Design Engineer (UX/UI & Front End) - Lead - AI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Engineer (UX/UI & Front End) - Lead - AI

Company: Landytech

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Engineering & Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-11

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end product experience strategy and execution for the Sesame platform, focusing on client journey, interaction logic, and visual consistency.

• Drive the development and maintenance of a code-based design system, influencing its components and ensuring its application across AI-generated and human-engineered interfaces.

• Architect and build complex, data-dense financial interfaces, ensuring legibility, precision, and performance under load for investment professionals.

• Direct and refine AI-assisted development processes to meet rigorous design standards, focusing on expressing product logic and intent rather than just component reuse.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role bridges the gap between Design and Engineering, with a strong emphasis on leading product experience through a combination of UX/UI expertise and advanced front-end development skills, specifically within a FinTech context leveraging AI. The "Lead" designation suggests significant autonomy and influence over product direction and team standards.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete front-end user experience layer of the Sesame platform, building critical interfaces, especially those that are dense and complex.

• Develop and maintain the product's design system in code, collaborating with the front-end team and serving as a leading voice on system composition.

• Define and uphold the product's overall look, feel, and consistency, ensuring a cohesive user experience across all touchpoints.

• Engage directly with clients and stakeholders (investment professionals, family offices, advisors) to gather feedback and translate insights into product improvements and new features.

• Craft sophisticated financial interfaces, focusing on aspects like legible tables at scale, precise numerical representation, and robust drill-down functionalities for complex portfolio data.

• Establish and enforce design standards and instructions for AI tooling, critically reviewing AI-generated output to ensure adherence to product logic, density, and intent.

• Drive the engineering efforts related to directing AI tools, ensuring they consistently and deeply integrate with the company's design and product standards.

• Contribute to product strategy by identifying opportunities, defining requirements, and making decisions on what features to build or not build, demonstrating product management instincts.

• Act as an editor and enabler for the broader team, reviewing work, providing guidance, and maintaining the integrity of the design system and product vision.

• Foster genuine curiosity and understanding of financial concepts to effectively design solutions for the FinTech industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on technical execution (building interfaces, design systems in code) and strategic leadership (owning product experience, directing AI, client engagement). The emphasis on "craft" in financial interfaces and "setting the standard AI works to" are key differentiators for this role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, or a related field is implicitly expected given the technical and design demands. Equivalent practical experience will be highly valued.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years in front-end engineering is required, with a proven track record of building and maintaining production-level design systems and handling data-dense interfaces. Experience in product management or direct client-facing roles is strongly valued.

Required Skills:

• 5+ years of experience in front-end engineering.

• Proficiency with React and TypeScript.

• Experience building and maintaining production design systems, not just consuming them.

• Expertise in creating data-dense interfaces at scale, including virtualised tables and charting.

• Fluency with AI-assisted development tools and methodologies.

• Ability to define and specify standards for AI tooling to ensure product logic and consistency.

• Demonstrated UX judgement and ability to articulate design flaws and improvements.

• Experience working directly with users and owning product experiences.

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with experience in reviewing others' work and teaching.

• Genuine curiosity and willingness to learn about finance and investment management. Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with UI libraries such as shadcn/ui.

• Experience with performance optimization for complex interfaces under real load.

• Product management instincts, including experience with client interviews and outcome ownership.

• Ability to think in terms of objects, relationships, and states before components.

• Strong aesthetic sense in hierarchy, typography, density, and restraint.

• Experience in developing upstream product strategy and identifying what should not exist.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "5+ years" suggests a role that expects a blend of senior technical execution and emerging leadership. The emphasis on "real UX judgement" and "directing AI" over simply using AI tools indicates a need for strategic thinkers with deep domain understanding.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of shipped interfaces that demonstrate your front-end engineering capabilities and UX/UI design thinking.

• Examples of complex, data-dense interfaces (e.g., virtualised tables, charting) and the technical challenges overcome.

• Case studies detailing the design and development of specific features or components, highlighting decision-making processes and outcomes.

• Evidence of experience with design systems, whether building, maintaining, or significantly contributing to one.

• Demonstrations of how you have directed AI tools in the design or engineering process, outlining the standards and specifications you established. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of a structured approach to problem-solving and feature development, particularly for complex financial data.

• Examples of how you have contributed to or led the definition of design system components and their implementation in code.

• Documentation or explanation of how you have gathered and acted upon user feedback to iterate on product experiences.

• Any materials or explanations that illustrate your ability to set standards and critically review AI-generated output for design consistency and product logic.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "shipped interfaces" and "decisions behind them" rather than a formal portfolio suggests a preference for tangible, real-world contributions. The focus is on demonstrating applied expertise in building complex interfaces and guiding AI development, rather than a curated presentation of theoretical work.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on London, England, United Kingdom location, 5+ years of experience in a lead front-end/UX role within the FinTech sector, and the highly specialized nature of AI-assisted development, a competitive salary range is estimated between £70,000 - £100,000 per annum. This estimate accounts for the hybrid work model and the significant responsibilities of leading product experience.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and stock options: Reflects the company's growth stage and desire to attract top talent.

• Hybrid working: Offers flexibility with a balance of remote and in-office collaboration.

• Private medical insurance with Bupa for you and your family: Comprehensive health coverage.

• Death in service insurance option: Financial security for dependents.

• Pension plan with NEST: Retirement savings provision.

• Cycle to Work scheme and gym allowance: Promotes employee well-being and active lifestyles.

• Office food and drinks, regular socials: Enhances workplace experience and team cohesion.

Working Hours: The role implies a standard full-time commitment, likely around 40 hours per week, with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid working arrangement. Specific daily hours may be adaptable to team needs and individual productivity peaks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is derived from industry benchmarks for lead front-end engineers and UX specialists in London, considering the FinTech sector's premium for specialized skills, particularly in AI and design systems. Landytech's recent Series B funding ($12M) suggests the capacity to offer competitive compensation and equity.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech (specifically, Investment Management Technology) - Landytech provides an industry-leading investment reporting platform, Sesame, to investment managers, asset owners, and their advisors. The market context involves a growing demand for sophisticated data access and insights to drive informed investment decisions.

Company Size: 80+ staff. This size indicates a company that has moved beyond startup phase, is well-funded (Series B), and is scaling rapidly. It suggests a dynamic environment with established processes but still retaining agility and opportunities for individual impact.

Founded: 4 years ago (from January 2023). This relatively young age implies a culture of innovation, rapid iteration, and a forward-thinking approach, particularly in adopting new technologies like AI.

Team Structure:

• The role is part of a growing engineering and product team, with a specific emphasis on AI integration. You will work alongside other front-end engineers and product managers.

• Reporting likely to a Head of Product, CTO, or a senior engineering lead, with significant autonomy in owning the product experience.

• Cross-functional collaboration is key, involving close work with product management, other engineers, and potentially direct engagement with sales, client success, and end-users. Methodology:

• AI-driven Product Development: AI is integrated across all stages of design and engineering, not just in final production. This implies a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement of AI tooling.

• Code-based Design System: The design system is a living part of the codebase, ensuring consistency and enabling AI tooling. This requires a strong engineering discipline and collaborative approach.

• Iterative Tooling: Expecting and adapting to tooling changes every few months indicates a commitment to staying at the cutting edge and optimizing workflows.

Company Website: https://www.landytech.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Landytech's focus on "revolutionising" investment information access and its rapid growth post-Series B funding suggest an ambitious and fast-paced environment. The explicit mention of diversity (15+ countries, 14 languages) points to an inclusive and global-minded culture.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Lead" Design Engineer, signifying a senior individual contributor role with significant ownership and influence. It's a step beyond a standard senior engineer, focusing on shaping the product's user experience and design language, particularly in the context of AI integration. This level requires strategic thinking, technical depth, and the ability to guide others.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a senior leader within the product or engineering department (e.g., Head of Product, CTO). While you will own specific areas, collaboration with a product manager and other engineers is integral to the process.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is direct and substantial. By owning the end-to-end product experience, you will shape how investment professionals interact with critical financial data, directly influencing client satisfaction, retention, and the platform's market positioning. Setting the standards for AI-driven development also positions Landytech at the forefront of FinTech innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-assisted development, advanced front-end architecture for data-dense applications, and design system engineering.

• Product Leadership: Grow into a Product Owner or Head of Product Experience role, taking on more strategic decision-making and team leadership responsibilities.

• Cross-functional Influence: Expand influence across engineering, product, and client-facing teams, becoming a key voice in the company's product strategy and development processes.

• Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in FinTech and investment management, becoming an expert in designing for this complex domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title and the emphasis on "owning the experience" suggest that this role is designed for individuals ready to take significant responsibility and shape product direction. Growth opportunities are likely to be in deepening specialized skills or moving into broader product leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model. This suggests a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration. The office in London likely serves as a hub for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and fostering company culture.

Office Location(s): London, England, United Kingdom. This prime location offers access to a vibrant tech and finance ecosystem. Specific details about the office's amenities or accessibility would typically be available upon inquiry or during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on team interaction suggest opportunities for both focused individual work and collaborative problem-solving sessions, both in-person and virtually.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Expect a modern tech stack including React, TypeScript, and cutting-edge AI development tools. The company's commitment to evolving tooling means you'll likely have access to and influence over the technologies used.

• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with product managers, fellow engineers, and potentially direct engagement with clients will be a significant part of the daily work.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule (approx. 40 hours/week) is expected, with flexibility inherent in the hybrid model. The focus will be on outcomes and meeting project deadlines rather than strict adherence to office hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role requires self-discipline and strong communication skills to maintain collaboration and productivity across different work settings. The London office location places employees within a major global financial and technology hub.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Portfolio/Work Conversation: An initial discussion focused on your shipped interfaces and the decisions behind them, rather than a traditional portfolio. Be prepared to walk through specific examples of your work and explain your thought process.

• Short Practical Exercise: A hands-on task based on a real Sesame flow, designed to assess your problem-solving skills, UX judgment, and ability to work with complex data in a time-constrained setting.

• Working Session: A collaborative session with a product manager and an engineer. This will likely involve problem-solving, design ideation, or code review, assessing your ability to integrate into the team and contribute effectively.

• Final Evaluation: Comprehensive assessment of your technical skills, design acumen, strategic thinking, cultural fit, and potential impact on the product and team.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Tangible Work: Select 2-3 key projects that best represent your experience with data-dense interfaces, design systems, and AI-assisted development. Prepare to discuss the "why" and "how" behind each.

• Demonstrate UX Judgement: Clearly articulate the problems you solved, the user needs you addressed, and the design decisions you made. Explain why a particular design was chosen over alternatives.

• Explain AI Integration: If applicable, detail how you directed AI tools, the standards you set, and the critical evaluation of AI output. This is a unique selling point for this role.

• Showcase Technical Rigor: Be ready to discuss the technical challenges, such as performance optimization for virtualised tables or complex charting implementations, and how you addressed them.

• Highlight Leadership Potential: Emphasize instances where you've reviewed others' work, mentored team members, or influenced product direction.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Familiarize yourself with investment management concepts, common financial data visualizations, and the challenges of presenting dense financial information.

• Practice Data-Dense UI: Work on creating mockups or small prototypes of complex tables, charts, and dashboards that handle large datasets efficiently.

• Think AI-First: Consider how AI can be leveraged beyond simple generation. Focus on how to direct AI to adhere to specific design principles, product logic, and brand consistency.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss design and technical trade-offs, especially in a context where AI is involved and a human "editor" is needed to ensure quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to be practical and reflective of the role's demands. The emphasis on "work conversation" over a traditional portfolio suggests a need for authenticity and demonstrated impact. The practical exercise and working session are crucial for assessing hands-on capability and team fit.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• React: The core JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Proficiency is essential.

• TypeScript: For static typing, enhancing code quality and maintainability in large projects.

• shadcn/ui (Valued): A popular component library that can be customized, indicating a preference for building with robust, well-structured UI elements.

• AI-Assisted Development Tools: This is a key area. The company uses AI heavily at every stage. Candidates need to be adept at directing AI, specifying parameters, and critically evaluating its output. This could involve various AI coding assistants, design generators, or custom AI tooling.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Virtualised Tables: Essential for handling large datasets efficiently in tabular interfaces. Understanding libraries and techniques for this is crucial.

• Charting Libraries: Proficiency with libraries for creating complex financial charts and visualizations.

• Performance Monitoring Tools: Ability to use tools to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in complex front-end applications.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly mentioned as a primary focus for this role, understanding how front-end interfaces integrate with backend systems, CRMs, and data pipelines would be beneficial. The role's client-facing aspect implies an understanding of the broader customer journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes modern front-end development (React, TypeScript) with a strong emphasis on AI integration and data visualization for complex financial applications. The mention of "tooling changes every few months" suggests a culture of adopting and optimizing new technologies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• AI-Centric Innovation: A core value is leveraging AI not just as a tool, but as a fundamental part of the product development process, driving efficiency and new capabilities.

• Craftsmanship & Precision: A deep commitment to high-quality design and engineering, particularly in handling dense financial data where accuracy and clarity are paramount.

• User Focus: A dedication to understanding and serving the needs of investment professionals, ensuring the product delivers tangible value and a superior client journey.

• Ownership & Accountability: A culture where individuals are empowered to own significant parts of the product experience and are accountable for their outcomes.

• Continuous Improvement: An embrace of evolving tooling and methodologies, fostering a learning environment where experimentation and adaptation are encouraged.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close collaboration between design, engineering, and product management is expected, with shared responsibility for product success.

• Constructive Feedback Culture: A willingness to provide and receive critical feedback, particularly in design reviews and code reviews, to elevate the quality of work.

• Knowledge Sharing: An environment where team members are encouraged to share best practices, insights from user interactions, and learnings from AI tool usage.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of cutting-edge technology adoption (AI), a strong emphasis on design and engineering quality ("craft"), and a user-centric, outcome-driven approach. The diverse team composition suggests an inclusive and globally-minded workplace.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Directing AI Effectively: The primary challenge is not just using AI, but directing it to produce outputs that meet the company's high standards for product logic, density, and intent. This requires sophisticated specification skills and critical evaluation.

• Balancing Design & Engineering: Merging deep UX/UI judgment with robust front-end engineering, especially within a rapidly evolving AI-driven development process.

• Handling Data Density: Designing and engineering interfaces that remain performant and legible when dealing with extremely large and complex financial datasets.

• Maintaining Consistency: Ensuring a cohesive look and feel across a product where AI plays a significant role in interface generation, alongside human engineering.

• Client Engagement in FinTech: Navigating the specific needs and complexities of investment professionals and their advisors to translate their requirements into effective product solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Development Specialization: Become a leader in AI-assisted product development, mastering techniques for directing AI and integrating it into design systems.

• Advanced Front-End Architecture: Deepen expertise in building highly scalable, performant, and data-intensive web applications.

• FinTech Domain Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of the investment management industry, its data, and its user workflows.

• Product Strategy Influence: Develop strategic product thinking and potentially move into more leadership-focused roles within product management or design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the innovative nature of the role, particularly the sophisticated use of AI in product development and the demands of the FinTech domain. Growth opportunities are aligned with developing these specialized skills and taking on greater strategic responsibility.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Product Strategy: "How would you approach defining the 'one thing' that the product should feel like, and what steps would you take to ensure consistency across AI-generated and human-engineered interfaces?" (Focus on defining design principles, establishing review processes, and using AI tooling to enforce standards.)

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: "Describe a time you had to advocate for a design decision that was technically challenging or went against an initial suggestion. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a case study demonstrating your ability to influence stakeholders and manage trade-offs.)

• Problem-Solving: "Imagine a user reports that a dense financial table is slow to load and difficult to read. How would you diagnose the issue, and what design and engineering solutions would you propose?" (Demonstrate your analytical process, understanding of performance optimization, and UX considerations for dense data.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Operations Culture: "Given Landytech's heavy reliance on AI in product development, how do you see your role as a Design Engineer contributing to and shaping that culture?" (Showcase your understanding of AI's strategic role and your proactive approach to directing it.)

• Team Dynamics: "How do you prefer to collaborate with product managers and other engineers, especially in a hybrid environment? How do you approach giving and receiving feedback on design and code?" (Highlight your communication skills, adaptability, and willingness to contribute to a positive team dynamic.)

• Impact Measurement: "How would you measure the success of the product experience you are responsible for? What metrics would you track, and how would you demonstrate ROI for UX/UI improvements?" (Focus on quantifiable outcomes and linking design decisions to business objectives.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each example, start with the user problem or business objective, then present the solution (your work), and finally, detail the impact and lessons learned.

• Focus on Decisions: Emphasize the critical decisions made during the design and development process, especially those related to user experience, technical implementation, and AI direction.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics (e.g., improved performance, increased user engagement, reduced errors) to demonstrate the value of your contributions.

• Explain AI's Role: Clearly articulate how AI was used, how you directed it, and how you ensured its output met your standards. This is a key differentiator.

• Be Ready for Technical Deep Dives: Be prepared to discuss the technical architecture, code quality, and specific challenges related to building complex interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on demonstrating strategic thinking, practical problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of the unique aspects of this role, particularly its AI integration and FinTech context. Prepare to discuss your decision-making process and tangible results.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Workable.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your experience with React, TypeScript, design systems, and data-dense interfaces. Explicitly mention any experience with AI-assisted development and your ability to direct AI tools. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Work Examples: Select 2-3 key projects that best showcase your experience. Focus on shipped interfaces and be ready to discuss the decisions behind them, rather than preparing a formal portfolio.

• Practice Your Interview Responses: Rehearse answers to potential strategy, technical, and behavioral questions, focusing on demonstrating your UX judgment, technical depth, and ability to lead product experience.

• Research Landytech: Understand their mission, platform (Sesame), recent funding, and company culture. Be prepared to discuss how your skills and approach align with their innovative, AI-driven approach to FinTech.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.