Senior UX Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Design Manager

Company: Equifax

Location: London, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: UX/Product Design Management

Date Posted: 2026-04-28

Experience Level: 10+ years

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and delivery of intuitive, innovative software and platform experiences across diverse product portfolios.

• Drive the evolution of the internal Design System, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to accessibility standards.

• Champion Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles to optimize user journeys and solve complex UX challenges.

• Foster strong collaboration between Product Managers, Technical Product Owners, Development teams, and the Global UX Centre of Excellence.

• Leverage data-driven decision-making and emerging technologies to enhance product offerings and future-proof designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior management role within a global UX Center of Excellence, indicating a focus on strategic leadership, process governance, and cross-functional influence, rather than purely hands-on design execution. The emphasis on "driving strategic direction" and "overseeing the creation" suggests a leadership mandate.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Partner closely with Product Managers, Technical Product Owners, and Development teams to define design feasibility, technical implementation requirements, and overall product strategy across various product areas.

• Provide expert guidance and oversight on the creation of high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes, ensuring they prioritize customer needs and effectively solve complex UX problems, including usability and findability.

• Engage directly with customers and sales teams to understand customer pain-points and collaborate with Product Teams to bring their product vision to life.

• Work collaboratively with Global UX counterparts to lead the strategic governance, maintenance, and future evolution of the internal Design System, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to accessibility standards across all platforms and product areas.

• Drive innovation by proactively exploring, proposing, and proving out emerging technologies, solutions, and processes to future-proof products.

• Clearly articulate strategic design vision, rationale, and outcomes to senior and cross-functional stakeholders, including product managers and engineering leads.

• Stay abreast of competitor products, industry trends, and the capabilities of new design tools relevant to UX strategy and execution.

• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Sales & Product Teams to leverage research findings, applying these insights to drive key strategic design decisions and complete the Lean UX Canvas.

• Lead and oversee evaluative user testing and usability studies on prototypes and developed features, working in partnership with the Research team to gather iterative feedback and measure design success.

• Champion accessibility by ensuring all design solutions and contributions to the Design System meet high standards, such as WCAG 2.1+ compliance, for inclusive user experiences.

• Travel up to 10% to UK regional offices (London, Leeds, Nottingham) to work closely with the Product Organization and End Customers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, design oversight, and direct customer engagement. The emphasis on "driving innovation," "partnering closely with Product Managers," and "articulating strategic design vision" points to a role that influences product roadmaps and technology adoption within the UX domain.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Design, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• Extensive progressive experience in UX/UI Design within a product-led organization.

• Proven, hands-on experience applying the principles of Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

• Demonstrated experience designing to meet WCAG standards and applying accessibility best practices throughout the design and prototyping process.

• Experience leading user testing, usability studies, and leveraging the Lean UX Canvas for rapid hypothesis validation and iteration.

• Ability to interpret UX Design needs from customer pain-points and conduct customer research, interviews, and map out insights and hypotheses to test and validate UX design and product development.

• Experience working across a matrix organization, with the ability to connect teams and colleagues to solve UX challenges.

• Proven ability to leverage insights and data-led decisions to inform UX and Product Design.

• Experience with testing structures and hypothesis definition and approach structures to validate decisions.

Required Skills:

• Expert proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools, such as Figma, Sketch, or UXPin, including their AI capabilities (e.g., Figma Make or equivalent).

• Deep understanding and practical application of Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles.

• Strong knowledge of accessibility standards and best practices, including WCAG 2.1+.

• Proven ability to conduct and lead user research, usability studies, and interpret findings for product improvement.

• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate business objectives into user-centered design solutions.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, capable of influencing diverse audiences.

• Experience with Design Systems, including their governance, maintenance, and evolution.

Preferred Skills:

• Advanced skills in Figma, including library management, component creation, and seamless developer hand-off (e.g., via FigJam).

• Experience with Agentic UX Design principles (designing systems that can perform complex, multi-step actions autonomously).

• Experience designing/implementing AI-driven features (e.g., generative interfaces, personalized recommendations, or machine learning models) or knowledge of AI ethics in UX.

• Proficiency with the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (e.g., Illustrator, Photoshop) for high-quality visual asset creation and refinement.

• Strong knowledge of JavaScript.

• Knowledge of core front-end technologies: HTML/CSS.

• Financial sector or Fintech experience.

• Experience in Technology, Financial Services, or Data & Analytics industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "extensive progressive experience" combined with the Bachelor's degree requirement suggests a role for seasoned professionals. The explicit mention of AI capabilities in design tools and Agentic UX principles indicates a forward-looking approach to design technology. The preference for financial sector experience is a strong indicator of domain specialization.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A portfolio that clearly demonstrates leadership on complex, successful design projects.

• Evidence of applying Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology throughout the entire product development lifecycle.

• Case studies showcasing the strategic design rationale and outcomes for various product areas.

• Examples of how user research, usability studies, and data insights informed design decisions and led to measurable improvements.

• Demonstration of expertise in creating and managing high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes.

• Proof of commitment to and implementation of accessible design standards (WCAG 2.1+).

Process Documentation:

• Documented workflows for conducting user research, usability testing, and iterative feedback loops.

• Examples of Lean UX Canvas application for rapid hypothesis validation and product iteration.

• Process documentation for designing and implementing AI-driven features or Agentic UX solutions.

• Clear articulation of the process for collaborating with Product Managers and Development teams to define design feasibility and technical requirements.

• Documentation of design system governance, maintenance, and evolution processes.

• Methodologies for measuring design success and impact through user testing and analytics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio demonstrating leadership on complex projects, along with specific case studies on strategic rationale and measurable improvements, emphasizes the need for candidates to showcase their impact and strategic thinking. The inclusion of Lean UX Canvas and AI-driven feature design in process documentation points to modern UX methodologies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

The salary range for a Senior UX Design Manager in London, with 10+ years of experience, in the technology and financial services sector, is estimated to be between £80,000 and £120,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design leadership roles in major UK cities, considering the company's size and the specialized skills required.

Benefits:

• Contributory pension scheme

• Life cover

• Income protection

• Healthcare services

• Enhanced maternity and sick pay

• 26 days of annual holiday

• A day off for your birthday

• Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave

• Free credit checks

• Cycle to work scheme

• Discounted travel options

• Gym membership

• Dining and leisure discounts

• Financial and savings plans

• Mobile discounts

• Access to a global online learning platform for personal development

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week.

• While the role is based in London, the mention of UK regional offices and offshore development teams suggests a hybrid work arrangement, requiring flexibility in scheduling for cross-team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the senior level and location, a competitive salary is expected. The provided benefits list is extensive and aligns with typical large corporate offerings in the UK, with a strong emphasis on employee well-being and professional development. The salary estimate is derived from general market data for similar roles in London.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Data and Analytics Services. Equifax operates in a complex, data-intensive sector that requires robust, secure, and user-friendly platforms to manage sensitive financial information. This context means design solutions must prioritize trust, clarity, and compliance.

Company Size: Equifax is a large, global corporation with a significant employee base (implied by the global team structure and multiple UK sites). This size suggests established processes, potential for cross-functional collaboration, and opportunities for large-scale impact.

Founded: Equifax was founded in 1899. This long history indicates a stable organization with deep industry experience, likely possessing a strong understanding of its customer base and market dynamics.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team Aspect 1: This role is part of a "Global UX Centre of Excellence," indicating a centralized function dedicated to advancing UX capabilities across the organization. It implies a team of UX experts, potentially with specialized roles (e.g., researchers, content strategists, visual designers), collaborating globally.

• Operations Team Aspect 2: The Senior UX Design Manager will partner with Product Managers, Technical Product Owners, and Development teams across 3 UK sites (London, Leeds, Nottingham) and offshore development teams in India, Chile, and Costa Rica. This suggests a matrixed reporting structure where the manager influences and guides design efforts within product-focused teams.

• Operations Team Aspect 3: Collaboration is expected with Marketing, Sales, and Product Teams, as well as Global UX counterparts in the US and other markets, highlighting a highly cross-functional and international working environment.

Methodology:

• Operations Process 1: Emphasis on data-driven decision-making, leveraging insights from customer research, usability studies, and analytics to inform UX and product design strategies.

• Operations Process 2: Application of Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles throughout the product development lifecycle, from initial concept to iterative refinement. This includes mapping customer pain-points and validating hypotheses.

• Operations Process 3: Proactive exploration and integration of emerging technologies and solutions, including AI-driven features and Agentic UX, to ensure future-proofing of products. Strategic governance and evolution of the internal Design System are also key process components.

Company Website: https://www.equifax.com/ (Global) and https://www.equifax.co.uk/ (UK)

📝 Enhancement Note: Equifax's industry (financial data) implies a need for design that is not only user-friendly but also exceptionally secure, compliant, and trustworthy. The global nature of the UX Center of Excellence and product teams suggests a need for strong cross-cultural communication and adaptability.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Senior Manager" role, signifying a leadership position within the UX discipline. It requires not only deep expertise in UX design but also strategic thinking, team guidance, and the ability to influence product direction and process across multiple teams and geographies. The role is expected to contribute significantly to the company's overall product strategy and user experience vision.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Design Manager will likely report into a Director or VP of UX or Product within the Global UX Centre of Excellence. They will directly influence and guide UX Design Experts within the UK and collaborate closely with product leadership and engineering leads across various global teams.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on Equifax's ability to deliver intuitive, innovative, and user-centric software and platform experiences. This directly influences customer acquisition, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue generation by ensuring products are usable, valuable, and accessible. The strategic input on emerging technologies also positions the role to drive future competitive advantage.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in AI-driven UX, Agentic UX design, and advanced Figma capabilities. Potential to lead initiatives in emerging design technologies and methodologies.

• Leadership Development: Progression to Director-level roles within the Global UX Centre of Excellence, managing larger teams or broader product portfolios. Opportunities to define and implement global UX strategies.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Gaining broader experience in product strategy, technical product ownership, and cross-border project management, potentially leading to roles in product management or broader technology leadership.

• Industry Specialization: Further specialization within the financial services or data analytics sector, becoming a recognized expert in UX for complex, regulated industries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior Manager" title, coupled with the global scope and focus on strategic direction, indicates a significant growth trajectory. The emphasis on emerging technologies like AI suggests opportunities for individuals to remain at the forefront of UX innovation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in London, UK, and involves travel to other UK regional offices (Leeds, Nottingham). This suggests a hybrid work environment where employees are expected to be in the office for collaborative sessions, team meetings, and client interactions, while also having flexibility for remote work. The mention of offshore development teams implies significant virtual collaboration.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is London, United Kingdom. Travel to Leeds and Nottingham is expected (up to 10%).

Workspace Context:

• Operations Workspace Aspect 1: The environment will be highly collaborative, requiring close interaction with Product Managers, Technical Product Owners, Development teams (both UK-based and offshore), Marketing, and Sales. Expect frequent cross-functional meetings and workshops.

• Operations Workspace Aspect 2: Access to modern design and prototyping tools like Figma, Sketch, or UXPin, and potentially Adobe Creative Cloud, will be standard. Collaboration tools for remote and distributed teams (e.g., Jira, Confluence, communication platforms) will be essential.

• Operations Workspace Aspect 3: Opportunities for direct engagement with customers and sales teams to gather insights and feedback. Collaboration within a "Global UX Centre of Excellence" implies a community of practice where knowledge sharing and peer feedback are encouraged.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule of approximately 40 hours per week is expected. However, given the global nature of the teams, flexibility in working hours may be necessary to accommodate different time zones for meetings and urgent project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role, coupled with international collaboration, necessitates strong time management and communication skills. The emphasis on customer interaction and cross-functional partnerships suggests a dynamic work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Process Step 1 (Initial Screening): A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, leadership capabilities, and alignment with the role's requirements. Prepare a concise overview of your career highlights and key leadership achievements in UX.

• Process Step 2 (Hiring Manager Interview): Discussion focused on your leadership philosophy, strategic approach to UX, experience with Human-Centered Design, Design Systems, and managing cross-functional teams. Be ready to articulate your approach to driving innovation and solving complex UX challenges.

• Process Step 3 (Design Challenge/Portfolio Review): A deep dive into your portfolio, where you'll present 1-2 key projects. Expect to discuss your process, decision-making rationale, the impact of your designs, and how you handled challenges, stakeholder management, and accessibility considerations. AI and Agentic UX experience will be particularly relevant here.

• Process Step 4 (Cross-Functional/Stakeholder Interviews): Interviews with Product Managers, Technical Product Owners, or Engineering Leads to assess collaboration style, communication effectiveness, and ability to influence product strategy.

• Process Step 5 (Final Interview): Potentially with senior leadership to discuss overall fit, strategic vision, and long-term career aspirations within Equifax.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Portfolio Tip 1: Curate your portfolio to highlight leadership roles and strategic impact, not just individual design contributions. Select projects that demonstrate your ability to manage complex UX initiatives from conception to launch.

• Portfolio Tip 2: For each case study, clearly articulate the business problem, the user needs identified, your strategic approach, the design solutions implemented, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., improved usability, conversion rates, customer satisfaction). Quantify impact wherever possible.

• Portfolio Tip 3: Emphasize your experience with HCD, accessibility (WCAG compliance), Design Systems, and any work involving AI or emerging technologies. Be prepared to discuss your process for integrating these elements.

• Portfolio Tip 4: Showcase your ability to communicate design rationale effectively to diverse audiences, including senior stakeholders and technical teams. Practice presenting your work concisely and persuasively.

Challenge Preparation:

• Challenge Preparation 1: Expect a design challenge that might involve a strategic problem, a user research scenario, or an approach to improving an existing product's UX. Focus on your thought process, methodology, and how you would leverage data and user insights.

• Challenge Preparation 2: If given a case study or prompt, outline your approach clearly. Structure your response logically, covering problem definition, research, ideation, solution design, and validation. Be mindful of time constraints.

• Challenge Preparation 3: Practice articulating your design strategy, decisions, and potential impact to a hypothetical stakeholder group. Focus on clear, confident communication and demonstrating your understanding of business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio demonstrating "leadership on complex, successful design projects" and the potential for a "design challenge" indicate that candidates will be evaluated not only on their design skills but also on their strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and leadership potential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expert proficiency required, including advanced features like library management, component creation, collaboration within FigJam, and seamless developer hand-off. This is highlighted as a key differentiator.

• Sketch: Proficiency is expected as an alternative modern design and prototyping tool.

• UXPin: Mentioned as another acceptable modern design and prototyping tool.

• Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop): Preferred for high-quality visual asset creation and refinement.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as primary tools, the role requires leveraging "insights and data led decisions." This implies familiarity with or ability to interpret data from:
  • Web analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics)
  • User feedback platforms
  • A/B testing tools

CRM & Automation:

Other Relevant Technologies:

• AI Capabilities in Design Tools: Specifically mentioned (e.g., Figma Make).

• Agentic UX Design Principles: Understanding how to design systems for autonomous actions.

• JavaScript, HTML, CSS: Knowledge of core front-end technologies is preferred for better collaboration with development teams and understanding implementation constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is heavily emphasized, suggesting it's the primary tool of choice. The mention of AI capabilities within tools and Agentic UX principles indicates a focus on cutting-edge design practices. Familiarity with front-end technologies is a strong plus for effective collaboration.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Design: A core value is leveraging data, user insights, and research findings to inform all design decisions and drive measurable outcomes.

• Customer Centricity: Prioritizing customer needs and pain-points, ensuring intuitive, valuable, and user-friendly experiences that build trust.

• Innovation & Future-Proofing: Proactively exploring and integrating emerging technologies and solutions to keep products competitive and forward-thinking.

• Collaboration & Influence: Fostering strong partnerships across product, engineering, marketing, and sales teams, and effectively communicating strategic design rationale to stakeholders.

• Excellence & Quality: Upholding high standards in design execution, accessibility (WCAG compliance), and the governance of Design Systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands a highly collaborative approach, working closely with product management, engineering, and other business units to align on product strategy and design execution.

• Global & Matrixed Collaboration: Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse teams across different geographies and reporting structures, leveraging virtual tools and clear communication protocols.

• Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging iterative design processes through user testing and feedback loops, and being open to constructive criticism from peers, stakeholders, and customers.

• Knowledge Sharing: Contributing to the "Global UX Centre of Excellence" by sharing best practices, insights, and learnings, and actively participating in team discussions and initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on data-driven design, customer centricity, and innovation aligns with modern UX practices. The need to collaborate across global, matrixed teams highlights the importance of strong interpersonal and communication skills.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Global Team Coordination: Managing design initiatives and ensuring consistency across geographically dispersed teams (UK, India, Chile, Costa Rica) with different time zones and cultural nuances.

• Balancing Innovation with Legacy Systems: Driving adoption of emerging technologies (AI, Agentic UX) while ensuring seamless integration with existing product portfolios and infrastructure.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Garnering buy-in and maintaining alignment on strategic design vision and priorities among diverse senior stakeholders with potentially competing objectives.

• Maintaining Design System Scalability: Ensuring the internal Design System remains robust, scalable, and actively used across a growing and evolving product landscape.

• Championing Accessibility: Continuously advocating for and ensuring adherence to accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1+) across all design outputs and contributions, especially in a complex financial data environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven UX, Agentic UX, and leveraging advanced features of design tools like Figma.

• Strategic Product Influence: Develop skills in product strategy, roadmap planning, and influencing business outcomes through user-centered design.

• Leadership and Management: Gain experience in managing and mentoring UX design teams, fostering talent, and driving team performance within a global context.

• Industry Insights: Gain deeper knowledge of the financial services and data analytics sector, understanding its unique UX challenges and opportunities.

• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Enhance skills in working effectively with diverse international teams, improving communication and project management across different cultural contexts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior leadership roles in global organizations, requiring strong problem-solving and adaptability. The growth opportunities are well-defined and aligned with career progression in UX leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operations Question 1: "Describe a time you led the strategic evolution of a Design System. What were the key challenges, how did you ensure adoption across diverse teams, and what was the measurable impact on product consistency and development efficiency?" (Preparation: Prepare a case study focusing on Design System leadership, highlighting your process, stakeholder management, and quantifiable results.)

• Operations Question 2: "How do you balance the introduction of cutting-edge technologies like AI-driven features with the need for robust, accessible, and compliant user experiences in a regulated industry like financial services?" (Preparation: Discuss your methodology for evaluating new technologies, your approach to AI ethics in UX, and how you ensure compliance and accessibility are integrated from the outset.)

• Operations Question 3: "Walk us through your process for translating complex customer pain-points into actionable UX design strategies and product roadmaps, especially when working with distributed product and engineering teams." (Preparation: Use an example from your portfolio to demonstrate your end-to-end process, emphasizing how you gather insights, validate hypotheses, and collaborate to drive product decisions.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Operations Question 4: "What excites you about Equifax's mission and its role in the financial data industry, and how do you see your UX leadership contributing to our strategic goals?" (Preparation: Research Equifax's recent news, business objectives, and market position. Connect your UX philosophy and leadership style to their stated goals.)

• Operations Question 5: "How do you foster a collaborative and innovative UX culture within a global, matrixed organization, and what strategies do you employ to ensure cross-functional alignment on design priorities?" (Preparation: Discuss your experience building relationships, communicating effectively across teams, and driving consensus among diverse stakeholders.)

• Operations Question 6: "How do you measure the success of UX initiatives and demonstrate the ROI of design investments to senior leadership, particularly in a data-driven environment?" (Preparation: Prepare examples of key UX metrics you track, how you link them to business outcomes, and your approach to presenting UX value.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Presentation Strategy 1: For each case study, start with the business context and key challenge. Clearly outline your role, the methodology used (HCD, research, prototyping), the solutions designed, and the tangible results achieved. Focus on your strategic contributions and leadership.

• Presentation Strategy 2: Integrate data and metrics seamlessly into your case studies. Show how you used analytics, user feedback, or A/B testing to validate designs and demonstrate impact. Be prepared to discuss how you'd measure success for new initiatives.

• Presentation Strategy 3: Be ready to discuss your approach to AI and accessibility in detail, as these are key differentiators for this role. Explain how you would integrate these considerations into your team's workflow and the Design System.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice focuses on strategic thinking, leadership demonstration, and leveraging specific methodologies like HCD and data-driven design, which are critical for a senior management role in UX.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the Equifax Workday careers portal via the provided link.

• Concrete Preparation Step 1: Tailor your resume to highlight leadership experience, strategic impact on product development, expertise in Human-Centered Design, Design Systems, and experience with modern design tools (especially Figma) and emerging technologies like AI in UX. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Concrete Preparation Step 2: Curate your portfolio to showcase 2-3 complex projects where you demonstrated significant leadership and strategic influence. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your approach, the solutions, and the measurable business impact, with a strong emphasis on accessibility and data-driven decision-making.

• Concrete Preparation Step 3: Practice articulating your leadership philosophy, your approach to managing UX teams, and your vision for driving design excellence within a global organization. Prepare to discuss your experience with stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration, and how you foster innovation.

• Concrete Preparation Step 4: Research Equifax's current product offerings, recent news, and their position in the financial data industry. Understand their commitment to user experience and innovation, and be ready to discuss how your skills and experience align with their 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.