We appreciate this is a reasonably new role in the industry, and are looking for experienced individuals who can support our current design team. If you think this is something you’d be good at please let us know. We’re not currently recruiting for junior roles but if you think your future is in design we still like to make connections. We also sometimes open applications for our job with no title which is an opportunity for those new to the industry to join our team.
Paper is now 4 years old, and our core team of 7 need someone who can support our service design work.
What the job is
You’ll be working with Paper’s research and design teams on projects across multiple economic sectors designing services which deliver on user needs. This role is more than just being a designer at Paper, it’s an opportunity to work with the team to continue shaping Paper’s services. You’ll also take part in mentoring colleagues to introduce new thinking. We’re looking for someone with existing experience in the role to work independently alongside support from the leadership team.
Typically your day will involve leading a service delivery team on design, making strategic decisions with clients while considering the overall needs of the people who use their service.
Our most recent example of a large service design project was working with the DfE to design their Claim additional payments for teaching service. It required our service design team to complete some of the following tasks:
- work with the product manager to set a 12 month scope for the service
- direct our research team to prioritise their recruitment and analysis
- make strategic decisions and reccomendations on how the service would be managed by DfE
- design high level journey’s throughout the entire service
- encourage crossfunctional design with various teams (policy, digital, tech etc)
- design and implement a user support process and help build the team
Core skills of any designer at Paper:
You’ll be expected to be a competent and confident designer who makes good evidence based decisions while being trusted to manage these decisions and ask for help when needed.
- Able to prototype comfortably
- User focused view on challenges
- Design decisions based on evidence
- A focus on outcomes not deliverables
- A background with some level of interaction design
- Able to facilitate comfortably
- Communicating design decisions to other team members
- Experience with Agile ways of working
Nice to have skills:
- Coding skills (any level)
- A background in research or interaction design
- Experience in civil service
- Working on large services
- Experience of working with policy, governance and processes
Additional skills expected of more senior designers:
Senior designers will work with minimal support, and will work with senior stakeholders to set direction while mentoring less senior members of the team. You’ll be expected to champion good practice and influence your team and the design of the service you’re working on.
- Leadership, mentoring and guidance for clients and colleagues on service design
- Transparent and collaborative way of working
- Ability to guide and improve Paper’s design service
- Strategic design thinking and ability to scope well
- Working with large multi disciplinary teams
- Understanding how dev, design, research co-exist
- Comfortable guiding and aiding product managers/owners
- Taking an active role in responding to sales opportunities
Salary and benefits
We offer 25 days of holidays minimum (plus extra time off over XMAS). Salaries for the role start at £30k and increase to £60k depending on experience. You also get a £1000 training budget. We do believe we have a unique proposition too in addition to salary.
