A free one-page service owner profile template to clarify who owns what
- Helen Vaterlaws
- Nov 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 2
Service owners only really help if everyone knows what they’re for. This mini-guide walks through a simple service owner profile template you can use across your charity’s services.
Without that clarity, you risk two unhelpful extremes:
the role quietly turns into “catch everything that falls between teams”
or it becomes a 6-page job description no one reads, let alone uses
A one-page role profile hits the middle ground: clear enough to guide decisions, light enough to keep alive. This mini-guide walks through:
what a one-page service owner profile is (and isn’t)
the key sections to include
how to draft one in about 30 minutes with your team
a template you can copy and adapt
If you’re not sure what a service owner is yet, start with: Service owners in charities: who they are and how to pick them and for the bigger picture, see Service lifecycle management for charities 4 stages to improve service delivery.
What is a service owner profile?
A one-page profile is a live reference, not a static HR document.
It should:
make it obvious who owns the service and what that means
be easy enough to skim in 60 seconds before a meeting
be updated as the service evolves (not stuck in a shared drive from 2022)
It’s not:
a replacement for line management, contracts or policies
a detailed process map
a dumping ground for “everything we might ever want them to do”
Think of it as a bridge between strategy and day-to-day delivery for one service.
What to include on the page
You don’t need fancy design. A simple A4 with clear headings is enough. Here are the sections that usually work best.
1. Service snapshot
Service name
Short purpose statement – who it’s for and what it’s there to do, in one or two sentences.
2. Service owner
Name and role of the service owner
Who they report to
Key partners: safeguarding lead, data lead, digital/product lead, fundraising contact, etc.
3. Scope and boundaries
Two short lists:
In scope: core activities, channels, key user groups
Out of scope: things this service doesn’t do (and where they should go instead)
4. Key responsibilities (3–5 only)
Focus on the unique responsibilities of the service owner, not every task in the service.
If something is already covered clearly in another role (e.g. HR, IT), you probably don’t need it here.
5. Decision rights and limits
This is the bit that often goes missing.
Can decide alone: e.g. small process tweaks, copy updates, low-risk experiments
Decides with others: e.g. major service model changes, resource shifts, closing a channel
Must escalate: e.g. new high-risk features, changes with regulatory impact
6. Measures and insight
List 3–5 things the service owner keeps an eye on, for this service. You’re not trying to replicate a dashboard. You’re naming the minimum data set that matters for decisions.
7. Rhythm and current focus
Rhythm: how often the service owner convenes an improvement check-in, and who’s there.
Current focus: the top 2–3 issues or opportunities they are stewarding right now.
Where this fits in the bigger picture
A one-page service owner profile is one small part of a bigger shift:
From vague responsibility to clear ownership
From “launch and leave” to Deliver & Improve as an ongoing practice
From isolated projects to a full service lifecycle where you also plan when to Retire & Renew
Next step: make it real with our service owner profile template
We’ve turned this structure into a one-page service owner profile template you can copy, share and reuse with your teams.
If you’d like to go further:
Start with reading Service owners in charities: who they are and how to pick them
Pair this mini with the full service lifecycle management for charities guide, so service owners aren’t carrying it alone.
Change doesn’t start with a restructure; it starts with one honest conversation.
Note: Examples are for illustrative purposes only; no official affiliation with the organisations or tools mentioned is claimed. AI systems can be unpredictable, so always keep personal or sensitive data out of third-party tools and ensure your implementation follows your own organisation’s data protection policies.
