Principal Designer

Overview

As a Principal Design Consultant, you will steer user strategy and design standards across programmes or organisations, shaping outcomes at scale. You’ll lead complex design efforts, influence executive stakeholders, and champion user-centred thinking across disciplines. You’ll mentor practitioners, strengthen Hippo’s design capability, and drive growth while integrating AI into practice. This role offers high-impact leadership at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology.

Pay / Benefits

• Contributory Pension Scheme
• 25 Days Holiday plus UK Public Holidays
• Perkbox discounts
• Life assurance and death in service cover
• Volunteer days
• Cycle-to-work scheme

Responsibilities

• Lead design in complex, high-impact client engagements across programmes or accounts
• Advise senior client stakeholders to shape long-term service strategy with data, insight, and design methods
• Ensure services meet user needs and adhere to GDS standards and accessibility
• Co-lead Hippo’s design practice, growing internal capability during rapid growth
• Evolve practices with AI integration to maintain high-quality, user-centred delivery
• Recruit, mentor, and develop Senior/Lead designers to strengthen capability
• Support pre-sales activities, shaping propositions and illustrating the value of UX-led delivery
• Represent Hippo’s design capability externally through thought leadership and industry engagement

Key requirements

• Extensive principal-level design experience across complex environments and multiple clients
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary, user-centred design throughout product/service lifecycles
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear design directions with measurable outcomes
• Expert consultancy and leadership skills with client-facing problem exploration
• Comfort operating in complex, ambiguous environments and managing multiple workstreams
• Proven track record of mentoring designers and building team capability
• Working knowledge of the GDS Digital Standard or delivering private-sector design projects
• Practical experience applying AI tools and workflows to improve outcomes
• Continuous thought leadership in the design profession

• leadership and mentorship
• stakeholder influence at executive level
• communication of complex concepts clearly
• user-centred design methods
• design leadership in strategic projects
• AI tools and workflows in design

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