g., Miro, Mural, Lucidchart).

• Prototyping Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar for creating wireframes and interactive prototypes.

• User Research Tools: Survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform), user testing platforms (e.g., UserTesting.com), interview recording tools.

• Collaboration Platforms: Miro, Mural, Slack, Microsoft Teams for cross-functional teamwork and communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand user behaviour and service performance.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly stated, an understanding of how service design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms used by CRUK's Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement Directorate would be beneficial for understanding end-to-end service delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description heavily implies the use of standard service design and UX tools. The mention of "performance data" and "tracking success measures" suggests an expectation of data literacy and the ability to integrate service design outcomes with measurable business impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Bold: Acting with ambition, courage, and determination to drive progress in beating cancer. For a Service Designer, this means proactively identifying opportunities for service improvement and advocating for user-centred solutions with conviction.

• Credible: Acting with rigour and professionalism. This translates to a meticulous approach to research, evidence-based decision-making, and delivering high-quality design work.

• Human: Acting to have a positive impact on people. This underpins the user-centred approach, ensuring services are designed with empathy and consideration for all stakeholders.

• Together: Acting inclusively and collaboratively. This is fundamental to the Service Designer role, requiring effective partnership with diverse teams and stakeholders to co-create solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Highly collaborative, working within multidisciplinary, cross-functional teams.

• Emphasis on co-design and partnership with Business Owners, staff, and communities.

• Constructive challenging and influencing of senior stakeholders through evidence and insight.

• Connection and alignment of initiatives across the service design capability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of CRUK's organizational values provides a clear framework for understanding expected behaviours and cultural fit. The collaborative style is central to the role's success, requiring strong interpersonal and communication skills.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Organizational Constraints: The primary challenge will be translating user desires into feasible, impactful services within the operational and financial realities of a large non-profit.

• Influencing Senior Stakeholders: Effectively advocating for evidence-based, user-centred approaches, especially when they challenge existing assumptions or require investment.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the success of service design initiatives in a mission-driven context can be complex, requiring creative approaches to defining and tracking relevant metrics.

• Fixed-Term Contract: Navigating a 12-month contract requires a focus on delivering tangible results within a defined timeframe, while also considering future career paths.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepening expertise in service design methodologies and their application within a large, complex organization.

• Gaining experience with Agile and Lean delivery frameworks in a practical project setting.

• Exposure to various facets of a non-profit's operations, particularly in marketing, fundraising, and engagement.

• Opportunities for mentorship from the Lead Service Designer and collaboration with experienced UX, content, and business analysis professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the strategic and diplomatic aspects of the role, requiring more than just design skills. The growth opportunities are framed around expanding practical experience and specialized knowledge within the service design domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a senior stakeholder who was resistant to a user-centred approach. How did you use evidence to gain buy-in?" (Focus on communication, evidence, and diplomacy.)

• "Walk us through a service you designed from initial concept to implementation. What was your process, what challenges did you face, and what were the outcomes?" (Prepare a case study from your portfolio.)

• "How would you approach designing a new service for [example scenario related to CRUK's work, e.g., improving donor engagement, simplifying research information access]?" (Demonstrate your structured, user-centred, and evidence-based approach.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for Cancer Research UK, and how do you see your role contributing to our mission?" (Showcase your understanding of the mission and values.)

• "How do you embody CRUK's values of Bold, Credible, Human, and Together in your work?" (Prepare specific examples.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Relevant Projects: Choose 2-3 projects that best showcase your end-to-end service design process, user-centred approach, and ability to deliver tangible outcomes.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly explain the problem, your role, the methodologies used, key insights, design decisions, challenges, and the impact/results.

• Visualize Your Process: Use visuals like service blueprints, journey maps, user flows, and prototypes to illustrate your work.

• Focus on "Why": Explain the rationale behind your design decisions, linking them back to user needs and business objectives.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your process, your choices, and how you'd handle specific scenarios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process includes a "task" and "competency and technical questions," strongly suggesting that interviewers will probe your practical application of service design, your problem-solving skills, and your ability to align with CRUK's values and mission.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link: https://cancerresearchuk.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/External_Careers/job/Stratford-2-Redman-Place/Service-Designer_R033366

• Customize Your Resume: Highlight your experience in user-centred design, service design principles, stakeholder management, and collaborative project delivery. Use keywords from the job description such as "service design," "user-centred," "evidence-based," "service blueprints," and "Agile."

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your strongest service design projects, ensuring they clearly demonstrate your process, methodologies, and impact. Be ready to present these during the interview process.

• Research CRUK: Familiarize yourself with Cancer Research UK's mission, values, current campaigns, and the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement Directorate's objectives. Understand their user base (donors, supporters, public).

• Practice Interview Responses: Prepare for both competency-based questions and the specific task by reviewing common service design interview scenarios and practicing articulating your approach and experience.

⚠️ 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.