Lead Designer

About

The Role Hippo is a rapidly growing AI enabled digital consultancy passionate about building and delivering transformative digital solutions for a diverse range of Public and Private sector clients. We are recruiting for a Lead Design Consultant to support our mission. We work at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology to solve complex problems and create lasting value. Our collaborative and agile culture empowers our teams to make a genuine Impact.

As a Lead Consultant, you will be a design leader and an experienced practitioner. You will be responsible for shaping user strategy in and across projects - maintaining design standards, and helping to drive the successful delivery of valuable, user-centred outcomes on our most complex work. You will lead design in complex environments in complex environments, align teams around outcomes for users, and drive direction in challenging client environments.

You will mentor and guide Senior and Intermediate design practitioners, contribute to the development and evolution of our design profession and capability, and act as a visible leader within both Hippo and our client organisations.

We are in particular encouraging candidates with extensive experience of using AI within their practice, and/or working on products or services that embed AI in how they operate. What you'll doLead design on complex client engagements, driving a user centred approach across all projects and adding design value adding value across our most complex projects or a whole programme

Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, using data, insight and design methodologies to influence decision-making and shape service direction to support better outcomes for users

Lead teams to design products and services that meet the needs of all users and adhere to GDS (where appropriate), accessibility and other relevant standards

Contribute to Hippo's approach to design, promoting and evolving our practice, particularly in the context of the changes AI is bringing to design practice, ways of working within agile teams, and wider delivery models

Act as a leader within Hippo's design profession and internal work streams,  supporting the rapid growth of the profession

Recruit, lead, mentor and ensure the strong performance of Intermediate and Senior design practitioners, strengthening capability within Hippo's design profession and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Support business growth through contributing to bids, adding value on existing client accounts, and helping clients understand the value of user-centred design and delivery

Represent Hippo's design capability internally and externally, contributing to thought leadership and the ongoing evolution of our design practice

Skills and experience that you need Extensive experience in design at a lead level across a range of complex delivery environments, and with a range of clients

Experience working effectively within and leading multidisciplinary teams using user-centred design approaches throughout all phases of the product or service lifecycle

Confidence operating in technical environments, translating complex concepts into clear design direction that delivers measurable outcomes

Strong consultancy and leadership skills, and confidence in exploring problem spaces with clients to determine most appropriate way forward

Confidence operating within complex organisations and adapting quickly to new environments and ambiguous asks Ability to manage multiple work streams and dependencies while maintaining clarity of design direction

Proven ability to lead and mentor designers, building team capability and supporting long-term growth

Practical experience of implementing AI tools and…