Programme Lead - Capability

About the role

This role sits within the Programmes Team, led by the Chief Design Officer, and is responsible for developing and overseeing the delivery of funded programmes that demonstrate the value of design to organisations that have strategic influence and power at a sector or industry level, growing their capability to use and commission it. It is part of our Design for Planet theory of change, alongside upskilling designers and ensuring Government support through funding and policy. These organisations can include national infrastructure bodies, regional and local government or major businesses across Industrial Strategy sectors.   

The capability programme builds design skills and capabilities across organisations—from leadership to project teams—so design is understood, valued and embedded in how they work. But organisational change alone isn’t enough. We use the insights from our work to drive wider change at the sector and regional level by convening stakeholders, shaping policy, influencing legislation and developing best practice guidance. 

Some well-known offers currently fall within the capability programme portfolio; these include Design Reviews (a legal requirement as part of the National Planning Policy Framework) and our Design Academy offer (a modular training programme). As a result, a lot of our work focuses on the Built Environment, Placemaking, Housing and Infrastructure reflecting the Design Council’s heritage, expertise and networks. 

All of our work at the Design Council is underpinned by our organisational Theory of Change which outlines how we create public value (designers working to reduce emissions and waste and increase biodiversity). To achieve impact, we must upskill designers and increase the supply of green design skills in the marketplace, build awareness of the value of design amongst organisation’s and their ability to commission it and ensure all of this activity is supported by policy and funding.  

Reporting to the Head of Programmes, this is a critical role in ensuring the success of Design Council’s ambition to grow and diversify overall revenue, create lighter touch and passive income streams and develop new and lasting partnerships and funding relationships related to commissioners and capability. 

The role will also have line management responsibility.

Key responsibilities

Leading the organisation’s approach to a commercial, scalable and profitable capability building programme for strategic organisations(commissioners), under the banner of Design Academy, including: 

• Research into the Value of Design for that sector 
• Developing best Practice for that sector (e.g. patterns, principles or guidance) 
• Establishing Design Governance & Leadership across the sector: e.g. Design Champions and Design Review 
• Embedding design skills across the sector through bespoke organisational training or mass-market online courses. (Design Academy) 

Overseeing the development of Regional Design Growth Hubs, working with other Programme Leads to draw in designer skills, research and innovation components. 

Responsible for developing programmes with organisations and/or partners that enable regional, sector or industry growth through building design capability.  

Working with our Fundraising & Partnerships Lead to develop a strategy to grow sponsorship or partner funding for the capability programme that leverages existing relationships across the Design Council and identifies new partner   opportunities    

Expanding our Design Review offer, broadening it to include support for Design Champions (a legal requirement within the Built Environment) and provide a pathway to a broader capability building offer. 

Working with the Head of Programmes and other Programme Leads to ensure that capability aligns with and contributes to the overall Design Council skills mission to upskill 1 million designers and non-designers in green design by 2030.  

Building on our organisational Theory of Change, ensure the capability programme is designed with clear M&E structures to capture our  impact 

Be actively engaged and visible in external networks with potential funders around public sector design capability and pedagogy.  

Find ways to embed key sectorial design areas within the capability programme including place and the built environment, business product and service innovation and public sector service design. 

Leading the business planning, budget and resource management for the capability programme portfolio ensuring that planned activities can be achieved within current financial and resourcing constraints and that they remain strategically aligned with the overall organisation’s objectives 

Developing thought leadership, representing DC at events in relation to capability building in the context of place, business and public sector 

Providing direct line management to programme managers and coordinators as well as in direct project management support to colleagues working on projects within the capability portfolio.

About you

The role requires a driven, self-motivated professional, with solid and demonstrated project / programme management experience and an understanding of and connected with the design and education ecosystem.  

You have an entrepreneurial mindset, seeking out opportunities to fund the development of the programme, and working in partnership to deliver it. 

You must be excellent at building and nurturing relationships, with a wide range of external stakeholders, and effectively collaborate internally across the organisation. 

You thrive on developing people and empowering them to deliver and grow. You are passionate about our Design for Planet and Green Design Skills missions and demonstrate an ability to think strategically as well as commercially and work collaboratively.  

You will also be:

• An excellent communicator 
• Be able to be diplomatic, able to act with confidence and integrity in all situations while influencing others
• Be excellent at synthesising diverse perspectives into clear, concise and accessible communication
• Empathetic, pragmatic and adaptable, with a solutions-mindset 
• Proactive, hands on and willing to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in 
• Confident working at different levels within an organisation 
• Willing and able to take a risk-based approach to making decisions 
• Curious and open to new ideas and ways of working 
• A team player but also comfortable working on your own 
• Resilient and comfortable with navigating and leading through change  
• Aware of some of the challenges and rewards of working in the not-for-profit sector 
• Passionate about Design for Planet

Skills and experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in a project / programme management environment 
• At least 5 years’ experience of working within place and the built environment, but able and keen to work across all commissioner sectors. 
• Demonstrable experience managing multiple projects and balancing strategic programme development alongside project delivery 
• Experience in developing and implementing learning and capability building programmes, and ideally understanding of learning experience design​  
• Understanding and demonstrated experience of routes to market and building partnerships to embed learning frameworks within a variety of settings 
• Experience in translating professional practice into frameworks, toolkits and methods that others can easily understand and action and upskilling people to use them 
• Strong relationship management skills and experience in working with a large group of diverse stakeholders to research and agree a collective way forward 
• Understanding of design thinking and systemic design and be able to communicate the value of design to others 
• Experience of testing and scaling new products and services 
• Effective at fostering relationships with both public and private sector organisations at regional and national level to deliver impact and value to build long term partnerships 
• Demonstratable commercial acumen and understanding of competitive landscape in the development of new products and services 
• Experience of developing compelling business case and pitching to new clients 
• Experience of line managing and/ or coaching 

 

If you think this is the role for you and you would like to join us, please submit your CV and a covering letter by 9 February 2026. Please email Ishbel Allotey, our Head of People if you have any questions about the role: recruitment@designcouncil.org.uk

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