Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer

Company: Magna Housing

Location: Dorchester, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Service Design / UX / Human-Centred Design

Date Posted: April 29, 2026

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end service design initiatives, focusing on a human-centred, insight-driven approach for housing, repairs, customer contact, and support services.

• Conduct comprehensive user research with tenants, customers, and colleagues to identify needs, pain points, and opportunities for service improvement.

• Develop and create essential service design artefacts, including service blueprints, customer journey maps, and ecosystem maps, to visualize current and future-state solutions.

• Collaborate closely with Business Analysts to integrate service design principles with process expertise, driving transformation programs within the organization.

• Foster internal capabilities by coaching colleagues in user-centred thinking and contributing to the development of service design standards and playbooks.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a critical contributor to Magna Housing's strategic shift from process-centric to human-centred service delivery. The Service Designer will be instrumental in bridging the gap between user needs and operational efficiency, directly impacting customer satisfaction and internal workflows. The emphasis on collaboration with Business Analysts suggests a need for strong integration skills and the ability to translate complex user insights into actionable design specifications for implementation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of end-to-end services, ensuring they effectively address customer, colleague, and organizational needs.

• Conduct in-depth user research, including interviews, surveys, and observation, to gather qualitative and quantitative insights into user behaviour and preferences.

• Translate user research findings into practical design principles, recommendations, and actionable design artefacts.

• Create compelling service blueprints, customer journey maps, ecosystem maps, and evidence-based personas to articulate current and future-state service experiences.

• Facilitate workshops and co-design sessions with internal stakeholders, including operational teams, housing officers, repairs teams, and contact centre staff, to co-create innovative service solutions.

• Support the embedding of service design practices across Magna Housing by coaching colleagues and contributing to the creation of service design standards, playbooks, and tools.

• Collaborate closely with Business Analysts to map existing processes, design future-state services, and develop prioritized improvement plans.

• Ensure all service designs are inclusive and accessible, with a particular focus on the needs of vulnerable customers.

• Communicate design decisions clearly and effectively to a diverse range of stakeholders, advocating for user-centred approaches.

• Contribute to end-to-end service transformation initiatives, ensuring a holistic approach from concept to implementation and ongoing optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on role requiring both strategic thinking and practical execution. The Service Designer is expected to be a proactive driver of change, not just a facilitator. The emphasis on "leading end-to-end service design" and "developing practical improvements" suggests a significant degree of autonomy and ownership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A degree or equivalent experience in Service Design, UX Design, Human-Centred Design, Design Thinking, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field is preferred.

• Postgraduate qualifications in Service Design, User Experience, Behavioural Science, or Public Service Design are beneficial.

Experience:

• Proven experience in service design, UX, or human-centred design roles.

• Demonstrated experience in creating service design artefacts such as journey maps, blueprints, and ecosystem maps.

• Practical experience in conducting and synthesizing user research and insights to inform design decisions.

• Experience working within multi-disciplinary teams and collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Required Skills:

• Service Design Methodologies: Comprehensive understanding and application of user-centred design principles and methodologies.

• User Research & Insight Synthesis: Ability to conduct diverse user research methods and translate findings into actionable design recommendations.

• Design Artefact Creation: Proficiency in developing service blueprints, customer journey maps, ecosystem maps, and personas.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation: Excellent skills in engaging with operational teams, management, and end-users, and facilitating collaborative workshops.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to analyze complex problems and translate them into simple, practical, and user-focused solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Housing/Public Sector Experience: Prior experience working within the housing sector, public sector, or other regulated service environments.

• Inclusion & Accessibility: Understanding of vulnerability, inclusion, and accessibility principles in service design.

• Business Analysis Collaboration: Experience working alongside Business Analysts or in transformation programmes.

• GDS Standards Familiarity: Knowledge of Government Digital Service (GDS) or similar design standards and principles.

• Design Thinking: Practical application of design thinking frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Your portfolio and practical experience matter more than formal qualifications" is a key indicator that practical application and demonstrable skills will be heavily weighted over academic credentials. This encourages candidates with strong practical experience to apply, even if they don't meet all formal educational criteria.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Service Design Artefacts: Showcase a range of service design deliverables, including detailed service blueprints, comprehensive customer journey maps (current and future state), and ecosystem maps that illustrate the touchpoints and relationships within a service.

• User Research Case Studies: Present examples of user research conducted, detailing methodologies used, key insights uncovered, and how these insights directly informed design decisions and led to tangible improvements.

• Transformation Project Examples: Highlight projects where you led or significantly contributed to service transformation, demonstrating your ability to manage the end-to-end service design process and achieve measurable outcomes.

• Co-design & Workshop Outputs: Include examples of outputs from facilitated workshops and co-design sessions, demonstrating your ability to engage diverse stakeholders and collaboratively develop solutions.

• Prototyping & Iteration: If applicable, showcase examples of prototypes created to test service concepts and demonstrate your iterative design process.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate experience in mapping current-state processes and designing optimized future-state workflows that are human-centred and efficient.

• Implementation & Automation Support: Provide evidence of how your service designs have been implemented, including any collaboration with technical teams or support for automation initiatives.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Illustrate how you have measured the success of designed services, using relevant metrics to demonstrate impact and identify areas for continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Service Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It should not just list deliverables but tell a story about the problem, the process, the insights, the solution, and the impact. Admissions of transferable qualities suggest that a strong portfolio demonstrating core service design skills in a different sector will be well-received.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £48,719 per annum

Benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package (specific details not provided, but common for contract roles may include holiday pay, pension contributions, and access to company resources).

• Opportunity to work on impactful projects within the housing sector.

• Professional development through coaching and contribution to service design standards.

• Flexible working arrangements (home-based with occasional travel).

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary is fixed at £48,719 per annum for a contractor role. While specific benefits are not detailed, it's standard for contract positions to include statutory benefits. The user is encouraged to inquire about the full benefits package during the application process.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Housing / Social Housing / Public Sector Services

Company Size: Magna Housing is a significant organization, likely employing several hundred to over a thousand employees, given its scope and ambition as suggested by the job description. This size indicates a structured environment with established processes but also potential for impactful change initiatives.

Founded: Magna Housing has a history, implying stability and established operations. The mention of "ambitious plans" suggests a forward-looking culture that balances tradition with innovation.

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role explicitly requires close collaboration with Business Analysts. It also involves engagement with operational teams across housing, repairs, and customer contact centres, indicating a matrixed or project-based team structure where the Service Designer acts as a central connector.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Service Designer typically reports into a Head of Service Design, UX Lead, Transformation Lead, or a senior operational manager overseeing customer experience initiatives.

• Specialization: The operations team likely includes specialists in business analysis, IT, customer service management, housing operations, and repairs, with the Service Designer bringing a dedicated user-centric design perspective.

Methodology:

• Human-Centred Design: This is the core methodology, emphasizing understanding user needs as the primary driver for service development and improvement.

• Agile/Iterative Processes: The mention of "fast-paced, adaptable" environments and the creation of "prototypes" and "future-state solutions" suggests an agile or iterative approach to service design and transformation.

• Data-Driven Insights: The role requires translating "insight-driven" research into practical improvements, indicating a reliance on both qualitative user research and potentially quantitative data for decision-making.

Company Website: https://magnahousing.teamtailor.com (Note: This is the application portal URL, the actual company site is likely magna.org.uk)

📝 Enhancement Note: Magna Housing's vision "to create great homes together" suggests a mission-driven organization focused on community impact. The "fast paced, adaptable, and highly collaborative environment" points to a culture that values proactivity, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at an intermediate to senior level within the service design discipline. It requires a solid foundation in UX/Human-Centred Design principles and methodologies, coupled with practical experience in leading design initiatives and influencing stakeholders. It's a key role for driving strategic transformation.

Reporting Structure: The Service Designer will likely report to a manager responsible for service improvement, digital transformation, or customer experience. They will work closely with Business Analysts and collaborate across various operational departments, forming a central hub for service design expertise.

Operations Impact: The Service Designer's impact is direct and significant. By shifting to human-centred design, they will influence how Magna Housing interacts with its tenants and customers, aiming to improve satisfaction, operational efficiency, and the overall quality of services provided. This role is crucial for achieving Magna's vision of creating "great homes together."

Growth Opportunities:

• Service Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of service design, such as accessibility, inclusive design, or digital service transformation.

• Leadership Development: Progress to a Senior Service Designer, Service Design Lead, or Managerial role, overseeing a team and strategic initiatives.

• Transformation Program Leadership: Take on lead roles in larger transformation programmes, influencing strategic direction and organizational change.

• Cross-Disciplinary Expertise: Develop a broader understanding of business analysis, operations management, and project management through close collaboration.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers or colleagues in user-centred thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fixed-term contract of 3 years provides a substantial period to make a significant impact and gain deep experience within the housing sector. This can serve as a stepping stone to permanent roles or further specialized contract work.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Home-based with occasional travel. This offers significant flexibility for the Service Designer to manage their work environment and schedule, balancing personal productivity with the need for in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): While home-based, the role is associated with Dorchester, DT1 2PG, United Kingdom. Occasional travel implies that candidates should be located within reasonable proximity to Magna Housing's operational areas or main offices for necessary meetings and workshops.

Workspace Context:

• Flexibility: The home-based nature allows for a personalized workspace optimized for deep work and creative thinking, essential for design tasks.

• Collaborative Tools: Expect to utilize digital collaboration platforms (e.g., Miro, Mural, Teams, Slack) for remote workshops and co-design sessions, alongside standard office productivity software.

• On-site Interaction: Occasional travel will necessitate engagement in face-to-face meetings, workshops, and site visits, fostering direct interaction with colleagues and potentially tenants.

Work Schedule: 37 hours per week. While the work is home-based, maintaining a consistent schedule is important for team coordination and availability for meetings. The flexibility of a home-based role may allow for some adjustment to working hours, provided core collaboration times are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "occasional travel" aspect is critical for candidates. They should clarify the expected frequency and nature of travel (e.g., to specific Magna Housing offices, client sites, or research locations). This flexibility is a key benefit for attracting candidates who value work-life balance.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Screening of CVs and portfolios against the core requirements. Candidates with transferable qualities are encouraged to apply, so the portfolio will be key.

• First Interview: Likely a conversation with the Hiring Manager (Dani Davies) to assess initial fit, understanding of service design principles, and motivation for the role. Be prepared to discuss your portfolio highlights and experience in user research and stakeholder engagement.

• Second Interview/Workshop: This stage may involve a practical exercise or a more in-depth discussion of your portfolio. You might be asked to present a case study of a past project, demonstrate your approach to a hypothetical design challenge, or participate in a facilitated discussion about service design principles relevant to Magna Housing.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior management or key stakeholders to assess strategic thinking, cultural fit, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate the required skills: end-to-end service design, user research, artefact creation (blueprints, journey maps), stakeholder engagement, and transformation impact.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the methodologies used, the insights gained, the solutions designed, and the measurable outcomes or impact achieved. Use visuals effectively.

• Highlight Transferable Skills: If your direct housing sector experience is limited, emphasize projects that showcase your ability to understand complex user needs and design effective services in any regulated or customer-facing environment.

• Demonstrate Process: Show your thinking process, not just the final deliverables. Explain why you made certain design decisions.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved customer satisfaction scores, reduced call times, increased efficiency).

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Magna Housing: Understand their mission, values, current services, and any public information about their digital transformation or customer service initiatives.

• Service Design in Housing: Familiarize yourself with common service design challenges and opportunities in the social housing sector (e.g., tenant communication, repairs management, rent collection, accessibility for diverse needs).

• GDS Principles: If you have experience with Government Digital Service standards, be ready to discuss how they apply. Even without direct experience, understanding user-centric government service design can be beneficial.

• Stakeholder Management Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you would engage with different operational teams (repairs, contact centre, housing officers) and address potential resistance to change.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Applicants with transferable qualities are encouraged to apply" and "Your portfolio and practical experience matter more than formal qualifications" means that a well-structured and compelling portfolio demonstrating core service design competencies is your most critical asset.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design & Prototyping Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Balsamiq for wireframing and low-fidelity prototyping.

• Journey Mapping & Blueprinting Tools: Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, Smaply, or specialized service design software for creating visual artefacts.

• User Research Platforms: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms for surveys; tools for remote usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback).

• Collaboration Platforms: Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom for communication and remote workshops.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: While not the primary focus, familiarity with tools that provide user behaviour data (e.g., Google Analytics, CRM analytics) could be beneficial for understanding service usage patterns.

• Reporting Dashboards: Tools like Power BI or Tableau might be used to visualize service performance metrics, though the Service Designer would likely consume reports rather than create them.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) used within customer-facing organizations could be helpful, as service design often interfaces with these systems.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Understanding how services can be automated or streamlined using workflow tools (e.g., Zapier, Power Automate) might be relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description emphasizes the creation of design artefacts and collaboration with Business Analysts rather than deep technical implementation. The focus will be on tools that facilitate design thinking, user research, and visualization of service experiences.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Great Homes Together: This core vision emphasizes collaboration, community, and a shared commitment to improving living environments. Operations professionals are expected to contribute to this collective goal.

• Excellence: A drive for high standards and quality in all aspects of service delivery and internal processes.

• Adaptability & Pace: A culture that embraces change, operates efficiently, and responds quickly to evolving needs and opportunities.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on teamwork across departments and with external stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

• Customer/Tenant Focus: Prioritizing the needs and experiences of tenants and customers in all decisions and actions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The Service Designer will act as a bridge between different operational departments (housing, repairs, customer contact) and business analysis teams, fostering a collaborative approach to service design.

• Workshop-Driven: Expect a culture that values co-creation and uses workshops as a primary method for problem-solving and ideation.

• Open Communication: Encouragement of clear, constructive communication to share ideas, provide feedback, and resolve challenges effectively.

• Insight-Driven Decision Making: A culture that values evidence and data (especially user insights) to inform strategic and operational decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of mission-driven purpose (housing for the community) and agile execution (fast-paced, adaptable). The Service Designer role is central to embodying and propagating the "human-centred" aspect of their values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Transitioning Mindsets: Shifting an established organization from process-focused to human-centred design can be challenging. This involves managing stakeholder expectations and demonstrating the value of user research and design thinking.

• Data Integration: Synthesizing insights from diverse sources (user research, operational data, customer feedback) into cohesive design strategies.

• Balancing Idealism with Pragmatism: Designing services that are both excellent for users and feasible within organizational constraints (budget, technology, regulations).

• Embedding Service Design: Ensuring that user-centred principles become ingrained in the organization's ongoing operations and decision-making beyond specific projects.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Sector-Specific Expertise: Gaining deep knowledge of the housing sector, its unique challenges, and regulatory landscape.

• Service Transformation Leadership: Developing skills in leading large-scale organizational change through service design.

• Advanced Design Methodologies: Exploring specialized areas of service design, such as behavioural economics applied to user engagement, or advanced accessibility standards.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhancing understanding of business analysis, project management, and operational efficiency through close collaboration.

• Internal Coaching: Opportunity to develop coaching and mentoring skills by upskilling colleagues in user-centred design practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 3-year fixed-term contract provides a focused opportunity to tackle significant service transformation challenges and develop expertise in a critical public service sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the end-to-end design of a service. What was the challenge, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on process, user research, artefacts, and impact).

• "How would you approach identifying the key needs of vulnerable tenants when designing a new repairs reporting service?" (Demonstrate empathy, research methods, and inclusion considerations).

• "Magna Housing is transitioning from process- to human-centred design. What are the biggest challenges you foresee, and how would you address them?" (Show strategic thinking about organizational change and stakeholder buy-in).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for Magna Housing and in the housing sector specifically?" (Show genuine interest and alignment with their mission).

• "How do you see your role contributing to Magna's vision of 'creating great homes together'?" (Connect your work to the company's overarching goals).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, follow a clear story: Problem -> Research -> Insights -> Design -> Solution -> Impact.

• Be Specific on Your Role: Clearly articulate your contributions, especially if it was a team project.

• Showcase Artefacts Visually: Use high-quality images or simplified versions of your blueprints, journey maps, etc. Explain what they represent and how they were used.

• Focus on Impact & Learning: Emphasize the tangible results of your design work and what you learned from the project. Quantify outcomes wherever possible.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, and how you would adapt your approach to Magna's specific context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss how your design process is iterative and how you incorporate feedback. Given the emphasis on transferable skills, be ready to draw parallels between your past projects and the potential challenges and opportunities at Magna Housing.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Magna Housing teamtailor portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 of your most relevant projects that showcase your end-to-end service design process, user research capabilities, artefact creation, and impact. Ensure it highlights transferable skills if direct housing sector experience is limited.

• Tailor Your CV: Highlight keywords from the job description such as "Service Design," "User-Centred Design," "User Research," "Service Blueprints," "Customer Journey Mapping," and "Stakeholder Engagement." Emphasize achievements and quantifiable results.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your project stories concisely, focusing on your role, methodology, insights, and outcomes. Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with Magna Housing's mission and values.

• Research Magna Housing: Familiarize yourself with their website, mission, values, and any publicly available information about their services and strategic goals, particularly regarding customer experience and digital transformation.

⚠️ 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.