Head of Experience Design

We’re making zero carbon happen

We’re OVO Group, a big family of companies united by a single vision: to get to zero carbon, fast. 

We call this Plan Zero – and it shows how we’ll be fighting the climate crisis and transforming the way people use energy over the next decade. To do this, we need the sharpest minds. Are you up for the challenge?

 Do great green things with OVO Energy

So much has changed since we launched in 2009.  Our goal remains the same though: make energy cheaper, greener, and simpler. Just as it was on day one.

Everyone belongs at OVO

Our aim is to build a diverse and inclusive movement: teams of brilliant people, with unique talents, skills, passions, and experiences. 

We encourage everyone to join us, whatever your gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, life experience, or background. So please come as you are – we can’t wait to meet you.

Where in the world of OVO will I be working?

We’re looking for a Head of Experience Design to join our OVO Tech Product family and lead our design practice. OVO Tech encompasses everything from data driven digital experiences to colleague tooling. Our design team focuses on shaping, defining and enabling the user experience for our millions of customers and thousands of colleagues; supporting our customers on their journey to zero carbon, navigating their energy needs both today and critically tomorrow.

What will I be doing?

As a Head of Experience Design you’ll lead our multi-disciplinary design team (including content design), balancing customer needs, technical constraints and commercial goals accordingly. You’ll be working collaboratively with colleagues across OVO Tech and other stakeholders across the company. 

You and your team will plan your way to meeting and exceeding customer expectations, working closely with the Heads of Product and other Leaders across our domains embodying our values (Do what’s right; Find a better way; Build something great) by leaving no stone unturned in finding innovative, fair and inclusive solutions for customers and colleagues.

• You will having previously led a experience design function with a track record of delivering high-quality customer experiences
• Design leadership and experience building and leading high-performing teams
• Extensive knowledge of human-centred design practices across a range of digital channels both fully automated and human augmented
• Expertise in implementing lean, evidence-based approaches to experience design, a solid understanding of agile methods and how design can work optimally in an agile team
• Proven experience in design operations, creating frameworks, systems and tools for autonomous, agile teams enabling operational efficiencies
• A proven leader with experience building and leading a team with a focus on your team’s development and engagement
• Championing design and the work the design team does around the organisation 
• Ability to communicate clearly and deliver a succinct, confident message to a wide range of stakeholders up to and including board level
• Work with heads of product, key stakeholders and your team to plan / agree roadmaps advocating for customer centric change
• Coach your team to set ambitious goals and take the responsibility to do what it takes to meet them, helping your team establish clear priorities and find ways of articulating them with your own team and the wider business.
• Act as an ambassador for and mentor to our design community - using that as an opportunity to learn, get support from other like minded individuals and give back to the wider OVO team.

Is this the job for me?

• Have a passion for understanding real people’s real problems, and an ability to coach the people you work with understand the underlying problem to be solved
• Have a critical thinking process and enjoy studying problems to puzzle out the challenges
• Recognise assumptions (including your own) and seek ways to try and invalidate them
• Have a diverse and evolving toolbox of methods and techniques for visualising problems, as well as for developing and testing solutions
• Are empathetic with colleagues as well as customers, especially when you’re communicating research findings, explaining the rationale behind a narrative, or challenging ways of working
• Know your strengths, and recognise there’s always more to learn from others
• Embrace agile and iteration, and celebrate learning and change
• Enjoy multitasking and thrive in an ever-changing environment

Brilliant benefits for a world-changing team

Our people are at the heart of Plan Zero. That’s why we offer plenty of green benefits and progressive policies to make you feel at home.

For starters, you’ll get 34 days of holiday (including bank holidays).

Then there’s Flex Pay. It’s an extra 9% of your salary on top of your core pay to use as you like. You can take it as cash, add to your pension, or choose to spend it on a huge range of flex benefits.

Here’s a taster of what’s on offer:

For your health
With benefits like a healthcare cash plan or private medical insurance depending on your career level, critical illness cover, life assurance, health assessments, and more

For your wellbeing
With gym membership, gadget, travel and cyber insurance, workplace ISA, will writing services, DNA testing, dental insurance, and more

For your lifestyle
With extra holiday buying, discount dining, culture cards, tech loans, and supporting your favourite charities with give-as-you-earn donations

For your home 
Get up to £300 off any OVO Energy plan (when you pay by Direct Debit), plus personal carbon offsetting and great discounts on smart thermostats and EV chargers

For your commute
Nab a great deal on ultra-low emission car leasing, plus our cycle to work scheme and public transport season ticket loans 

Want to hear about our full range of flexible benefits and progressive people policies? Our People Team can tell you everything you need to know.

Oh, and one last thing...

We’d be thrilled if you tick off all our boxes yet we also believe it’s just as important we tick off all of yours. And if you think you have most of what we’re looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and hit apply. We’d still love to hear from you!