Lead Service Designer

Lead Service Designer

Petersfield Full-Time 43200 - 72000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design of customer experiences and strategies in a hybrid work environment.
  • Company: Join Vanquis Banking Group, a leading specialist bank focused on caring banking since 1880.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, 25-30 days holiday, bonuses, and private medical insurance.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on customer relationships and challenge the status quo in financial services.
  • Qualifications: Extensive experience in user-centred design and service design principles is essential.
  • Other info: Part-time options available; we value your unique strengths and encourage all to apply.

The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.

Location: Bradford, Chatham, Petersfield or London. We are happy for you to be based in any of our offices above but please note that occasional travel will be required to our other offices.

Working Pattern: Our working style is hybrid, with flexibility to support work-life balance. We value meaningful in-person interactions, so we work mostly remotely and, in the office, when in-person collaboration is key.

Benefits: Discretionary annual bonus, 25 days holiday up to 30 days (depending on service), pension scheme with matched company contributions up to 10%, 2 paid days to ‘give back’, enhanced maternity pay (once successfully passing probation), 4 weeks paid paternity, LinkedIn Learning for all, Snoop Premium, Private Medical Insurance.

Don’t hesitate to apply for a role even if you don’t meet all the criteria; your unique strengths and eagerness to learn can be just as valuable.

You and Your Team: Have you ever considered the potential to improve people's relationship with their finances? Do you feel that financial institutions often fall short in truly supporting their customers, leaving a gap in the market for value-driven organizations that prioritize customer needs? Our Purpose is simple: To deliver caring banking so our customers can make the most of life’s opportunities. This is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact, fully supported by the CEO and ExCo, with a clear mandate to implement our new customer-centric strategy. It's a unique chance to challenge the status quo in financial services and demonstrate it is possible to do “banking with heart”.

As a Lead Service Designer, you will play a crucial role in developing and championing the customer vision and strategy across VBG ensuring we transform into a truly customer centric business. You will lead cross functional teams to design and improve end-to-end customer experiences, identify and prioritise strategic opportunities and align stakeholders to customer objectives.

In your day-to-day role, as a Lead Service Designer you will:

  • Customer Strategy: service design of critical initiatives, projects and programmes to realise our customer and proposition strategy. This will include defining project goals, timelines, strategies and to successfully implement new or improved customer journeys.
  • Design: using empathic and user-centred design practices, responsible for designing and developing solutions for new or existing products and services, considering business vision, values, product strategy whilst delivering exceptional customer experiences, from generating concepts to creating user journeys and service blueprints.
  • Lead and manage projects: with insight and research colleagues to deeply understand our customers needs, including recruitment, research design, fieldwork and analysis.
  • Customer journey mapping: apply a strategic focus and outside/in approach to customer data to create strategies that improve customer satisfaction across the bank, establishing customer lifetime value.
  • Customer Experience: Work in partnership with key stakeholders across the organisation to understand, measure and implement improvements to all aspects of the customer experience throughout the customer lifecycle.
  • Vulnerable Customers: incorporate best practice for inclusivity and accessibility into the design process.

What will make you stand out?

  • Extensive experience of empathic and user-centred design practices.
  • Experience in using service design principles and methods including user research, customer journey mapping, service blueprints, prototyping, workshop facilitation.
  • Strong commercial understanding and business acumen.
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, demonstrating clarity in thinking.
  • Extensive experience in service design and user-centred design or related fields, with a proven track record of success.
  • Experience of working in a regulated environment or similarly complex environment.
  • Previous experience of working in financial services preferred.
  • Knowledge of inclusive design principles and designing for accessibility.
  • Experience in behavioural change and behavioural science is a plus.

The interview process: Up to 30 minute telephone call with a member of the Talent Acquisition team. Up to 30 minutes with the hiring manager for competency based interview. Up to 1 hour technical based interview with the hiring manager. Up to 30 minute final interview with the senior manager + another manager of the team to present a case study of choice that best represent your skillset. Our average process takes up to 4 weeks but we will always work around your availability. You will have the chance to speak to our recruitment team throughout the process.

As this role involves working within a regulated environment any offer will be subject to satisfactory background checks including criminal record check, credit check, fraud check and employment references.

Your working life: If you prefer to work part-time, we'll make this happen whenever we can - whether this is to help you meet other commitments or strike a great work-life balance. A fear of losing your current working flexibility shouldn't hinder you from applying for new opportunities, which is why we aim to match your existing flexible working arrangements where possible.

Why work for us? We’re Vanquis Banking Group plc, an FTSE All Share company and a leading specialist bank, established in 1880. We lend responsibly, providing tailored products and services to 1.75 million UK customers through Vanquis, Moneybarn, and Snoop. Our purpose is simple: to deliver caring banking so our customers can make the most of life’s opportunities. At Vanquis Banking Group we believe in looking after our colleagues, so we do our best to create a rewarding, engaging, and supportive work environment across our various divisions. We let our colleagues know we appreciate their hard work by offering competitive salaries, benefits, and a Group wide recognition scheme. All colleagues are eligible to join a pension scheme, and, after six months’ service, you can join our 'Buy as you Earn' schemes. We offer a range of training and development opportunities to help each of our colleagues maximise their potential, whatever their role. From your first day working with us, we’ll help you settle into your new role and are happy to talk to you about your career aspirations.

Equal Opportunity Statement: Here at Vanquis Banking Group, we embrace everyone’s unique strengths and identities to be themselves at work. Regardless of how you identify yourself, your sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national background, faith, disability, or age – your experiences and background help enrich our teams, and most importantly help support our customers in the best way possible. At the end of the day, it's our people that help us to fulfil the reason why we’re here in the first place: to help put people on a path to a better everyday life.

Lead Service Designer employer: Vanquis Bank

At Vanquis Banking Group, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a hybrid working model that promotes work-life balance while fostering meaningful in-person interactions. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through extensive training opportunities, competitive benefits including a discretionary annual bonus and enhanced parental leave, and a supportive culture that values diversity and inclusivity. Join us in Bradford, Chatham, Petersfield, or London, where you can make a significant impact in transforming customer experiences in the financial sector.
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Contact Detail:

Vanquis Bank Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Service Designer

Tip Number 1

Familiarise yourself with the principles of user-centred design and service design methodologies. Being able to discuss these concepts confidently during your interviews will demonstrate your expertise and alignment with our values.

Tip Number 2

Prepare to showcase your experience in leading cross-functional teams. Think of specific examples where you successfully collaborated with diverse stakeholders to improve customer experiences, as this is a key aspect of the Lead Service Designer role.

Tip Number 3

Research our company’s approach to financial services and customer-centric strategies. Understanding our mission to deliver caring banking will help you articulate how your skills can contribute to our goals during the interview process.

Tip Number 4

Be ready to discuss inclusivity and accessibility in design. Given the emphasis on vulnerable customers in the job description, showcasing your knowledge and experience in these areas will set you apart from other candidates.

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Service Designer

Empathic Design
User-Centred Design Practices
Service Design Principles
User Research
Customer Journey Mapping
Service Blueprints
Prototyping
Workshop Facilitation
Commercial Understanding
Business Acumen
Excellent Communication Skills
Experience in Regulated Environments
Knowledge of Inclusive Design Principles
Designing for Accessibility
Behavioural Change Understanding

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your extensive experience in empathic and user-centred design practices. Focus on relevant projects that showcase your skills in service design principles, customer journey mapping, and workshop facilitation.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for improving customer experiences in financial services. Mention specific examples of how you've successfully implemented customer-centric strategies in previous roles.

Showcase Relevant Experience: When detailing your work history, emphasise your experience in regulated environments and any previous roles in financial services. Highlight your understanding of inclusive design principles and how they can enhance customer satisfaction.

Prepare for Interviews: Anticipate questions related to your design process and how you approach customer journey mapping. Be ready to discuss your case study in detail, demonstrating your problem-solving skills and ability to lead cross-functional teams.

How to prepare for a job interview at Vanquis Bank

Understand the Company’s Purpose

Before your interview, take some time to research Vanquis Banking Group's mission and values. Understanding their commitment to 'caring banking' will help you align your answers with their customer-centric approach during the interview.

Showcase Your Service Design Experience

Be prepared to discuss your extensive experience in empathic and user-centred design practices. Highlight specific projects where you've successfully implemented service design principles, such as customer journey mapping or workshop facilitation, to demonstrate your expertise.

Prepare for Technical Questions

Since there will be a technical interview, brush up on your knowledge of service design methods and tools. Be ready to explain how you've used these in past roles, particularly in regulated environments, to improve customer experiences.

Present a Strong Case Study

For the final interview, choose a case study that best represents your skills and achievements. Make sure it showcases your ability to lead cross-functional teams and implement customer-centric strategies, as this aligns perfectly with the role of Lead Service Designer.

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