Digital Design Director

We are looking for an experienced, hands-on and inspired design director to ensure all work is delivered to the highest design quality in execution and strategy. They will also help us grow and nurture our design team.

‍High level responsibilities

• Hands on project work.
• Design strategy & execution quality assurance.
• Mentoring and growing the design team.

Must-haves

• Strong design portfolio showcasing excellent user experience design thinking and craft.
• Clear and confident stakeholder management.
• Grown, mentored and nurtured design teams.
• Delivered customer-centric strategies and executions.
• Fully comfortable organising and facilitating client team workshops.
• Worked closely with internal and remote development teams.
• 10+ years working in a design consultancy or in digital product for a range of sectors, touch points and users.
  

Nice-to-haves

• Lead multiple projects across the end-to-end design process.
• Understanding of data and information design.
• Worked using scrum and agile methodologies.
• Writing design related thought leadership articles.

• Ensure that projects are delivered to the highest quality so our clients, their business and their users are constantly delighted by our excellent work.
• Work closely with product managers to align with the product strategy and vision.
• Define customer journeys, experience maps, flow diagrams, information architecture and sitemaps in order to help you and your team make sense of complex information and flows.
• Plan, conduct and interpret customer research to gain insight we can use to develop new services or features.
• Define key user profiles and their jobs-to-be-done so that you understand the common needs of your target audience.
• Write problem statements so that the team understands the expectations, insight and importance of the problem you are looking to solve.
• Create ideas features that deliver value by aligning with business and user needs.
• Sketch, prototype, test and iterate user journeys in order to improve the experience, outcome and align closer to the goals.
• Create or extend a design system in order to ensure consistency across multiple touch points.
• Work closely with the development team throughout a project in order to ensure the best outcome by solving problems before, during and after delivery.
• Use, learn and advocate the most effective design tools and processes so we can work quickly and effectively to gather information, solve problems and create design references.

• Plan and host workshops in order to gather information and steer clients to the right strategy and solution.
• Nurture and mentor young design talent in the business so everyone in the business can progress their careers.
• Grow the team in line with the Pattrn culture, growth plan and diversity and inclusion policies in order to take on more work and to diversify skill sets and culture.
• Plan and scope new projects so that we are able to win new work, manage client expectations and deliver projects on time and on budget.
• Provide strategic support and direction to all levels of the clients business so we can have more influence on product development strategy and make a bigger positive impact.
• Write, prepare and present ideas and designs in an engaging way so that the audience clearly understands the context, details and implications.
• Contribute in collective reviews of work in a brain trust in order to get a fresh perspective and greater value for our clients.
• Document clear design references with edge cases and states to ensure your designs are developed correctly.
• Design the brands graphic system: typography, colour, imagery and iconography so that it's easy for other teams to express the brand.
• Design and map services in order to understand the front stage and backstage requirements to implement a service.
• Document your design thinking so other teams can easily understand and build on our thought process.

• Write research reports and points of view that provide valuable insight into our clients' customers and market trends.
• Attend / host events to improve your profile and the profile of Pattrn.

• Fast learner and can organise and absorb information quickly.
• Set an inspiring example through positive energy and determination.
• Openly collaborative and willing to share your brain.  
• Detailed orientated and see the importance of craft and consideration. 
• Keen prioritiser and super organised. 
• Open-minded enough to listen to and be influenced by new ideas and perspectives. 
• Calm and natural problem solver.
• Thrive in a culture of constant change. 
• Make a great impression with your gravitas, empathy and a presence.
• Have the ability to move between the high level and the detail. 
• Excellent communicator. 
• Enthusiastic, results driven and commercially aware. 
• Persistent and never accept falling at the first hurdle. 
• No problem being challenged, and challenging others respectfully. 
• Support and advocate the Pattrn Cultural Values.