Service Design Manager - On-site Abu Dhabi - Octopus by RTG (5 months contract)

Overview

Role Overview

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage service design engagements across multiple client projects and industries.
• Define and drive service design strategies that align customer needs with business objectives.
• Conduct and oversee qualitative and quantitative research to identify customer needs, pain points, behaviors, and opportunities.
• Develop and validate service blueprints, customer journey maps, ecosystem maps, operating models, and experience principles.
• Facilitate executive-level workshops, co-creation sessions, and stakeholder alignment activities.
• Identify service gaps, operational inefficiencies, and innovation opportunities across customer journeys and organizational processes.
• Lead the prototyping and testing of service concepts to validate assumptions and optimize experiences.
• Collaborate with business consultants, researchers, UX/UI designers, process designers, and technology teams to ensure successful implementation.
• Define success metrics, KPIs, and measurement frameworks to monitor service performance and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and coach junior service designers, contributing to capability building and service design best practices.
• Advocate for human-centered design methodologies and foster a customer-centric culture within client organizations and project teams.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications* Bachelor's degree in Service Design, Human-Centered Design, Interaction Design, Design Strategy, Business Design, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in Service Design, Customer Experience (CX), Design Strategy, or related disciplines.
• Proven track record of leading complex service design programs within large organizations.
• Extensive experience developing service blueprints, journey maps, ecosystem maps, and operating models.
• Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills, with experience engaging senior executives and decision-makers.
• Deep understanding of customer experience design, service innovation, design thinking, and business transformation.
• Experience translating customer insights into strategic recommendations and business outcomes.
• Proficiency in tools such as Miro, Figma, Smaply, or similar service design platforms.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills.
• Arabic language proficiency is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with clients in the telecommunications and/or financial services sectors.
• Experience managing teams, mentoring designers, or leading service design capability development.
• Familiarity with business process design, operating model design, and organizational transformation initiatives.