CELEBRATE YOUR PERSONALITY AND TEAM SPIRIT.

GROW THROUGH YOUR CHOICES.

MAKE YOUR MARK.

Sparks Grove has a mantra: Unleash Potential Together. For our clients, it means we challenge thinking and build capabilities, so that after each engagement, they are left stronger and inspired to do more. With our colleagues, it means fostering an environment where bringing, shaping, growing and sharing ideas isn’t just encouraged—it’s expected. And within our communities, it means we give of our skills, time and passion to make them more prosperous.

The Service Design Director will focus on developing new business, managing the client relationship at the executive levels, and providing direction and oversight to project teams. The Director will also be responsible for building, retaining and growing a team of experience design strategists. The Director will also be responsible for scoping and proposing work.

In this exciting role, you will:

• Lead and/or support service design engagements across range of industries and project types for Fortune 500 clients to drive client business growth

• Manage cross-functional project teams (strategy, insights, design, technology) and partners to deliver top quality strategic and creative outputs

• From user research to envisioning, designing and implementing concepts, infuse empathy, creativity and strategy to ideate and innovate across touchpoints while supporting business goals

• Work with other leaders and stakeholders of the firm to continuously identify spaces where service design as a discipline can add value to clients, and help scope related initiatives, projects, and deliverables

• Partner with clients to uncover business needs and objectives, craft appropriate strategies and solutions, and identify/implement and successfully manage the execution of the plan

• Work with other leaders and stakeholders of the firm to grow our service design capabilities and help grow client relationships

• Be a thought leader regarding the latest business, digital and technology trends and innovations, and contribute to ongoing thought leadership and perspective

• Contribute to the formal development of service design practice tools, methodologies and applications and inspire innovative approaches and techniques

• Collaborate with senior leadership on project design and proposal development

• Formally manage others as a Career Coach/Counselor

• Assume responsibility for all aspects of the project life cycle as needed including: project proposals and business cases; charters, plans, resourcing, and budgets; financial reporting, status reports; issue management and risk mitigation; communication plans; delivery and project close out

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience including managerial roles

• 5+ years of professional experience in service design at an established agency, management consulting firm and/or hands-on industry experience

• Applied experience in customer experience and/or service design with a design thinking background a mandatory

• Strong core consulting skills, including: ability to craft compelling and actionable strategies, meeting and workshop development, management and facilitation, storytelling, writing and presentation development, ideation and concept development, stakeholder interviewing and relationship development, insights development and data analysis

• Proven expertise in some combination of the following domains: VoC, customer insight and understanding, design research, experience strategy, experience design, innovation and implementation, experience design measurement, metrics and ROI, humanizing organizations

• Excellent creative, analytical and problem-solving skills

• Business development experience in both organic growth and new business

• Travel of approximately 50%

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university, but related Masters preferred

Preferred Qualifications/Skills

• Advanced degree (MBA, MA, MFA, etc.) highly preferred

• Practice development and strong leadership skills

• Strong client development and an active professional network of contacts in the service design / customer experience market

• Positive attitude, excellent customer communications skills and the ability to act on own initiative with a strong commitment to customer service

• A demonstrated ability to partner, collaborate with and lead a diverse range of resources and personalities with distinct perspectives

• Ability to connect with others at a deep level, harness insights and translate into human centered and engaging solutions

• Strong critical thinking and creative skills with a passion for ambiguity and complex problem solving and translating vague information into tangible results

• Strong strategic aptitude, with an expertise in several core industries or strategic disciplines

• A passion for innovation, design and technology

• Strong presentation development and storytelling skills

• Experience with concepting, ideation and iterative prototyping

• Strong project management skills to include planning, prioritizing and organizational skills are required

• Expert knowledge / understanding of service design / customer experience methodologies and techniques and how these are applied to make business decisions

• Existing portfolio of thought leadership (e.g., past conference talks, publications, etc.)

• Strong creative facilitation, team building and relationship management skills

• A demonstrated ability to partner with clients to uncover business needs and objectives, craft appropriate strategies/solutions and identify/implement efforts to help achieve client goals

• Ability to thrive in a dynamic work environment

North Highland is a global management consulting firm known for helping clients solve their most complex challenges related to customer experience, performance improvement, technology and digital, and transformation. We add value and support our clients across the full spectrum of consulting, from strategy through delivery. We bring the big ideas, then we make them real. North Highland is an employee-owned firm, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with more than 3,000 consultants worldwide and 60+ offices around the globe. The firm is a member of Cordence Worldwide (www.cordenceworldwide.com), a global management consulting alliance. For more information, visit northhighland.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

North Highland is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, genetic data, or other legally protected status.