Lead UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Designer

Company: HSBC Global Services Limited

Location: Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-09-29

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the end-to-end UX design process for complex enterprise platforms, focusing on user research, interaction design, and usability testing.

• Translate intricate business requirements and technical specifications into intuitive, efficient, and accessible user interfaces for internal systems.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Operations teams to ensure seamless design implementation and continuous improvement.

• Champion the adoption of design standards, reusable components, and a consistent user experience across the Dhub portal and related applications.

• Utilize data-driven insights from user feedback, analytics, and operational data to inform design decisions and enhance operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core focus of this role is on designing internal enterprise platforms, specifically the "Dhub portal," which suggests a strong emphasis on operational workflows, data management, and efficiency for internal users rather than external customers. This positions the role within a specialized area of UX design, requiring a deep understanding of enterprise system complexities.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive user research, including interviews, workshops, usability testing, and surveys, to deeply understand the needs and pain points of Dhub portal users.

• Analyze existing workflows, support issues, operational feedback, and usage data to identify key areas for improvement and innovation.

• Develop critical UX artifacts such as personas, user journey maps, and service blueprints to represent user perspectives and inform design strategy.

• Design intuitive end-to-end user experiences for key functionalities including campaign configuration, campaign journey creation and management, global settings, operational monitoring, data entry, validation, and exception handling.

• Create detailed user flows, information architectures, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs that prioritize usability, efficiency, accessibility, consistency, and scalability.

• Design robust error prevention, guidance, validation, confirmation, and recovery mechanisms to support complex operational tasks.

• Establish clear and effective design patterns for intricate forms, rules, dependencies, status indicators, and workflow states within the platform.

• Ensure the designed experiences support stringent operational controls, auditability requirements, and appropriate user permission models.

• Facilitate design thinking workshops and collaborative problem-solving sessions with cross-functional stakeholders to drive consensus and innovation.

• Communicate design decisions, rationale, trade-offs, and expected impacts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Partner with engineering teams throughout the development lifecycle to ensure accurate implementation and ongoing fitness-for-purpose of designs.

• Support agile delivery processes through proactive design planning, backlog refinement, design reviews, and iterative feedback loops.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of design standards, reusable component libraries, and a cohesive user experience across the portal.

• Identify and propose opportunities to enhance operational efficiency, reduce manual effort, and minimize user errors through thoughtful design.

• Validate design concepts and prototypes with representative users prior to development to ensure alignment with user needs.

• Conduct post-launch usability testing and assess design outcomes against defined success metrics, including task completion, time on task, error rates, and user satisfaction.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging evidence-based insights from user feedback, analytics, and service data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on internal enterprise systems, particularly concerning campaign management and operational workflows. This implies the need for a UX Designer who can handle complexity, data richness, and the specific demands of operational controls, auditability, and role-based access within a financial services context.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a Lead UX Designer role.

Experience: 5-10 years of proven experience as a UX Designer, Product Designer, or Interaction Designer, with a significant portion focused on internal enterprise platforms, workflow tools, or operational systems.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience designing complex, data-rich, or rules-based enterprise applications.

• Demonstrable expertise across the full UX lifecycle: discovery, research, ideation, design, prototyping, testing, and post-launch iteration.

• Strong command of information architecture principles and best practices for organizing complex digital products.

• Advanced skills in interaction design, creating intuitive and efficient user flows and interfaces.

• Proficiency in prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Axure) for creating interactive mockups and high-fidelity designs.

• Experience conducting various forms of user research, including user interviews, usability testing, and heuristic evaluations.

• Demonstrated ability to simplify complex processes and design efficient, low-friction workflows.

• Effective collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work closely with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Understanding and application of responsive design principles for adaptable user interfaces.

• Knowledge and practical application of accessibility and inclusive design principles to ensure usability for all users.

• Experience using design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Axure, or equivalent.

• Ability to produce clear and detailed design specifications for engineering teams.

• Strong facilitation and presentation skills, capable of leading workshops and communicating design rationale effectively.

• A robust portfolio showcasing relevant enterprise, workflow, or platform design work with clear case studies. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing campaign management, customer engagement, marketing operations, or journey orchestration platforms.

• Experience with administration portals, configuration tools, workflow management systems, or content management systems (CMS).

• Experience designing systems with role-based access controls, approval workflows, audit trails, and operational monitoring features.

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and supporting design within an agile framework.

• Understanding of data visualization principles and their application in enterprise dashboards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Desirable experience" section strongly suggests a focus on marketing technology and operational administration. Candidates with a background in designing systems for marketing campaigns, customer engagement, and internal operational tools will have a significant advantage. The emphasis on "data-rich" and "rules-based" applications points towards complex financial or operational systems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 3-5 relevant enterprise, workflow, or platform design projects.

• Each project within the portfolio should clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and contributions, the design process followed (research, ideation, design, testing), key design decisions, and the resulting outcomes or impact.

• Demonstrations of how you simplified complex processes and designed efficient, low-friction workflows for enterprise users.

• Examples of designing for data-rich environments, rules-based logic, or complex operational controls.

• Visual examples of wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups, highlighting design rationale.

• Evidence of applying accessibility and inclusive design principles in your work.

• Case studies detailing the use of user research and usability testing to inform design decisions. Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, provide clear documentation of the UX process, from initial discovery and user research through to design delivery and iteration.

• Detail how you translated complex business and technical requirements into design solutions.

• Showcase your approach to creating and using UX artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and information architectures.

• Document your collaboration with engineering, product management, and operations teams during the design and development lifecycle.

• Illustrate how you used feedback, analytics, and service data for continuous improvement and to track success measures.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is critical for demonstrating practical experience with enterprise systems. Candidates should emphasize projects that showcase their ability to handle complexity, data, and operational workflows, rather than purely consumer-facing applications. Highlighting impact through efficiency gains, error reduction, or improved task completion will be key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the Lead UX Designer title, 5-10 years of experience, and the location in Guangzhou, China, a competitive salary range can be estimated. For a Lead UX Designer in a major international financial institution like HSBC in Guangzhou, the annual salary could range from ¥350,000 to ¥600,000 CNY, depending on specific experience, qualifications, and the prevailing market rates. This range reflects the seniority and specialized skills required for this role within the financial technology sector.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Retirement savings plan (e.g., pension or provident fund contributions).

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning, including training programs and workshops.

• Flexible working arrangements, potentially including hybrid work options or flexible hours, to support work-life balance.

• Paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and public holidays.

• Access to HSBC's global network and career advancement opportunities within the organization.

• Employee assistance programs for well-being support.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Some flexibility may be offered, but the role requires on-site presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on market research for Lead UX Designer roles in major Chinese cities within multinational financial corporations, considering the specified experience level. Benefits are standard for large, established organizations like HSBC.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Banking Technology. HSBC operates within the highly regulated and complex global financial services industry. The CTO Data Technology business area specifically focuses on leveraging data and technology to drive innovation and efficiency within these financial operations.

Company Size: HSBC is a global financial institution with over 200,000 employees worldwide. This indicates a large, structured organization with established processes, diverse teams, and significant resources.

Founded: HSBC was founded in 1865, signifying a long history and deep institutional knowledge within the global financial landscape. This heritage often translates into a culture that values stability, compliance, and long-term strategic planning, while also embracing technological advancements.

Team Structure:

• The Lead UX Designer will be part of the CTO Data Technology business unit, likely within a dedicated UX/Design team or a product-focused team.

• The team structure will likely involve collaboration with Product Managers, Business Analysts, Engineers (Frontend and Backend), Data Scientists, and Operations Specialists.

• Reporting is likely to a Head of UX, Design Director, or a senior Product Management lead within the CTO Data Technology division. Methodology:

• The team likely operates using Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum or Kanban) to facilitate iterative development and rapid response to evolving business needs.

• Emphasis will be placed on data-driven decision-making, utilizing user research, analytics, and operational metrics to guide design and product strategy.

• Collaboration and cross-functional teamwork are essential, requiring effective communication and shared ownership of product development.

• A focus on process optimization and efficiency is inherent in the role, aiming to improve internal workflows and reduce operational friction.

Company Website: https://www.hsbc.com/ (General corporate site; specific application portal is provided in the input)

📝 Enhancement Note: HSBC's status as a global financial institution implies a culture that balances innovation with robust governance, compliance, and security. For a UX designer, this means understanding and designing within strict regulatory frameworks, ensuring data privacy, and catering to the specific needs of financial operations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a "Lead" level, signifying senior expertise and responsibility. It requires not only strong individual design contributions but also the ability to guide junior designers, influence design strategy, and drive best practices within the team and across projects. The focus on internal enterprise platforms and operational systems means career growth might involve specializing further in complex workflow design, financial technology UX, or moving into design management roles.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UX Designer will report to a senior leader within the CTO Data Technology unit, likely a Head of UX, Design Director, or a senior Product Lead. They will collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads on a day-to-day basis.

Operations Impact: The Lead UX Designer's work directly impacts the efficiency, accuracy, and user satisfaction of internal operations teams, particularly those involved in campaign management and data processing. By simplifying complex workflows and improving system usability, the role contributes to reduced operational costs, minimized errors, faster processing times, and better data integrity, all of which have a significant downstream effect on the company's overall revenue and profitability.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for complex financial workflows, campaign management systems, or data-intensive enterprise applications.

• Leadership: Progress into a UX Design Manager or Head of UX role, overseeing a team of designers, setting design vision, and managing stakeholder relationships at a higher level.

• Product Strategy: Transition into a Product Owner or Product Manager role, leveraging design expertise to define product roadmaps and strategy.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Explore opportunities within other technology or product-focused teams within HSBC's vast global network.

• Continuous Learning: Access to HSBC's extensive learning and development resources, industry conferences, and potential for certifications in UX, Agile, or financial technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" designation implies a path towards management or senior individual contributor roles. The specific context of financial operations technology suggests opportunities for deep domain expertise.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role within HSBC's Guangzhou offices. The environment is likely a modern corporate office space designed to foster collaboration among teams.

Office Location(s): Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. This is a major economic hub, offering access to a vibrant business community and talent pool. Specific office building details would be available upon inquiry or during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace will likely be set up to facilitate collaboration, with meeting rooms, whiteboarding facilities, and potentially open-plan areas for team interaction.

• Access to standard corporate IT infrastructure, including high-performance workstations, design software, and communication tools, will be provided.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Operations) will be integral to the daily work environment.

• The environment is expected to be professional, fast-paced, and geared towards delivering high-quality technology solutions within the financial sector.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with a standard 40-hour work week. While core hours will be expected for team collaboration and operational needs, there may be some flexibility offered, aligning with HSBC's stated commitment to flexible working. However, the on-site requirement means that consistent physical presence during business hours is anticipated.

📝 Enhancement Note: As an on-site role in a major financial institution, expect a structured and professional work environment focused on productivity and collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Recruiter will review applications and conduct an initial phone screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review: Candidates will be asked to present their portfolio, detailing 2-3 key projects that demonstrate their expertise in enterprise UX design, workflow optimization, and complex application design. This is often the most critical stage.

• Technical/Design Interview: A panel interview with UX peers, Product Managers, and potentially Engineering leads. This will involve discussing design challenges, problem-solving approaches, and potentially a live design exercise or case study.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the direct hiring manager to assess leadership potential, strategic thinking, and alignment with team goals.

• Final Round/Stakeholder Interview: Potentially an interview with senior leadership or key stakeholders to confirm fit and suitability for the Lead role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Select Wisely: Choose projects that best represent your experience with enterprise platforms, complex workflows, data-rich applications, and operational systems. Avoid purely consumer-facing apps unless they strongly demonstrate relevant skills.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem, user needs, your specific role and responsibilities, the design process you followed, key challenges encountered, design decisions made (and why), and the measurable impact or outcomes.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively – wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, high-fidelity mockups, and user testing results. Explain your design rationale behind key decisions.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., reduced task completion time, decreased error rates, increased user satisfaction scores, efficiency gains).

• Highlight Collaboration: Showcase how you collaborated with Product Managers, Engineers, and Operations teams.

• Address Complexity: Clearly explain how you navigated complex requirements, technical constraints, and regulatory considerations.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a design exercise or case study that may involve a hypothetical problem related to internal enterprise systems, workflow optimization, or data management.

• Focus on demonstrating your process: how you would approach understanding the problem, conducting research (even if simulated), ideating solutions, and evaluating them.

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely.

• Be ready to discuss trade-offs and justify your design decisions.

• Prepare questions about the team's current challenges, design processes, and strategic priorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation and a potential design challenge are likely to be the most crucial parts of the interview process. Candidates need to demonstrate not just design skill but strategic thinking and problem-solving relevant to enterprise operations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Axure (proficiency in at least one is required, familiarity with others is a plus).

• User Research: Tools for conducting interviews, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback), surveys (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms).

• Collaboration: Jira, Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams for project management, documentation, and team communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not primary design tools, familiarity with how user analytics are tracked and reported (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, internal BI tools) is beneficial for understanding user behavior and measuring design impact.

• Experience interpreting data from operational monitoring and service desk feedback. CRM & Automation:

• While the role focuses on internal platforms, understanding CRM systems (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (as mentioned in desirable experience) can provide context for campaign management features.

• Familiarity with workflow automation concepts and how UX design can support or integrate with automated processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard UX design and prototyping tools like Figma is essential. Experience with enterprise collaboration and project management tools is also expected.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of internal users, ensuring their workflows are efficient and effective.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Reliance on user research, analytics, and operational data to inform design choices and measure success, rather than assumptions.

• Collaboration and Transparency: Open communication and close partnership with Product Management, Engineering, and Operations teams to achieve shared goals.

• Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to identifying opportunities for enhancing user experiences, operational efficiency, and system performance.

• Quality and Precision: A focus on delivering high-quality, reliable, and accurate design solutions that meet the stringent requirements of the financial industry.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with Product Managers to define requirements, Engineers to ensure feasibility and implementation, and Operations teams to understand real-world usage and impact.

• Design Thinking Workshops: Facilitating collaborative sessions to brainstorm solutions, gather feedback, and align stakeholders on design directions.

• Agile Partnership: Working closely with development teams in an Agile environment, participating in ceremonies, and providing timely design support and iteration.

• Feedback Culture: An openness to receiving and providing constructive feedback to improve designs and processes collaboratively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture likely emphasizes a blend of innovation and rigorous execution, common in financial technology. Collaboration and a data-informed approach are key to success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Enterprise Systems: Designing for intricate, data-heavy, and rules-based internal platforms requires a high level of analytical and design problem-solving skill.

• Balancing User Needs with Business/Technical Constraints: Integrating user-centric design with strict regulatory requirements, security protocols, and technical limitations inherent in a financial institution.

• Driving Adoption and Change: Encouraging internal users to adopt new workflows or system improvements, which can sometimes face resistance to change.

• Measuring Impact in Operational Settings: Quantifying the precise impact of UX improvements on operational efficiency and business outcomes can be challenging but is crucial for demonstrating value.

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Technology: Continuously learning about new UX methodologies, tools, and best practices while adapting to the evolving technological landscape within financial services.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized UX Training: Access to advanced training in enterprise UX, financial technology design, and specific UX methodologies.

• Industry Conferences: Opportunities to attend relevant UX and FinTech conferences to stay abreast of industry trends and network with peers.

• Mentorship Programs: Potential for mentorship from senior UX leaders within HSBC or access to internal learning resources.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gaining a deeper understanding of different business functions within HSBC, such as campaign management, data analytics, and operations.

• Leadership Development: For those interested in management, opportunities to develop leadership skills through leading projects and potentially mentoring junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical of senior UX roles in regulated industries. The growth opportunities are substantial within a global organization like HSBC.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex workflow for an enterprise system. What was the problem, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on process, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you balance user needs with technical constraints and business requirements in a highly regulated environment like banking?" (Assess critical thinking, prioritization, and understanding of industry context.)

• "Walk us through a project from your portfolio where you significantly improved operational efficiency through UX design. What metrics did you use to measure success?" (Demonstrate ROI, data-driven approach, and impact.)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for our Dhub portal, assuming you have limited initial user data?" (Test your research, ideation, and validation process.)

• "How do you ensure accessibility and inclusivity in your designs, especially for complex enterprise tools?" (Gauge your understanding of universal design principles.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about HSBC and its role in the financial services industry?" (Show you've done your research.)

• "Why are you interested in designing for internal enterprise platforms rather than consumer-facing products?" (Align your motivations with the role's focus.)

• "How do you typically collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers? Describe your ideal working relationship." (Assess your teamwork and communication style.)

• "How do you stay updated on the latest UX trends and technologies, particularly within FinTech?" (Demonstrate commitment to continuous learning.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Use a consistent structure for each case study: Problem, Solution, Your Role, Process, Outcome/Impact.

• Visuals: Ensure high-quality visuals. Use annotations to explain specific design elements and rationale.

• Storytelling: Craft a narrative for each project that highlights your problem-solving skills and strategic thinking.

• Quantify: Be ready to discuss metrics and demonstrate ROI. If exact numbers are unavailable, discuss the types of metrics you would track and why.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your presentation to fit within the allotted slot, leaving ample time for Q&A.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviews will likely focus on practical application of UX principles to complex business problems, collaboration, and demonstrating impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the HSBC careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to specifically highlight experience with enterprise platforms, workflow tools, data-rich applications, and operational systems. Select projects that best demonstrate your ability to simplify complexity and drive efficiency.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly lists your years of experience, key skills (mentioning specific tools like Figma, Sketch, Axure), and relevant accomplishments, using keywords from the job description. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on your problem-solving process, design rationale, and the impact of your work. Prepare to answer behavioral and situational questions related to enterprise UX design and collaboration.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with HSBC's business, its global presence, and its commitment to technology and innovation within the financial services sector. Understand the context of the CTO Data Technology division.

⚠️ 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.