Senior UX Designer- Energy

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer - Energy Company: Utility Warehouse Location: London, England, United Kingdom Job Type: Full-time Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design Date Posted: 2026-02-11T15:18:32.025 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end experience design for complex or high-impact product areas within the Energy team, demonstrating strong UX and UI craft with autonomy.
• Contribute to defining product strategy by leveraging user insights and design direction to align team efforts with user needs and business outcomes.
• Mentor and guide less experienced designers, fostering their growth through constructive feedback, coaching, and leading by example in user-centric design practices.
• Represent design in cross-functional discussions, advocating for the user and articulating the value of good design to product, operations, and commercial stakeholders.
• Drive the adoption of a unified design language and establish clear design patterns, frameworks, and standards to ensure consistency across digital and offline touchpoints at scale.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly for a Senior UX Designer within the Energy team, indicating a focus on the user experience of energy-related products and services. The description emphasizes ownership, autonomy, and strategic contribution, suggesting a mid-to-senior level position within a growing company. The "remote OK" status, coupled with a London hub and hot-desking options, points to a flexible, hybrid work model.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process for digital and offline touchpoints within the Energy domain, ensuring a cohesive and consistent user experience across all platforms and interactions.
• Develop and maintain clear design patterns, frameworks, and standards to drive adoption of a unified design language, preventing experience drift and ensuring scalability.
• Plan and conduct complex user research using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods to generate reliable insights that inform product strategy and design decisions.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, operations, and commercial teams to define product strategy, prioritize initiatives, and deliver high-impact, user-centered solutions.
• Act as an Accessibility Guardian, ensuring all designs meet WCAG guidelines and accessibility considerations, promoting inclusive design standards across the product portfolio.
• Mentor and coach junior designers, providing technical guidance on research, UX, and UI craft to enhance their skills and contributions.
• Present design rationale clearly and confidently to diverse stakeholders, adapting communication style to effectively influence product direction and educate on user/business trade-offs.
• Advocate for and implement process improvements within design reviews and team workflows to enhance collaboration and operational efficiency.
• Drive the adoption of service design principles, helping to shift the design function from a reactive role to a strategic partner within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of individual contribution (research, UI/UX craft) and leadership (mentorship, strategy influence, process improvement). The emphasis on "end-to-end experience," "consistency at scale," and "service design" suggests a need for a designer who can think holistically about user journeys and operational efficiency.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating practical application of UX principles and methodologies is paramount. A degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field is often beneficial for foundational understanding.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3+ years of experience as a UX Designer or Product Designer.
• Demonstrable experience leading design initiatives across complex user flows and multi-platform experiences.
• Proven track record of improving team operations and collaboration through process enhancements.
• Experience facilitating large-scale meetings and cross-team workshops.

Required Skills:

• Technical Mastery:
  • Solid understanding of full-cycle user-centered design (Research, UX, UI).
  • Best-in-class design, wireframing (low and high fidelity), and prototyping skills.
  • Proficiency in a range of research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) to drive reliable insights.
  • Expertise in applying deep knowledge of layout, hierarchy, typography, and color for visual excellence.
  • Thorough understanding of WCAG guidelines and accessibility considerations, with the ability to assess against and explain them clearly.
• Impact & Delivery:
  • High levels of prioritization skills with the ability to focus on and drive the right work at the right time.
  • Ability to deliver high-quality design outcomes across multiple work streams concurrently.
• Operational Excellence:
  • Ability to operate autonomously across multiple initiatives with minimal oversight.
  • Strong communication skills, able to present design rationale clearly and confidently to diverse audiences.
• Business & Domain Knowledge:
  • Deep understanding of relevant user segments and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) within the energy sector or similar regulated industries.
  • Ability to use data and insights to influence product direction and business/user trade-offs.
• Leadership & Culture:
  • Experience in giving constructive feedback and guiding junior team members to improve their design craft.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with service design methodologies and embedding them within teams.
• Familiarity with design systems and their implementation.
• Experience working within Agile/Scrum development environments.
• Proficiency with specific design and prototyping tools commonly used in the industry (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision).
• Experience in the energy sector or a highly regulated industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "3+ years" is a minimum; the "5-10" AI experience level suggests that candidates with more extensive experience will be highly competitive. The emphasis on "operational excellence" and "planning & delivery" points to the need for a designer who is not just creative but also highly organized and execution-focused.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of UX/Product Design projects, demonstrating a full-cycle user-centered design process from research to final UI.
• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process undertaken, key decisions made, and the measurable impact of your solutions.
• Examples of complex user flows and multi-platform experiences you have designed, illustrating your ability to think holistically.
• Demonstrations of your research methodologies and how insights were translated into actionable design improvements.
• Evidence of your understanding and application of accessibility standards (WCAG) in your work.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you have documented design processes, established design patterns, created design frameworks, or contributed to design systems to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Include examples of how you have improved team collaboration or operational efficiency through process enhancements within a design or product team.
• Demonstrate your ability to organize design assets and maintain documentation to prevent experience drift.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role with an emphasis on process improvement and mentorship, the portfolio must go beyond just showcasing final UIs. It needs to highlight the how and why behind the designs, including the strategic thinking, research backing, and process contributions that led to successful outcomes. Demonstrating an ability to influence and improve team processes is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Estimated Range: £60,000 - £85,000 per annum.
• Methodology: This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Designers in London, UK, considering the company's established presence in the energy sector and its stated ambition for growth. Factors such as the required 3+ years of experience, the demand for specialized skills (UX, research, accessibility, mentorship), and the company's "remote-first" approach with a London hub have been considered. The salary is expected to be competitive within the London market for this level of expertise.

Benefits:

• Financial Rewards:
  • Industry-benchmarked salary (details shared during the first conversation).
  • Share Options and Save as You Earn (SAYE) scheme, offering long-term financial participation.
  • Matched-contribution pension scheme, up to a specified percentage, to support retirement planning.
  • Life Assurance cover, typically up to 4x salary, providing financial security for dependents.
• Work-Life Balance & Flexibility:
  • Flexible working arrangements, with a "remote-first" policy.
  • Access to hot desks across the UK and a central London hub for collaborative work or in-office days.
  • A "Work-from-anywhere" policy for up to 2 weeks per year, offering global flexibility.
  • Family-friendly policies designed to support employees and their families.
• Health & Wellbeing:
  • Discounts on Utility Warehouse services, providing direct savings.
  • A free Cashback Card, offering rewards on purchases.
  • Discounted private health insurance for employees and potentially their families.
  • Employee Assistance Line offering confidential support and advice.
  • Free Virtual GP service for convenient medical consultations.
• Professional Development:
  • A structured Career Development Framework with regular review and promotion cycles, outlining clear paths for advancement.
  • Commitment to learning and progression, likely including training opportunities and resources.
• Inclusive Environment:
  • Support for Belonging groups, contributing to an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours (estimated at 40 hours per week), with a flexible approach to accommodate remote work and individual needs, within operational requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company explicitly states salary will be shared during the first conversation, indicating transparency. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing financial security, work-life balance, and professional growth, which are attractive to senior-level candidates.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Utility Services (Energy, Broadband, Mobile, Insurance). This is a competitive, customer-centric industry where efficiency, reliability, and customer satisfaction are paramount. The company is focused on simplifying utilities for consumers. Company Size: Growing, aiming to double in size. This suggests a dynamic environment with opportunities for impact and career advancement, but also potential for rapid change and evolving processes. The company's growth trajectory implies investment in its people and infrastructure. Founded: Not explicitly stated, but the company's mission and growth ambition suggest a relatively established but forward-thinking organization.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within the Energy team, specifically within a close-knit design partnership.
• This partnership likely involves direct collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and Operations specialists within the Energy domain.
• The Senior UX Designer will be expected to influence and collaborate with stakeholders across product, operations, and commercial teams.
• There's a clear expectation of mentoring and guiding junior designers, indicating a potential hierarchy or at least a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and development.

Methodology:

• User-Centric Design: Central to the role, emphasizing research and understanding user needs to drive product direction.
• Data-Driven Decisions: The role requires using data and insights to influence product direction and understand business/user trade-offs.
• Process Optimization: A key responsibility is to advocate for and implement improvements in design processes and team workflows.
• Service Design: Embedding service design as a lasting capability is a strategic objective, implying a holistic approach to customer journeys.
• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration with product, engineering, operations, and commercial teams.

Company Website: https://www.uw.co.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to simplify utilities and its growth ambitions are key cultural drivers. The "remote-first" approach with a London hub suggests a modern, flexible working culture that values collaboration and independence. The emphasis on mentorship and process improvement indicates a culture of continuous learning and development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX Designer role. It signifies a level of expertise and autonomy beyond a mid-level designer. The role requires not only strong individual craft but also the ability to influence strategy, mentor others, and drive process improvements within the design function and cross-functionally. It's a position where an individual contributes to the strategic direction of product development through user-centered insights and design leadership.

Reporting Structure:

• The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Head of Design, Design Lead, or potentially a Product Lead within the Energy domain.
• They will work in a "design partnership" within the Energy team, implying close collaboration with other designers and product personnel.
• A significant aspect of the role involves mentoring junior designers, suggesting a leadership or informal leadership capacity within the team.

Operations Impact:

• The role has a direct impact on the customer experience for Utility Warehouse's energy services, influencing customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction.
• By driving consistency, improving user journeys, and advocating for user needs, the Senior UX Designer contributes to operational efficiency (e.g., self-service rates, reduced support queries) and business outcomes (e.g., conversion rates, customer lifetime value).
• The emphasis on strategy and influencing product direction means the role directly impacts the company's ability to meet its ambitious growth targets.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Track: Potential progression to Lead UX Designer, Design Manager, or Head of Design roles, overseeing larger teams or strategic initiatives.
• Specialization: Deepening expertise in specific areas like service design, accessibility, or research methodology within the energy sector.
• Cross-Domain Exposure: Opportunities to contribute to UX design for other Utility Warehouse services (broadband, mobile, insurance) as the company grows.
• Strategic Influence: Increased involvement in defining company-wide design standards, methodologies, and product strategy.
• Mentorship & Training: Formalizing mentorship responsibilities and potentially leading training sessions for design and non-design teams on UX best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title, combined with responsibilities like strategy contribution, mentorship, and process improvement, clearly positions this role for individuals looking for leadership opportunities and significant impact beyond individual design tasks. The "Career Development Framework" mentioned in benefits further supports this.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: A modern, flexible, and "remote-first" environment. While the primary mode of work is remote, the company provides physical spaces for collaboration.

• Hot Desks: Available across the UK, offering flexibility for employees who may need to work from different locations or occasionally visit offices.
• Central London Hub: A dedicated physical space in London, likely serving as a primary meeting point for key collaborations, team events, and for those who prefer or need to work from an office.

Office Location(s):

• The primary hub is in London, England, United Kingdom.
• Additional hot-desking facilities are available across the UK.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The London hub and hot-desking options are designed to foster collaboration, team building, and knowledge sharing, even within a remote-first setup.
• Operations Tools & Technology: Employees will have access to standard professional design and collaboration tools, likely including cloud-based design software (e.g., Figma), project management tools, and communication platforms. The company's focus on simplifying utilities suggests a well-developed digital infrastructure.
• Operations Team Interaction: Regular interaction with the Energy team, other design partners, product managers, engineers, and operations specialists is expected, facilitated through virtual meetings, collaborative design sessions, and in-person opportunities at the London hub.

Work Schedule:

• The role is full-time, with an estimated 40 hours per week.
• The "remote-first" and "flexible working" policies suggest a degree of autonomy in structuring the workday, provided that team collaboration needs and project deadlines are met. This flexibility is beneficial for managing complex design tasks that may require deep focus or asynchronous collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote-first" policy with physical hubs is a common and attractive model for tech-focused companies. It caters to individuals who value remote work flexibility while still offering opportunities for in-person connection and collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role and company.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A more in-depth conversation with the hiring manager (likely a Design Lead or Head of Design) to discuss experience, approach to UX, and alignment with the company's needs. This is where your senior-level experience and mentorship capabilities will be explored.
• Portfolio Presentation & Technical Interview: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, showcasing 2-3 key projects. Be prepared to discuss your design process, research methodologies, problem-solving approaches, and the impact of your work. This stage will also likely include technical questions about UX principles, accessibility, and potentially design challenges.
• Cross-Functional Interview(s): Interviews with key stakeholders from product, engineering, and/or operations teams to assess collaboration skills, ability to influence, and understanding of business/technical constraints.
• Final Interview/Offer: A concluding discussion, potentially with a more senior leader, to confirm fit and extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your senior-level capabilities: leadership, complex problem-solving, cross-functional collaboration, and mentorship. Prioritize impact and results.
• Focus on Process & Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role, the user research conducted, key design decisions and rationale, trade-offs made, and most importantly, the measurable outcomes and impact. Quantify success wherever possible.
• Highlight Mentorship: Include an example or discuss how you have mentored junior designers, provided feedback, and helped improve team processes.
• Demonstrate Accessibility: Explicitly discuss your approach to accessibility and how you ensure WCAG compliance in your designs.
• Tell a Story: Structure your presentation like a narrative. Engage your audience, explain your thought process, and be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your choices.
• Tailor to UW: If possible, subtly tailor your examples to highlight experiences relevant to energy services, complex systems, or improving operational efficiency.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: You may be given a brief design challenge (e.g., redesigning a specific user flow, proposing a solution to a user problem) to complete within a set timeframe. Focus on demonstrating your structured thinking, research-informed approach, and ability to deliver a well-reasoned solution.
• Process Improvement Scenario: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach improving a specific design process or workflow within a team, or how you would embed service design principles.
• Stakeholder Management: Practice articulating design decisions and trade-offs clearly and persuasively, as you'll need to influence diverse stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex systems," "operations," and "stakeholders" in the interview preparation suggests a need for candidates who can navigate intricate business environments and communicate effectively across different functions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency is expected in industry-standard tools such as:
  • Figma: Highly likely given its popularity for collaborative design, wireframing, and prototyping.
  • Sketch: Another strong contender for UI design and wireframing.
  • Adobe XD: Possible, especially if the company has an existing Adobe Creative Suite adoption.
  • InVision / Marvel: Often used for prototyping and design handoff.
• User Research Tools: Experience with tools for surveys, usability testing, and user interviews (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Lookback, UserTesting.com).
• Collaboration & Communication:
  • Slack / Microsoft Teams: For day-to-day team communication.
  • Jira / Asana / Trello: For project management, task tracking, and workflow management.
  • Confluence / Notion: For documentation, knowledge sharing, and process definition.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with interpreting data from analytics platforms to inform design decisions. While not a primary analyst role, understanding how to leverage data is key.
  • Google Analytics: Common for website and app analytics.
  • Product Analytics Tools: Potentially Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar, for deeper user behavior analysis.
• Experience collaborating with data analysts or BI teams to understand user behavior KPIs and business metrics.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing a CRM, understanding how user experience impacts CRM data and customer service operations is beneficial.
• Awareness of how design choices can affect customer service interactions and operational workflows within the utility sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the core requirement is proficiency in modern UX/Product Design toolchains, with a strong emphasis on collaborative platforms like Figma. The ability to interpret data and understand operational workflows is also highlighted.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A core value, driven by the mission to simplify utilities and provide savings for customers. This translates to a focus on user needs and delivering excellent user experiences.
• Efficiency & Simplicity: Reflecting the company's mission to "take the headache out of utilities," there's an inherent value placed on creating simple, efficient solutions. This applies to both customer-facing products and internal operational processes.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Explicitly mentioned throughout the description ("We work together," "close-knit design partnership," "cross-functional discussions," "collaboration skills"). The company values individuals who can work effectively with diverse teams.
• Continuous Improvement & Growth: Demonstrated by the "Career Development Framework," the mentorship expectations, and the company's ambition to double in size. There's a culture of learning, progression, and seeking better ways of working.
• Impact & Ambition: The company has "big ambitions" and is looking for individuals who want to make a significant impact and contribute to that growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership-Oriented: The role operates within a "design partnership" and requires close collaboration with Product, Operations, and Commercial teams. This suggests a style that is proactive, communicative, and seeks alignment.
• Data-Informed: Collaboration is expected to be based on user insights and data, influencing product direction and business/user trade-offs.
• Mentorship-Driven: The Senior Designer is expected to actively mentor and guide junior colleagues, fostering a supportive and developmental team atmosphere.
• Process-Focused: Collaboration involves improving team processes, advocating for best practices, and ensuring efficient workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values align with a modern, growth-oriented tech company that prioritizes customer experience, operational efficiency, and employee development. The collaborative style is key for success, especially in a remote-first environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Competing Priorities: As a Senior Designer on the Energy team, you'll need to manage diverse stakeholder needs, user requirements, and business objectives within a complex domain.
• Scaling Design Systems: Driving adoption of a unified design language and ensuring consistency at scale across both digital and offline touchpoints can be challenging, requiring strong advocacy and robust frameworks.
• Embedding Service Design: Shifting the design function to a strategic partner and embedding service design as a lasting capability requires significant cultural influence and process transformation.
• Navigating a Growing Organization: As UW aims to double in size, processes may evolve rapidly, requiring adaptability and proactive engagement in shaping new ways of working.
• Complexity of Utilities Domain: The energy sector can involve intricate regulations, technical processes, and diverse customer needs, requiring deep understanding and thoughtful design solutions.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership & Mentorship: Formal opportunities to develop leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading design initiatives.
• Strategic Product Influence: A chance to shape product strategy for a critical business domain (Energy) within a rapidly growing company.
• Process Transformation: Directly contributing to and potentially leading improvements in design operations, service design integration, and cross-functional collaboration methodologies.
• Industry Exposure: Deepening expertise in the utility sector and understanding the unique challenges and opportunities within it.
• Career Advancement: Clear pathways for progression within the company's Career Development Framework, with opportunities to move into lead or management roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed as opportunities for growth, particularly for individuals who thrive in dynamic environments and enjoy driving change. The emphasis on process improvement and strategic influence aligns with the senior-level expectations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the design of a complex user flow or multi-platform experience. Walk us through your process, the challenges, and the outcome." (Focus on your end-to-end process, research, decision-making, and impact.)
• "How do you ensure consistency and a unified design language across multiple products or touchpoints, especially in a rapidly growing organization?" (Prepare to discuss design systems, patterns, frameworks, and your role in advocating for them.)
• "Tell us about a time you used data and user insights to influence product direction or educate stakeholders on user/business trade-offs. What was the situation and outcome?" (Highlight your analytical skills and ability to translate data into actionable design strategy.)
• "How would you approach mentoring a junior designer who is struggling with a particular aspect of UX craft or research?" (Demonstrate your coaching style, empathy, and ability to provide constructive feedback.)
• "Imagine you need to embed service design as a core capability within a team. What steps would you take, and how would you measure success?" (Showcase your understanding of service design principles and your ability to drive organizational change.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Utility Warehouse and specifically our Energy team?" (Research UW's mission, values, and recent news. Connect your skills and aspirations to their goals.)
• "How do you approach collaboration with product managers, engineers, and operations teams? Describe a challenging cross-functional collaboration and how you navigated it." (Emphasize your partnership approach, communication skills, and ability to find common ground.)
• "What does 'operational excellence' mean to you in the context of UX design?" (Connect design to efficiency, process improvement, and delivering measurable business value.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, start with a clear problem statement, your role, the user needs, your proposed solution, the design process (research, ideation, iteration), and the measured impact.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively – wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity mockups, prototypes, and research insights.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced error rates, improved task completion times, positive user feedback scores).
• Discuss Trade-offs: Be honest about design decisions where you had to make compromises due to technical constraints, business needs, or time limitations. Explain your rationale.
• Highlight Mentorship and Process: Ensure at least one project or discussion point addresses how you've mentored others or improved team processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation emphasizes strategic thinking, leadership, collaboration, and process improvement – all key attributes for a Senior UX Designer role. Candidates should prepare to discuss not just their design output but also their strategic thinking and team contributions.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate your experience in complex user flows, multi-platform design, user research, and ideally, any experience relevant to regulated industries or operational efficiency improvements. Ensure case studies clearly articulate your process, role, and measurable impact.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly state your years of experience in UX/Product Design, emphasize your senior-level contributions (mentorship, strategy, process improvement), and incorporate keywords from the job description such as "user-centered design," "research methodologies," "accessibility," "stakeholder management," and "cross-functional collaboration."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and project outcomes clearly and concisely. Prepare examples for behavioural questions related to leadership, mentorship, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration. Rehearse your portfolio presentation to ensure it flows logically and highlights your senior-level impact.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Utility Warehouse's mission, values, services (especially energy), and their growth ambitions. Understand their "remote-first" approach and London hub strategy. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.