Key Info

Role: Senior Associate

Job Reference: SA23A

Duration: Permanent, full-time

Location: London (hybrid, with home working available, should come at the office 2-3 days per week), with company policy of being able to work abroad from time zones GMT±2 hours for max 45 days/year depending on specific projects requirements

Reports to: Director

Salary: £38,000–£42,000 p.a DOE + bonus and (incoming) employee share options scheme

N.B: Please provide a covering letter by sending to the email address / attaching to this application, alongside your resume / CV.

The Role

Our organisation is continuing on an exciting phase of growth. Our client base is growing across private and public sectors, and the impact of our work continues to be felt in increased productivity of innovation in our client teams. Some ambitious new projects and accounts are helping organisations get more value from and improve the performance of their innovation efforts. 

We’re looking to bring a Senior Associate into our consulting team. This role reports to one of our Directors, and will primarily be asked to support client engagements, lead project work streams, build strong, trusting relationships, and deliver fantastic outcomes. 

There will be a healthy mix of project management, innovation facilitation, service / product design, and capability building for our clients’ teams. You will work alongside the rest of our core team and talented contractor network, each individual bringing a unique skillset and perspective. 

This role will suit someone who has recently completed a graduate scheme or equivalent experience, looking for an exciting challenge at a fast-paced, fun and growing organisation, helping us to continue to shape direction and expand our reach. Opportunities to manage projects, lead client conversations and develop sales and business development skills and experiences will all be on offer alongside project delivery.

Responsibilities will include:

• Managing and delivering small to medium sized client engagements, or workstreams on larger programmes, ensuring outstanding and flawless delivery of outputs and experience, exceeding client expectations
• Supporting the design and execution of creative and practical programmes with a client-centric approach
• Supporting the identification and development of further engagement opportunities on new and existing client accounts, contributing directly to the growth of the business 

• Team leading junior associates and consultants, overseeing their work and getting opportunities to develop upcoming talent within our team
• Supporting additional aspects of a growing startup business, including business development, industry engagement, and operational activities

Who We Are Looking For

The below is an indicative, but not exhaustive or restrictive, list of experience, skills and mindsets that we are looking for in a successful candidate.

Strongly desired:

• 1-2 years experience in client-facing roles in innovation, strategic, digital or operational consulting, or equivalent industry experience
• Proven track record in being part of a diverse team that delivers successful engagements that delight clients
• Experience facilitating and supporting client or internal workshops, that lead to tangible outcomes and deliverables
• Strong and demonstrable client relationship skills and professionalism
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills
• Ability to flexibly switch between multiple hats and ways of working, be it project managing, designing, or relationship-building
• A hunger to excel and take a role in the continued growth of an exciting, young business

Nice to have:

• Existing knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship methods
• Startup and venture design/building experience
• Service design, UX / UI experience
• Product management experience

The successful candidate will, above all, be a team player, someone who has a deep desire to solve meaningful problems in a group setting, and wants to be part of an honest, open and ambitious team on the cutting edge of corporate innovation efforts.

What We Offer

We’re a young and fast-growing business, so we’re looking to work with passionate and entrepreneurial individuals able to take ownership and thrive in a rapidly evolving environment. 

In return, we offer:

• A fast-paced, exciting and entrepreneurial environment where your potential will find the place to flourish
• Real support from across the team; personal growth is paramount for us, at any level
• Genuinely exciting projects able to positively impact the world
• The promise to try our best to help you achieve your personal career ambitions and objectives, we believe that having opportunities for learning and continuous improvement is crucial in for our team members
• Flexibility in terms of working location; while certain projects may require you to be in person, we appreciate the benefits of shaping your work days around your needs and preferred location 
• An open environment with a free flow of ideas and suggestions on how to continuously improve ourselves, the workplace and how we deliver value for our clients.

About Studio Zao

Studio Zao is an Innovation Consultancy, with the mission to revolutionise the world through making innovation more productive. We believe that, with the right process and approach, an optimal way of measuring success, and above all, fantastic people — ‘Intrapreneurs’ — our clients can scale to new heights in terms of return on investment and innovation impact.

We work with a diverse and expanding range of clients, across every industry and sector, including Aptar, Pearson, EY, the NHS, Target, Pfizer, Institute of Cancer Research, Transport for London, Crisis, UCL, Imperial College London, and local and central government, amongst others. 

We pride ourselves on delivering excellent client outcomes, whilst learning from every engagement, and having fun whilst doing it. We get to work on some of our clients most strategically important challenges, as well as help foster problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills in their teams — as well as in ours!

Our team brings a wide range of skills, experiences and interests to our projects, as we look to activate, co-design, deploy and embed consistent and productive innovation initiatives and capabilities across client organisations. You can find out more about some of our work via our website.

Importantly, we’re a diverse, fun-loving bunch of no-nonsense individuals with an eclectic mix of passions (from field hockey, basketball and knitting, to triathlons, wine tasting and improvised theatre)!

We are people who care about what we do, how we do it and most importantly, why it matters. If you do too, then Studio Zao might just be the place where you can truly flourish.

What next?

Please apply to this role, attaching your CV and a short covering letter that details out your interest in the role and what you could bring to our team.