Lead Service Designer (Senior)

Technical Assent is seeking a Lead Service Designer to guide service design engagements supporting federal agencies. This role leads the design of end-to-end service experiences that span digital systems, physical environments, policies, and operational processes.

As a Lead Service Designer, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams -- including product managers, technologists, researchers, and policy stakeholders -- to translate research insights into implementable service improvements. You will mentor junior designers, guide service design workstreams, and advise federal leaders on customer experience and service transformation strategies.

This role combines strategic service design leadership with hands-on design practice. Our designers conduct real user research with the people who rely on government services and translate those insights into implementable service improvements.

The successful candidate will have the ability to:

• Lead Service Design Strategy
• Lead the design of end-to-end service ecosystems, considering digital platforms, physical touchpoints, operational processes, and policy constraints.
• Develop service blueprints, journey maps, ecosystem maps, and experience strategies that guide service transformation initiatives.
• Translate research insights into actionable service concepts and implementation-ready recommendations.
• Develop a deep understanding of what the client is trying to accomplish and create strategies to solve multiple dimensions of a business problem
• Advise federal stakeholders on customer experience strategy and service transformation initiatives.
• Create client-ready deliverables from conception to presentation
• Elevate risks to Company Leadership
• Lead Research and Insight Development
• Guide human-centered research activities including interviews, contextual inquiry, workshops, surveys, and usability testing.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative insights to identify service gaps and opportunities.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools to accelerate research synthesis, insight generation, and concept development.
• Facilitate Co-Creation and Stakeholder Alignment
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops, design sprints, and co-creation sessions with federal stakeholders and end users.
• Build alignment across policy, operational, and technical stakeholders.
• Communicate design insights and recommendations through compelling storytelling and presentations.
• Deliver and Implement Service Improvements
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and program teams to translate service concepts into deliverable improvements.
• Support the development of prototypes and concept tests to validate service changes.
• Define experience metrics and service performance measures to evaluate outcomes.
• Practice Leadership
• Mentor service designers and associate designers.
• Contribute to the growth of Technical Assent’s service design practice, methodologies, and tools.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7-12 years of professional experience in service design, human-centered design, customer experience, or related fields
• Experience leading service design initiatives within federal consulting or government environments
• Experience conducting and synthesizing human-centered research
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to translate insights into strategic recommendations and implementable service improvements
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Curious and open-minded approach to work
• Thrive in a continuous Build-Measure-Learn cycle
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or other federal security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certification in Human-Centered Design, Service Design, or Design Thinking
• Experience advising federal leadership on CX transformation initiatives
• Experience working with federal digital service standards and accessibility requirements
• Experience designing services that span both digital and physical service environments

Tools & Methods:

Experience with modern design and research tools such as:

• Figma
• Mural
• Dovetail
• Collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools for research synthesis, ideation, and service concept development is strongly valued.

Federal Standards & Accessibility

Service design work may involve improving digital or physical services and should consider:

• Section 508 accessibility standards
• 21st Century IDEA Act requirements
• Federal CX Executive Order guidance
• Public sector service delivery environments

Portfolio Requirement

A portfolio demonstrating service design, CX, or research work is required.

Job Location and Travel Expectations:

• This position is remote within the United States, with preference for candidates located in the Washington, DC metro area is preferred. 
• Travel for field research, workshops, and prototyping (15-25%) is anticipated.

The Company

Technical Assent is passionate about services – in government, business, and not-for-profit. We design exceptional service experiences, engineer them to be robust, and deliver real capability and business outcomes for our clients. You will be working on government programs that have strategic importance to our client.  Your team will work IN and ON the client’s core mission – helping them to deliver their services day-to-day while simultaneously looking for opportunities to improve.  Our work is Driven by Evidence, Grounded in Understanding, and Focused on Impact.  

A Little About Our Culture

We look for these attributes in our teammates.

• Our team combines the creative and the pragmatic to deliver the results that matter most to our clients.  We see beauty when art and science come together.
• We seek self-starters, people who are confident in tackling challenges independently and bringing this to high-performing teams.  We continually seek feedback from our customers and employees, looking for opportunities to grow.
• We are a small company which gives you an essential voice in shaping our culture.  You will help grow our culture, and you will grow from the experience, too.

You will be part of a team to take an improvement concept and transform it into a capability – an asset that provides measurable value to our client’s mission.  The team will work with users, prototype, develop, and deliver new capabilities.  We hold ourselves accountable to impacting outcomes.

• Flexible PTO
• Healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• FSA and HSA
• Short and long-term disability
• 401(k) with employer contributions, training and wellness allowances, and commuter benefits.