Business Designer

Freelance, remote

We are looking to bring on a smart, motivated Business Designer to help grow our design agency. This is an opportunity to join a shortlist of approved designers at a growing firm on a freelance basis. You’ll work with us on a project-by-project basis to deliver high-quality work to our clients and level up how we design and scale ventures at ADG. We are looking for designers of all experience levels and backgrounds. If in doubt, contact us or apply!

Want to make a big impact at a growing design company?

ADG partners with startups, venture capital, and large corporations to design and grow new business ventures through venture design and accelerator programs. Our firm has the expertise to offer both consulting and design services. We design, create and support the development of new products and services that redefine contemporary life.

At ADG, we practice a Design & Society approach which balances user needs, systems-thinking and business strategy. ADG has a global portfolio of successful projects across every continent except Antarctica.

Some of these past projects include designing a new venture that rethinks the global supply chain with a Japan-based global automotive manufacturer and leading a startup accelerator that catapulted a former Soviet country, Georgia, into a regional startup and technological hub.

What you’ll do:

You will have the chance to collaborate with an integrated, global, and remote team of designers, researchers and strategists. Our work is fast-paced, never compromises on quality and pushes boundaries. Your work will never just sit on the shelf but will drive change from day one to decades into the future.

You will get to participate in the full process of building transformational innovations, including user and expert research, business and financial modeling, growth hacking, systems thinking and strategic foresight. You’ll get to learn, experiment and try while owning a critical piece of the puzzle.

As a Business Designer with ADG, you’ll be expected to:

• Deliver client projects - Add your unique perspective to planning and executing projects. Lead Business Design workstreams and take part in user and expert research, systems thinking, product design and other workstreams led by other designers.

• Conduct market research - Scan for signals highlighting industry forces, investment activity, the startup ecosystem, and more. Be the voice of the market and bring it into conversations with users, experts and the client. Our projects cover a range of industries and having cross-industry, entrepreneurship or consulting experience is a plus.

• Pitch business opportunities - Own the building of pitch decks and other business communication assets that engage clients and communicate the financial and business strategy behind a new venture. For instance, distilling complex ideas into value propositions. Build partnerships with vendors, investors, startups and experts across the global ecosystem.

• Build business and financial models - Assess the business potential of different solutions from the perspective of the client’s capabilities, market readiness, competition, financial viability, and more. As ventures scale, you may take on an interim role and help transition them to new leadership.

  Design and scale new ventures - This isn’t management consulting and nor will you be just validating someone else’s idea. You’ll be hands on from the beginning shaping the creative and economic nature of new ideas then helping launch and scale them. You may be sourcing technical partners or being the voice of the business throughout the creative process. No day will be the same because ventures change every day as they evolve and scale.

Attributes we’re looking for:

• Self-starter – you don’t need the solution defined for you to be able to start tackling a problem.

• Detail oriented – you’re able to manage complex projects, dependencies, and timelines to execute impeccably every time.

• Highly communicative – you’ll be working remote for this role, so ask questions, keep up to date, and share progress regularly through our online channels.

• Ambitious – you’re hungry for growth, high impact work, and learning from other smart team members and clients .

• Analytical – critical thinking (quantitative and qualitative) drives our approach, and being able to break down problems and analyze its components with rigour is essential.

• Systems and futures thinker – believe design has the potential to impact businesses and societies and can see how design choices we make now reverberate and impact the future

• Values trust and good work – we do not negotiate on quality and build reputation through trusted partnerships.

• Ideal experience – We are hiring for all experience levels. We prefer a relevant Bachelor or Masters degree and/or relevant work experience. Being able to present past projects and experiences that express your passions and skills is a must.

Benefits

• Join a roster of talented, global designers. Be pre-approved and the first to hear about meaningful work opportunities.

• Project lengths vary from 2-day workshops to several months of in-depth design. We recognize and honor that you may be working with other clients or on your own projects

• Competitive rates based on level of experience and qualifications.

• A supportive and collaborative environment where everyone owns a piece of the work and contributes to a larger whole.

• Ability to work remotely anywhere around the world. Some projects have travel opportunities for in-person collaboration (often outside North America!). While we work primarily in PST we are open to considering candidates located anywhere around the world.

We’re happy you’ve made it this far! Our mission to reimagine contemporary life through design gives us energy everyday. If that’s something you’re also excited by, start the conversation by applying here.