Lead Design Researcher - 6 month Secondment in London

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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Dimensions

• Budget: DT Design Level 10
• Key performance indicators for the role: 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.
• Internal / external interactions: 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

About You

Professional knowledge and experience

• 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 service owners and programme‑level directors to develop research roadmaps and strategy.
• Experience working with other designers and researchers in a multidisciplinary team to deliver high‑quality design work.
• Experience of working with data, technology and change specialists in technical and complex programmes of work.
• Experience leading and coaching others – in the practice and in client teams – to create quality, impactful and user‑centred products and services, including in organisations and teams with low design maturity.
• Experience line‑managing and coaching other designers, providing support to ensure wellbeing and good performance.
• Experience operating in a fast‑paced environment, balancing internal business priorities with external delivery and work on client projects.
• Experience identifying and supporting new research and/or business opportunities.

Technical skills

• Able to design appropriate and engaging research, with ethical and inclusive consideration at its core – including user grouping and segmentation design, designing approaches and participant and research management.
• Able to deliver research independently and through others using a variety of methods from discovery to evaluative research with transactional, operational users and/or governance stakeholders to understand people – behavioural context, culture and lived experiences to help define, improve and iterate products and services.
• Able to independently analyse and synthesize qualitative data as well as lead and facilitate team members for continuous insight development throughout different stages of design and delivery and enable evidence‑based learning decision making.
• Able to own and manage research operations – quality assurance and governance, tooling, knowledge management at scale within client programmes and research practice team.
• Able to effectively convey the value and impact of user‑centred design and research design both within an organisation and in the broader public discourse.
• Able to create visual and engaging artefacts for conducting, communicating research and representing users, and/or collaborate effectively with others to do so.
• Able to work in the open – confidently shaping and communicating the story of your work and impact.
• Able to proactively and reactively influence and build consensus, including facilitating difficult discussions with teams, delivery and design leadership both at TPXimpact and with clients.
• Able to hold and lead others through ambiguity on behalf of clients and teams – to build shared understanding, and help individuals and teams find clarity and direction.
• Understanding and/or first‑hand experience in co‑design, participatory, mixed‑method approaches.

Desirable

• Able to plan and manage budgets, including achieving margins, and revenue as part of successful programme, project delivery.
• Able to influence how emerging technologies can be applied in our work and deliver best value for our clients.

About Us

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 +