Service Designer / CX Designer at Brainlake Advertising LLC

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer / CX Designer

Company: Brainlake Advertising LLC

Location: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: CONTRACTOR

Category: Customer Experience & Service Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-18

Experience Level: Mid-Senior (8+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

Drive the end-to-end design and improvement of customer and service experiences by analyzing current states and architecting future-state models.
Lead the strategic application of service design methodologies, including journey mapping, service blueprints, and process analysis, to uncover and address operational inefficiencies and customer pain points.
Facilitate impactful workshops with clients, users, and cross-functional teams to foster collaboration, drive ideation, and achieve consensus on service improvements.
Translate complex business requirements, operational realities, and user needs into clear, actionable visual solutions and strategic recommendations.
Leverage a blend of traditional and AI-powered design tools to accelerate research synthesis, ideation, and the creation of compelling service designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Service Designer / CX Designer," the responsibilities heavily lean into operational analysis and process improvement, making it a crucial role within the broader GTM and operational strategy framework of an advertising agency. The emphasis on "people, processes, systems, and touchpoints" and "backstage processes, people, systems, and dependencies" clearly positions this role as an operations-focused function.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

Conduct in-depth research, including stakeholder interviews and user studies, to thoroughly understand customer needs, behavioral patterns, business objectives, and operational challenges within client environments.
Analyze existing services and business processes to meticulously identify friction points, inefficiencies, gaps, and opportunities for strategic improvement across all touchpoints.
Map comprehensive end-to-end customer journeys, encompassing both digital and physical channels, to visualize the complete customer lifecycle and interaction points.
Develop detailed customer journey maps, empathy maps, experience maps, and service blueprints to effectively communicate findings and design future-state experiences.
Design and document future-state (to-be) journeys and service experiences that directly address identified customer and business needs, aligning with strategic goals.
Create robust service blueprints that clearly connect frontstage customer interactions with backstage operational elements, including processes, personnel, systems, and dependencies.
Plan, structure, and expertly facilitate client and stakeholder workshops, covering discovery, journey mapping, co-creation, ideation, prioritization, and future-state design sessions.
Lead dynamic workshop discussions, skillfully manage diverse stakeholder perspectives, and translate workshop outputs into actionable insights, clear decisions, and defined next steps.
Translate complex business and operational workflows into clear, visually intuitive process maps and service models that are easily understood by all stakeholders.
Collaborate seamlessly with UX designers, researchers, business analysts, product teams, and other specialists to ensure service concepts are effectively translated into deliverable experiences.
Define clear, data-backed recommendations and opportunities that provide strategic guidance for subsequent product development, UX design, operational adjustments, or technology investments.
Document and present research findings, journey maps, process flows, service concepts, and strategic recommendations clearly and persuasively to senior stakeholders and clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a strategic, analytical, and facilitative approach to service and experience design, directly impacting operational efficiency and client satisfaction within an advertising context. The integration of "business process thinking" and "operational realities" highlights the role's operational nature.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Business, or a related field. Master's degree or relevant certifications in Service Design or CX are a plus.

Experience: A minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in Service Design, Customer Experience, or a closely related discipline, with a proven track record of transforming complex challenges into actionable solutions.

Required Skills:

Proven experience mapping complex end-to-end customer journeys across digital and physical touchpoints.
Strong experience creating and utilizing journey maps, service blueprints, experience maps, and process flows.
Demonstrated experience mapping both current-state (as-is) and future-state (to-be) services and processes.
Exceptional workshop facilitation skills, with the confidence to independently plan and lead sessions with clients, senior stakeholders, and cross-functional teams.
Experience facilitating discovery, journey mapping, co-creation, ideation, prioritization, and future-state design workshops.
A strong understanding of how customer experience connects with people, processes, operations, systems, and technology.
Experience conducting or working directly with customer and stakeholder research to uncover insights.
Ability to uncover customer needs, pain points, behavioral insights, and opportunities for service improvement.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make sense of complex services and business environments.
Ability to simplify complex systems, processes, and experiences into clear and actionable visual outputs.
Strong proficiency with modern service design, research, mapping, prototyping, and collaboration tools, such as Figma, FigJam, Miro, Lucidchart, or similar.
Up-to-date knowledge of the latest digital and AI-powered tools used across research, synthesis, journey mapping, service design, visualization, and prototyping.
Ability to use AI tools to accelerate research synthesis, analysis, ideation, documentation, and service design activities while maintaining strong human judgment and quality.
Curiosity and willingness to continuously explore and adopt new tools and methods that improve the speed and quality of the design process.
Strong presentation, storytelling, and stakeholder communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams while also owning work independently.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and changing project requirements.
Willingness to work on-site with clients and flexibility to work across different projects, industries, and client environments. Preferred Skills:
Arabic speaking proficiency.
Experience within the advertising or marketing agency industry.
Familiarity with Agile methodologies and their application in service design.
Experience in service operations management or business process re-engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of 8+ years, coupled with the need for independent workshop facilitation and the ability to translate complex systems, indicates a senior-level role requiring significant operational and strategic design expertise. The emphasis on AI tools suggests a forward-thinking approach to design operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Case Studies: Showcase at least 3-4 detailed case studies demonstrating your end-to-end service design process, from initial research and analysis to final concept and recommendations.
Journey Maps & Blueprints: Include examples of complex customer journey maps and detailed service blueprints that clearly illustrate frontstage and backstage elements, connecting user interactions with operational processes and systems.
Process Mapping: Provide visual examples of current-state (as-is) and future-state (to-be) process maps that demonstrate your ability to analyze and redesign workflows for efficiency and improved customer experience.
Workshop Outputs: Present examples of outputs from facilitated workshops, such as co-creation artifacts, prioritization frameworks, or ideation boards, highlighting your facilitation and synthesis skills.
Tool Proficiency: Demonstrate proficiency with key design and collaboration tools (Figma, Miro, Lucidchart, etc.) through your portfolio's visual quality and organization. Include examples of how you've leveraged AI tools to enhance your design process.
Impact & Outcomes: Quantify the impact of your work where possible, detailing improvements in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, cost savings, or revenue generation resulting from your service design interventions.

Process Documentation:

Workflow Design: Showcase your ability to document and visualize complex operational workflows, ensuring clarity and alignment across different teams and stakeholders.
Implementation Planning: Illustrate how your service designs translate into actionable plans for implementation, considering people, processes, and technology dependencies.
Performance Measurement: Detail how you would propose to measure the success of implemented service designs, including key performance indicators (KPIs) and feedback mechanisms.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on analyzing and designing services and processes, a robust portfolio is critical. It must not only showcase design output but also the rigorous analytical and strategic process behind it, including how complex operational realities were understood and addressed.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the location in Abu Dhabi, the experience level (8+ years), and the specialized nature of Service/CX Design within an agency context, a competitive salary range for a CONTRACTOR role is estimated between AED 25,000 - AED 40,000 per month. This range is based on industry benchmarks for senior design and consulting roles in the UAE, considering the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals in the region.

Benefits: As a contractor, benefits are typically outlined in the contract. Common inclusions for such roles in Abu Dhabi may encompass:

Project-based remuneration with clear payment terms.
Potential for contract extension based on performance and project needs.
Opportunity to work on diverse and challenging projects for prominent clients.
Access to a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
Professional development opportunities through exposure to various industries and client challenges.
Potential for flexible working arrangements on a project-by-project basis, subject to client requirements.

Working Hours: Standard working hours are typically 8 hours per day, 5 days a week, totaling approximately 40 hours per week. However, as a contractor, hours may fluctuate based on project demands, client needs, and critical deadlines. Flexibility is expected, with potential for extended hours during intensive project phases or client-facing workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on research of similar contractor roles in Abu Dhabi for experienced Service/CX Designers within agency or consulting environments. This range is an estimate and actual compensation will depend on the specific contract terms, scope of work, and negotiation. The benefits listed are typical for contractor roles and should be confirmed with Brainlake Advertising LLC.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising & Marketing. Brainlake Advertising LLC operates within a dynamic and client-focused industry, requiring agility, creativity, and a deep understanding of customer engagement strategies. This context means that service and experience design are crucial for delivering effective client solutions and differentiating in a competitive market.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the presence of a dedicated careers page and multiple job postings suggests a growing agency with a structured operational framework, likely ranging from 50-200 employees. This size typically allows for a balance between specialized roles and cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: Information regarding the company's founding date is not provided. However, its active presence on job platforms indicates an established and operational entity.

Team Structure:

Service Design/CX Team: This role likely sits within or closely collaborates with a dedicated Service Design, CX, or Strategy team. The team may consist of other designers, researchers, strategists, and analysts.
Reporting Structure: As a senior or lead designer, you may report to a Head of Strategy, Creative Director, or a similar senior leadership position overseeing client solutions.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Expect close collaboration with account managers, creative teams, UX designers, business analysts, and potentially data scientists to ensure holistic service delivery and client success.

Methodology:

Data-Driven Insights: Brainlake likely emphasizes a data-driven approach to understanding client challenges and customer behaviors, utilizing research and analytics to inform design decisions.
Client-Centric Strategy: The agency's core methodology will revolve around understanding and meeting client objectives through innovative and effective advertising and experience solutions.
Agile Project Management: Projects are likely managed using agile principles, requiring flexibility, iterative design, and efficient collaboration to meet evolving client needs and market demands.

Company Website: https://brainlake.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The advertising industry context means that service design is not just about user interfaces but about the entire client and end-customer experience, from initial campaign strategy to post-campaign engagement. This requires a strong understanding of business objectives and operational delivery.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This position is positioned as a Senior Service Designer / CX Designer. It requires significant hands-on experience (8+ years) and the ability to operate independently, lead workshops, and influence senior stakeholders. The role involves a blend of strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, and creative design execution, making it a pivotal contributor to the agency's client service offerings.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a senior leader within the strategy or creative department, such as a Head of Strategy, Director of CX, or a similar executive overseeing client engagements. This reporting line offers visibility to senior management and opportunities to influence strategic direction.

Operations Impact: Your role will have a direct impact on the success of client campaigns and overall client satisfaction by designing and optimizing services and customer experiences. This translates to more effective advertising solutions, improved customer engagement for clients, and a stronger reputation for Brainlake Advertising LLC. By identifying and addressing operational friction, you will contribute to increased efficiency and potentially profitability for both the agency and its clients.

Growth Opportunities:

Leadership Development: As a senior member, opportunities may arise to mentor junior designers, lead project teams, or even establish and grow the service design function within the agency.
Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas such as AI-driven service design, digital transformation consulting, or customer journey optimization for particular industries.
Client Relationship Management: Develop stronger client-facing skills and potentially transition into roles with greater strategic client advisory responsibilities.
Cross-Industry Exposure: The nature of agency work provides exposure to diverse industries, broadening your understanding of different business models and operational challenges, which can fuel continuous learning and career diversification.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "contractor" designation might imply project-based growth rather than a traditional linear career path. However, successful contractors often receive contract extensions or are considered for permanent roles, offering significant growth potential based on performance and impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly stated as "Willingness to work on-site with clients." This suggests a hybrid environment where you might spend significant time at client offices, supplemented by time at Brainlake's own office space. The agency office is likely designed to foster collaboration and creativity.

Office Location(s): Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This location offers a vibrant business environment with a focus on professional services and client engagement. Specific details about the Brainlake office itself (amenities, accessibility) would typically be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Spaces: Expect a work environment that encourages interaction, brainstorming, and co-creation, whether in formal meeting rooms or informal breakout areas.
Technology Access: You will likely have access to essential design and collaboration tools (Figma, Miro, etc.) and potentially advanced hardware to support your work.
Client Immersion: A significant part of the workspace context will involve adapting to various client environments, understanding their unique operational setups and team dynamics.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is approximately 40 hours per week. However, as a contractor in an agency setting, flexibility is key. You should be prepared for periods of intense work leading up to client presentations or project milestones, potentially requiring extended hours. This flexibility is often balanced by the ability to manage your time effectively on less demanding days or projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "on-site with clients" is a critical aspect of the work environment, indicating a consulting-like engagement model. Candidates should be comfortable with frequent travel to client locations within Abu Dhabi.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio by the hiring team to assess your experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements.
Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely be asked to present selected case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, methodologies, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to discuss your approach to research, analysis, workshop facilitation, and stakeholder management.
Skills Assessment/Case Study: A practical exercise or case study might be assigned to evaluate your problem-solving skills, design thinking, and ability to apply your expertise to a specific challenge relevant to Brainlake's clients. This could involve mapping a process, designing a service blueprint, or outlining a workshop agenda.
Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with key team members and potentially senior leadership to assess your cultural fit, collaboration style, and ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
Final Discussion: A final conversation to discuss terms, expectations, and answer any remaining questions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that showcase a variety of projects and demonstrate your full service design lifecycle.
Tell a Story: Structure each case study as a narrative: clearly define the problem, explain your methodology and process (research, analysis, ideation), showcase your deliverables (maps, blueprints, prototypes), and highlight the outcomes and impact.
Focus on Process: Emphasize how you arrived at your solutions. Detail your research methods, how you synthesized findings, how you facilitated workshops, and how you collaborated with teams.
Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved customer satisfaction scores, reduced operational costs, increased conversion rates).
Tool Showcase: Visually demonstrate your proficiency with tools like Figma, Miro, and Lucidchart. Explain why you chose specific tools for specific tasks.
AI Integration: Highlight any instances where you leveraged AI tools to enhance your design process, explaining the benefits and how you maintained human oversight and quality.
Conciseness: Be prepared to present your portfolio efficiently, focusing on the most critical elements that align with the job description.

Challenge Preparation:

Understand the Context: Research Brainlake Advertising LLC and the types of clients they serve. Anticipate the kinds of challenges they might present, likely related to client experience, service delivery, or operational efficiency within advertising campaigns.
Process Focus: Be ready to articulate your approach to understanding and mapping complex processes and services. Practice explaining your methodology clearly and concisely.
Workshop Simulation: Think about how you would structure a brief workshop for a hypothetical scenario. What would be your objectives, activities, and expected outcomes?
Stakeholder Management: Prepare examples of how you've managed differing stakeholder opinions or navigated complex organizational dynamics in previous projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is heavily geared towards assessing practical application of service design principles and the ability to translate them into tangible business outcomes for clients. A strong, well-articulated portfolio is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

Service Design & Collaboration: Figma, FigJam, Miro, Lucidchart (or similar platforms for mapping, ideation, and collaboration). Proficiency in at least one of these is essential.
Prototyping: While not explicitly mentioned, familiarity with prototyping tools that can be used to visualize service interactions or digital touchpoints may be beneficial.
AI Tools: Up-to-date knowledge and practical application of AI-powered tools for research synthesis, analysis, ideation, documentation, and service design acceleration. This is a key differentiator.

Analytics & Reporting:

Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, client-specific dashboards) to understand user behavior and service performance metrics.
Ability to interpret data to inform service design decisions and measure impact. CRM & Automation:
Understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation tools influence customer journeys and service interactions, even if not directly managing them.
Awareness of how these systems integrate with broader service delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "modern service design, research, mapping, prototyping, and collaboration tools" and specifically "AI-powered tools" indicates a requirement for candidates to be up-to-date with the latest technological advancements in the field.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

Client-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and exceeding client expectations by designing experiences that resonate with their target audiences and achieve business goals.
Collaboration & Partnership: Valuing teamwork and cross-functional collaboration, working closely with account managers, creatives, and strategists to deliver integrated solutions.
Innovation & Agility: Embracing new ideas, tools (especially AI), and methodologies to stay ahead in the fast-paced advertising industry and adapt quickly to client needs.
Data-Informed Decision-Making: Utilizing research, analytics, and insights to guide design processes and demonstrate the value of service design interventions.
Excellence in Execution: A dedication to delivering high-quality, impactful work that drives tangible results for clients.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-functional Integration: Actively seeking input and collaborating with diverse teams (account management, creative, strategy, analytics) to ensure a holistic approach to client solutions.
Workshop Leadership: Facilitating inclusive and productive workshops that encourage open dialogue, diverse perspectives, and collective problem-solving.
Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share insights, best practices, and learnings with colleagues to foster a culture of continuous improvement and collective growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at an advertising agency like Brainlake is likely to be fast-paced, creative, and highly client-focused. The Service Designer/CX Designer will need to be comfortable with ambiguity, quick turnarounds, and a collaborative, team-oriented environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

Navigating Client Complexity: Adapting service design methodologies to diverse client industries, business models, and operational constraints.
Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Synthesizing potentially conflicting requirements and expectations from various client stakeholders and internal teams.
Quantifying Impact: Demonstrating the tangible ROI of service design initiatives, especially in a creative industry where impact can sometimes be qualitative.
Rapid Evolution of AI: Staying current with the rapid advancements in AI tools and effectively integrating them into the design process without compromising quality or human insight.
Project Velocity: Managing multiple projects simultaneously with tight deadlines, common in agency environments.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

AI in Design: Deep dive into advanced AI applications for service design, automation, and predictive analytics.
Industry Specialization: Develop expertise in service design for specific sectors relevant to Brainlake's client base (e.g., technology, finance, retail, government).
Strategic Consulting: Enhance skills in strategic advisory and client management, potentially leading to more senior consulting roles.
Leadership & Mentorship: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and contribute to the development of the agency's service design capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the dynamic nature of agency work and the evolving landscape of design tools. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise and expanding strategic influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

"Describe a complex service you redesigned. What was your process from initial analysis to future-state design, and what were the key outcomes?" (Focus on methodology, problem-solving, and impact.)
"How do you approach facilitating a workshop with skeptical or conflicting stakeholders? Provide an example." (Assess facilitation skills, stakeholder management, and conflict resolution.)
"Imagine a client wants to improve customer loyalty in their digital app. What are your first steps, and what tools would you use to understand and design for this?" (Evaluate strategic thinking, research approach, and tool application.)
"How do you balance the need for thorough research with the demands of rapid project timelines in an agency setting?" (Assess time management, prioritization, and efficiency.) Company & Culture Questions:
"What interests you about Brainlake Advertising LLC and this specific role?" (Demonstrate research into the company and alignment with your career goals.)
"How do you see service design contributing to the success of an advertising agency and its clients?" (Show understanding of the industry context and the role's strategic value.)
"Describe your experience working in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment. How do you ensure alignment and buy-in?" (Assess teamwork and communication skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
Structure for Impact: Begin with a concise overview of your career and design philosophy. Then, present 2-3 detailed case studies, clearly outlining the problem, your process, your role, the solutions, and the measurable outcomes.
Highlight Process & Tools: For each case study, explicitly detail your research methods, how you synthesized findings, the specific mapping techniques used (journey maps, blueprints), and the collaboration/facilitation involved. Clearly state the tools used and why.
Emphasize AI Integration: If applicable, dedicate a section or specific examples to how you utilized AI tools, explaining the benefits and your approach to maintaining quality and human oversight.
Focus on Business Value: Connect your design work directly to business objectives and client value. Quantify impact wherever possible.
Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your decision-making, challenges encountered, and how you would apply your skills to Brainlake's typical client projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific, STAR-method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples for strategy and behavioral questions will be crucial. Demonstrating a clear understanding of how service design drives business value in an advertising context is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Service Designer / CX Designer position:

Submit your CV and portfolio directly to careers@brainlake.com.
Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies showcasing complex journey mapping, service blueprinting, and process analysis, with a clear emphasis on your role and the impact of your work. Highlight your experience with AI tools.
Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 8+ years of experience in Service Design/CX, focusing on achievements related to client satisfaction, operational efficiency, and strategic impact. Use keywords from the job description.
Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, process clarity, and quantifiable results. Prepare to discuss your approach to workshop facilitation and client collaboration.
Company Research: Thoroughly research Brainlake Advertising LLC's client portfolio, industry focus, and any publicly available information on their approach to client solutions and innovation. Understand how your skills align with their business objectives.

⚠️ 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.

Service Designer / CX Designer