Senior UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UI Designer Company: Dentsu (Merkle) Location: DGS India - Pune - Extentia Tower, India Job Type: Full-time Category: Design Operations / User Experience Operations Date Posted: 2025-09-23 Experience Level: Senior (6+ years) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the visual execution of digital products and platforms, ensuring pixel-perfect interfaces that align with client brand systems and user experience strategies.
• Collaborate extensively with UX designers, copywriters, developers, and creative leads to translate conceptual wireframes into high-fidelity, emotionally resonant, and user-centric designs.
• Extend and maintain existing design systems, component libraries, and microvisuals, ensuring consistency and scalability across diverse digital products.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior UI designers, fostering a culture of design excellence and adherence to best practices in visual design and user interface principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary focus is UI Design, the "Operations" aspect is derived from the need to manage and extend design systems, collaborate within agile teams, and ensure consistency across client projects, which are core operational functions within a creative agency environment like Dentsu. The role requires a strong understanding of design operations principles to deliver at scale for global clients.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Create high-fidelity UI screens, comprehensive component libraries, iconography, and microvisuals with a consistent and high level of craft, ensuring brand alignment and usability.
• Develop and implement responsive and adaptive design strategies across various platforms, including desktop, mobile, and web applications, ensuring a seamless user experience regardless of device.
• Collaborate with UX leads to enhance visual storytelling, inject emotion into interfaces, and optimize overall user usability and engagement.
• Work with and extend existing design systems and brand guidelines, ensuring that new UI elements integrate seamlessly and maintain visual integrity.
• Actively solicit, incorporate, and provide constructive feedback within fast-paced, iterative design cycles to continuously improve product interfaces.
• Maintain meticulous attention to detail and consistency across all user flows, screens, and interaction states to ensure a polished and professional final product.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior visual/UI designers, promoting best practices in UI design principles and tool usage.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on design system principles, methodologies, and the effective utilization of design tools, contributing to team knowledge and efficiency.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in design systems and UI design, sharing insights to elevate the team's capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: Responsibilities are structured to emphasize the operational aspects of design: maintaining systems, collaborating in agile environments, and mentoring, which are critical for consistent, high-quality output in a large agency. The emphasis on "extending design systems" rather than "building them" suggests a focus on operationalizing and scaling existing design frameworks.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Visual Design, Communication Design, Interaction Design, or a closely related field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 6 years of dedicated visual/UI design experience within a reputable agency, consultancy, or product studio environment.
• Proven experience working within agile development teams is a significant advantage, demonstrating an understanding of iterative design and development processes.
• Prior experience collaborating with global brands and participating in distributed design teams is highly preferred, showcasing adaptability to diverse client needs and team structures.

Required Skills:

• Expert proficiency in Figma for UI design, prototyping, and component library management.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high-fidelity UI screens, detailed iconography, and microvisuals with exceptional craft and consistency.
• Strong understanding of responsive and adaptive design principles and their application across desktop, tablet, and mobile interfaces.
• Proven experience in extending and working within established design systems and brand guidelines to ensure visual coherence.
• Excellent collaboration skills, with a track record of working effectively with UX designers, developers, and product managers.
• Strong eye for detail, ensuring consistency in typography, color palettes, spacing, and interaction states across all digital touchpoints.
• Ability to mentor and guide junior designers, sharing knowledge and best practices in UI design.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and experience contributing design assets within sprint cycles.

Preferred Skills:

• Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including Photoshop and Illustrator, for asset creation and manipulation.
• Familiarity with motion design tools such as After Effects, Principle, or Lottie for creating engaging UI animations and transitions.
• Working knowledge of collaborative platforms like Miro, FigJam, or Zeplin for design handoff and team communication.
• Experience with user research methodologies and incorporating user feedback into design iterations.
• Understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and their implementation in UI design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud highlights the core technical tools required. The inclusion of motion tools and collaborative platforms points to a need for designers who can contribute to a dynamic and efficient design workflow, aligning with operational efficiency goals. The requirement for "extending" design systems implies a focus on operationalizing design rather than foundational system creation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 6 years of high-quality UI design work specifically for digital products, e-commerce platforms, or complex service interfaces.
• Demonstrate visual design excellence through a range of projects, including high-fidelity screen designs, detailed component libraries, and custom iconography.
• Include case studies that clearly articulate the design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your UI contributions on user experience and business objectives.
• Showcase your ability to work with and extend existing design systems, highlighting how you maintained consistency and applied brand guidelines effectively.
• Present examples of responsive and adaptive design solutions across different screen sizes and device types.
• Include work that demonstrates an understanding of visual storytelling and the ability to inject emotion and clarity into user interfaces.

Process Documentation:

• Provide examples or descriptions of how you have documented UI design processes, including workflows for creating and managing component libraries.
• Illustrate your approach to design handoff to development teams, detailing the use of tools and documentation standards to ensure accurate implementation.
• Where applicable, share insights into how you’ve contributed to or utilized design system documentation to ensure scalability and consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are crucial for a Senior UI Designer role, focusing on demonstrating practical application of design principles, system extension, and cross-functional collaboration, all of which are key operational aspects of a design role in a large agency. The request for process documentation emphasizes the need for a structured, repeatable approach to design delivery.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• For Pune, India, a Senior UI Designer with 6+ years of experience can expect a salary range of approximately ₹10,00,000 to ₹20,00,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for experienced design professionals in major Indian metropolitan areas and Dentsu's standing as a global advertising and marketing services company.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage, including medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Retirement savings plans, such as a provident fund (PF) contribution or similar schemes.
• Paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and public holidays, ensuring work-life balance.
• Opportunities for professional development, including access to training programs, workshops, and industry conferences.
• Potential for performance-based bonuses and incentives, recognizing contributions to client success.
• Employee assistance programs offering support for personal and professional well-being.

Working Hours:

• This is a full-time position, likely adhering to standard Indian business hours, approximately 9 AM to 6 PM IST, Monday to Friday. Flexibility may be available depending on project needs and team collaboration requirements, but the role is primarily on-site.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate for Pune, India, reflecting the senior level and the specialized skills required for UI Design within a global agency context. Benefits are standard for full-time roles in India but are framed to highlight value for design professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising, Marketing, and Communications Services. Dentsu operates at the intersection of creativity, technology, and data, serving a wide range of global clients across various sectors. Merkle, a Dentsu company, specializes in customer experience management. Company Size: Dentsu is a large, global organization with tens of thousands of employees worldwide. This implies a structured environment with established processes, diverse teams, and opportunities for international collaboration. Founded: Dentsu was founded in 1906 in Japan, bringing a long history of innovation and a deep understanding of marketing and communications to its operations. Merkle was founded in 1988 and acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network in 2016.

Team Structure:

• The UI Designer will likely be part of a larger design or creative team within Merkle, which may also include UX designers, content strategists, visual designers, and art directors.
• The reporting structure will typically involve a Design Lead or Creative Director, with direct interaction and collaboration with project managers, account managers, and development teams.
• Cross-functional collaboration is a cornerstone of Dentsu's operational model, requiring designers to work closely with strategists, data analysts, and client stakeholders to deliver integrated solutions.

Methodology:

• Dentsu emphasizes a data-driven approach to creative problem-solving, integrating analytics and insights into the design process to ensure effectiveness and measurable impact for clients.
• Workflow planning and optimization are critical, with an emphasis on agile methodologies, iterative design, and efficient project management to meet client deadlines and expectations.
• Automation and efficiency practices are encouraged, particularly in leveraging design systems and tools to streamline the creation and delivery of design assets.

Company Website: https://www.dentsu.com/, https://www.merkle.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context highlights Dentsu's global scale and Merkle's focus on customer experience, framing the UI Designer role within a sophisticated client-service environment. The emphasis on data-driven approaches and agile methodologies underscores the operational rigor expected.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position, indicating a need for significant autonomy, expertise, and the ability to influence design direction and mentor junior team members. It signifies a move beyond individual contribution to leadership within design projects. Reporting Structure: The Senior UI Designer will likely report to a Design Manager, Creative Director, or Head of Design, with close collaboration across project teams that include UX, strategy, development, and client services. Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the efficiency and quality of design output for global clients. By maintaining and extending design systems, ensuring visual consistency, and mentoring junior staff, the Senior UI Designer contributes to streamlined project execution, reduced rework, and enhanced client satisfaction, all critical operational metrics for a service-based organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like design systems, motion design, or accessibility within the UI design discipline.
• Leadership: Potential to move into Lead UI Designer, Design Manager, or Creative Director roles, overseeing design teams and strategic client engagements.
• Cross-functional Skill Development: Chance to gain exposure to UX research, strategy, and client management, broadening understanding of the full GTM and product development lifecycle.
• Learning & Certification: Access to Dentsu's internal training programs, external workshops, and potentially support for certifications in design tools or methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The analysis focuses on the career trajectory within a large agency, emphasizing leadership, specialization, and the operational impact of a senior role on team efficiency and client delivery.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based at the DGS India - Pune - Extentia Tower office, indicating an on-site work environment. This typically means a professional office setting designed for collaboration and focused work. Office Location(s): DGS India - Pune - Extentia Tower, Pune, India. This location likely offers modern facilities and a central hub for Dentsu's operations in the region.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is expected to be collaborative, with open-plan areas or dedicated team zones facilitating interaction among designers, UX professionals, and other project team members.
• Access to necessary design tools and technology, including high-performance workstations, software licenses (Figma, Adobe CC), and potentially shared digital whiteboarding tools.
• Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers for critiques, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving, fostering a supportive design community.

Work Schedule:

• A standard full-time work schedule (e.g., 9 AM to 6 PM IST) is expected for on-site roles. However, the nature of client service in advertising and marketing often requires flexibility to meet project deadlines, which may involve occasional extended hours or weekend work, balanced by compensatory time off or adherence to company policies on working hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the work environment emphasizes the collaborative and tool-rich nature of an on-site agency setting, which is conducive to the operational demands of design execution and team interaction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and the quality of your design work. Expect questions about your career progression and key project contributions.
• Technical Interview/Portfolio Review: A deeper dive into your portfolio, focusing on your process, problem-solving skills, and specific contributions to projects. Be prepared to discuss your design rationale, tool proficiency (especially Figma), and how you've worked with design systems.
• Design Challenge (Potential): You might be asked to complete a short design exercise or a take-home challenge to evaluate your practical skills, speed, and approach to a given problem.
• Team/Cultural Fit Interview: Interviews with potential team members and hiring managers to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, ability to mentor, and alignment with Dentsu's values and culture.
• Final Interview: Often with a senior leader (e.g., Creative Director or VP), focusing on strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit for the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Showcase 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that highlight your UI design skills, process, and impact, particularly those involving design systems or complex digital products.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role and responsibilities, the process you followed, the tools you used, the key challenges you overcame, and the final outcomes/impact (quantify where possible).
• Highlight System Work: Explicitly demonstrate your experience with design systems, component libraries, and brand guidelines. Show how you extended or applied them consistently.
• Focus on UI Craft: Ensure your portfolio clearly displays high-fidelity screens, attention to detail in spacing, typography, color, and iconography.
• Be Prepared to Discuss: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, how you handle feedback, how you collaborate with developers, and your experience mentoring others.

Challenge Preparation:

• If a design challenge is given, focus on understanding the brief thoroughly. Prioritize core UI elements and a clear, logical flow.
• Manage your time effectively, allocating sufficient time for ideation, execution, and brief presentation.
• Clearly articulate your thought process and design decisions, even if you can't complete every aspect of the challenge. Focus on quality over quantity.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice tailored to a senior design role, emphasizing the importance of a portfolio that showcases system thinking and demonstrable impact, alongside preparation for collaborative and potentially challenging interview stages.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, component library creation, and collaborative workflows. Expert proficiency is expected.
• Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator): Highly valuable for asset creation, image manipulation, and vector graphics. Proficiency is a significant advantage.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly used for design creation, familiarity with how design impacts analytics (e.g., conversion rates, user engagement metrics) is beneficial. Understanding how to interpret data to inform design decisions is key.

CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools like Jira, Asana, Trello for task tracking and workflow management.
• Understanding of handoff tools such as Zeplin or Figma's built-in prototyping and developer handoff features.

Other Potential Tools:

• Miro / FigJam: For brainstorming, user flow mapping, and collaborative ideation sessions.
• After Effects / Principle / Lottie: For creating UI animations and micro-interactions, a plus for enhancing user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are critical for modern UI design operations, focusing on collaboration, prototyping, and efficient asset management. Figma's prominence underscores its central role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Detail: A commitment to producing high-quality, pixel-perfect designs with meticulous attention to detail.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Valuing open communication, mutual respect, and shared responsibility in achieving project goals.
• Client-Centricity: Focusing on delivering exceptional value and measurable results for global clients through innovative design solutions.
• Continuous Learning: An eagerness to stay updated with industry trends, new tools, and evolving design practices to drive innovation.
• Efficiency & Scalability: Employing design systems and best practices to ensure efficient workflows and scalable design solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to integrate seamlessly with UX researchers, strategists, copywriters, developers, and account management teams, fostering a holistic approach to project delivery.
• Constructive Feedback Culture: An environment where constructive criticism is welcomed and utilized to refine designs and improve processes, encouraging open dialogue and iterative improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively participating in knowledge-sharing sessions, design critiques, and internal training to elevate the collective skill set of the design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles reflect the operational needs of a large, client-facing agency that relies on integrated teams and continuous improvement to deliver complex projects.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Managing Diverse Client Needs: Adapting design approaches and aesthetics to meet the varied requirements and brand identities of a global client base.
• Balancing Speed and Quality: Delivering high-quality, polished UI designs within demanding project timelines inherent in agency work.
• Design System Evolution: Contributing to the evolution and consistent application of design systems across multiple projects and platforms, ensuring scalability and maintainability.
• Staying Ahead of Trends: Continuously learning and integrating emerging design trends, technologies, and best practices into workflows to maintain a competitive edge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specialized areas of UI design, such as advanced prototyping, accessibility standards, or interaction design.
• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences, webinars, and workshops to gain insights from leading design professionals and stay current with best practices.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Formal and informal mentorship programs, with opportunities to mentor junior designers, develop leadership skills, and potentially lead design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section outlines common challenges in agency design operations and highlights the growth paths available for a senior professional looking to advance their career and skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to extend an existing design system. What was your process, and what challenges did you face?" (Focus on process documentation, system thinking, and problem-solving.)
• "How do you ensure visual consistency and brand alignment across multiple digital products for a global client?" (Highlight your understanding of design operations, brand guidelines, and system implementation.)
• "Walk us through a complex UI project from your portfolio. What was your specific contribution, and how did you collaborate with developers and UX designers?" (Prepare a structured narrative focusing on collaboration, process, and impact.)
• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers? Describe a situation where you provided guidance that significantly improved their work." (Demonstrate leadership and knowledge-sharing capabilities.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Dentsu and Merkle's work, particularly in the digital experience space?" (Research recent campaigns, client work, and Merkle's focus on CXM.)
• "How do you handle constructive criticism on your designs?" (Emphasize an open, learning-oriented approach.)
• "Describe your ideal team environment and how you contribute to a positive design culture." (Align your response with Dentsu's stated values of collaboration and craftsmanship.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically: Project Overview -> Problem Statement -> Your Role & Process -> Key Design Decisions (with rationale) -> Challenges & Solutions -> Outcomes & Impact.
• Visuals: Use high-quality mockups and interactive prototypes where possible. Clearly label screens and components.
• Narrative: Focus on telling a compelling story for each project, highlighting your problem-solving process, design thinking, and collaborative efforts.
• Tool Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your proficiency with Figma and other relevant tools, showcasing how you leverage them efficiently.
• System Focus: If discussing design system work, clearly articulate the components you created or modified and the impact on consistency and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice is tailored to a senior design role, emphasizing the need to demonstrate strategic thinking, system expertise, and collaborative capabilities, all crucial for operational success in a large agency.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UI Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Dentsu careers portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your online portfolio or PDF submission to highlight at least 3-5 projects that best showcase your UI design skills, experience with design systems, and work on digital products/platforms. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your 6+ years of experience.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize achievements related to UI design, responsive/adaptive design, design system extension, collaboration with cross-functional teams (UX, Dev), and any mentoring experience. Use keywords like "Figma," "UI Design," "Visual Design," "Design Systems," and "Agile."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and project outcomes. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions related to collaboration, feedback, and mentoring. Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Dentsu's global presence, Merkle's focus on customer experience, and recent work or case studies to demonstrate your interest and understanding of their business.

⚠️ 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.