Lead UX Designer – AI Workforce Experience

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Designer – AI Workforce Experience

Company: easyJet

Location: Luton, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: May 1, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end UX design and user research practice for a portfolio of employee-facing AI products, including super-agent experiences and AI productivity tooling.

• Translate complex AI capabilities into intuitive, high-quality user experiences and user interfaces (UX/UI).

• Uncover real colleague needs and ground product decisions in empirical evidence through robust user research methodologies.

• Serve as a senior individual contributor, setting the benchmark for design quality and fostering influence across the AI Workforce Experience team's initiatives.

• Operate within an agile product team environment, contributing to the transformation of how colleagues work through AI-enabled tools and platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically focused on the "AI Workforce Experience" team, indicating a strategic initiative by easyJet to leverage AI for internal operations and employee productivity. The emphasis on both design and research (a "true 50/50 role") suggests a need for a candidate who can deeply understand user needs and translate them into both functional and aesthetically pleasing AI-driven solutions. The potential evolution into a "chapter lead" role signifies a leadership track within the UX/Product Design discipline.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead Design Strategy & Execution: Drive the user-centered design process for AI-powered employee tools, from initial concept and user research through to polished, production-ready UI designs.

• Conduct User Research: Plan, execute, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative user research to deeply understand employee needs, pain points, and workflows, ensuring AI solutions are practical and trustworthy.

• Develop Intuitive UX/UI: Design complex AI capabilities into simple, intuitive, and engaging user interfaces that enhance productivity and user satisfaction across various employee roles.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Technology, HR, Operations, and Product teams to define product roadmaps, align on user needs, and ensure the successful implementation of AI-driven solutions.

• Set Design Standards: Establish and maintain high standards for UX/UI quality, consistency, and accessibility across the AI Workforce Experience portfolio.

• Influence Stakeholders: Confidently present design rationale, research findings, and strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders, defending decisions with evidence and fostering buy-in.

• Champion Best Practices: Advocate for user-centered design principles and best practices within the team and across the wider organization, particularly concerning AI-specific UX challenges.

• Iterate and Improve: Continuously gather feedback and data to iterate on existing AI products, driving ongoing improvements in user experience and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on role requiring a blend of strategic thinking and detailed execution. The focus on "internal or enterprise products, particularly complex, workflow-driven tools" and "AI-specific UX challenges (trust, transparency, onboarding)" indicates a need for experience beyond consumer-facing design, emphasizing the unique demands of designing for a corporate workforce and emerging AI technologies.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Proven experience (typically 5-10 years) as a Senior UX/UI Designer and/or User Researcher, with a strong track record of end-to-end product design.

• Demonstrable experience designing internal, enterprise, or complex workflow-driven tools.

Required Skills:

• UX/UI Design Craft: Exceptional ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing interfaces.

• User Research Expertise: Proficiency in planning, conducting, and synthesizing various qualitative and quantitative research methods (e.g., interviews, usability testing, surveys, data analysis).

• Portfolio: A strong, compelling portfolio showcasing end-to-end design thinking, user research insights, and polished, production-ready designs for complex products.

• Figma Proficiency: Essential and advanced proficiency in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills to effectively influence and collaborate with diverse stakeholders across business units.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to tackle complex, ambiguous problems and devise elegant, user-centered solutions.

• Agile Methodologies: Experience working effectively in cross-functional Agile teams.

Preferred Skills:

• AI Product UX: Familiarity with AI-powered products and unique UX challenges such as trust, transparency, onboarding, and managing user expectations.

• Research & Usability Tooling: Experience with tools such as Maze, Userlytics, Hotjar, or similar platforms for user research and usability testing.

• Accessibility Standards: Working knowledge of accessibility standards, including WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and W3C guidelines.

• Design System Experience: Experience contributing to or utilizing design systems for consistent product development.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with tools used for project management and collaboration in remote/hybrid environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "internal or enterprise products" and "complex, workflow-driven tools" is crucial. Candidates should highlight projects that involved significant user flows, intricate data visualization, or systems designed for professional users rather than general consumers. The requirement for Figma is non-negotiable, and candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their proficiency within their portfolio.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Design Process: Showcase a minimum of 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating your entire design process, from problem identification and user research to ideation, prototyping, UI design, and final outcomes.

• Problem Framing & Research: Clearly articulate the problem statement, research objectives, methodologies used, key insights derived, and how these insights directly informed design decisions.

• Solution Design & Iteration: Detail the design solutions, including wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity UI mockups. Explain the rationale behind design choices and any iterations based on feedback or testing.

• Impact & Outcomes: Quantify the impact of your designs where possible, using metrics related to user satisfaction, task completion rates, efficiency gains, adoption rates, or other relevant business KPIs. If quantitative data is unavailable, provide qualitative evidence of success.

• AI/Complex System Focus: Prioritize case studies that involve complex systems, enterprise tools, or ideally, AI-powered products, demonstrating your ability to handle intricate user needs and technical constraints.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Mapping: Demonstrate experience in mapping and analyzing existing workflows to identify areas for improvement through AI-driven solutions.

• User Journey Mapping: Illustrate the creation and use of user journey maps to understand the employee experience and pinpoint opportunities for UX enhancements.

• Usability Testing Protocols: Show examples of how you have structured and executed usability tests, including defining test scenarios, participant recruitment, and data analysis.

• Design System Contribution: If applicable, present work related to contributing to or maintaining design systems, showcasing an understanding of scalable and consistent design.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, the portfolio is paramount. Candidates must be prepared to walk through their case studies in detail, explaining not just what they designed, but why and how they arrived at their solutions, with a strong emphasis on the research underpinning their work. Given the AI focus, case studies that touch upon similar technological challenges or complex workflow optimization will be highly advantageous.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• £60,000 - £85,000 per annum (estimated)

• Note: This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Designers with 5-10 years of experience in the London/South East England region, considering the hybrid work model and the specialized nature of AI product design within a large enterprise. Actual compensation will depend on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and interview performance.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and annual bonus structure.

• Generous easyJet staff travel benefits, offering significant personal travel discounts.

• Comprehensive pension scheme to support long-term financial planning.

• Life assurance coverage for added peace of mind.

• A flexible benefits package, allowing customization to individual needs and preferences.

Working Hours:

• 40 hours per week.

• This is a hybrid role, requiring approximately 3 days per week in the Luton head office, with the remaining time available for remote work. This structure provides flexibility while ensuring in-person collaboration and team integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for the UK market, specifically London/South East, for a senior-level UX role. The specific benefits like "staff travel benefits" are highly attractive in the airline industry and should be a key consideration for candidates. The hybrid model is clearly defined, indicating a structured approach to flexible working.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Aviation / Travel / Technology

Company Size: Large (10,000+ employees) - easyJet is a major European airline with a significant global presence. This size implies complex organizational structures, established processes, and opportunities for impactful work across a broad user base.

Founded: 1995 - With over 25 years of operation, easyJet has a mature business model and a strong brand identity, now focused on digital transformation and AI integration.

Team Structure:

• AI Workforce Experience Team: This is an emerging, high-impact group. It operates as a specialized unit focused on AI-driven transformation.

• Reporting Structure: Likely reports into a Head of Digital Product, Head of Technology, or Chief Digital Officer, with a direct reporting line to a Product Lead or Design Lead within the AI domain.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The team is designed to partner closely with Technology, HR, Operations, and Product Management. This means the Lead UX Designer will work with a variety of departments, requiring strong communication and influencing skills.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasis on grounding product decisions in evidence from user research and analytics.

• Agile Product Development: The team operates within agile frameworks, necessitating iterative design, continuous feedback, and adaptability.

• User-Centricity: A core tenet is transforming work through AI-enabled tools that are practical, trustworthy, and genuinely useful to employees.

• Innovation & Emerging Tech: A focus on exploring and implementing AI and emerging technologies to solve business challenges and improve employee experiences.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: easyJet's status as a major airline means the "workforce" is diverse, ranging from cabin crew and pilots to ground staff and corporate functions. Designing AI tools for such a varied audience presents unique challenges and opportunities for impact. The company culture is defined by its "Promise Behaviours": Safe, Bold, Welcoming, and Challenging, which should inform how candidates approach their work and interactions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor transitioning towards a potential "Chapter Lead" role. This indicates a path for growth from leading design on specific projects to potentially overseeing UX/Research strategy and practice for a broader AI/Workforce Transformation agenda.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to a Product Manager, Head of UX/Design, or a similar senior figure within the digital or AI product division. Close collaboration with engineering leads, product owners, and business stakeholders (HR, Operations) is expected.

Operations Impact: The AI Workforce Experience team is positioned as a "high-impact group" focused on transforming how colleagues work. The Lead UX Designer's work will directly influence employee productivity, efficiency, satisfaction, and the adoption of new technologies, which indirectly supports operational excellence and cost-effectiveness within easyJet.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: The explicit mention of evolving into a "chapter lead" role provides a clear growth path towards managing a team or a specialized function within UX/Research.

• Specialized Skill Development: Deepening expertise in designing for AI, understanding AI ethics, trust, and transparency in user interfaces.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gaining in-depth understanding of various business units (HR, Operations, Technology) and their operational challenges.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the AI strategy for employee experience and influence product roadmaps at a senior level.

• Industry Visibility: Working on innovative AI applications within a well-known brand can offer opportunities for professional recognition and industry engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "chapter lead" progression is a significant aspect. Candidates should think about how they can not only excel as an individual contributor but also start mentoring junior designers, contributing to design team processes, and potentially taking on team management responsibilities in the future. This role offers a blend of deep craft execution and strategic leadership potential.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, with a significant portion of time expected at the Luton head office. This suggests a structured environment that balances remote flexibility with in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): Luton, England, United Kingdom. This location serves as easyJet's operational hub.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Being in the office 3 days a week facilitates face-to-face collaboration, ideation sessions, workshops, and team building with colleagues in the AI Workforce Experience team and other departments.

• Access to Tools & Technology: As a leading airline, easyJet will likely provide a robust technology infrastructure, including necessary hardware, software licenses (e.g., Figma, research tools), and network access for design and research activities.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to engage with a diverse range of employees for research, feedback, and to understand their daily work challenges, which is critical for designing effective AI tools.

• Agile Team Dynamics: The work environment will be fast-paced and iterative, typical of agile product development teams.

Work Schedule:

• The standard working hours are 40 hours per week. The hybrid model allows for flexibility in how these hours are structured, with a clear expectation for office presence on specific days. This structure supports focused work on design and research tasks, while also enabling essential in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "3 days per week" in the office is a key detail. Candidates should be comfortable with this expectation and consider how they will maximize their in-office time for collaborative activities and team engagement, while using remote time for focused design work and research analysis.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, focusing on 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate their end-to-end design process, research capabilities, and impact. Expect in-depth questions about their rationale, methodologies, and problem-solving approaches.

• Design/Research Challenge: A practical exercise, which could involve critiquing an existing AI UX, proposing a solution for a given problem, or conducting a mini-research plan. This assesses practical skills and thought process.

• Stakeholder/Team Interviews: Meetings with potential team members, product managers, engineering leads, and potentially business stakeholders to evaluate collaboration style, communication skills, and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Likely with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Design, CTO, or Product Lead) to discuss overall fit, vision, and potential for growth.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Wisely: Select 2-3 projects that best represent your senior-level experience, end-to-end process, and ideally, relevant experience with complex or AI-related products.

• Tell a Story: Structure each case study as a narrative: the problem, your approach, your process, the solution, and the outcome/impact. Clearly articulate your role and contributions.

• Highlight Research: Emphasize the user research conducted, the insights derived, and how these insights directly influenced your design decisions. This is critical for a research-heavy role.

• Showcase AI Nuances: If you have AI-related projects, specifically call out how you addressed challenges like trust, transparency, user onboarding, and managing AI's perceived capabilities.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Expect detailed questions about your design decisions, trade-offs made, and how you measured success.

• Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to demonstrate specific Figma skills if asked, or have examples ready that showcase advanced features you've utilized.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand AI UX: Research common UX challenges and best practices for AI-powered products (e.g., explainable AI, managing user expectations, error handling in AI systems).

• easyJet Context: Familiarize yourself with easyJet's business, its customer base, and the types of employees who might use AI tools (e.g., pilots, cabin crew, ground staff, customer service, corporate).

• Process Thinking: Be ready to outline a process for a given scenario, whether it's a research plan, a design sprint, or a usability testing approach.

• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating complex ideas clearly and concisely, demonstrating how you would influence different types of stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation is a critical gate. Candidates should treat it as a structured presentation, not just a casual overview. The emphasis on "setting the bar for quality and influence" means interviewers will be looking for strategic thinking, strong UX craft, and the ability to lead design initiatives.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency.

• Prototyping Tools: In addition to Figma's capabilities, experience with dedicated prototyping tools might be beneficial.

• User Research Platforms: Maze, Userlytics, Hotjar, Lookback, or similar tools for conducting usability testing, gathering feedback, and analyzing user behavior.

• Collaboration Tools: Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, Confluence for team communication, project management, and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, or Pendo for tracking user engagement and feature adoption.

• Data Visualization: Tools like Tableau or Power BI might be used by teams to analyze user data and present findings.

CRM & Automation:

• Internal Systems: While not directly customer-facing CRM, understanding how internal tools integrate and support workflows is important. easyJet may use specific HRIS or internal workflow management systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is explicitly called out as essential. Proficiency in user research tools is also highlighted. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these tools and how they leverage them to drive user-centered design and research outcomes. Understanding how AI tools integrate with existing enterprise systems would also be a plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Safe: A paramount value in aviation, this translates to meticulous design, ensuring AI tools are reliable, secure, and do not compromise operational safety or data integrity.

• Bold: Encouraging innovative approaches to AI and user experience design, taking calculated risks to drive transformation.

• Welcoming: Fostering an inclusive environment where diverse employee needs are understood and addressed through design, and where collaboration is open and friendly.

• Challenging: Proactively questioning assumptions, seeking continuous improvement, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI to deliver maximum value.

• Data-Driven: Emphasizing the use of evidence, research, and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• User-Centricity: Placing the employee at the heart of all design and development efforts, ensuring AI tools are genuinely useful and enhance their work.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Working seamlessly with diverse teams (Tech, HR, Ops, Product) to achieve shared goals.

• Evidence-Based Design: Collaborating by presenting research findings and design rationale to build consensus and drive informed decisions.

• Iterative & Agile: Embracing a culture of continuous feedback, rapid iteration, and adaptability in response to evolving AI capabilities and user needs.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively sharing insights, best practices, and learnings within the AI Workforce Experience team and broader design community at easyJet.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Promise Behaviours" are central to easyJet's culture. Candidates should consider how these values translate into practical design and research activities, especially when dealing with sensitive AI technologies and a diverse workforce. Demonstrating an understanding of these values will be key to cultural fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Ambiguity in AI: Working with rapidly evolving AI capabilities and defining clear product requirements in an area that is still maturing.

• Building Trust: Designing AI experiences that employees trust, especially given potential concerns about job displacement or the accuracy of AI.

• Diverse User Needs: Catering to the varied needs and technical aptitudes of a large, diverse workforce across different roles (e.g., pilots, ground staff, corporate).

• Data Privacy & Ethics: Navigating the ethical considerations and data privacy implications of AI tools used by employees.

• Integration Complexity: Ensuring AI tools integrate smoothly with existing enterprise systems and workflows.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI UX Specialization: Deepening expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities of designing for artificial intelligence.

• Leadership Skills: Developing into a Chapter Lead role, honing skills in team management, mentorship, and strategic direction.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of the latest advancements in AI, UX research, and enterprise software design.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Gaining a comprehensive understanding of easyJet's operational landscape and business objectives.

• Professional Development: Access to training, conferences, and potentially certifications relevant to UX, AI, and product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to AI product development, especially in a large enterprise. Candidates should frame these challenges as opportunities to apply their skills and grow, demonstrating resilience and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a user interface for an AI assistant that helps ground crew manage flight schedules and operational updates, considering potential communication barriers and the need for quick, reliable information?" (Focus: AI UX, workflow design, user needs)

• "Describe a time you had to influence senior stakeholders who were skeptical about a design recommendation. How did you use research and data to gain their buy-in?" (Focus: Stakeholder management, influence, evidence-based design)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see the 'Safe, Bold, Welcoming, Challenging' behaviours influencing your approach to designing AI workforce experiences at easyJet?" (Focus: Culture alignment, value application)

• "Given easyJet's diverse workforce, how would you ensure your AI design solutions are inclusive and accessible to all employees?" (Focus: Inclusivity, accessibility, user research for diverse groups)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: For each case study, follow a clear narrative: Problem -> Research -> Insights -> Solution (Wireframes, UI, Prototypes) -> Rationale -> Outcomes/Impact.

• Quantify Everything Possible: Use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. If quantitative data is scarce, use strong qualitative evidence and testimonials.

• Be the Expert: Be prepared to defend every design decision, explain the trade-offs you made, and discuss what you would do differently or next.

• Showcase Figma Skills: Have specific examples ready that highlight your advanced Figma capabilities, whether it's complex component creation, auto layout usage, or sophisticated prototyping.

• Focus on AI Nuances: If a project involves AI, clearly articulate the specific AI-related challenges you addressed and how your design mitigated them.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for a blend of strong design craft, rigorous research methodology, strategic thinking about AI, and excellent communication/influencing skills. Candidates should prepare specific examples that align with the role's requirements, particularly those related to enterprise products, AI, and complex workflows.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided easyJet careers portal link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features 2-3 case studies that best align with the requirements of this role, specifically highlighting enterprise product design, AI UX experience (if applicable), and end-to-end design process. Tailor your portfolio introduction to address easyJet's context and the AI Workforce Experience team's mission.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize senior-level UX/UI design and user research experience. Quantify achievements with metrics where possible, and ensure keywords like "Figma," "AI," "Enterprise Products," "User Research," "Agile," and "Accessibility" are naturally integrated.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on the narrative, your process, and the impact of your work. Prepare answers to common UX, AI, and behavioral questions, and research easyJet's "Promise Behaviours" to demonstrate cultural alignment.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research easyJet's business, its current digital initiatives, and the aviation industry. Understand the diverse roles within the company to better empathize with the employees you would be designing for.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions based on the provided input and general industry knowledge. While efforts have been made to provide comprehensive and accurate information, candidates should verify all details directly with easyJet during the application and interview process. Specific salary figures, benefit details, and exact interview stages may vary.