Job Description
Futureheads have been chosen as the exclusive partner to hire a Head of Design for a global medical technology business, whose devices and software give hope to cancer patients and those with neurological disorders. This is a strategic leadership role, responsible for a design & research org of 25 people, and the long-term vision of design within the business.
The company
The organisation is well-established, with a current headcount of close to 5000 employees and offices in over 100 countries. The focus of the business is both straightforward and complex – straightforward in the sense that their single mission is to provide hope to anyone undergoing cancer treatment globally, and complex in the ways that hope is achieved; whether via state-of-the-art scanning and testing devices, precision guided surgery tools, or treatment-focused software. All products are designed via their internal teams, co-located between core offices in the UK, Central Europe, Scandinavia and the U.S.
The team & opportunity
The design teams responsibility and breadth has expanded significantly over the last 3 years, growing from a team of 3 to 25 designers and researchers spanning both software and industrial design across 3 squads; Hardware, Software, and Usability Engineering (the latter including a significant amount of regulatory usability and research).
Having built a talented, multidisciplinary team the focus is now on advancing the maturity and sophistication of design within the organisation. This is an opportunity to promote designs’ value as a force multiplier, creating hope for patients and clinicians globally. There are a significant number of responsibilities in a broad design leadership role such as this, but to summarise four of the core components to this role:
* Lead a team of 25 designers & researchers, spanning software and industrial design (please note, you will have a direct report that leads the industrial design side of the business, and hands-on industrial design experience is not a pre-requisite for this role).
* Responsible for advancing the maturity and sophistication of design within the organisation, anchored to the core mission of giving hope to patients globally and realising the value of design as a force multiplier.
* Balancing current tactical needs, combined with steering a vision for the future – all within a heavily regulated environment.
* Close collaboration with board-level stakeholders across business leadership, medicine, product, and technology.
The core experience required for this role
* You will need to have design leadership experience within the medical devices / healthcare space, as prior knowledge within this heavily regulated environment is essential for the success of the role.
* Demonstrable experience in leading large, multidisciplinary teams is essential – skill set should span Research, UX & Interaction Design, and Visual Design. Any experience in leading physical device / industrial design teams would be considered advantageous, but not essential.
* Clear experience in advancing the sophistication of design within large organisations.
The practical details
Location: The role can be hired in two locations, but will be anchored to one of core ‘hubs’ where you will be expected to spend 3-days per week on-site. Please note, you must have full right to work in the country that you are based and no visa sponsorship/support can be provided. The locations are:
* Crawley, United Kingdom
* Helsinki, Finland