Lead Service Designer

About The Role

We’re looking for a Lead Service Designer, you will be reporting to the Head of Service and Organisation Design and supporting them in leading a stable and knowledgeable practice.

On client projects, your deep expertise means you’ll support teams as a project director and manage or maintain the quality of the design work delivered. You’ll work as part of multidisciplinary teams, including others in DT Design and across TPXimpact as well as associates and client teams.

You’ll support running the practice effectively as a line manager and mentor.

Responsibilities

Lead the service design dimension of client work as a lead practitioner or Project Director

Support business development activities, including leading work for proposals and sales bids, and contributing to pitches and client presentations.

You are comfortable having difficult conversations with others about where a project is going, where the risks and challenges are

You are capable of proactive and reactive communication including facilitating difficult discussions with diverse senior stakeholders

You co-design and contribute actively to Community of Practice activities you can lead and inspire in a community environment while coaching/mentoring more junior members of the team

You line manage others in your practice which includes helping individuals address their goals and objectives, contributing to mid/end of probation reviews, supporting the Head of Practice with performance related processes

You know how to adapt your approach to different clients depending on their organisation cultures, design maturity and appetite for change

Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement on teams and across TPXimpact

You can confidently communicate the story of our work and the the value of user centred design to our clients effectively

Build trust with teams and clients to create the right conditions for design to be successful in organisations

You can coach client teams

Continuously maintain and update skills and knowledge to stay current within your relevant field of expertise

Dimensions

Budget: DT Design Level 10

Key performance indicators for the role:

Individual utilisation: 90%

Business development (through sales to new and existing clients)

Client satisfaction and quality assurance

Problem solving responsibility and complexity:

Bringing direction and leadership in complex and ambiguous delivery spaces

Adapting quickly to fast changing situations

Medium/high, providing project direction (delivery) and providing practice specific support on client projects, including holding ambiguity with the ability to adapt to fast changing situations

Change management requirements: medium/high

Effectively managing change within client project or programme environments through iterative improvements, strategic guidance and compelling storytelling

Internal / External interactions

Managing delivery and client relationships directly when on small projects where no delivery support is available

Contribute to sales activities (bids, public speaking, blogging)

About You

Professional knowledge and experience

Essential Skills

Public speaking at local and national events

Able to visualise and communicate strategic thinking and impact of change through engaging storytelling

Experienced in project directing and can apply a range of leadership techniques successfully manage the team’s delivery and manage the client relationships

Able to create and lead initiatives to create and deliver business cases to surface opportunities and next steps towards service transformation and service led organisations

Experienced in business models, understanding operating models and organisational models

Experience in public sector and consulting environments

Leads/mentors other designers

Knowledge and have a perspective on changing technology landscape and being adaptive and responsive to approaches needed to be taken when understanding systems, data and skills

Technical skills

Project direction: ability to manage ambiguity, lead strategic approaches to vision setting, problem framing, plan work and deliver outcomes

You can map complexity within a system and organisation; relationships, influences, dependencies, patterns, dynamics

You can articulate service propositions and can develop different service models based on user and organisation needs

You can translate ideas, from sketching through to high-fidelity designs to test assumptions and hypotheses, and bring ideas to life with stakeholders

You're confident using co-design approaches to bring different people together including users and stakeholders

You can create visual and engaging artefacts to communicate experiences, problems, opportunities and ideas, including both high level conceptual diagrams and detailed service blueprints

You actively contribute to service backlogs and keep the user needs at the heart of the project

You have experience of designing or supporting design of inclusive and accessible products and services

Experience of working with technology and change specialists in technical and complex programmes of work that includes alpha, beta live phases

Behaviours and PACT values

Purpose: You’ll be highly values driven, recognising that our clients needs are paramount. You’ll be able to approach client engagements with professionalism, creativity and flair, whilst balancing our commercial and operational needs. You’ll work to ensure we have clear processes and guardrails in place to deliver well through how we organise and operate within our Design functions.

Accountability: When in a leadership position on a client project,, you’ll be accountable for delivering your part of a project on time and under budget and working well with other leaders. You’ll set practice standards that align to our DT Ways and Missions. You will lead by example, promoting a culture where quality, client experience and the pursuit of imaginative solutions to client problems is foremost.

Craft: You’ll be able to balance multiple priorities while leading high performing teams and through establishing trusted relationships both inside and outside of TPXimpact. As a design or transformational leader who can lead others by example, you will need to navigate ambiguity and use your confidence here to quickly assimilate the direction and approaches that support positive outcomes for our clients and our business.

Togetherness: You’ll be able to collaborate effectively with others across TPXimpact. You’ll build strong relationships that demonstrate the importance of excellent delivery and client experience as a collective effort, rather than just focusing on your own area of expertise. You’ll thrive working with others, providing clarity around vision, objectives and holding high standards for our work through the capabilities your practice holds.

PACT values

Purpose - The beating heart of our organisation - the impact we make on people, places, and the planet. Purpose is our driving force and at the core of our organisation.

Accountability - As we apply flexibility, pace and growth through our self-organisation, we are accountable* to all of our stakeholders.

Craft - Craft highlights our dedication to bringing precision, problem-solving, and creativity to our work, both with our clients and internally.

Togetherness - Togetherness is ‘how’ we work - it captures the energy, fun, and user-centred approach that we embrace. It signifies the collaborative spirit we bring to our work, including people at every level and creating a sense of belonging to our teams.

About Us

People-Powered Transformation

We're a purpose driven organisation, supporting organisations to build a better future for people, places and the planet. Combining vast experience in the public, private and third sectors and expertise in human-centred design, data, experience and technology, we’re creating sustainable solutions ready for an ever-evolving world.

At the heart of TPXimpact, we’re collaborative and empathetic. We’re a team of passionate people who care deeply about the work we do and the impact we have in the world. We know that change happens through people, with people and for people. That’s why we believe in people-powered transformation.

Working in close collaboration with our clients, we seek to understand their unique challenges, questioning assumptions and building in their teams the capabilities and confidence to continue learning, iterating and adapting.

Benefits Include:

30 days holiday + bank holidays

2 volunteer days for causes that you are passionate about

Maternity/paternity - 6 months Maternity Leave, 3 months Paternity Leave

Life assurance

Employer pension contribution of 5%

Health cash plan

Personal learning and development budget

Employee Assistance Programme

Green incentive programmes including Electric Vehicle Leasing and the Cycle to Work Scheme

Financial advice

Health assessments

About TPXimpact - Digital Transformation

We drive fundamental change in approaches to product and service development, delivery and technology. Our agile, multidisciplinary teams use technology, design and data to deliver better results, improving outcomes for individuals, organisations and communities.

By working in the open, in partnership with our clients, we not only transform their systems and services but also build the capability of their teams, so work can continue without us in the longer term. Our focus is sustainable change, always delivered with positive impact.

We are committed to having a positive impact on the clients and the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from all genders, ethnicities, disabled people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Don’t meet 100% of the criteria? We still want to hear from you. Please let us know if you require any adjustments during the recruitment process.