Service Design Architect (UK Wide, United Kingdom)

Opportunity Review: Senior Managed Service Design Specialist

This role offers a compelling opportunity for experienced professionals looking to make a significant impact in the design and delivery of complex managed service solutions. For ambitious individuals eager to shape strategic approaches and influence major business wins, this position provides a platform for substantial career growth and recognition.

Why This Role Matters: A Strategic Impact Opportunity

This is not your average service design role. You'll be at the forefront of shaping bespoke managed service solutions for some of the UK's largest corporate and public sector organisations. Acting as a vital 'service authority,' your expertise will be crucial from the initial sales engagement through to the ongoing in-life delivery. This is a chance to directly influence the service approach for bids potentially worth up to £500 million, ensuring our capabilities consistently meet and exceed client expectations. Your contributions will be instrumental in securing new business, driving customer satisfaction (NPS), and ultimately, defining the future of how we support our high-profile clients.

Key Responsibilities and What You'll Be Doing:

• Strategic Service Model Design: Accountable for defining and designing optimal service models for complex, non-standard customer solutions. This includes detailed requirement gathering, solution architecture, commercial offering negotiation, and competitive pricing development.
• Bid Leadership: Take ownership of producing high-quality bid proposals that articulate the value and specifications of our service offerings. You may also lead the service workstream within bid teams, integrating partner and third-party support.
• Senior Stakeholder Negotiation: Engage directly with senior client stakeholders, including board-level individuals, to negotiate critical service components such as contractual schedules and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Risk Management and Forecasting: Ensure accurate resource forecasting to meet contract requirements and proactively identify and mitigate potential resourcing or capability risks.
• Process Improvement: Contribute to the development and implementation of unit policies, documentation, and procedures to optimize and standardize design methodologies.
• Customer Relationship Management: Cultivate and manage strong senior-level customer relationships, ensuring seamless handover of service designs to the Service Introduction team and all involved stakeholders for successful delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work collaboratively with diverse internal and external teams to assess customer needs and minimize service delivery risks within contracted commitments.

What We're Looking For in You: Essential Skills and Experience

• Accountability & Proactivity: A strong sense of ownership and the ability to proactively manage your own workload and deliverables.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication: Proven experience in direct customer interaction, coupled with exceptional interpersonal, communication, and commercial acumen.
• Presentation & Negotiation Skills: Confidence in presenting service models to key teams and adeptness in negotiating with stakeholders across various business areas.
• Organizational Agility: The ability to plan your own work effectively, meet objectives, and adhere to processes.
• Budgetary Oversight: Experience with budget responsibility, which will vary based on business lines and project delivery.

What Will Make Your CV Stand Out: Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• ITIL Expertise: A minimum of ITIL 4 Foundation, with a strong desire to progress to Intermediate ITIL disciplines, particularly ITIL4 Managing Professional.
• Business Impact: Demonstrated ability to influence business decisions through expert advice and the quality of work produced by yourself and others.
• Broad Service Delivery Experience: A comprehensive understanding of delivering services to business customers.
• Strategic Interest: A keen interest in learning and applying service strategies for the Corporate & Public Sectors and ensuring agreed-upon quality service designs.
• Reputation for Quality: A track record of delivering expertise and maintaining a reputation for quality within a business context.
• Project Engineering: Prior experience in being responsible for engineering delivery plans for small projects.
• Transformation Leadership: Ability to lead transformation strategies for creating effective service solutions.
• Security Clearance: The requirement to hold and obtain SC level clearance is essential for compliance with contractual and governance requirements.

Key Career Advantages and Considerations for Candidates:

• Strategic Influence: This role offers a unique opportunity to influence major deals and shape the strategic direction of managed services for large-scale clients. It's ideal for individuals who thrive on complexity and strategic problem-solving.
• Professional Development: The emphasis on ITIL progression and the nature of the work itself provides excellent opportunities for continuous learning and skill enhancement in service management and solution design.
• High-Profile Work: Working with significant corporate and public sector organisations means your contributions will have a tangible and visible impact, enhancing your professional profile.
• Career Advancement: Success in this role can open doors to further leadership opportunities within service design, account management, or broader strategic roles within the organization.
• Work-Life Balance & Flexibility: BT offers a competitive benefits package, including flexible working arrangements (hybrid model with 2 days remote work), part-time and job-share options, which can cater to diverse personal needs.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Beyond competitive salary and bonus, expect a robust pension scheme, ample annual leave, and a wide array of flexible benefits and discounts.
• Impactful Organization: Joining BT means becoming part of a globally recognised brand with a long heritage, committed to making a positive societal impact and championing diversity and inclusion.
• Consideration for Diverse Backgrounds: The company actively encourages applications from candidates who may not meet every single qualification, fostering an inclusive environment where potential is valued.

This role is an excellent fit for seasoned professionals seeking a challenging, rewarding, and strategically significant career move within a leading technology organization. It demands a blend of technical understanding, commercial acumen, and strong interpersonal skills to succeed.