CoSTAR National R&D Lab - Designer (User Experience)

We are seeking an experienced and creative User Experience Designer to join our CoSTAR Applied Research and Innovation (Prototyping) team - someone who can help the team bring early ideas to life quickly and keep user needs and journeys at the center of all that we do and build.
You will be part of a creative, inclusive and dynamic environment, working with the CoSTAR research teams across all the partners of the National Lab as well as with industry collaborators working at locations in Surrey (Royal Holloway campus) and also our flagship studio in Pinewood.
The team will be developing applications in areas such as AI & Machine Learning; games & 3D development; immersive experiences such as augmented and virtual reality; advanced production technologies such as Virtual Production, Extended Reality; Immersive and Live entertainment.
In this hands-on position, you will be comfortable working collaboratively using agile methods as part of a multidisciplinary innovation team focused on developing a range of pilots, prototypes and software capabilities.
You will get the chance to work with a range of Creative Technologists, software engineers, research producers, as well as to collaborate with external companies. You will be part of a busy and dynamic environment and may be asked to contribute to other research & development activities across the partner institutions of the CoSTAR National Lab.
About the National R&D Lab:
The CoSTAR National Lab for R&D in Creative Technology is the largest ever investment in creative industries R&D in UK history: a £51.1m programme led by Royal Holloway, University of London to develop a National R&D Lab for creative technologies to ensure the UK's screen and performance industries have innovation infrastructure needed to compete globally. Our consortium brings together world-leading research teams from media production, psychology, business and drama at Royal Holloway, Creative-AI at University of Surrey; and Creative (Games) Technologies at Abertay University; as well as the professional training at the National Film & Television School. By partnering with Pinewood Studios, BT and Disguise, the CoSTAR National R&D Lab will place R&D at the heart of UK storytelling and storytelling at the heart of R&D.
What you will be doing (please see the Job Description for full details):
1. Working with StoryFutures and CoSTAR staff and partners to design and develop pilots and prototypes in areas related to emerging creative technologies.
2. You will be developing applications in areas such as AI & Machine Learning; games & 3D development; immersive experiences such as augmented and virtual reality; advanced production technologies such as Virtual Production, Extended Reality; Immersive and Live entertainment.
3. As a Designer in our team, you will be working as part of a multidisciplinary innovation team focused on ensuring high quality design is delivered in line with project goals and delivery cycles.
4. You will get the chance to work with a range of software engineers, content creators, creative technologists, research producers, academic and industry experts as well as to collaborate with external companies.
5. You will be part of a busy and dynamic environment and may be asked to contribute to other research & development activities across the partner institutions of the CoSTAR National Lab.
You should apply if

# You enjoy working in a fast-moving, agile environment, both independently and in teams.
# You have significant experience of working as a user experience designer in application development, with a genuine passion and interest in new and emerging creative technologies and a commitment to work in a focused and professional manner.
# You have solid understanding of user experience development principles, including User research and usability testing; Prototyping, wireframing, user flows & mock-ups; Application development, and experience in two or more of the following areas: 3D modelling and animation (Blender, Maya or equivalent); game development (Unity or Unreal); Visual Design (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Sketch) or software languages (C#, JavaScript).
This post is initially based in Egham, Surrey, but with the expectation of significant working time at the National Lab located within the region and some national travel expected.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a priority for CoSTAR. As such, we actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are especially keen to recruit people from groups currently under-represented in creative technology including women, non-binary and disabled people and ethnic minority/global majority candidates.