Lead Specialist - Service Design; Hybrid​/Remote

Description & Requirements

Maximus is currently seeking a Lead Specialist - Service Design to shape and deliver next‑Generation human services experiences across complex public sector programs. Reporting to the Director – Service Design within Maximus' Digital Design and Experience organization, this role is a T‑Shaped end‑to‑end Service Design Lead (Broad across research, service design and delivery translation). You will lead mixed‑method discovery (quantitative + qualitative), translate insights into service blueprints and operating model improvements, and partner with product owners, business analysts and solution architects to convert target‑state designs into implementable requirements and Agile backlogs.

You will support two primary lanes of work: service design solutioning as part of pre‑award pursuits (capture / proposals) and post‑award optimization and innovation for existing operations (continuous improvement / use case development) while partnering closely with UX, research, analytics, technical SMEs, product owners, and operations and delivery teams to drive measurable improvements in customer and employee experience. This role leads end‑to‑end service design outcomes while leveraging specialist expertise.

• Operates as a generalist across research, synthesis, service design, and delivery translation, and is deeply specialized in one of the following areas.
• Quantitative service performance analysis and business case development to justify service improvements.
• Current and future state mapping and service blueprinting against standardized service journeys, processes and workflows, validated and proven through deep customer and employee insight gathering.
• Prototyping and design validation (service concepts, workflows, user interface / voice interface changes, interaction patterns).
• Can articulate experience outcomes and metrics as the "why" behind the data, tying operational drivers (demand, transfers, repeat contacts, handle time, quality) to human outcomes (trust, ease, transparency, effectiveness).
• Is comfortable working with solution architects and business analysts, product owners and delivery team members to ensure designs are feasible, secure, and implementable, and can translate service intent into clear requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Can produce client‑ready, executive‑grade (PowerPoint, Lucid, Figma, Excel) analysis and/or deliverables with minimal oversight and drive decision‑grade alignment across senior leadership and stakeholder groups.

• Contribute to the development of service design solutions and services that solve for today's government service problems in innovative, feasible and desirable ways, bringing transformative change to the citizens we serve and enabling them to thrive and live better lives.
• Guide service design user engagements and research including observations, interviews, surveys, diaries, and other research methods.
• Champion a strategic, human‑centered service design approach to create disruptive innovation and competitive differentiation.
• Support the business in moving ideas from high‑level product vision and strategy through road mapping, planning, and execution.
• Lead the design and facilitation of co‑creation sessions, including immersion workshops, journey mapping and service blueprinting.
• Leverage a human‑centered service design approach to rapidly gain deep understanding of citizen and organizational attitudes, behaviors, needs, pain points, opportunities, and aspirations to create innovative human service experiences.
• Frame design challenges, facilitate ideation, envision new concepts (challenge old ones), and rapidly prototype and evaluate designs.
• Use divergent design‑thinking techniques for the conceptual development of new experiences, products, services, processes and/or ecosystems, and converge innovative ideas to a set of digital and tangible solutions in partnership with team members, project stakeholders and business partners.
• Communicate insights, benefits, value propositions and design rationales to internal and external audiences in an intentional effort to…