Service Designer (Public)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer (Public)

Company: Kainos

Location: Belfast, United Kingdom; Birmingham, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Experience Design / Service Design

Date Posted: 2026-04-27T00:00:00

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the design and delivery of end-to-end, efficient, and consistent service experiences for public sector clients.

• Champion needs-based design, design research, design thinking, and service design principles across project teams.

• Manage, coach, and develop a team of senior Experience Designers, focusing on performance and career progression.

• Contribute to broader team and program strategy, ensuring service delivery aligns with user needs and business value.

• Drive the creation of exemplary digital services within a supportive, collaborative, and user-centered environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Service Designer (Public)," the responsibilities and requirements clearly indicate a leadership role, specifically "Service Design Lead (Manager)." This role requires strategic oversight, team management, and advanced design expertise, positioning it beyond a standard individual contributor. The emphasis on "public sector" clients is a critical differentiator, suggesting a need for understanding government service delivery complexities and user needs within that context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the articulation of end-to-end services through comprehensive mapping, proposition design, and rigorous testing plans.

• Strategically feed into wider team and program strategies to underpin and optimize service delivery initiatives.

• Utilize advanced techniques to clearly define problem statements and quantify their relation to business and user value through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Apply a range of business analysis techniques to effectively shape and form innovative service and product ideas.

• Coordinate the successful delivery of multiple services and products across complex programs, ensuring seamless integration and user satisfaction.

• Demonstrate strong people management capabilities by coaching, developing, and managing the performance of senior team members and the wider community.

• Deeply understand and effectively apply diverse research and design methodologies, selecting the most appropriate approach for each specific context.

• Confidently lead multiple workshops to drive outcomes, validate ideas, and foster collaborative problem-solving.

• Prepare and present service design strategies and findings effectively in board-level and executive conversations.

• Cultivate and leverage a significant profile within the Service Design community, potentially through speaking engagements or contributions to industry discourse.

• Communicate complex service design concepts and recommendations clearly and persuasively at all organizational levels.

• Exercise excellent commercial awareness to ensure service designs are viable, sustainable, and aligned with business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibilities are heavily weighted towards leadership, strategic input, and advanced application of service design principles, particularly in a public sector context. The role demands not just design execution but also team development and executive-level communication, aligning with a senior or lead position.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong academic foundation in a relevant field such as Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Business, or a related discipline is expected. Candidates will be evaluated on their demonstrable expertise and practical application of service design principles.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in Service Design, Experience Design, or a closely related field, with a significant portion dedicated to leading design initiatives and teams. Proven experience in the public sector or in environments with similar complex stakeholder landscapes is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• Proven ability to lead teams in articulating end-to-end service journeys through mapping, proposition design, and robust testing plans.

• Demonstrated experience in feeding into wider program and strategic planning to underpin effective service delivery.

• Expertise in using advanced techniques to articulate problem statements and connect them to business and user value via KPIs.

• Proficient in applying a range of business analysis techniques to shape and form service and product concepts.

• Experience coordinating the delivery of multiple services and products across a program.

• Demonstrated ability in managing, coaching, and developing senior team members and contributing to community growth.

• Deep understanding of research and design methodologies, with the ability to select and apply them appropriately.

• Competency in leading multiple workshops to achieve desired outcomes and validate ideas.

• Experience in preparing and presenting to board-level stakeholders.

• Strong communication skills, capable of effective interaction at all organizational levels.

Preferred Skills:

• Recognized thought leadership in a specific area of service design (e.g., public sector service transformation, ethical design, specific research methodologies).

• Experience working within a full-service digital agency environment, managing client relationships and diverse project needs.

• Practical experience working with Agile delivery methodologies, including Scrum or Kanban, in a service design context.

• Experience in user research, usability testing, and iterative design processes.

• Familiarity with digital transformation initiatives within government or public service organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Minimum (Essential) Requirements" section directly translates into the required skills. The "Desirable" section provides a clear list of preferred skills. Experience level is inferred from "senior members of your team" and the overall scope of responsibilities, aligning with 5-10 years of experience.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end service design projects, demonstrating the full lifecycle from research to implementation and iteration.

• Include examples of service maps, user journey maps, and proposition designs that clearly articulate complex service offerings.

• Present case studies that highlight your ability to define problem statements, connect them to business/user value (KPIs), and detail the methodologies used.

• Demonstrate experience in coordinating multiple service or product deliveries within a program.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to conducting and documenting user research, including methodology selection and synthesis of findings.

• Provide examples of how you've used business analysis techniques to shape service and product ideas.

• Showcase your experience in leading workshops to deliver outcomes and validate concepts, including documentation of outputs.

• Illustrate your ability to present complex information effectively to senior stakeholders and board-level audiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on "leading team," "managing, coaching and developing," and "articulating end to end service," a portfolio showcasing leadership in service design projects, including team management aspects and strategic contributions, is crucial. The public sector focus implies a need for demonstrating impact on user needs and public value.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the role's seniority (Lead/Manager), extensive responsibilities, and location in the UK (Belfast/Birmingham), a competitive salary range is estimated between £60,000 - £85,000 per annum. This range reflects the need for significant experience in service design, leadership, and public sector engagements.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Private Medical Insurance, covering pre-existing conditions.

• Generous Pension Scheme contributions.

• Life Assurance.

• A supportive approach to career development, including coaching and training opportunities.

• Opportunities to work on impactful projects within the public sector.

• Flexible working arrangements where possible, within the context of on-site delivery.

• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, and Parental Leave policies.

• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support.

• Potential for performance-related bonuses.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, Kainos often offers flexibility where business needs allow, particularly around core working hours to accommodate team collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: As no salary information was provided, this estimate is based on typical UK market rates for senior/lead-level Service Designers and Experience Design Managers in the technology consulting sector, particularly those focused on public sector projects. The specific locations (Belfast, Birmingham) are considered in terms of regional salary benchmarks.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology Consulting and Software Solutions. Kainos specializes in digital transformation, Workday services, and healthcare solutions. Their work in the public sector involves modernizing government services, making them more efficient and user-friendly.

Company Size: Kainos is a significant employer, with over 1,000 employees. This size offers the stability and resources of a larger organization while maintaining a culture that can still feel connected and collaborative.

Founded: Kainos was founded in 1989. With over three decades of experience, they have a strong track record and deep understanding of delivering complex technology solutions across various sectors.

Team Structure:

• The Experience Design capability is a growing team within Kainos, comprising talented designers focused on user-centered design.

• This role involves managing a small number of senior designers, implying a flat or matrixed reporting structure within the Experience Design function.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on user-centered design, ensuring solutions are built around the needs of the end-users.

• Application of design thinking and service design principles to tackle complex problems and create effective services.

• Use of Agile delivery methodologies for iterative development and rapid feedback loops.

• A focus on creating positive, measurable impact through quality products and services, avoiding "dark patterns" or purely marketing-driven design.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company description highlights a "people-first culture," "problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators," and a mission to "create real impact." This suggests an environment that values professional growth, teamwork, and the tangible outcomes of their work, particularly relevant for operations-minded professionals. The public sector focus is a key differentiator.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior leadership position within the Experience Design discipline, specifically a "Lead" or "Manager" level. It involves not only advanced design practice but also team management, strategic contribution, and client-facing responsibilities. It's a role for experienced professionals looking to shape both services and teams.

Reporting Structure: The Service Design Lead will likely report to a Head of Experience Design, Director of Digital Services, or a similar senior leader within Kainos's consulting or digital practice. They will directly manage a small team of senior Experience Designers.

Operations Impact: The Service Design Lead's impact is significant, directly influencing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction of digital services delivered to the public sector. By advocating for needs-based design and managing service delivery, they contribute to improved public services, operational efficiency for government bodies, and positive user experiences for millions of citizens. Their work underpins the successful implementation of digital transformation projects.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to grow into more senior management roles, overseeing larger teams or broader service design portfolios.

• Specialization: Potential to become a recognized thought leader in specific areas of service design, particularly within the public sector context.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Development of deeper understanding of program management, business analysis, and client relationship management within large-scale digital transformation projects.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor and guide junior designers, contributing to the growth of the wider Experience Design community at Kainos.

• Strategic Influence: Increased involvement in shaping Kainos's service design offering and strategy, especially for public sector clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role's explicit mention of managing, coaching, and developing staff, along with feeding into program strategy, clearly positions this as a leadership role with significant growth potential beyond individual contribution. The "public sector" context suggests opportunities to influence large-scale societal impact.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Kainos operates with a hybrid model, emphasizing on-site presence for core collaboration and client engagement, while likely offering some flexibility. The emphasis is on creating a collaborative and productive workspace.

Office Location(s): The role is based in either Belfast, Northern Ireland, or Birmingham, England. Both locations provide access to Kainos's client base and internal resources, offering bustling city environments with good transport links.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Offices are designed to foster collaboration, with meeting rooms, breakout spaces, and areas for workshops. This facilitates the co-creation and validation processes central to service design.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard office technology, design software, and potentially specialized tools for service mapping, prototyping, and user research. The emphasis is on providing the necessary resources to deliver high-quality design work.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with fellow designers, business analysts, project managers, and client teams, promoting a dynamic and engaging work experience.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is aligned with the 40-hour work week. While on-site attendance is expected, Kainos generally supports flexible working where it aligns with project demands and team collaboration needs, allowing for effective management of design processes and stakeholder engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "on-site" nature is specified, but the company culture description emphasizes "people-first" and "collaboration," implying that while physical presence is key, the environment is likely supportive and conducive to effective team dynamics.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess suitability for the role, focusing on leadership experience and public sector relevance.

• First Interview: Typically with a hiring manager or senior member of the Experience Design team. This will focus on your experience in service design, team management, and strategic thinking. Be prepared to discuss specific projects and your leadership approach.

• Workshop/Presentation: A practical exercise where you might be asked to lead a short workshop, present a case study from your portfolio, or tackle a service design problem. This assesses your practical skills, facilitation abilities, and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Likely with more senior leadership, focusing on cultural fit, long-term vision, and strategic alignment with Kainos's goals in the public sector.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Leadership: Clearly highlight projects where you led teams, managed stakeholders, and influenced strategy.

• Public Sector Focus: Include examples of work with government or public sector organizations, demonstrating an understanding of their unique challenges and user needs.

• End-to-End Process: Detail your involvement in the entire service design lifecycle, from research and problem definition to solution design and validation.

• Quantify Impact: Use KPIs and data to demonstrate the value and impact of your service design solutions (e.g., improved user satisfaction, increased efficiency, cost savings).

• Methodology Rationale: Explain why you chose specific research and design methods for each project.

• Conciseness: Prepare a concise presentation that can be delivered within the allotted time, focusing on the most impactful elements of your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Research Kainos: Understand their work in the public sector, their approach to digital transformation, and their company values.

• Service Design Fundamentals: Refresh your knowledge of key methodologies, frameworks, and best practices in service design and design thinking.

• Problem-Solving: Practice articulating problem statements, identifying user needs, and proposing innovative solutions, especially within public service contexts.

• Facilitation Skills: Be ready to demonstrate your ability to lead workshops, manage group dynamics, and drive towards actionable outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "leading team," "board level conversations," and "significant profile in Service Design community" suggests that the interview process will rigorously assess leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and influence, in addition to core service design skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Service Design & Prototyping Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, XD), Miro, Mural for mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and collaborative ideation.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for surveys, interviews, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

• Business Analysis Tools: Proficiency in tools for process mapping, requirements gathering, and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary focus for a Service Designer, an understanding of how to interpret and utilize data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Pendo, internal reporting dashboards) to inform design decisions is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Generally not a direct requirement for this role, but awareness of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) and automation tools impact customer journeys and service delivery can be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is focused on the "Experience Design capability," so the toolset will heavily lean towards design, research, and collaboration platforms. While direct "operations" tools might not be central, understanding how design impacts operational efficiency and user journeys within broader systems is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of the end-user, particularly citizens interacting with public services.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on creating tangible, positive, and measurable outcomes that improve lives and public service delivery.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively with diverse teams (designers, developers, analysts, clients) to achieve common goals.

• Excellence: A dedication to high-quality work, continuous improvement, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in digital service design.

• Integrity: Upholding ethical design practices, avoiding "dark patterns," and building trust with users and clients.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with business analysts, developers, project managers, and client stakeholders to ensure holistic service design and delivery.

• Workshop Facilitation: Proactive and skilled facilitation of workshops to bring diverse perspectives together, drive consensus, and generate actionable insights.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, learnings, and insights across the design team and wider organization to foster collective growth.

• Open Feedback: An environment where constructive feedback is welcomed and utilized for continuous improvement of both services and individual skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's description of being "problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators" and their mission to "create real impact" directly informs these values. The emphasis on "user-centred design" and avoiding "dark patterns" is a critical cultural differentiator.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Public Sector Complexity: Navigating the unique procurement, political, and stakeholder landscapes inherent in public sector projects. Developing services that meet diverse user needs within potentially tight constraints.

• Scale of Impact: Designing services that serve a large and diverse user base, requiring robust, scalable, and accessible solutions.

• Legacy Systems: Potentially integrating new digital services with older, established public sector IT infrastructures.

• Demonstrating Value: Clearly articulating and quantifying the ROI and user benefits of service design initiatives to a broad range of stakeholders, including those less familiar with design methodologies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Public Sector Transformation: Deepen expertise in the nuances of digital transformation within government and public services.

• Advanced Design Methodologies: Opportunities to explore and specialize in cutting-edge service design techniques, ethical design, or inclusive design practices.

• Leadership & Management: Formal and informal training in people management, strategic planning, and client relationship management.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to represent Kainos at industry events, contribute to thought leadership, and build a personal professional profile.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining exposure to other areas of Kainos's business, such as Workday implementation or healthcare solutions, to broaden understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are derived from the "Public" aspect of the role and the general complexities of large-scale digital transformation projects. Growth opportunities are aligned with the senior/lead nature of the role and the company's focus on development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex public sector service you've designed or significantly improved. What were the key challenges, your approach, and the measurable outcomes?" (Focus on end-to-end process, stakeholder management, and impact quantification).

• "How do you lead and mentor senior designers? Provide an example of how you've helped a team member develop their skills or manage performance." (Focus on leadership, coaching, and performance management).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in working specifically with public sector clients at Kainos?" (Demonstrate understanding of public service impact and Kainos's role).

• "How do you ensure user-centered design principles are maintained, especially when faced with project constraints or competing stakeholder demands?" (Focus on advocacy, integrity, and user focus).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically: problem, your role, approach/methodology, key deliverables (visuals are essential), outcomes/impact, and learnings.

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative, highlighting the journey, the challenges overcome, and the tangible results.

• Quantify Impact: Emphasize data, KPIs, and metrics that demonstrate the value of your work. Use visuals to make data digestible.

• Leadership Emphasis: For this role, clearly articulate your leadership contributions, team management, and strategic input on each project.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Be prepared to present key aspects within a limited timeframe and answer detailed questions about your process and decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation is tailored to the "Lead" aspect of the role, emphasizing leadership, strategic thinking, and executive communication, alongside core service design skills and public sector relevance.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Kainos Workday portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your CV and portfolio to highlight your experience in leading service design initiatives, managing teams, and delivering impactful solutions, particularly within the public sector. Showcase specific examples of service maps, user journeys, and proposition designs.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your years of experience, leadership responsibilities (managing, coaching, developing), and any public sector project successes. Use keywords from the job description such as "Service Design," "Design Thinking," "Business Analysis," "Team Leadership," and "Public Sector."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience through STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method for behavioral questions. Prepare a concise, impactful presentation of your portfolio, focusing on leadership and impact.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Kainos's work in the public sector, their approach to digital services, and their company values. Understand their commitment to user-centered design and how you can contribute to their mission.

⚠️ 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.