Tom Eldridge

Service Designer @Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

London, GB

As a Strategic Design Leader, I specialise in transforming how organisations deliver services by leveraging both strategic and service design principles. My work focuses on fostering cross-functional collaboration to break down silos, align teams, and drive meaningful, lasting outcomes. Since 2020, I have been at the forefront of adapting and evolving public services in response to the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19 and the demands of a post-Covid world.My leadership has been central to several high-impact initiatives, most notably the Kickstart scheme, which provided vital training and job opportunities to 16-24-year-olds at risk of long-term employment scarring. This initiative, which was shortlisted for the Best Public Sector award at the National Technology Awards 2021, demonstrated the power of design thinking to deliver results that matter—both to individuals and to society.Currently, my focus is on designing and delivering resilient, future-proof services. I lead efforts to tackle complex challenges such as reducing fraud and error, supporting individuals with health conditions as they re-enter the workforce, and establishing foundational service principles to guide ongoing programme development.In every project, I embed strategic and service design thinking to ensure that the solutions we create not only address immediate needs but are also scalable, sustainable, and aligned with long-term organisational objectives. My goal is to craft services that are adaptable to change, drive efficiency, and deliver real impact—both for users and for the wider public sector.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

2:1, Political Theory MSc