Life at Capacity: Becky Austin
Tell us a little bit about your job at Capacity.
I work in Capacity’s Design and Doing team, which basically means I get to spend my time with a really brilliant bunch of smart, creative people who think about and test different ways that public services could work.
It’s always a really interesting mix of projects and clients – local authorities, charities, NHS. I’ve worked on the frontline, so I know exactly how broken systems can fail people and communities. That’s why I’m here, to do stuff that actually matters to people.
A lot of my current work is focused on Social Climbers, a programme funded by the Postcode Innovation Trust, thanks to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. It’s all about working with social enterprises, voluntary and community organisations to scale up their impact. I love being able to help organisations unlock their potential. You’re working closely with people who are passionate about change and genuinely want to move stuff forward. That energy makes the work exciting.
What does a typical day look like?
There’s no typical day. Today started at 8 am, with checking the business development inbox to see if any new enquiries or opportunities have come in – it’s something we share across the team. We’re not that big of an organisation, so you’re involved end-to-end.
Then it was straight into meetings. First up was a lovely conversation with a client working on services for care-experienced young people, then a call with a local charity exploring new opportunities. Later on, I’ll be doing project work and internal catch-ups. If I’m lucky, I might get in a quick run before it gets dark.
You’re never stuck doing the same thing. One day you’re deep in design work, the next you’re developing strategy with a client or talking to young people about how they can be involved in designing and shaping services and seeing ideas come to life.
What’s one project or moment that’s made you think, ‘This is why I love working here’?
It’s a buzz when projects you’ve worked on make a real impact. I finished working with a major charity just before Christmas, and they’re already starting to do some of the stuff we’d worked on. They’re recruiting for a role that was a big part of driving the work forward.
That’s why I really like the Social Climbers programme. People genuinely want to move stuff into action.
If you could describe the culture at Capacity for a future teammate, what would it be?
Hard to pick, but I’m going, ‘authentic, fast-paced and friendly’. It’s a culture that’s all about collaboration and getting stuff done. And people just really care. You feel it the minute you walk in.
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