Head of Product Design

Snook is on a mission to design a world that works better for people. 

We work with organisations to design more effective products and services which help people thrive. We do this by engaging with users, training our clients and much more.  

Snook started as a service design company in Scotland in 2009. In the past five years, we have grown to just over 60 people and now have user research and product design teams too. And we’ve worked with brilliant clients – from Cancer Research UK and the Scouts Association to Hackney City Council and the Home Office. 

More recently, we’ve started collaborating closely with NEC Digital, the custom software division of our parent company. This allows us to deliver end-to-end services at a scale and quality unique in the market. 

We’ve embraced hybrid working, with many people based remotely, and we have studios in Glasgow and London too.  

• Location: This is a UK home based role. This role can be done remotely, with the option to work in our London or Glasgow studios. You may be asked to visit client offices, Snook or NEC sites for meetings from time to time 

• Contract: Permanent 

• Salary: £70,000 + 

• Hours: Full Time 

• Deadline: 30th August 2023 

• This role requires Security Clearance. You must have resided in the UK continuously for the past 5 years. 

We’re looking for a Head of Product Design who can: 

• Provide leadership across a team of 7, supporting and inspiring them to deliver high quality digital products and services. 

• Represent and promote user centered design practices in technical environments, with both our clients and wider parent company. 

• Support the senior leadership team at Snook and NEC Digital to grow and develop the organisation in line with our company strategy.  

• Represent Snook’s values and promote our services to clients and at external events. 

• Bring an optimistic and entrepreneurial mindset to our work, supporting your peers in the senior leadership team to spot and enable new business opportunities, and provide support with creating proposals and pitching for new business. 

We’re keen to hear from a range of applicants who can demonstrate some, or all, of the following skills and experience: 

• Experience of leading and growing a Product Design team and managing and motivating designers. 

• Experience supporting the training and development of interaction designers and content designers. 

• Experience working in the UK public sector, leading the delivery of digital services that meet the government service standard. 

• A strategic thinker, able to clearly communicate your vision and goals. 

• Experience working with business leaders to develop long term goals and strategies for both a team and company. 

• Experience writing new business proposals and pitching for new client work. 

• A portfolio or case studies that demonstrate successful, evidence-led digital design, tackling complex problems. 

• Expert knowledge of user centred design and how to implement it in a variety of environments. 

• Practical working knowledge of agile and lean methodologies and comfortable leading multidisciplinary teams on client projects. 

• Knowledge on the benefits and limitations of web technologies and contributing to important technical discussions and decisions. 

• Experience working collaboratively with technical disciplines such as software developers, technical architects and business analysts. 

• A good understanding of digital accessibility and the considerations needed to design and build products that meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. 

What we offer

• 29.5 days holiday (this includes bank holidays), 4 of which are fixed to be taken at Christmas. Plus there are up to an additional 3-6 discretionary days for Christmas Closure 
• Snook group pension plan 
• A supportive maternity package 
• Flexible working hours to support family friendly working and other commitments you may have 
• A bike to work scheme 
• A vibrant and supportive online and studio culture 
• Access to Snook social clubs, and opportunity to run your own 
• Invaluable employee assistance programme which can help in every area of your life
• Annual team away-day and quarterly show and tells where we come together as a company, taking time out to learn, reflect, and eat snacks 
• Weekly learning sessions plus an annual training budget 
• We support you with a Snook buddy when you join to get you started 

How to apply

1. Go to our listing and select ‘I’m interested’ 

2. Upload your CV 

3. Add your cover letter - tell us why you think you’d a good fit for the role and why you want to work for Snook 

We’re recruiting continuously so please do apply as soon as possible. This vacancy will close as soon as the position is filled. 

All offers are subject to satisfactory security vetting and reference checks. As standard, all roles undertake a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check. As a provider of services to the UK Government, where necessary we adhere to HMG’s personnel security and vetting policy requiring that minimum personnel security controls are checked as specified in the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). Some roles may require national security vetting clearance at the Security Check (SC) level and Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) Level 3. Where applicable local (non-UK) security checks and vetting schemes will be used to provide sufficient personnel security controls. 

Any questions? 

If you have any questions please get in touch with us at curious@wearesnook.com 

Remote interviews 

Due to Hybrid working, all interviews will be done remotely. We can offer interview times that suit you including outside of work hours. If you have children, caring during or any other circumstances we’re happy to find an interview time that works for you. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We strive for diversity in our team. If we’re going to design services for the public we need to ensure our team is inclusive. Snook encourages applications from all backgrounds, abilities or impairments, communities and industries. We’re committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities. 

Tags