Service Design Lead

BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. We know that children who read are happier, healthier, more empathetic, and more creative. They also do better at school.  

Working with every local authority and across every region in the country, and supported by Arts Council funding, we reach over 1.3 million families a year via partners in schools, children’s centres, health visitors and libraries. This incredible network helps us to get children reading across the country.  

It’s an exciting time at BookTrust: we’re investing in developing our successful scaled programmes to deepen the impact we’re delivering for the children we’re reaching. We’re looking for a fantastic Service Design Lead to drive the design and development of ‘at scale’ offers, enhancing the priority touchpoints and moments of truth in our partner journey to create greater impact for families.  Working closely with our Partnerships team and our Research and Impact team the postholder will reimagine our existing service journeys and define and activate service or product improvements that drive loyalty, advocacy and deepen relationships with our key delivery partners.

Objectives and Deliverables:

Define our ‘to be’ delivery partner service journey to identify and deliver priority enhancements that make the most of our physical and digital touchpoints with partners, ensuring that our channels work together to in a cohesive, impactful, service experience for partners.

Create and manage a digital user experience development roadmap/backlog to ensure the website is optimised to support partners, drive and deepen engagement with BookTrust and deliver an impactful digital service experience.

Work closely with our supply chain, IT, digital and books teams to scope feasibility and define key product parameters and design requirements for proposed continuous improvement work.

Extend our core service/product portfolio to deepen impact e.g. designing supplementary support for children with particular needs, reimagining group storytelling support, e-learning and partner training. 

Work with Head of Innovation, Design and Development to define our ‘continuous improvement cycle’ for at scale products and services - when and how we iterate and evolve existing designs in a way that is sustainable for the organisation.

Coach and support more junior designers/line reports to nurture BookTrust’s in-house service design capability.

Would suit someone who:

Has practical experience of leading the development and optimisation of existing products and services, using design thinking /human centered design approaches.

Has experience of defining and delivering new digital experiences in the context of complex ‘offline’ journeys, products and services, and can combine on-line and offline touchpoints for maximum impact.

Knows brilliant collaboration is at the heart of design.

Has a product or service development background in a mid-large organisation/company.  

Has a track record of managing development pipelines/roadmaps and can work within existing governance structures to ensure decision making happens at the right levels.

Understands and demonstrates great design leadership with both line reports and wider organisational teams.

PLEASE NOTE: Applying as soon as possible is advised, as the vacancy may close early, due to the high volume of applicants.

To apply please complete the application along with a copy of your CV and covering letter showing how you meet the person specification and your motivations for applying for the role. Your covering letter should not be longer than two sides.