Senior UX Designer / UX Lead - Belfast

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer / UX Lead

Company: Citi

Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Digital Design Engineering / Technology Management

Date Posted: April 9, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and manage complex digital design engineering initiatives, driving product vision from concept to production within a global financial technology environment.

• Oversee a team of design professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement in product development.

• Apply in-depth understanding of user experience (UX) principles and design thinking to enhance digital products and customer journeys across multiple channels.

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to develop and optimize marketing campaign strategies, ensuring alignment with broader organizational tenets and strategic goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core title is Senior UX Designer / UX Lead, the responsibilities and management scope described (including team, budget, and strategic planning) strongly indicate a managerial or lead role within the Digital Design Engineering function, likely with direct reports and significant influence on departmental strategy and operations. The inclusion of "Engineer the future of global finance" and "redefine it" suggests a strategic, forward-looking approach to technology within the financial sector.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Drive product vision and strategy from initial concept through to successful production deployment, ensuring alignment with user needs and business objectives.

• Proactively incorporate user feedback and market research to iterate on existing products, identify opportunities for enhancement, and manage the sunsetting of underperforming features.

• Provide cross-organizational and cross-disciplinary solutions, facilitating collaboration between UX, UI, Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing teams.

• Utilize creative process and design thinking methodologies to conceptualize and implement innovative product enhancements and user experience improvements.

• Support business stakeholders in crafting and refining marketing campaign strategies, focusing on maximizing their effectiveness and ROI.

• Launch, manage, and continuously optimize digital feature enhancements across all relevant channels, with a strong emphasis on monitoring, measuring, and reporting on performance metrics.

• Provide thought leadership through rigorous data analysis and user research, translating insights into actionable product and design recommendations.

• Evaluate the viability of new product concepts, prepare compelling business cases, and present them to senior stakeholders for approval.

• Translate high-level ideas into detailed wireframes and user flows to guide UX and UI designers, ensuring a clear path from ideation to execution.

• Demonstrate exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills to manage diverse viewpoints, build consensus, and drive progress across complex projects.

• Train stakeholders on new products, interfaces, and features, ensuring smooth adoption and effective utilization of digital tools.

• Manage relationships with external vendors and agencies, ensuring quality deliverables and adherence to project scope and budget.

• Identify and propose groundbreaking solutions that address user pain points and business opportunities, executing them upon stakeholder approval.

• Attract, mentor, and develop senior talent within the design and engineering teams, fostering a high-performing and engaged workforce.

• Ensure departmental goals are auditable and demonstrably aligned with broader organizational strategic objectives, setting high performance standards.

• Plan, advocate for, and manage departmental resources, including budget allocation and personnel planning, to achieve strategic outcomes.

• Develop and champion a clear department vision that directly supports and contributes to the overarching organizational vision.

• Instill a team culture that consistently embodies leadership principles and tenets, visibly linking departmental decisions to these core values.

• Conduct thorough risk assessments for business decisions, prioritizing the firm's reputation, client interests, and asset protection by ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and ethical standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities section is extensive and highlights significant leadership and strategic duties beyond a typical Senior UX Designer role. It emphasizes management of people, budget, cross-functional initiatives, vendor oversight, and strategic alignment, positioning this as a Lead or Managerial position within Digital Design Engineering. The inclusion of "Engineer the future of global finance" and "redefine it" suggests a proactive role in shaping technology strategy, not just execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s/University degree required.

Experience:

• Significant years of experience in software development, with a strong emphasis on UX/UI design principles and methodologies.

• Proven track record in leading high-traffic, distributed, cloud-based services.

• Demonstrated experience in driving significant cultural change within an organization.

• Experience leading complex infrastructure programs.

Required Skills:

• Expert proficiency in UX design principles and user-centered design methodologies.

• Significant experience with Figma for wireframing, prototyping, and design collaboration.

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with a data-driven and results-oriented approach to problem-solving.

• Proficiency in software development lifecycle (SDLC) and agile methodologies.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, essential for stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.

• Demonstrated ability to negotiate effectively, manage conflicting viewpoints diplomatically, and influence stakeholders to achieve alignment.

• Experience in developing and executing product vision from concept to launch.

• Expertise in using design thinking principles to innovate and improve products.

• Strong understanding of marketing campaign strategies and digital feature enhancement optimization.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in running and optimizing distributed, cloud-based services.

• Experience in leading large-scale cultural transformation initiatives.

• Familiarity with financial services industry regulations and compliance requirements.

• Experience managing outside vendors and agencies, including oversight of their work and deliverables.

• Ability to attract and develop senior talent within a team.

• Knowledge of broader organizational tenets and strategic goals.

• Recognition of trends for larger-scale development needs and proactive planning for skill development.

• Experience in setting high performance standards and auditing department goals for alignment.

• Advocacy for departmental resources and development of department vision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Significant Years experience in software development specifically Figma" is a key technical requirement. The emphasis on "Data driven and results-oriented," "running high traffic, distributed, cloud based services," and "affecting large culture change" points to a role that is both technically adept and strategically influential, requiring a blend of design, technical, and change management expertise. The "10+ Years" AI experience level aligns with the "Significant Years" phrasing.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from ideation and user research through to design, development, launch, and post-launch optimization.

• Showcase case studies that highlight your ability to translate complex business requirements and user needs into intuitive and effective UX/UI designs, supported by wireframes, prototypes, and final designs.

• Provide examples of how you have utilized data analysis and user feedback to drive design decisions, measure product performance, and iterate on enhancements to achieve measurable business outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating and maintaining design documentation, including user flows, journey maps, style guides, and design specifications to ensure consistency and clarity for development teams.

• Demonstrate experience in implementing and refining design processes that improve efficiency, collaboration, and the quality of UX/UI deliverables within an agile or hybrid development environment.

• Showcase how you have tracked and analyzed the performance of digital features and user experiences post-launch, using metrics to inform future design iterations and strategic adjustments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Senior UX Designer / UX Lead" title and the emphasis on product vision, stakeholder management, and driving results, a portfolio demonstrating end-to-end ownership, data-informed decision-making, and leadership in design processes is crucial. The role's scope suggests the need for examples that go beyond individual contributions to showcase strategic thinking and team influence.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), providing ample time for rest and personal pursuits.

• A discretionary annual performance-related bonus, recognizing and rewarding individual and team contributions to business success.

• Comprehensive Private Medical Care, ensuring access to quality healthcare services.

• Life Insurance coverage, offering financial security for dependents.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing confidential support for personal and professional challenges.

• Pension Plan, supporting long-term financial planning and retirement security.

• Paid Parental Leave, offering support for new parents during a significant life event.

• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends, extending benefits beyond the workplace.

Working Hours:

• The role is full-time, typically around 40 hours per week. The company offers a hybrid working model, allowing for up to 2 days of working from home per week, providing flexibility while maintaining team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on the role's seniority, location (Belfast, UK), and industry (Financial Services). The listed benefits are directly extracted from the job description. The working hours are inferred from the "Full time" employment type and the explicit mention of a hybrid model with specific office days.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Technology. Citi operates at the forefront of global finance, leveraging technology to redefine financial services. This sector demands high levels of security, regulatory compliance, innovation, and reliability. The company's scale means its technological advancements have a significant impact on economies worldwide.

Company Size: Large Enterprise ( Citi is a global financial institution with tens of thousands of employees worldwide). For operations professionals, this means working within established structures, with access to extensive resources, specialized teams, and opportunities for global impact, but also potentially navigating more complex approval processes and larger-scale projects.

Founded: 1812. With a long history, Citi combines extensive experience with a forward-looking approach to technology and finance, aiming to build systems that matter and influence economies.

Team Structure:

• The role falls within the "Digital Design Engineering" job family, part of the broader "Technology" job family group. This suggests a specialized team focused on user experience and interface design within the technology division.

• As a "Senior UX Designer / UX Lead," the position likely involves managing a small team of UX/UI designers or leading a specific product stream with significant influence.

Methodology:

• The description emphasizes a "data-driven and results-oriented" approach, indicating that decisions are informed by analytics, user research, and performance metrics.

• "Design thinking" is explicitly mentioned as a core methodology for improving products, suggesting a focus on empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing.

• Agile or hybrid methodologies are implied through the "concept to production" lifecycle and the need for iterative feature enhancements, common in technology development.

• Emphasis on "risk assessment" and compliance points to a structured, process-oriented approach to development, particularly relevant in the financial sector.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is derived from the provided description and general knowledge of Citi. The emphasis on "Engineer the future of global finance" highlights Citi's ambition in technology. The company size and industry context are inferred to provide relevant insights for operations professionals.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a senior/lead level, demanding significant experience (10+ years) and encompassing both individual contribution excellence (UX design) and team/project leadership. It represents a transition point towards formal management or a highly influential individual contributor path within the Digital Design Engineering function. The responsibilities include managing people, budget, and strategic planning, indicating a senior leadership trajectory.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, a Senior UX Designer / UX Lead typically reports to a Director or VP of Digital Design, Technology, or Product. They would likely manage a team of junior to mid-level UX/UI designers and collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is significant, directly influencing the user experience of digital financial products that handle trillions of dollars daily. By driving product vision, optimizing user journeys, and enhancing digital features, this role contributes to customer satisfaction, adoption rates, operational efficiency, and ultimately, Citi's competitive edge in the global financial market. The focus on data-driven improvements and strategic alignment ensures that design efforts directly support business growth and financial objectives.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Progression: Potential to move into a full-time management role (e.g., Digital Design Engineering Manager), overseeing larger teams and broader portfolios, or to become a principal/architectural UX lead focusing on strategic design direction for major initiatives.

• Skill Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specific areas of UX, such as UX research, interaction design, information architecture, or accessibility, and to gain specialized knowledge in FinTech UX challenges.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Potential to gain broader exposure to product management, engineering leadership, and business strategy through cross-functional projects and strategic planning involvement.

• Learning & Development: Access to Citi's extensive learning resources, including training programs, conferences, and certifications, to stay current with emerging UX trends, design tools, and financial technology advancements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis focuses on the career implications of a "Senior UX Designer / UX Lead" role within a large financial institution. The growth opportunities are tailored to the seniority and leadership aspects highlighted in the job description, emphasizing both technical and managerial development paths within the operations and technology domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Belfast, UK, and offers a hybrid working model. This indicates a structured office environment that also embraces flexibility. The "business casual workplace" suggests a professional yet comfortable atmosphere.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Belfast, United Kingdom, specifically at 60 Sydenham Road, Titanic Quarter. This location is a modern business hub, likely offering good connectivity and amenities.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model (up to 2 days working from home) promotes a balanced approach to work, encouraging in-office collaboration for key meetings, brainstorming sessions, and team building, while allowing for focused individual work remotely.

• As part of Citi Tech, the environment likely provides access to robust IT infrastructure, modern design tools (including Figma), and collaboration platforms necessary for global financial operations and design work.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with a diverse team of UX designers, product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders are inherent in the role, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing culture.

Work Schedule: The standard full-time work schedule is expected to be around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model offers flexibility in how and where these hours are completed, balancing in-office presence with remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment details are a synthesis of the provided information (hybrid, Belfast location) and typical expectations for a senior technology role within a large financial institution like Citi. The emphasis is on balancing collaboration with flexibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the technical requirements (Figma proficiency, UX/UI expertise) and experience level (10+ years). Be prepared to highlight specific achievements and leadership contributions.

• Technical/Design Assessment: Likely an interview or a take-home assignment focusing on UX design principles, problem-solving skills, and your ability to articulate design decisions. This may involve a case study or a critique of existing designs.

• Behavioral & Leadership Interview: Questions assessing your leadership style, team management experience, stakeholder negotiation skills, ability to drive change, and how you embody Citi's leadership principles. Prepare examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

• Team/Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager and potential team members to evaluate cultural fit, collaboration style, and strategic thinking capabilities.

• Final Round: Potentially a presentation of a portfolio case study to senior stakeholders, focusing on impact, ROI, and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your most impactful projects that demonstrate end-to-end UX ownership, leadership, and quantifiable results. Prioritize projects relevant to financial services or complex B2B/enterprise applications if possible.

• Showcase Process & Rationale: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and responsibilities, the design process followed (including research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, testing), key decisions made, and the rationale behind them.

• Highlight Impact & Metrics: Quantify the success of your projects using relevant metrics (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced task completion time, improved user satisfaction scores, cost savings). If exact numbers are confidential, describe the impact qualitatively and the metrics you would have tracked.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include projects where you led a team, influenced stakeholders, or managed vendors. Explain how you navigated challenges and fostered collaboration.

• Figma Proficiency: Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases work done in Figma, demonstrating your ability to leverage its features for wireframing, prototyping, and design systems.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Challenge: Be ready for a design challenge that might involve analyzing a user problem, proposing UX solutions, or critiquing an existing interface. Focus on articulating your thought process, user-centric approach, and potential solutions.

• Strategic Thinking: Prepare to discuss how you would approach improving a specific digital financial product, considering user needs, business goals, technical constraints, and competitive landscape.

• Stakeholder Management Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would handle conflicting stakeholder feedback or gain buy-in for your design recommendations.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides tactical advice tailored to a Senior UX Designer/Lead role in a large financial institution. The emphasis is on demonstrating leadership, data-driven decision-making, and the ability to navigate complex organizational structures, all through the lens of portfolio presentation and interview preparation.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and collaborative design workflows. Proficiency is explicitly required.

• UX Research Tools: Experience with tools for user interviews, surveys, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Qualtrics).

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools might be beneficial for specific project needs.

• Wireframing Tools: Tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, or Balsamiq, though Figma is the primary focus.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics for tracking user behavior on digital platforms.

• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI, or similar for creating dashboards and reports to communicate UX performance and insights to stakeholders.

• Product Analytics Tools: Amplitude, Mixpanel, or similar for in-depth analysis of user engagement and feature usage.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a UX tool, understanding how UX interfaces with CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can be beneficial for holistic product design within a business context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary tool mentioned is Figma. The other tools listed are standard for UX/UI roles in enterprise environments, particularly in the tech and finance sectors, focusing on user research, analytics, and data visualization to support data-driven decision-making.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of Citi's global customer base, ensuring that all digital experiences are user-centric and intuitive.

• Data-Driven Innovation: Valuing decisions informed by rigorous data analysis, user research, and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement and innovative solutions.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering a highly collaborative environment where diverse teams work together seamlessly to achieve shared goals, breaking down silos between departments.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for outcomes, from initial concept to successful deployment and ongoing optimization, with a focus on delivering measurable results.

• Integrity & Ethics: Upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct, compliance, and risk management, reflecting Citi's commitment to trust and responsibility in the financial sector.

• Efficiency & Excellence: Striving for operational excellence through process optimization, automation, and a commitment to high-quality design and execution.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: A strong emphasis on working closely with product management, engineering, marketing, and business units to ensure a unified approach to product development and strategy.

• Open Communication: Encouraging transparent and direct communication, where feedback is readily exchanged, and diverse perspectives are valued to foster problem-solving and innovation.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing iterative development cycles and continuous feedback loops to adapt quickly to user needs and market changes, promoting flexibility and responsiveness.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively promoting the sharing of best practices, insights, and learnings across teams and departments to elevate the collective expertise and drive consistent quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles are inferred based on Citi's stated mission, the nature of the role (lead/senior), and the industry's demands for reliability, innovation, and ethical conduct. The focus is on how these values translate into the daily work of a UX lead in operations.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scale and Complexity: Navigating the immense scale and complexity of a global financial institution, managing diverse user needs and stringent regulatory requirements across multiple markets.

• Balancing Innovation with Risk: Finding the right balance between introducing cutting-edge UX innovations and adhering to strict security, compliance, and risk management protocols inherent in the financial sector.

• Driving Cultural Change: Influencing and driving adoption of new design processes, methodologies, and a user-centric mindset across various departments that may have established ways of working.

• Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Effectively managing and aligning the expectations of numerous stakeholders with potentially competing priorities and ensuring buy-in for design strategies.

• Keeping Pace with Technology: Continuously adapting to rapid advancements in UX technology, design tools, and the evolving digital landscape within FinTech.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Specialization: Opportunities to gain deeper expertise in areas like UX research, accessibility (WCAG compliance), design systems, or UX strategy for complex financial products.

• FinTech Domain Expertise: Developing specialized knowledge of the financial services industry, regulatory frameworks, and customer behaviors within this sector.

• Leadership & Management Training: Access to Citi's extensive leadership development programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities to enhance management, strategic planning, and team-building skills.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Support for attending relevant UX, design, and FinTech conferences, as well as pursuing professional certifications.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Opportunities to work on projects that expose you to other areas of the business, such as product management, marketing technology, or data analytics, broadening your understanding of operational levers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are derived from the nature of working at a large, global financial institution in a leadership role. The growth opportunities are tailored to a senior UX professional looking to advance their career within such an environment, focusing on both domain-specific and general leadership development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex product vision you've helped shape from concept to launch. What was your specific role, what were the key challenges, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, end-to-end ownership, and impact measurement.)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for Citi's mobile banking app that aims to increase user engagement with investment products? Walk us through your process, including research, ideation, and how you'd involve stakeholders." (Prepare to articulate a structured, user-centered design process and stakeholder collaboration.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Citi's approach to technology and innovation in the financial services sector? How do you see UX design contributing to that vision?" (Research Citi's recent tech initiatives and strategic goals.)

• "Our leadership principles emphasize [mention a relevant principle, e.g., 'Doing what’s right']. How have you demonstrated this principle in your past UX leadership roles?" (Prepare examples that align with Citi's core values and leadership tenets.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation around a compelling story for each case study: the problem, your solution, the process, and the results.

• Visual Clarity: Use high-fidelity mockups, clear wireframes, and concise explanations. Avoid overwhelming detail; focus on key design decisions and their impact.

• Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly state the quantifiable results or the intended business impact. Use metrics to demonstrate ROI and user value.

• Highlight Leadership & Collaboration: Specifically call out instances where you led a team, influenced stakeholders, or collaborated with cross-functional partners.

• Figma Showcase: Be ready to briefly demonstrate key Figma features used in your projects if asked, especially regarding prototyping or design system components.

📝 Enhancement Note: These interview questions and preparation tips are designed to help candidates effectively showcase their senior-level UX design, leadership, and strategic thinking capabilities within the context of a major financial institution like Citi. The emphasis is on demonstrating both hard skills and the ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer / UX Lead position:

• Submit your application through the official Citi careers portal via the provided job link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight your most relevant experience in UX/UI design, leadership, software development, and proficiency with Figma. Emphasize projects demonstrating impact in complex environments or financial services if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 10+ years of experience, leadership responsibilities (team, budget management), and quantifiable achievements in driving product vision and user experience improvements. Use keywords from the job description like "UX Lead," "Figma," "product vision," "data-driven," and "stakeholder management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, leadership philosophy, and problem-solving approaches using the STAR method. Prepare to present your portfolio case studies, focusing on impact and strategic rationale.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Citi's mission, values, recent technology initiatives, and its role in global finance. Understand how the Digital Design Engineering team contributes to the company's strategic objectives.

⚠️ 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.

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