Lead Service Designer – Disability Programme

About the role

The Disability Programme at Oranga Tamariki is launching its first phase to improve services for children, young people, parents and caregivers with disability. The Lead Service Designer will provide design thought leadership, keep abreast of international research, and apply Māori and Pasifika perspectives to shape user‑centred solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Analyse end‑to‑end processes from a user perspective and identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead and facilitate workshops, participatory design sessions and co‑creation activities with internal teams and external partners.
• Develop and present project proposals that balance user needs, legislative requirements, business goals and technology constraints.
• Stay updated on trends and emerging models of disability in child‑ and whānau‑centred contexts.
• Coach stakeholders on human‑centred design methods and embed design thinking across the programme.

Required profile

• Lived experience of disability and strong cultural empathy.
• Proven ability to apply human‑centred design and design thinking to real‑world services.
• Capacity to see the big picture while zooming into detailed design challenges.
• Experience leading workshops and developing actionable design recommendations.

Required skills

• Human‑centred design / design thinking methodologies.
• Facilitation of participatory design processes.
• Use of design tools and frameworks that integrate user, legislative, business and technology requirements.