Service Design Specialist

Do you want to be part of our innovative and entrepreneurial team?

Do you thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and enjoy working in a team atmosphere? Are you an “outside the box” thinker who strives to implement continuous improvements? Do you take a strategic approach to your work? Do you enjoy a fast-paced culture where your opinions are valued and respected? Do you enjoy building partnerships to solve mutually beneficial challenges?

Mitacs is a national not-for-profit that helps industry and non-profit partners solve strategic challenges by leveraging Canada’s world-class post-secondary talent and a global network of industry, academic, and government partnerships. Through these collaborations, Mitacs helps business and community partners succeed, improves students’ on-the-job skills development, and strengthens Canada’s world-class innovation ecosystem. At Mitacs, we strive to develop the next generation of innovators with vital research and business skills. In partnership with domestic and international companies, governments, and academia, we support a new economy using Canada’s most valuable resource – its people.

To get a better understanding of Mitacs and read more about our values, please visit our website.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Mitacs is looking for a dynamic and results-driven individual to fill the role of Service Design Specialist. Reporting to the Service Design Manager, you will leverage analytical expertise and service design strategies to implement new client-centric practices, support in optimizing processes, and uncover business insights. Working collaboratively across teams, you will play a pivotal role in driving data-informed decisions and delivering seamless, impactful experiences for our clients. This role focuses on designing holistic service interactions across touchpoints of a whole customer experience (end-to-end, front- and back-end) and works cross-functionally to solve client/user challenges

Full time temporary 24 months

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Design and Implementation

• Implement and maintain the service design vision, strategy and principles to guide development of Mitacs services across systems and the organization.
• Design and manage end-to-end service journeys, including frontstage (client-facing) and back-stage (operational) elements, ensuring consistency across touchpoints.
• Design and facilitate workshops with cross-functional teams to co-design workflows to increase efficiency and client satisfaction.
• Analyze and challenge internal processes with internal stakeholders to drive innovation, secure stakeholder buy-in, and advocate for user-centric solutions.
• Lead internal and external stakeholder engagement through focus groups, 1:1 interviews, etc. and synthesize insights to inform decisions.
• Integrate user research and feedback loops into the continuous improvement of workflows, systems, and design practices.
• Monitor performance metrics to assess service design impact and identify opportunities for enhancements.
• Share knowledge and deliver training on workflows, processes, systems and best practices to support user adoption of new tools or workflows.
• Develop and evolve artifacts such as service blueprints, user journeys, and ecosystem maps to enable effective service delivery.
• Stay current on the latest trends, best practices, and technologies in human-centered design.
  

Project management/coordination

• Drive cross-project alignment by proactively coordinating requirements across teams, ensuring operational objectives are met, and maintaining accurate tracking and reporting for transparency and accountability.
• Support change and communications plans in collaboration with the Transformation Management Office.
• Deliver clear, timely, and impactful communication of project milestones, outcomes, and risk mitigation strategies across appropriate channels to inform and influence key stakeholders.
  

Skills

• At least 2 years of experience as a service designer (or similar role) designing and improving client-facing services, products and business models
• Demonstrated experience with facilitating workshops and gaining buy-in with stakeholders
• Demonstrated strong project coordination skills to align across multiple teams and convey updates and risks in a timely manner
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical skills to digest data and insights and effectively challenge status quo tactfully
• Experience in the following practices: design thinking, user research, journey mapping, prototype building, data-driven design
• Embraces the importance of continuous, rapid testing, improvements, and learning
• Experience in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating agility and flexibility
• Service Design Certification is an asset
• Lean Six Sigma is an asset
• Proficiency in French an asset
• Knowledge of written and spoken English is required in this role as you will interact with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders located across Canada
  

As required by Canadian law, all employees must be legally entitled to work in Canada throughout their employment with Mitacs. A successful applicant must show proof they are legally entitled to work in Canada prior to starting work. Please note that Mitacs does not provide sponsorship with respect to work permits.

Hiring Range: $63,920 - $75,905

Hiring and Salary Range Transparency 

Typically, employees are hired, transferred, or promoted within the salary range, specifically between the minimum and midpoint in the hiring range.

The salary range refers to the range of base salaries for a given position, encompassing the minimum and maximum amounts. The midpoint of the range is positioned approximately halfway between the minimum and maximum, indicating a fully qualified employee with comprehensive job knowledge and experience for the role.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances, where a candidate has the experience, skills, and expertise that far exceed those required for the position, would we consider paying above the hiring range for this role.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and decolonization are core values at Mitacs: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforce comprised of individuals with different ideas, strengths, interests, and backgrounds (e.g., gender identities and expressions, Indigeneity, race, abilities, sexual orientation, and other identities) are crucial to our success. We welcome everyone to apply and encourage you to connect with us if you require accommodations during the recruitment process.

Mitacs is proud to have been named as a 2024 Workplace Impact Award Winner by Diversio the leading global platform for workplace inclusion. The award recognizes organizations that are making measurable, systems-level progress in embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across their operations, and leading change in how people experience work.