Lead Design Researcher

About The Role

As a Lead Design Researcher at TPXimpact, you will lead and direct the implementation of design research best practices within TPXimpact client teams and programmes, contributing to refining our working methods and advancing our client offerings in alignment with our purpose, DT Ways, and Missions.

In your role on client projects, you will uphold TPXimpact's standards of excellence, collaborating directly with clients and delivery leadership to define statements of work where necessary. You will lead teams in developing products and services with design research best practice at their heart. Your leadership will extend to multidisciplinary teams, including colleagues from across TPXimpact, associates, and client team members, and you may serve as project director when required.

As a leader within the Community of Practice, you will manage a line management structure and work alongside the Head of Research and Analysis to achieve practice outcomes and uphold high standards, ensuring our visibility both internally and externally while supporting business growth initiatives.

• Demonstrate leadership and shape design research best practice through delivering client work – embedding design research approaches into Agile ways of working, delivering high quality design research through others and providing strategic support.
• Act as Lead on projects – helping shape the work, leading teams and work to ensure it is delivered on time and to high standards. This could also include Project Director duties – manage and hold client relationships and commercials, and being accountable for delivery outcomes.
• Adapt your approach depending on a client’s organisation cultures, design maturity and appetite for change.
• Support and coach other designers and client teams to promote design research best practice, to support delivery outcomes and individual development goals.
• Support the Head of Research and Analysis to lead the practice within TPXimpact, and to implement the DT Design and practice strategy. This could include leading the delivery of key objectives within internal impact time, skills development, knowledge management and sharing.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement on teams and across the practice and DT Design.
• Support business development activities, including leading on the design research approach for proposals and sales bids, and contributing to pitches and client presentations.
• Line manage 2-4 Senior design researchers in our practice and provide support within the line management structure.
• Continuously stay up‑to‑date with emerging technologies and methods in design research trends, and share this knowledge with others.
• Continuously maintain and update skills and knowledge to stay current within your relevant field of expertise.

Budget: DT Design Level 10

• Individual utilisation – 90%
• Problem solving responsibility and complexity: medium/high
• Providing project direction (delivery)
• Providing practice specific support on client projects
• Holding ambiguity with the ability to adapt to fast changing situations.

• Manage delivery and client relationships
• Contribute to sales activities (bids, public speaking, blogging)
• Lead within the practice both as a line manager and a mentor/coach

• Experience leading approaches to problem framing and research scoping, working with teams to define assumptions and/or hypotheses within institutional complexity.
• Previous experience designing and leading design research to GDS standards on complex, user‑facing products and services in client‑facing teams, projects, or programmes of work.
• Experience supporting the design of inclusive and accessible products and services, adapting research methodologies to suit diverse contexts and ensuring safeguarding of both team and participants and compliance throughout the research process.
• Experience working with prototypes and/or pilot interventions using a mix of methods and/or within robust evaluation and impact measurement processes.
• Experience of working with…