Strategic Service Designer

• Design and test better housing and support services with people with disability
• Turn complex service and system challenges into practical solutions
• Help develop service models that can contribute to broader systems change

ABOUT US

At the Summer Foundation, we work to create lasting systems change so people with disability with high support needs have greater choice about where they live, who they live with and how they are supported.

More than 40,000 Australians with disability with high support needs still have limited housing and support options. We believe better is possible.

Our impact is powered by research, policy and innovation. We work alongside people with disability, providers and other partners to grow bold ideas, test and demonstrate what works, and build the evidence for change. We use this evidence to influence government policy and reform, helping create better housing and support systems at scale.

Since 2006, we’ve helped 7,500 young people with disability avoid aged care and helped scale new approaches to housing, demonstrating what’s possible when evidence, innovation and collaboration drive systems change.

ABOUT YOU

You’re an experienced service designer who enjoys working on complex challenges where there isn’t a simple or obvious solution.

You combine human-centred design with systems thinking, looking beyond an individual service experience to understand the broader environment around it. You’re skilled at bringing together different perspectives, evidence and system insights, making sense of complexity and turning it into practical opportunities for change.

You enjoy being hands-on in the design process, from discovery and synthesis through to journey mapping, service modelling, prototyping and testing. You’re curious, collaborative and comfortable refining ideas as you learn, while keeping sight of what will work for people and what is feasible in the real world.

Your skills and experience:

• 5+ years’ experience in service or experience design, including complex design challenges
• Strong capability in human-centred design and systems thinking, with experience across journey mapping, service blueprinting, prototyping and testing
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to bring together different perspectives and translate complex insights into practical service solutions

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Strategic Service Designer, you’ll help shape and design innovative services that improve housing and living supports for people with disability with high support needs.

This is a hands on service design role. Working within our Innovation Team, you’ll explore complex service and system challenges, bring together evidence and different perspectives, and turn insights into service concepts and models that can be tested in the real world.

You’ll work directly with people with disability and collaborate with providers, partners and internal teams to understand experiences, identify opportunities and develop potential solutions. You’ll prototype and test service concepts, learn what works and refine models with consideration for feasibility, scalability and the broader system.

The insights generated through this work will help strengthen services, inform future innovation and contribute to broader systems change.

Key focus areas include:

• Understand complex services and systems: Use human-centred design and systems thinking to understand experiences, map services and systems, synthesise evidence and identify opportunities for meaningful change.
• Design practical service models: Turn insights and opportunities into service concepts, journeys and models that balance the needs of people with disability with feasibility, scalability and system realities.
• Test, learn and refine: Prototype and test service concepts, bringing together feedback and evidence to strengthen what works and build readiness for implementation or scale.

This is a full-time opportunity within Summer Foundation’s Innovation Team, however part-time arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.

Our office is based in Box Hill, VIC, however, this role offers flexible working arrangements. 

Summer Foundation encourages people with lived experience of disability to apply.

We’re committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within Summer Foundation. That’s why we hire diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process or documents please reach out to recruitment@summerfoundation.org.au or 1300 935 717.

Explore more, access the PD and apply here or via the Summer Foundation website. 

We’ll be reviewing applications and interviewing as applications come in, so we encourage you to apply early.