This is a full-time permanent opportunity to join the Local Peoples team, with your first project supporting the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) and the Australian Government’s digital procurement platform, BuyICT.
Local Peoples is a strategic design consultancy partnering with Australian Government agencies to deliver human-centred design, research, and service design outcomes that improve public services and user experiences across Australia. In this role, you will contribute to meaningful digital transformation work that directly improves how government services are designed and delivered.
You will be embedded within the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), working as part of a multidisciplinary research team supporting the BuyICT platform. You will lead and deliver end-to-end user research activities, ensuring user needs are effectively represented and translated into actionable insights that inform design, product, and policy decisions.
Lead end-to-end user research activities across discovery, design, and delivery phases
Plan and conduct research methods including user interviews, usability testing, workflow mapping, and analysis of existing data
Synthesize findings into clear insights, recommendations, and actionable outputs
Produce high-quality deliverables including reports, personas, journey maps, and wireframes
Collaborate with designers, product teams, and policy stakeholders to embed user-centred design practices
Engage and manage senior stakeholders, facilitating alignment and decision-making
Advocate for accessibility, usability, and strong user experience across digital services
Contribute to improving research standards, tools, and practices within the t eam
Strong experience leading user research in complex digital environments
Deep understanding of human-centred design and UX research methodologies
Proven ability to translate research into actionable insights that influence product and policy decisions
Experience working in multidisciplinary, agile teams
Government experience is highly desirable but not essential
User Research – SFIA Level 5: Leads and drives user research activities, synthesising insights and informing decision-making at scale
Stakeholder Relationship Management – SFIA Level 5: Manages senior stakeholder engagement, facilitates communication, and supports business decision-making
User Experience Analysis – SFIA Level 5: Leads UX analysis activities and contributes to frameworks, standards, and accessibility practices
Must hold an active Baseline Security Clearance (mandatory)
Must be an Australian Citizen
ACT and NSW locations
Hybrid working model
8 hours per day, up to 40 hours per week
Who are Local Peoples?
Local Peoples is a strategic research and design studio based in Melbourne and Canberra.
Our mission is to design healthy, resilient and resourceful communities. We are proud to be a certified B-Corporation with a strong focus on our social, environmental and economic impact.
We work across brand and digital design, place and experience design,, content and community engagement. Our key partners include state and local government, social enterprises, universities and large commercial organisations. All are experiencing complex challenges right now and we believe that design research, thinking and delivery can help to solve these challenges and make positive change for people and the planet.
We produce www.mattersjournal.com, a publication and community of 100K+, which focuses on design-led social innovation and impact.
Why join Local Peoples?
Representative and inclusive - we are dedicated to building an inclusive and accessible workplace for people from diverse backgrounds
Impact driven - work towards achieving real impact for people and the environment
Fantastic culture - driven by a welcoming, supportive and collaborative team environment
Professional support for design excellence- benefit from being a part of one of Australia’s fastest growing design and delivery communities
Flexible working arrangements - including the ability to work remotely
Market rate salaries - attractive remuneration packages in line with the market rate
Flexible employment types - including the preference for permanent, but will consider contracting
Local Peoples proudly supports the LGBTQ+ community, neurodiverse individuals, and First Nations people. We are committed to creating inclusive spaces where everyone, regardless of their identity, feels valued and respected. Together, we strive for equality and a positive future for all.
Local Peoples works, creates, and plays on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Bunurong, and Wathaurong peoples of the Kulin Nation, land which has never been ceded. We thank them for caring for this land for over 40,000 years and recognize and pay our deepest respect to Elders past, present, and emerging. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land
Local Peoples Is a strategic design studio.
Local Peoples is a strategic co-design studio, using human-centred design (HCD) to add economic, social and environmental value to organisations.
We apply HCD methods to address Public Sector challenges, delivering value to government clients and citizens at scale. Helping to co-design policy, services and products, both digital and for the real world, our purpose is to design healthy resilient and resourceful communities.
We also publish Matters Journal, a biannual print and weekly digital journal telling exciting stories from the worlds of design, art, tech, food, health and the environment.
As a B Corp-accredited business, it is Local Peoples' commitment to our community and clients to be the change we want to see in the world. We use business as a force for good, for the purpose of improving our world for future generations.
Our clients: State and Federal Government, Melbourne University, Monash University, Deakin University, RMIT University, Pause Fest, Alpha60, Nike, Red Bull, NCD Free, The World Health Organisation, Australian Unity, Assemble Communities, The Department of Health, Football Australia, Tennis Australia.
