Senior Designer

Location: London (Office with some remote working available)

Contract Type: Permanent

Role Overview

The Senior Designer will lead on the creative communication design for the Trust, communicating the messaging around a just transition to a better planet. They will engage with all the different Trust services, clients, and collaborators. They are responsible for ensuring that projects achieve the aims set by the brief, meet brand guidelines,and are in line with the Trust Ethos. They require excellent creative and technical graphic design capabilities alongside critical and strategic understanding and management skills. They will ensure that projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards. The role requires an ability to work autonomously. They will report directly to the Director of Operations and Business Development.

A self-starting, experienced, creative, and capable designer who applies sound thinking to projects. A professional, self-sufficient designer who is motivated and capable of taking projects from start to finish with full responsibility for their production. Working with others to define a creative brief, develop a strategic and conceptual approach, and deliver an excellent communication design outcome. Aware of their own limits and happy to ask for advice or guidance. Available and willing to help others with queries. Is passionate about sustainability and design with social purpose, and capable of effectively communicating this in their work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take responsibility for the creative vision and standard of output coming from the Trust.
• Manage and deliver multiple projects of varying scales, budgets, and programmes from concept to delivery.
• Distil concepts and client needs into appropriate, sustainable, creative solutions.
• Be a recognised point of contact for communication design in the Trust, proactively developing relationship across the Trust to build a workstream.
• Able to manage and direct external collaborators on projects where needed (such as animators / developers / copywriters / editors)
• Present to, guide and work, with both internal and external clients and their teams.
• Understand and manage financial implications of design decisions.
• Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications Manager to scope projects and create marketing content, both digital and print.
• Capability to clearly specify production elements or work with suppliers to innovate creative solutions.
• Creative and technical leadership on specific design / communication issues.
• Developing good working relationships with peers, both internally and externally.
• Lead or manage practice-wide initiatives.
• Identify and attend events for your own professional development and to expand your own professional network.
• Represent the Trust externally

Who We Are

The Useful Simple Trust (UST) is a family of professional design and consultancy practices. Our 80+ talented and committed engineers, architects, designers and strategists work side-by-side creating positive outcomes for our changing built environment.

Useful Studio, ExpeditionEngineering,UsefulProjectsandThomas Matthewsshare space,ideasandexperience,andregularlycollaborateonarangeofhigh-profileprojectsintheUKand internationally. Our breadth of experience gives us a depth of inter-disciplinary thinking rarely found in the industry.

As a Social Enterprise, B Corp and Employee Benefit Organisation we do things differently. Our people are highly motivated and committed because our structure and values mean that our combined success is shared equitably. We share part of our profit and re-invest the rest in research, social and environmental projects.

Qualifications, Skills & Expertise

• A minimum of 1 years' experience at a senior-level is required.
• A strategic and critical capacity to self-assess concepts, design decisions, and production outputs.
• An experienced understanding of the design and production process and knowledge of different types of production and materials, including digital.
• Experience of delivering a variety of design projects from small print jobs to large scale events or projects in the built environment.
• Experience in creation of impactful and clear data visualisation.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Excellent technical skills in artwork preparation and print processes.
• Ability to communicate verbally and through written work at different levels, both internally and externally.
• Excellent design software skills (Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop a must).
• A good understanding of Canva.
• Good understanding of Microsoft software such as Word and PowerPoint.
• A good team player who is flexible and understanding of others needs.

Desirable (one or more from the following):

• Editing skills would be a bonus but not necessary (Adobe After Effects / Premiere Pro).
• Experience in using Figma for UI.
• Experience using 3d software such as Sketch-Up.

Personal attributes

• Committed and proactive approach, with a passion for creating a better built environment in line with the Trust's values.
• Flexible and adaptable, to work in an SME organisation with a fast moving and growing workpipeline
• Interpersonal skills to build relationships with key stakeholders.

If you have bundles of enthusiasm and the personal, technical and communication skills to match, please submit a cover letter introducing yourself together with a CV and concise illustrated portfolio.By sending us your CV you agree to us keeping your details on our records for six months for recruitment purposes only. If you do not wish for us to do so, please include a statement in your cover letter.