UX & UI Designer (six month contract)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX & UI Designer (Six Month Contract)

Company: SilverRail

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Contract

Category: UX/UI Design

Date Posted: March 26, 2026

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on the end-to-end design of consumer-facing digital travel products, encompassing both user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design.

• The designer will be responsible for translating complex user needs and business requirements into intuitive, engaging, and visually appealing digital solutions for web and mobile platforms.

• Key responsibilities include conducting comprehensive UX research, developing design artifacts such as wireframes and prototypes, and creating high-fidelity UI designs that adhere to brand guidelines and maintain consistency through a design system.

• The position is a six-month contract, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to a company revolutionizing eco-friendly travel through technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job title and description strongly indicate a focus on tangible design deliverables and a hands-on approach to product development. The emphasis on "consumer-facing products" and "digital travel" suggests the need for a designer who can balance user needs with business objectives in a commercial context. The contract nature implies a need for rapid contribution and self-sufficiency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iteratively improve digital products across web and mobile platforms, ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Lead specific features or entire products through the design lifecycle, from initial concept and user research to final delivery and iteration.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to gather, analyze, and translate user and business requirements into effective design solutions.

• Create comprehensive UX artifacts, including wireframes, user flows, journey maps, and interactive prototypes, to clearly communicate design ideas and interactions.

• Develop high-fidelity UI designs that are visually consistent, user-friendly, accessible, and aligned with SilverRail's brand identity.

• Maintain, evolve, and administer the design system and component library within Figma, ensuring consistency and proper documentation across all product teams.

• Plan and execute UX research activities such as usability testing (remote and in-person), user interviews, and focus groups to validate designs and gather actionable user insights.

• Analyze user behavior data, product analytics, and research findings to identify user pain points and opportunities for enhancing the overall user experience.

• Proactively identify and resolve UX issues, including usability challenges, accessibility concerns, and responsiveness across various devices and screen sizes.

• Iterate on designs based on user feedback, testing outcomes, and data-driven insights to continuously improve product quality and user satisfaction.

• Work closely with engineering teams to ensure accurate implementation of designs, providing support and clarification throughout the development process.

• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging tools, and best practices in UX and UI design, contributing fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a full-stack UX/UI role, requiring expertise across research, ideation, prototyping, visual design, and design system management. The mention of "fail-fast-fail-early" philosophy suggests an agile environment where rapid iteration and learning are valued.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, Digital Media, or a related field is typically foundational for UX/UI professionals. Candidates are expected to demonstrate equivalent practical experience.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience as a UX/UI Designer is required, with a significant emphasis on UX principles and methodologies, complemented by a robust history in UI design execution. Experience designing digital products for commercial or product-focused environments, particularly in web and/or mobile applications, is essential.

Required Skills:

• UX Design Principles & Methodologies: Deep understanding and practical application of user-centered design processes, information architecture, interaction design, and usability best practices.

• UI Design: Proven ability to create visually appealing, intuitive, and consistent user interfaces for digital products.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced expertise in Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration, including design system management.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Skill in creating low-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes to articulate design concepts and user flows.

• UX Research: Hands-on experience conducting various UX research methods, including usability testing (remote and in-person), user interviews, and focus groups.

• Requirements Analysis: Ability to effectively gather, analyze, and translate user and business requirements into design solutions.

• Design System Management: Experience in developing, maintaining, and administering design systems and component libraries.

• Accessibility Standards: Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and best practices for designing inclusive and usable products for diverse user groups.

• Communication Skills: Excellent visual, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly present and justify design decisions to cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and address UX challenges.

• Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to creating high-quality, pixel-perfect designs.

• Organizational & Time Management: Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and meet project deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively both independently and as part of cross-functional teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the travel, transport, or e-commerce domains.

• Familiarity with product analytics tools to interpret user behavior data.

• Experience with iterative design processes and agile development methodologies.

• Knowledge of UX writing principles to enhance user interface copy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 5+ years of experience, coupled with the emphasis on UX principles and a strong portfolio, indicates a mid-to-senior level UX/UI designer role. The specific mention of Figma as a required tool is critical for candidates.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A strong, well-curated portfolio is mandatory, showcasing a diverse range of UX/UI design projects.

• The portfolio must clearly demonstrate design thinking processes, problem-solving approaches, and the candidate's specific contributions to real-world products and projects.

• Include case studies that highlight how user needs and business goals were balanced, detailing the user research conducted and the impact of the design solutions.

• Showcase proficiency in creating various UX artifacts, such as user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase an understanding of the full design lifecycle from discovery and research through to ideation, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation.

• Provide examples of how user feedback and product analytics were integrated into the design iteration process.

• Illustrate experience in maintaining and evolving design systems and component libraries for consistency and scalability.

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively with engineering teams to ensure accurate design implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is a critical component of the evaluation process, expected to provide concrete evidence of design skills, process, and impact. It should not only display final designs but also the journey and rationale behind them.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a contract role based in London, UK, with a requirement for 5+ years of experience, a competitive daily or hourly rate is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for experienced UX/UI Designers in London, a range of £300 - £500 per day (equivalent to approximately £62,400 - £104,000 annually for a full-time equivalent) is a reasonable estimate, depending on the candidate's specific experience and skill set.

Benefits:

• Contract Duration: Initial six-month contract with potential for extension.

• Flexible Working: Accredited flexible company, named in Flexa’s Top 50 Most Flexible Companies, utilizing a hybrid working model.

• Home Office Support: Equipment provided for effective home working.

• Office Access: One to two monthly visits to a central London office.

• Private Healthcare: Comprehensive private healthcare coverage.

• Rail Discounts: Discounted rail travel, aligning with the company's industry.

• Career Development: Access to a wealth of career development opportunities and tailored training to enhance professional skills.

• Wellbeing Support: Wellbeing seminars and membership to a leading meditation app.

• Environmental Impact: Opportunity to work for a tech company contributing positively to the environment by revolutionizing travel.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are anticipated, likely around 40 hours per week, with flexibility afforded by the hybrid working model.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on typical contract rates for experienced UX/UI designers in London, UK, considering the hybrid work model and the specific benefits offered. The contract nature means a higher daily rate is common compared to permanent roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on the travel and transportation sector, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendly travel solutions. SilverRail operates as a technology provider for the rail industry, aiming to transform online customer experiences for rail travel globally.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the presence of global offices (London, Boston, Brisbane, Stockholm) and a structured recruitment process suggests a medium to large-sized organization.

Founded: SilverRail has over 15 years of experience, indicating a well-established company with a proven track record in the travel technology space.

Team Structure:

• The UX/UI Designer will work within a product development team, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Developers.

• The "fail-fast-fail-early" philosophy suggests a culture that encourages experimentation, rapid iteration, and learning from mistakes.

Methodology:

• Design work is driven by user needs and business requirements, translating