Associate Principal Consultant (Lead Design Strategist & Service Designer)

Requirements Minimum 9 years of experience in Design Strategy, Service Design, Experience Design, or related disciplines. Proven experience leading design strategy initiatives across complex, multi-stakeholder, enterprise-scale programmes. Strong expertise in defining future-state service visions that balance user desirability, business viability, and delivery feasibility. Demonstrated experience creating design principles, experience frameworks, service visions, operating model recommendations, and strategic design artefacts. Ability to define programme-level measurement frameworks, business outcomes, service KPIs, and behavioural performance metrics. Experience establishing and governing design guardrails, decision criteria, and strategic frameworks throughout programme delivery. Deep expertise in end-to-end service design across digital and non-digital channels. Strong experience in service blueprinting, journey mapping, ecosystem mapping, service concept development, and prototyping. Proven capability to design both frontstage customer experiences and backstage operational processes, systems, roles, data flows, and governance structures. Ability to operate effectively across multiple levels of abstraction, from strategic vision setting to detailed service design execution. Strong grounding in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and evidence-based decision making. Expertise in translating research findings into strategic insights, service opportunities, and organisational recommendations. Experience developing measurement frameworks that include service performance, customer outcomes, cost-to-serve, total cost of ownership, and operational efficiency metrics. Advanced facilitation and stakeholder management skills with the ability to lead senior executive workshops and co-design sessions. Experience working in large matrixed organisations, transformation programmes, and organisational change initiatives. Ability to create strategic deliverables that effectively communicate with both design and non-design stakeholders. Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect design decisions to measurable business outcomes and value creation. Exceptional systems-thinking capability with the ability to understand and manage complex service ecosystems. Experience operating within consulting, professional services, agency, or enterprise transformation environments. Proven experience delivering services across both digital and physical channels. Experience working on enterprise transformation, operating model redesign, technology-enabled service delivery, or large-scale service innovation programmes. Exposure to multiple industry sectors such as Financial Services, Public Sector, Healthcare, Retail, Professional Services, or Technology is preferred. Understanding of technology ecosystems including enterprise architecture, APIs, data platforms, AI, Agentic AI capabilities, and platform-based service models. Experience contributing to design operations, design governance, or the evolution of design functions is highly desirable. Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing design practitioners within programme environments. Excellent communication, storytelling, stakeholder influence, negotiation, and leadership skills. Ability to maintain strategic direction, influence without authority, and deliver outcomes in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments. Responsibilities Define and articulate a compelling, evidence-based vision for end-to-end services and experiences across large-scale transformation and innovation programmes. Lead design strategy initiatives that align user needs, business objectives, and organisational feasibility. Establish measurable outcome frameworks, service performance indicators, business KPIs, and success metrics to demonstrate the value of design decisions. Develop and maintain design principles, experience frameworks, service visions, and strategic roadmaps. Create and implement design guardrails, governance models, and decision-making frameworks to ensure delivery remains aligned with strategic objectives. Conduct end-to-end service design activities including journey mapping, service blueprinting, ecosystem mapping, concept development, prototyping, and co-design facilitation. Design and optimise services spanning digital, physical, operational, and human touchpoints. Translate qualitative and quantitative research insights into actionable strategic recommendations and service improvements. Facilitate executive workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, cross-functional collaboration forums, and design critique sessions. Collaborate with senior leaders, product managers, engineers, architects, operations teams, and multidisciplinary delivery squads. Drive organisational transformation initiatives, service innovation programmes, operating model redesign, and digital-physical service integration efforts. Produce strategic artefacts including design strategies, service blueprints, measurement frameworks, design briefs, decision logs, and programme narratives. Influence programme governance, delivery roadmaps, enterprise architecture discussions, and change management initiatives through a design-led approach. Navigate ambiguity within large matrixed environments and create clarity, alignment, and strategic direction for stakeholders. Balance desirability, feasibility, and viability considerations to guide effective design and business decisions. Mentor and support junior designers and contribute to the evolution of design strategy and service design practices. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a design related field. 👋🏼We're Nagarro . We are a Digital Product Engineering company that is scaling in a big way! We build products, services, and experiences that inspire, excite, and delight. We work at a scale — across all devices and digital mediums, and our people exist everywhere in the world (18000+ experts across 36 countries, to be exact). Our work culture is dynamic and non-hierarchical. We are looking for great new colleagues. That is where you come in!