People Team (Braintree)
Eastlight House, Braintree, CM77 8FG

Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner

Salary: £92,000 per annum
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 1
Closing Date: Mon 21 Sep 2026 - 10:59 pm UTC
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Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner

Working Pattern

M
8:30 - 17:00
T
8:30 - 17:00
W
8:30 - 17:00
T
8:30 - 17:00
F
8:30 - 16:30
S
S

Agencies

Eastlight’s current agency PSL is at capacity, so we will not be able to consider candidate applications introduced by agencies outside of our selected suppliers.

Who We Are

Eastlight Community Homes is proud to be the largest community gateway social housing provider in the country. Together with our residents and communities, we create safe, affordable homes and neighbourhoods that people are proud to live in.

The Role

The role:

We are looking for an experienced Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner to lead the development and embedding of systems thinking across Eastlight. This is a pivotal role, working at a strategic level to ensure services are designed and delivered from the customer perspective, with customer, colleague and stakeholder needs shaping how we improve, transform and redesign services.

You will champion human-centred design and service design principles, helping the organisation better understand customer needs, remove barriers to excellent service, reduce failure demand and deliver improved outcomes for customers. Working closely with senior leaders and teams across the organisation, you will provide insight, challenge and practical support to shape future operating models and build a culture of continuous improvement.

This is an opportunity to make a significant impact in an organisation committed to improving services around the people who use them. You will play a key role in shaping how Eastlight designs, delivers and improves services, helping to create better customer outcomes, stronger cross-functional collaboration and a more resilient organisation for the future.

To succeed in this role you will have:

Strong knowledge of systems thinking, service design, human-centred design, operating model development and continuous improvement methodologies.

Proven experience leading organisation-wide transformation, service redesign or operational excellence programmes.

Experience diagnosing end-to-end services, customer journeys and operating models to identify root causes and opportunities for improvement.

Ability to use customer insight, performance data and organisational intelligence to drive evidence-based decisions.

Excellent facilitation, coaching, stakeholder management and communication skills.

Confidence advising and constructively challenging Executive Teams, Boards and senior leaders.

Knowledge of the social housing operating environment, resident expectations, regulatory standards and service performance requirements.

Benefits and Compensation

To demonstrate our commitment to you, we have developed a sector leading total rewards package:

  • £92,000 per annum
  • 37 hours Permanent Contract 
  • Group stakeholder pension plan (Eastlight will double, up to 5% of the employee’s contribution - Employee 5% + Eastlight 10% = Total 15%)
  • 33 days annual leave plus bank holidays
  • Annual wellbeing grant of £200 per annum – Subject to eligibility
  • Trailblazing family leave (Maternity, Paternity and Adoption – 12 weeks full pay/6 weeks half pay) – Subject to eligibility
  • A healthcare cash plan, life assurance
  • Formal qualifications and paid professional membership

Next Steps

At Eastlight we support, develop, and invest in our people, together creating a culture where people love to work. There has never been a better time to join us! Click the link below to submit your CV and personal statement.

Eastlight Community Homes is a disability confident leader and equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse culture, which is why we encourage applications from everyone. If you require any support with the application process, please contact recruitment@eastlighthomes.co.uk

Eastlight Community Homes are unable to provide Visa Sponsorship.

Important Dates

Closing date: 21 September 2026 @ 23:59 

Interview date: Interviews are expected to be held on 1 October 2026 and be held virtually.

We reserve the right to close or withdraw this vacancy earlier than advertised should we receive a sufficient number of applications.

You are applying for...
Systems Thinking and Service Design Partner
Salary: £92,000 per annum
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
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Application Source
Employment Custom
Are you currently employed by Eastlight? *
Are you currently an Agency Worker or Contractor for Eastlight Community Homes? *
Eastlight's offices are based in Braintree and Marks Tey. Can you confirm you're able to travel to these locations for hybrid work and essential business needs? *
Please confirm you have read and understood the attached job description, compensation package, essential requirements and application details for this role. *
Conflicts
Are you a current customer (tenant, leaseholder, shared owner, shareholder) of Eastlight Community Homes? Please be aware, if you are successful this will eliminate your eligibility to be an Eastlight Shareholder. *
To your knowledge, do you have any close relationships (e.g. relatives, spouses, friends) who are currently employed by Eastlight? *
Disability Custom
Eastlight has signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme, and we are committed to encouraging applications from disabled candidates. We guarantee an interview for applicants who declare they have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job. Please note that there may be occasions when it is not feasible to interview every Disability Confident candidate who meets the essential criteria, especially during periods of high application volume.
Do you have a disability, and would you like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme? *
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Questions
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As we are unable to provide visa sponsorship, do you now, or will you in the future, require visa sponsorship to work in the UK?
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ED&I Questionaire
As part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, we kindly ask that all candidates complete our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) form.
The information provided in this form is confidential and will be used solely for monitoring purposes.
Under the Equality Act 2010, you are considered to have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ adverse effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
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