London, UK
Design researcher
at Kennedy Woods Architecture
Kennedy Woods is hiring a design researcher to join its team in London.
Kennedy Woods is seeking a design researcher for a six-month contract, to assist with several large-scale, built-environment/architecture projects.
About you
You are a design researcher with five years of experience, preferably within the built environment.
You likely have expertise in urban planning and development, real estate, sustainability, demographics, economics, technology and innovation, and/or investment and capital markets.
You’re an effective communicator. You are adept at engaging with diverse communities, translating industry language into plain English, and sharing impactful insights.
You enjoy working within a team, and are able to support others by sharing your insights to further their understanding. You are highly organised, fastidious about detail, and enjoy complex problem-solving.
The job:
- work closely with the directors to coordinate and run a portfolio of design research projects
- work with stakeholders and design teams to identify which research methodologies are best suited for this project
- ensure the qualitative work, which might include in-depth interviews, diary studies and contextual inquiry, is grounded in a contextual understanding of what matters to the people we are designing for
- ensure the quantitative work is empirical and statistically rigorous when understanding people’s behaviours and attitudes, and generates actionable insights
- produce a range of design research artefacts (eg personas, user journey maps, mental models) that guide design decisions and enable evidence-based decision making
- deliver results on time and within budget.
About us
Kennedy Woods Architecture is an interdisciplinary creative studio that works across architecture, design, strategy and storytelling to deliver projects of social value. We work in a light-filled studio in the Bussey Building, two minutes from Peckham Rye overground station, in south London.
We believe a strong culture is the key to achieving fulfilment, producing great work and building lasting relationships. Ours is based upon the following values, which are at the heart of everything we do.
Empathy:
- put yourself in the other person’s shoes
- communicate simply and clearly
- be open, inclusive, and approachable
Integrity:
- produce work of social value that solves real problems
- be optimistic, and inspire others to be courageous
- rigorously question assumptions throughout the design process
Tenacity:
- always strive to be ambitious, innovative and explorative
- bring engagement, energy and intensity
- be a Gyshido-san
Spark:
- create memorable experiences
- be optimistic, and inspire others to be courageous.
We want to hear from you if:
- you share our values
- you believe in the social responsibility of design
- your interests are broader than just architecture
- you are interested in design thinking
- you’re fired-up by this job ad
What we can offer:
- pay scale in line with industry standards
- good work/life balance with no work-late culture
- professional development plan and support
- join a thriving creative community in Peckham
How to apply
Please submit a CV, portfolio of recent work using the apply for job button below.
Instead of adapting a generic cover letter, please provide four 140 character responses to the following questions:
- who are you? What is your story?
- what’s your favourite aspect of your current or most recent job and why?
- what interests you most in the world? (except design/architecture!)
Please note, applicants volunteering to work unpaid will have their applications discarded immediately without consideration.
Referrals
If you aren’t interested but know someone who might be, we are offering a £250 sign-up fee to anyone who recommends a successful applicant. Please remember to state why you think they would be the perfect match!