Lead UX Designer H/F

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX Designer H/F

Company: NEXTON

Location: Montpellier, Occitanie, France

Job Type: Temps complet (Full-time)

Category: Design & Product Operations

Date Posted: April 21, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years (AI estimated based on requirements)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the global UX vision for digital products within a large-scale digital transformation program for a major French bank.

• Lead and mentor a team of 3 Senior UX Designers, fostering skill development and methodological consistency.

• Define and ensure the quality of user journeys from research phase through to prototype validation.

• Orchestrate user experience design within a multidisciplinary product team, aligning user needs with business objectives.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Tech teams, and Design teams to deliver seamless, accessible, and coherent digital experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly a "Lead UX Designer" with significant team management responsibilities, indicating a strong focus on operations within the design function. The context of a "large-scale digital transformation program" for a "major French bank" implies a need for robust process implementation, stakeholder management, and a focus on scalable design solutions, aligning with GTM and Revenue Operations principles. The AI-derived experience level of 10+ years is inferred from the "at least 8 years of experience" requirement plus "significant experience in lead or management."

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic UX Vision: Pilot the overall UX strategy for digital products, ensuring alignment with business goals and user needs across multiple digital touchpoints.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Manage, coach, and develop a team of Senior UX Designers, promoting best practices, skill enhancement, and a collaborative team environment.

• User Journey Orchestration: Define, design, and validate comprehensive user journeys, ensuring a high-quality, intuitive, and accessible experience from initial research to final testing.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work intimately with Product Managers to align user-centric design with product roadmaps and business objectives.

• Workshop Facilitation: Structure and lead UX workshops to gather insights, brainstorm solutions, and foster alignment among product, tech, and design stakeholders.

• Design Quality Assurance: Establish and enforce standards for UX design quality, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and usability across all digital products.

• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to optimize UX design processes, methodologies, and toolchain for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness within the product development lifecycle.

• Prototype Validation: Oversee the creation and testing of prototypes to gather user feedback and iterate on designs before development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic leadership (piloting UX vision), people management (leading a team), and hands-on execution (defining user journeys, facilitating workshops). This indicates a role that requires not only design expertise but also strong operational management skills to ensure successful project delivery and team performance within a complex organizational structure. The mention of "digital transformation at a large scale" suggests a need for robust process documentation and governance, key aspects of operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Higher education degree (Bac+5 or equivalent) in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in UX Design.

• Significant experience in a lead or management role, specifically overseeing and developing a team of UX designers.

• Experience within Agile environments and collaborative product development settings.

Required Skills:

• Comprehensive UX Methodologies: Mastery of the full UX lifecycle, from qualitative and quantitative user research to conception, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing.

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Figma, Maze, Miro, and Notion.

• Accessibility Standards: Deep understanding and application of accessibility principles (e.g., WCAG) to ensure inclusive design.

• Design System Principles: Experience in contributing to or leveraging design systems for consistency and scalability.

• Agile Development: Familiarity with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and experience working within cross-functional Agile teams.

• Workshop Facilitation: Proven ability to structure and lead effective design thinking and UX workshops.

• User Research Techniques: Expertise in conducting both qualitative (interviews, usability testing) and quantitative (surveys, analytics) user research.

Preferred Skills:

• Digital Transformation Context: Prior experience in a large-scale digital transformation program, especially within the financial services sector.

• Product Strategy Alignment: Ability to translate business objectives into effective user-centered design strategies.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Information Architecture: Strong understanding of structuring complex information and navigation systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "comprehensive UX methodologies," "design system principles," and "Agile development" points to a need for structured operational processes in design. The requirement for "significant experience in lead or management" highlights the operational aspect of team management, including performance tracking and skill development. The mention of specific tools like Figma, Maze, Miro, and Notion implies a need for candidates to be proficient in managing and utilizing these tools effectively within a team workflow.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies Demonstrating Impact: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies that illustrate your leadership in UX design projects, from problem definition to solution implementation and measurable outcomes.

• Process Mapping & Optimization: Include examples of how you've mapped out and improved UX design workflows, research processes, or prototyping cycles.

• Team Management & Collaboration: Present evidence of your leadership style, how you've mentored designers, and facilitated cross-functional collaboration.

• Systematic Approach: Demonstrate your ability to apply structured methodologies and leverage tools (Figma, Miro, Notion, etc.) to manage design projects and outcomes efficiently.

• User-Centricity Evidence: Clearly articulate how user research informed design decisions and how prototypes were validated.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Ability to document and present clear user flow diagrams, journey maps, and process maps for design operations.

• Research Protocol Definition: Experience in creating and documenting user research plans, including methodologies, participant recruitment, and data analysis frameworks.

• Design System Governance: Understanding of how to document and maintain design system components, guidelines, and usage protocols.

• Agile Integration: Examples of integrating UX processes seamlessly within Agile sprints and ceremonies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Lead UX Designer role, a portfolio isn't just about showcasing final designs but demonstrating the process and leadership behind them. This section emphasizes the need to present how the candidate operationalizes UX design, manages a team's workflow, and ensures quality and efficiency, akin to how a RevOps or Sales Ops leader would demonstrate process ownership and improvement. The mention of "systematic approach" and "process documentation" directly links to operational responsibilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The salary for a Lead UX Designer with 10+ years of experience in Montpellier, France, typically ranges from €60,000 to €85,000 annually. This estimation is based on industry benchmarks for senior design leadership roles in major French cities, considering the cost of living in Montpellier and the seniority implied by the requested experience.

Benefits:

• Dynamic Communities: Access to internal communities of practice for knowledge sharing and professional networking.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for "Meet Ups" and dedicated training programs to enhance skills and stay current with industry trends.

• Employee Well-being: Participation in sports and festive events to foster a positive work-life balance and team cohesion.

• Sustainable Mobility Package: Support for eco-friendly commuting options.

• Modern Technology: Provision of a latest-generation mobile phone for professional use.

• Retirement & Health: Standard French social security benefits, including health insurance (mutuelle) and retirement contributions.

• Paid Time Off: Generous annual leave and public holidays as per French labor law.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours, typically 40 hours per week, with potential for flexibility as common in French professional environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on French market data for senior design roles in a city like Montpellier. The benefits listed are directly from the job description, framed to highlight their value to a professional seeking a stable and growth-oriented work environment. The "40 hours" is an AI inference typical for full-time in France.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Transformation Consulting, IT Services, and Product Development. NEXTON operates at the intersection of consulting, creative factory, and IT services (ESN), working with large accounts and digital natives.

Company Size: Over 450 experts. This size suggests a dynamic, growing organization with established processes but still retaining a degree of agility and a focus on individual contribution.

Founded: 2011. Founded over a decade ago, NEXTON has a solid track record and has evolved significantly, indicating stability and a mature approach to business operations.

Team Structure:

• Multidisciplinary Product Team: The Lead UX Designer will join a team composed of Product Managers, Tech professionals, and other Designers.

• Reporting Line: Likely reports to a Head of Design, a Director of Product, or a similar senior leadership role overseeing digital strategy and product development.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: High emphasis on close collaboration with Product and Tech teams, requiring strong communication and alignment skills.

Methodology:

• Agile Product Development: The team operates within an Agile framework, implying iterative development cycles, frequent feedback loops, and continuous improvement.

• Design Thinking: The role involves structuring and animating UX workshops, suggesting the application of Design Thinking principles.

• Data-Informed Design: Collaboration with Product Managers and potential access to analytics implies a data-informed approach to design decisions.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company description positions NEXTON as a blend of consulting and execution, emphasizing expertise in digital, design, agile, and product. This suggests a culture that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, which is critical for operations professionals. The team structure implies a need for strong stakeholder management and the ability to influence across different functions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a senior leadership position within the design function, focusing on operationalizing UX strategy and managing a team. It sits at the intersection of individual contribution and team management, requiring a strategic and process-oriented mindset.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UX Designer will likely report to a senior management figure (e.g., Head of Design, Director of Product) and will directly manage a team of 3 Senior UX Designers. This structure allows for significant autonomy in managing the UX design process while ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals.

Operations Impact: The Lead UX Designer's impact is crucial for the success of digital products. By ensuring high-quality, user-centered experiences, they directly contribute to user adoption, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, the business objectives of clients like major French banks, influencing conversion rates and brand loyalty.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Head of Design or Director of Product role, overseeing larger teams and broader product portfolios.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the UX strategy for major digital transformation initiatives, gaining experience in high-impact projects.

• Mentorship & Development: Continued development of leadership and team management skills through mentoring junior and senior designers.

• Industry Expertise: Deepening expertise in specific industries (e.g., finance) and large-scale digital transformation projects.

• Community Engagement: Active participation in NEXTON's dynamic communities and meet-ups, fostering continuous learning and professional networking.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career progression from a senior individual contributor to a management and strategic leadership position within the design and product operations space. The emphasis on "operationalizing UX strategy" and "process improvement" aligns with the core tenets of operations roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based on-site in Montpellier, France, within a client's environment ("pour l'un de nos clients"). This suggests working within the corporate setting of a major French bank.

Office Location(s): Montpellier, Occitanie, France. This implies a vibrant city with an active tech and design scene.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The environment is described as a "multidisciplinary product team," indicating a highly collaborative workspace where designers, product managers, and tech professionals work closely together.

• Tooling & Technology: Access to modern design and collaboration tools (Figma, Maze, Miro, Notion) is expected, supporting efficient workflow and communication.

• Project Focus: The work centers around a significant digital transformation program, suggesting a dynamic and potentially fast-paced project environment.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with standard working hours likely aligned with the client's operational needs, but with potential for flexibility as is common in French professional settings. The focus on "digital transformation at a large scale" may involve periods of intense work, but clear processes and team support are expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site nature of the role, within a client's environment, means the Lead UX Designer will need to navigate corporate structures and client expectations, a common operational challenge. The collaborative workspace context highlights the importance of strong interpersonal and communication skills for effective operations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess experience, leadership capabilities, and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: Discussion focused on your UX methodologies, leadership experience, and approach to team management. Expect questions about how you've mentored designers and driven UX quality.

• Case Study Presentation/Workshop: You may be asked to present a portfolio case study or participate in a simulated workshop to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and collaboration style.

• Client/Stakeholder Interview: Potentially an interview with stakeholders from the client (the bank) to assess cultural fit and alignment with their transformation program.

• Final Offer: Following a successful evaluation of your skills, experience, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Leadership: Highlight case studies where you led UX initiatives, managed teams, and influenced strategic decisions.

• Process Over Polish: Emphasize the how – your UX process, research methodologies, decision-making rationale, and problem-solving approaches.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics demonstrating the positive outcomes of your work (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user satisfaction, reduced task completion times).

• Teamwork & Collaboration: Include examples of how you've collaborated with product, engineering, and other stakeholders, and how you've mentored your team.

• Tool Proficiency: Briefly mention the tools used within your case studies to demonstrate familiarity with the required stack.

Challenge Preparation:

• UX Strategy: Be prepared to discuss your approach to developing a holistic UX strategy for a large digital product or platform.

• Team Management Scenarios: Think about how you handle team conflicts, performance management, and skill development for your designers.

• Agile UX Integration: Discuss how you integrate UX processes within Agile sprints and ensure timely delivery without compromising quality.

• Client Collaboration: Consider how you would manage expectations and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in a client environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section focuses on preparing candidates for a UX role that has significant operational responsibilities. The emphasis on "process over polish," quantifying impact, and collaboration reflects the operational mindset required for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: For UI design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows. Mastery expected for creating high-fidelity designs and interactive prototypes.

• Maze: For user testing and collecting feedback on prototypes and live products. Proficiency in setting up tests and analyzing results is key.

• Miro: For collaborative ideation, workshop facilitation, journey mapping, and wireframing. Essential for remote and in-person team collaboration.

• Notion: For project documentation, knowledge management, and team organization. Ability to structure and maintain project information effectively.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While specific tools are not listed, expect to work with product analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Google Analytics) to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to UX design, but understanding how user data flows from CRM and other systems into product experience is beneficial.

• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) commonly used in Agile development environments is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section directly addresses the technical requirements. Proficiency in Figma, Maze, Miro, and Notion is critical. The mention of analytics tools highlights the data-driven operations aspect of modern UX roles.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value ensuring all design decisions are grounded in user needs and research.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working effectively with Product, Tech, and other stakeholders to achieve shared goals.

• Excellence & Quality: Commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible, and impactful user experiences.

• Continuous Improvement: A drive to refine processes, learn new techniques, and adapt to evolving user needs and technologies.

• Agility & Adaptability: The ability to thrive in a dynamic, iterative development environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively seeking collaboration with Product Managers and Engineers to ensure design feasibility and alignment with business objectives.

• Open Communication: Fostering an environment where feedback is freely exchanged, and ideas are discussed constructively.

• Knowledge Sharing: Participating in and contributing to internal communities of practice to share learnings and best practices.

• Mentorship & Support: A culture of supporting team members, fostering growth, and collaborative problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: These values and collaboration styles are crucial for operations roles, emphasizing teamwork, process adherence, and a commitment to continuous improvement, all within a user-focused framework.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Balancing the needs of users with the business objectives and technical constraints of a large bank.

• Navigating Complex Systems: Designing coherent experiences across a large, potentially legacy, digital ecosystem.

• Team Development: Effectively mentoring and growing a team of experienced UX designers while maintaining high standards.

• Driving Change: Leading UX initiatives within a large organization that may have established processes and resistance to change.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Leadership: Developing skills in strategic UX planning, organizational change management, and advanced team leadership.

• Industry Specialization: Deepening expertise in financial services UX and digital transformation within that sector.

• Methodology Evolution: Staying abreast of the latest UX research techniques, design tools, and Agile best practices.

• Cross-functional Skill Enhancement: Gaining a deeper understanding of product management and technical development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding these challenges and growth opportunities is key for operations professionals looking to align their career aspirations with the demands of the role and the company's trajectory.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach developing a unified UX vision for a complex digital banking platform with multiple product lines?" (Focus on your strategic planning, research, and stakeholder alignment process.)

• "Describe a time you had to mentor a senior designer who was struggling with a particular skill or methodology. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Highlight your leadership, coaching, and team development strategies.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about NEXTON's approach to digital transformation and design consulting?" (Research their website, case studies, and company values.)

• "How would you integrate your UX team's work within the existing product development lifecycle of a major bank?" (Showcase your understanding of corporate environments and cross-functional collaboration.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role and process, the solutions you designed, and the results achieved.

• Highlight Leadership: Explicitly point out where you led the team, made strategic decisions, or influenced stakeholders.

• Showcase Process: Detail your research methods, ideation techniques, and validation processes. Use visuals like journey maps, wireframes, and user flow diagrams.

• Quantify Impact: Present data and metrics that demonstrate the tangible benefits of your work.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, and alternative solutions you considered.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides tactical advice for interview preparation, focusing on how to articulate operational capabilities and strategic thinking relevant to a Lead UX Designer role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your UX leadership experience, team management achievements, and proficiency in the required tools (Figma, Maze, Miro, Notion). Quantify your impact with metrics where possible.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your end-to-end UX process, leadership in design, and successful project outcomes. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your ability to operationalize design strategy and manage a team.

• Research NEXTON & Client Context: Understand NEXTON's mission, values, and client portfolio. Familiarize yourself with the challenges and opportunities within the banking sector for digital transformation.

• Practice Your Narrative: Prepare to articulate your experience, leadership style, and vision for UX operations clearly and concisely, especially during the interview and portfolio review stages.

⚠️ 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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