Senior Lead UX/UI Design (m/f/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Lead UX/UI Design (m/f/d)

Company: SIXT

Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design & UX / Product Design Leadership

Date Posted: 2026-01-19

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and champion core product design principles, fostering human-centered design and data-informed decision-making within a dynamic product team.

• Drive end-to-end design strategy, translating complex business objectives into actionable design strategies with measurable impact, influencing executives and shaping product direction.

• Mentor and inspire a team of UX/UI designers, establishing design principles, processes, and best practices to ensure consistency, scalability, and innovation across product lines.

• Develop and evolve the company's design system as a strategic asset, ensuring cohesion and quality across a broad product ecosystem and facilitating efficient design execution.

• Actively contribute hands-on to the design process by crafting high-fidelity prototypes and detailed design flows, grounded in Interaction Design (IxD), Information Architecture (IA), accessibility, and User-Centered Design (UCD) best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Lead, indicating a significant level of responsibility not only for individual contribution but also for team leadership, strategic vision, and process establishment within the design function. The emphasis on "hands-on" alongside leadership suggests a player-coach model, common in growing design teams where senior members are expected to contribute directly while guiding others. The company's mission to "reinvent the way people experience mobility" and "take our digital experiences to the next level" highlights the strategic importance of this role in driving customer experience and business growth through design.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Champion and elevate core principles of product design, ensuring human-centered design, data-informed decision-making, and seamless cross-functional collaboration in all design initiatives.

• Set the design vision and strategy for the product portfolio while remaining hands-on, creating impactful artifacts such as high-fidelity prototypes, wireframes, user flows, and detailed design specifications.

• Drive design strategy by influencing key stakeholders and executives, aligning them on a shared vision that delivers measurable business and customer value.

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of UX/UI designers, establishing clear design principles, scalable processes, and best practices to foster a culture of design excellence and innovation.

• Evolve and maintain the company's design system as a strategic asset, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency across the entire product ecosystem.

• Balance strategic vision with pragmatic execution, identifying and implementing the most effective trade-offs to deliver high-value, user-centric solutions that excite customers and support business growth objectives.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing teams to define product roadmaps, user requirements, and design solutions that align with business goals.

• Conduct user research, usability testing, and data analysis to inform design decisions and validate design solutions, ensuring they meet user needs and business objectives.

• Advocate for UX/UI best practices, accessibility standards, and inclusive design principles throughout the product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a dual role: strategic leadership in setting the design vision and process, and hands-on execution in creating design artifacts. The focus on influencing stakeholders and executives, and evolving the design system, points to a senior role with significant impact on product strategy and operational efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Extensive UX/UI experience shaping B2C digital products at scale, with several years in senior or leadership roles driving end-to-end design strategy, influencing executives, and scaling processes across product lines.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in leading UX/UI design for complex B2C digital products and platforms.

• Demonstrated ability to influence and align stakeholders, including executives, on design vision and strategy.

• Strong command of Interaction Design (IxD), Information Architecture (IA), User-Centered Design (UCD), and accessibility best practices.

• Expertise in creating high-fidelity prototypes, wireframes, user flows, and comprehensive design specifications.

• Experience in building, scaling, and maintaining global design systems for consistency and efficiency.

• Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity in fast-changing environments.

• Outstanding English communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to confidently engage with executive leadership.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the mobility or travel industry.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration in an agile environment.

• Knowledge of data analysis and user research methodologies to inform design decisions.

• Experience with A/B testing and design iteration based on performance metrics.

• Proficiency in multiple design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+" years of experience inferred from the "Senior Lead" title and the description's emphasis on "extensive UX/UI experience" and "several years in senior or leadership roles" positions this as a highly experienced candidate. The portfolio requirements are exceptionally specific, demanding evidence of strategic problem-solving, leadership, and impact on business growth.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase large-scale projects that demonstrate end-to-end design ownership from concept to execution.

• Include detailed case studies highlighting strategic problem-solving, user research, and the impact of design decisions on customer experience and business growth.

• Feature specific examples of design leadership, including how you mentored teams, influenced stakeholders, and scaled design processes.

• Demonstrate expertise in building, evolving, and maintaining design systems, illustrating their impact on consistency, efficiency, and scalability.

Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of your approach to user-centered design, including research methodologies, usability testing, and iterative design processes.

• Illustrate your methods for translating complex business objectives into actionable design strategies and user flows.

• Document your experience in establishing and refining design principles and processes to ensure quality and consistency across product lines.

• Showcase how you've leveraged data and analytics to inform design decisions and measure design impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit request for a portfolio with specific case study requirements (design leadership, design systems, business growth impact) indicates that this is a critical component of the evaluation process. Candidates must be prepared to present their work with a strong narrative focusing on strategic thinking and measurable outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The salary for a Senior Lead UX/UI Designer in Munich, Germany, with 10+ years of experience, typically ranges from €80,000 to €120,000 annually. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks, cost of living in Munich, and the senior leadership nature of the role. Exact compensation will depend on the candidate's specific qualifications, experience, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Discounts on SIXT rent, share, ride, and SIXT+ subscriptions.

• Attractive vehicle leasing offers.

• Exclusive deals with partners for travel, tech, fashion, and more.

• Monthly mobility allowance of €20.

• Contributions to your retirement plan and capital-forming benefits.

• Access to a modern SIXT gym, gaming area, and other leisure activities.

• High-quality employee restaurant.

• 30 days of vacation per year.

• Hybrid working model with flexible hours.

• One paid volunteering day per year for a children's charity.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with a hybrid working model and flexible hours that allow for effective management of design processes and personal work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is estimated based on typical rates for senior-level design leadership roles in major German tech hubs like Munich. The comprehensive benefits package reflects SIXT's commitment to employee well-being and work-life integration, with a strong emphasis on mobility-related perks.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Mobility Services / Technology. SIXT operates within the dynamic and rapidly evolving mobility sector, focusing on car rental, car sharing, ride services, and car subscriptions through its integrated digital platform. This industry context demands innovation, adaptability, and a strong customer-centric approach to digital product development.

Company Size: SIXT is a globally leading mobility service provider with around 9,000 employees worldwide and a revenue of €4.00 billion. This substantial size indicates a well-established organization with robust processes, significant resources, and a global reach, offering opportunities for impact at scale but also requiring strong navigation of corporate structures.

Founded: SIXT SE was founded in 1912, bringing over a century of experience in the mobility sector. This long history suggests a stable company with a deep understanding of its market, combined with a forward-looking strategy to embrace digital transformation and innovation.

Team Structure:

• The Design & UX department is likely composed of various specialized roles, including UX Researchers, UI Designers, Interaction Designers, and potentially UX Writers, all collaborating to create seamless user experiences.

• This Senior Lead role reports into a higher-level design or product leadership position, overseeing a team of designers responsible for specific product areas or features within the SIXT digital ecosystem.

Methodology:

• SIXT emphasizes a data-informed approach to design, using analytics and user research to guide decision-making and validate solutions.

• Workflow planning and optimization strategies are crucial for managing the complexity of a global product portfolio and ensuring efficient design execution.

• Automation and efficiency practices are likely employed to streamline design processes, manage the design system, and accelerate product development cycles.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's long history combined with its focus on digital transformation suggests a culture that values both stability and innovation. The "entrepreneurial spirit" mentioned in the company description implies a proactive and results-oriented work environment where design can play a pivotal role in shaping the future of mobility.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a Senior Lead level within the Design & UX function, positioned as a leadership role that combines strategic oversight with hands-on design contributions. It represents a significant step up from a Senior Designer role, with added responsibilities for team management, strategic vision setting, and influencing executive-level decisions.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Lead UX/UI Designer will likely report to a Head of Design, VP of Product, or a similar senior leadership position. They will, in turn, lead and mentor a team of UX/UI designers, guiding their work and professional development.

Operations Impact: This role has a profound impact on the company's operations by directly shaping the digital user experience for millions of customers. By creating intuitive, efficient, and joyful interfaces, the design team contributes to customer acquisition, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue growth. A well-managed design system and effective design processes driven by this role will also enhance operational efficiency within the product development teams.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Head of Design or Director of Product Design role, with broader strategic responsibilities across multiple product lines or the entire company.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as design systems, user research leadership, or product strategy through complex projects and continuous learning.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop skills in influencing and leading initiatives that span beyond design, collaborating with executive teams on business strategy and product vision.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to shaping the future of mobility through innovative digital experiences, gaining recognition within the design and tech communities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior Lead" title clearly indicates a leadership track. Growth opportunities would naturally involve increased scope of team management, strategic influence, and potentially moving into broader product leadership roles, leveraging their design expertise to drive business outcomes.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: SIXT offers a hybrid working model, suggesting a blend of remote and in-office work. The office environment is likely modern and collaborative, designed to foster teamwork and innovation while providing the flexibility needed for focused individual work.

Office Location(s): The primary office location for this role is Munich, Germany. Munich is a major European hub for technology and innovation, offering a vibrant ecosystem for professionals. The specific office will be equipped to support hybrid work, likely with dedicated collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and individual workstations.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace will support both focused individual design work (e.g., prototyping, research analysis) and collaborative sessions with design team members, product managers, and engineers.

• Access to relevant design and prototyping tools, as well as collaboration platforms, will be standard.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with the design team and other departments will be available, facilitating knowledge sharing and cross-functional alignment.

Work Schedule: The role involves a standard 40-hour work week with flexible hours. This flexibility is designed to accommodate efficient workflow management, allowing designers to balance deep work sessions, team meetings, and personal commitments effectively, particularly crucial for roles involving creative output and cross-time zone collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and flexible hours are key features for attracting talent in today's job market. The Munich location offers a strong professional environment. The emphasis on collaboration space and tools suggests a modern approach to workplace design that supports both individual productivity and team synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Recruiter will review applications, focusing on CV and portfolio.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager to assess experience, leadership potential, and cultural fit. This stage will likely delve into your approach to design leadership and strategy.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A dedicated session where you present selected case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your strategic thinking, design process, and leadership impact. You may also be given a design challenge to solve, assessing your problem-solving skills and design methodology in real-time.

• Team Interviews: Interviews with designers from your potential team and cross-functional peers (e.g., Product Managers, Engineers) to evaluate collaboration style and technical expertise.

• Executive Interview: A final interview with a senior executive (e.g., Head of Product, CTO) to discuss strategic alignment, vision, and overall fit with the company's direction.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your most impactful projects that best represent your leadership, strategic thinking, and ability to drive business/customer value. Prioritize projects that align with SIXT's mission and the role's requirements (e.g., large-scale B2C products, design systems, cross-functional leadership).

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process you followed, the solutions you developed, and, most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.

• Highlight Leadership: Explicitly showcase instances where you led teams, influenced stakeholders, mentored designers, and drove design strategy. Quantify your leadership impact where possible.

• Demonstrate System Thinking: If applicable, present your experience with design systems, emphasizing how you've built, evolved, or leveraged them for consistency, efficiency, and scalability.

• Prepare for Q&A: Be ready to discuss your design rationale, trade-offs you made, and how you would approach challenges specific to SIXT's mobility context.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If a design challenge is provided, take time to understand the business context and user needs.

• Focus on Process: Emphasize your design process, problem-solving approach, and how you would gather information if this were a real-world scenario.

• Communicate Your Thinking: Clearly articulate your assumptions, decisions, and rationale throughout the challenge.

• Consider Business Impact: Frame your solutions in terms of their potential impact on users and the business.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to thoroughly assess both design craft and leadership capabilities. The portfolio presentation is a critical component, requiring candidates to not only showcase their work but also articulate the strategic thinking and business impact behind it.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely given industry trends and collaborative needs), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP.

• Design System Management: Figma, Zeroheight, Storybook.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web & App Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude.

• User Feedback & Testing: Hotjar, UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's primary tool, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can be beneficial for understanding customer journeys and data flow.

• Integration platforms might be relevant if designers are involved in defining API requirements for design-related functionalities.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't explicitly list tools, Figma is the industry standard for collaborative design and is highly probable. Proficiency in a range of design, prototyping, and collaboration tools is expected. Understanding how design integrates with analytics and product management tools will be advantageous.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and addressing user needs to create exceptional mobility experiences.

• Innovation & Agility: Embracing new ideas, adapting quickly to market changes, and continuously seeking ways to improve products and processes.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Taking ownership, driving initiatives forward, and demonstrating a proactive, results-oriented approach.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working effectively across teams, sharing knowledge, and fostering an open communication environment.

• Quality & Excellence: Striving for high standards in design execution, user experience, and overall product quality.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to be integral members of cross-functional product teams, working hand-in-hand with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Analysts.

• Design Critiques & Feedback: A culture of constructive feedback and design critiques is likely in place to ensure continuous improvement and adherence to design principles.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, research findings, and design techniques across the team and broader organization.

• Process Improvement: A proactive approach to identifying and implementing improvements in design workflows and team processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: SIXT's values, such as "true entrepreneurship" and "long-term stability," combined with the need to "reinvent mobility," suggest a culture that balances established processes with a drive for innovation. The emphasis on customer experience and the hybrid work model will shape the collaborative dynamics within the design team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Systems: Continuously evolving and maintaining a global design system to support a growing product portfolio and diverse user base while ensuring adoption and consistency.

• Balancing Vision with Pragmatism: Navigating the inherent tension between ambitious design visions and technical constraints, business objectives, and development timelines.

• Influencing Executive Stakeholders: Effectively communicating the value of design and securing buy-in for strategic initiatives from senior leadership in a data-driven organization.

• Leading in Ambiguity: Guiding a design team through periods of rapid change, evolving product strategies, and complex technical challenges within the dynamic mobility sector.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring seamless collaboration and alignment across multiple departments (Product, Engineering, Marketing, etc.) to deliver cohesive user experiences.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Leadership: Opportunities to hone strategic leadership skills, influence organizational design culture, and potentially mentor other design leads.

• Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge of the mobility sector, understanding user needs and market trends to drive innovative product solutions.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Develop a stronger understanding of business strategy, engineering processes, and marketing insights through close collaboration.

• Design System Strategy: Lead significant advancements in the company's design system, contributing to its long-term strategic value.

• Professional Development: Potential access to industry conferences, workshops, and training programs to stay ahead of design trends and leadership best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlighted are typical for senior leadership roles in fast-paced tech companies, emphasizing strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and the ability to drive change. Growth opportunities are geared towards expanding leadership scope and strategic impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you set a design vision for a large-scale product. How did you gain executive buy-in, and what was the measurable impact?" (Focus on strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and ROI demonstration).

• "How would you approach building or scaling a design system for a company like SIXT? What are the key challenges and how would you address them?" (Focus on design systems, scalability, consistency, and process).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about SIXT and the mobility industry? How do you see design playing a role in the future of mobility?" (Demonstrate research and genuine interest).

• "How do you foster a collaborative and high-performing design team? Describe your approach to mentoring and team development." (Focus on leadership style and team building).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an overview of your leadership philosophy and design approach. For each case study, clearly state the problem, your specific role and responsibilities, the key challenges, your design process and solutions, and the quantitative/qualitative results achieved.

• Highlight Leadership: Explicitly call out instances of influencing stakeholders, mentoring designers, and driving strategy. Use phrases like "I led," "I mentored," "I influenced," "My strategy resulted in..."

• Visuals: Use high-quality visuals of your work (mockups, prototypes, flow diagrams). Ensure they are clear, well-annotated, and support your narrative.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, present metrics (e.g., % increase in conversion, % decrease in support tickets, improvement in user satisfaction scores). If exact numbers aren't available, discuss the intended business impact and how you would measure it.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your presentation to ensure you cover key points effectively within the allocated slot.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating strategic impact, leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of design processes, particularly in the context of large-scale B2C products and design systems. Candidates must be ready to defend their design decisions and demonstrate a clear link between their work and business outcomes.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Lead UX/UI Design position:

• Submit your application through the SIXT careers portal via the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Carefully curate your portfolio to highlight 3-4 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your design leadership, strategic problem-solving, and experience with large-scale B2C products and design systems. Tailor your case studies to emphasize the measurable business and customer outcomes you've driven.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your extensive experience (10+ years) in UX/UI design leadership, highlighting achievements related to design strategy, team mentorship, executive influence, and design system development. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, articulating your design process, and quantifying your impact. Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy and how you would approach challenges at SIXT.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research SIXT, its products (SIXT rent, share, ride, SIXT+), its mission, and its position in the mobility market. Understand its brand values and target audience to better tailor your responses and demonstrate cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.