Principal Design Consultant in Leeds

Key Responsibilities

• Be part of the leadership of our most complex and strategically important client engagements, driving a user‑centred approach across all projects and adding design value across a programme or account.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, including executive leadership, using data, insight and design methodologies to influence decision‑making and shape long‑term service strategy to support better outcomes for service users.
• Lead teams to design services that meet the needs of all users and adhere to GDS (where appropriate, accessibility and other relevant standards).
• Evolve Hippo’s approach to design, promoting and evolving the profession internally and externally.
• Be part of the leadership team of Hippo’s design profession and provide thought leadership in your profession.
• Recruit, lead and mentor Senior and Lead design practitioners, strengthening capability within Hippo’s design community and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Support business growth through pre‑sales activity, shaping product propositions, contributing to bids, and helping clients understand the value of user‑centred delivery.
• Represent Hippo’s design capability internally and externally, contributing to thought leadership, community engagement, and the ongoing evolution of our design practice.

Candidate Profile

• Extensive experience in design at a principal 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 the product or service lifecycle.
• Confidence operating in technical environments, translating complex concepts into clear design direction that delivers measurable outcomes.
• Advanced 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 workstreams and dependencies while maintaining clarity of design direction.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor designers, building team capability and supporting long‑term growth.
• Working knowledge of the GDS Digital Standard and how to prepare for a GDS assessment, or extensive experience of delivering design projects in the private sector.
• Experience providing continuous thought leadership within your profession.

Benefits

• Competitive salary (transparent from the outset).
• Contributory pension scheme (Hippo 6% with employee contributions of 2%).
• 25 days holiday plus UK public holidays.
• Perkbox access for a wide range of discounts.
• Critical illness cover.
• Life assurance and death in service cover.
• Volunteer days.
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme for the avid cyclists.
• Salary sacrifice electric vehicles scheme.
• Season ticket loans.
• Financial and general wellbeing sessions.
• Flexible benefits scheme with options of: Private health cover, Private dental cover, Additional company pension contributions, Additional holidays (up to an extra 2 days), Wellbeing contribution, Charity contributions, Tree planting.

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Hippo, we’re dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that works for everyone. We understand that having a diverse team unlocks our capacity for innovation, creativity and problem solving. Only by building a community of diverse perspectives, cultures and socio‑economic backgrounds can we create an environment where all can contribute and thrive. We actively encourage applications from under‑represented groups including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and people with disabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that reflects our workplace culture. We are a registered Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer, Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a member of the Armed Forces Covenant. Hippo continually strives to remove barriers, provide accommodations and offer reasonable adjustments to ensure equity throughout our practices.