You will work hard as part of a project team across our high-impact, innovation consultancy.

The Service Design Consultant role at the Innovation Unit has room for growth. Your starting salary and responsibilities will flex, based on your experience.

1. Client delivery - project leadership

• Manage successful delivery of smaller client projects (up to about 80k) and work-streams in larger projects:

  • Project outcomes are achieved, we deliver maximum impact and we get strong positive feedback from our clients;

  • Deliver work on time, to budget and within parameters agreed with the client, re-negotiating scope where necessary and re-allocating resources to meet project challenges, including achieving the required project margin; 

  • Provide effective and efficient project administration, including using the internal financial and other systems effectively.

  • Negotiate and confirm projects with clients, firming up project requirements and outputs following kick off meetings, ensuring that any changes to scope are communicated to the Innovation Unit project team and that client expectations are well managed.

  • Lead and manage the work, expectations, morale and effectiveness of small project teams (2-4 people)

  • Undertake high level stakeholder mapping and engage with key project stakeholders to secure their buy-in to the project aims

• Demonstrate excellent practice in service design, including:

  • Design and delivery of creative workshops and working sessions with clients and services users;

  • Design research activities including ethnography, report writing, story telling, archiving, data protection, and ensuring adherence to the research ethical code of conduct;

  • Communication design and data visualisation; and

  • Design and delivery of practical prototyping in local systems.

    2. Engagement, communication and learning

    • Communicate regularly and effectively with all members of the team, contractors, suppliers and clients.

    • Prepare presentation materials for visits, events and meetings and represent and the project at meetings and events.

    • Write in an engaging way about the project for a range of different audiences, and ensure that all outputs and publications are quality assured properly.

    • Contribute learning from this project to the development of Innovation Unit intellectual property and integrate learning from other Innovation Unit projects into this work.

    3. Developing service design practice

    • Support the development of new design practice and support colleagues across the organisations to apply design thinking to make change. Train people in design processes so that client organisations can create change in their worlds after we’re gone.

    • Set and maintain a high standard of quality in design-led processes, design thinking and outputs.

    • Champion creative approaches to problem solving within Innovation Unit and contribute towards building our service-design credentials and reputation.

    4. Business development

    • Identify opportunities for further work that could follow on from current projects.

    • Work closely with the business development leads to identify solutions and innovations that could be scaled within appropriate markets and public systems.

    • Support the practical aspects of business development including writing proposals, developing sales materials, background research, and other ad hoc activity.

    • Grow your personal network, maintaining existing relationships and developing relationships with potential future clients.

    • Lead business development administration by regularly updating contact data, and that the website and blog are up to date with information about recent projects