Senior UX Design Specialist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Design Specialist

Company: Skipton Building Society

Location: Skipton, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Digital Product Design

Date Posted: June 08, 2026

Experience Level: Senior (5-10 Years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and development of exceptional member experiences through user-centered UX deliverables, leveraging data and insights.

• Translate strategic business objectives and product roadmaps into clear UX activities and intuitive digital interfaces.

• Champion user-centred design principles and modern design thinking methodologies across cross-functional teams.

• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and Research to define problems, co-create solutions, and iterate rapidly based on feedback.

• Ensure digital experiences are accessible, inclusive, and aligned with organizational goals and member needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Design Specialist, indicating a requirement for significant experience in end-to-end UX design, problem-solving, and influencing stakeholders. The emphasis on "Journey Experience Team" and "member experiences" suggests a focus on holistic customer journeys within the financial services sector, requiring an understanding of user needs and business outcomes in this context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of user experiences for digital products and services, ensuring they are intuitive, engaging, and meet member needs.

• Develop and refine user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs for web and mobile platforms.

• Collaborate with Product Managers and Engineering teams to define product requirements, user stories, and design specifications.

• Conduct and analyze usability testing sessions to identify areas for improvement and validate design solutions.

• Contribute to and champion the evolution of the organization's design system to ensure consistency and scalability across all digital touchpoints.

• Translate complex member insights, behavioral data, and market trends into actionable design strategies and product roadmap influences.

• Facilitate design thinking workshops, co-creation sessions, and ideation meetings to foster innovation and cross-functional alignment.

• Ensure all designs adhere to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design principles.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and best practices across the organization, influencing product direction and decision-making.

• Maintain high UX standards, processes, and tool utilization to deliver outstanding digital experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a senior-level contribution, focusing on strategic influence, end-to-end journey design, and cross-functional collaboration. The mention of "outcome-focused product teams" and "delivering value against our corporate plan" emphasizes the need for designers to connect their work directly to business objectives and measurable outcomes, a key aspect of operations within product development.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX design, interaction design, and user interface design, with a proven track record of delivering impactful digital products.

• Demonstrable experience working within agile development environments, collaborating closely with product management and engineering teams. Required Skills:

• Extensive UX design expertise, including interaction design, visual design, and responsive/mobile-first design principles.

• Proficiency in modern design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.

• Strong analytical mindset, comfortable interpreting data, research findings, and behavioral insights to guide design decisions and prioritization.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and navigate complex stakeholder conversations confidently.

• Proven ability to translate complex problems into clear, intuitive, and user-centered design solutions that deliver value for both members and the organization.

• Experience planning and conducting usability testing, and effectively integrating feedback into iterative design improvements.

• Strong understanding of accessibility standards (including WCAG) and inclusive design practices.

• Experience working in agile environments and managing design priorities effectively.

• Skilled in creating prototypes, design artifacts, and test materials, and communicating concepts persuasively. Preferred Skills:

• Awareness of user research methods, service design, and content design principles to support holistic end-to-end experience design.

• Experience facilitating workshops, co-design, and ideation sessions.

• Ability to design for diverse user needs, including assisted-digital scenarios.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to build trust and influence outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of technical UX skills, analytical capabilities, and strong interpersonal/communication skills essential for a senior role. The preference for candidates with service design and content design awareness suggests a holistic approach to user experience, aligning with modern GTM strategies that consider the entire customer journey.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a range of end-to-end UX design projects that demonstrate your problem-solving process, from initial research and ideation to final design and iteration.

• Include examples of complex user flows, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs.

• Highlight projects where you successfully used member insights, behavioral data, and research findings to influence design direction and outcomes.

• Demonstrate your proficiency with modern design tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) through the quality and clarity of your work samples.

• Showcase projects that adhere to accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design principles, explaining how these were integrated. Process Documentation:

• Explain your typical UX design process, detailing how you approach problem definition, user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• Provide examples of how you have documented design decisions, user flows, and system interactions for cross-functional teams.

• Illustrate how you have contributed to or utilized design systems to ensure consistency and scalability in your projects.

• Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you integrate design activities within sprint cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior UX role, the portfolio should not just showcase polished final designs but also the process and thinking behind them. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their rationale, demonstrate how they leveraged data, and explain how their designs achieved specific business and user outcomes, crucial for operations-focused evaluation.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Design Specialists in the UK, a competitive salary range is estimated between £50,000 - £70,000 per annum. This estimate considers the specified experience level (5-10 years), the senior nature of the role, and the financial services industry context in the UK. Benefits:

• Annual discretionary bonus scheme: Provides an opportunity for additional financial reward based on individual and company performance.

• 25 days' annual leave + bank holidays, rising by 1 day per year of service up to 30 days: Generous holiday allowance that increases with tenure.

• Holiday trading scheme: Flexibility to buy or sell additional annual leave to better manage personal time off.

• Matching employer pension contribution (up to 10% per annum): Encourages long-term financial planning with a strong employer-matched pension scheme.

• Colleague mortgage (conditions apply): Potential financial benefit for employees purchasing property through Skipton.

• Salary sacrifice scheme for hybrid & electric cars: Enables cost savings on vehicle acquisition through tax-efficient arrangements.

• A commitment to training and development: Investment in employee growth through ongoing learning opportunities.

• Private medical insurance for all colleagues: Comprehensive healthcare coverage for employees.

• 3 paid volunteering days per year: Opportunity to contribute to the community with paid time off.

• Diverse and inclusive colleague networks: Support for employee resource groups fostering a sense of belonging and community.

• A range of health and wellbeing benefits: Includes cycle-to-work scheme and discounted gym membership, promoting employee wellness. Working Hours:

• 35 hours per week, indicating a standard full-time commitment with potential for flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on publicly available data for similar roles in the UK financial services sector. The comprehensive benefits package is detailed and aligns with competitive offerings for senior professionals, focusing on work-life balance, financial well-being, and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Building Society)

Company Size: Significant (Part of the fourth-biggest building society in the UK)

Founded: Skipton Building Society has a long-standing history, being a mutual organization owned by its members. This structure typically fosters a customer-centric and community-oriented culture.

Team Structure:

• You will be joining the Journey Experience team, a specialized unit focused on enhancing member interactions.

• The team comprises a mix of roles, including Service Design Leads, Senior Service Design Specialists, Senior Researchers, and Senior UX Design Specialists, indicating a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to experience design.

• This structure suggests a focus on end-to-end journey design, research-informed decisions, and a high level of expertise within the team. Methodology:

• The team's core role is to "shape and drive exceptional member experiences by designing simple, seamless experiences that deliver meaningful value." This highlights a data-driven, outcome-oriented, and user-centric methodology.

• Emphasis is placed on using "member insight, behavioural data and market trends to influence product direction, roadmap decisions and prioritisation," indicating a strong reliance on analytics and research.

• Collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Research teams is central, suggesting an agile, iterative, and cross-functional approach to problem-solving and solution design.

Company Website: [Skipton Building Society Website - Note: The provided data did not include a specific URL for the company, but it can be easily found via search, e.g., skipton.co.uk]

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mutual status as a building society is a key cultural differentiator, suggesting a strong emphasis on member value and long-term relationships over short-term shareholder gains. This translates to a focus on trust, service quality, and ethical practices within the digital experience design.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior UX Design Specialist. This level signifies a significant level of autonomy, responsibility, and influence within the design function. It implies the ability to lead projects, mentor junior designers, and contribute strategically to product development.

Reporting Structure:

• You will be part of the Journey Experience team, likely reporting to a Service Design Lead or a Head of Experience/Design.

• The team structure involves close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and Researchers, indicating a matrixed reporting or strong functional alignment across disciplines. Operations Impact:

• As a Senior UX Designer, your primary impact will be on enhancing the member experience, which directly influences customer satisfaction, retention, and potentially new customer acquisition.

• By designing seamless and valuable digital journeys, you will contribute to operational efficiency improvements, reduced customer support queries, and increased adoption of digital services, thereby impacting the company's bottom line and strategic goals. Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like accessible design, service design, or complex financial product UX.

• Leadership: Progress into a Lead UX Designer, Service Design Lead, or Managerial role, overseeing design teams and strategy.

• Cross-functional Mobility: Transition into Product Management, User Research leadership, or even broader GTM strategy roles, leveraging a deep understanding of user needs and product development.

• Continuous Learning: Access to training and development resources, industry conferences, and internal best-practice sharing to stay at the forefront of UX and digital design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned at a senior level, offering substantial scope for impact and career progression within a well-established financial institution. The emphasis on "Journey Experience" suggests a strategic focus on optimizing the entire customer lifecycle, providing ample opportunities for professionals looking to influence business outcomes through design.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model, with a newly refurbished head office in Skipton offering a vibrant and collaborative working space. This suggests a modern, well-equipped office designed to support both focused work and team interaction.

Office Location(s):

• Skipton, England - The primary work location for on-site days. The office is located at "The Bailey," Skipton. Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The refurbished office is designed to be vibrant and collaborative, encouraging interaction and knowledge sharing among colleagues.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Expect access to modern design software (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) and collaboration tools necessary for effective UX design and teamwork.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct collaboration with Product, Engineering, Research, and other stakeholders within the Journey Experience team.

Work Schedule:

• 35 hours per week, with a commitment to hybrid and flexible working where possible. This allows for a structured work week while accommodating personal needs and optimizing work arrangements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and emphasis on a refurbished, collaborative office space indicate a modern work environment that values both flexibility and in-person synergy, crucial for complex design and strategy discussions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess experience and suitability for the senior role.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focusing on your experience, approach to UX design, and alignment with the Journey Experience team's goals.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A key stage where you will present selected portfolio pieces, demonstrating your design process, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate rationale. You may also be given a design challenge to assess your practical skills and thinking under timed conditions.

• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with Product, Engineering, and potentially other senior stakeholders to evaluate collaboration skills, communication effectiveness, and understanding of business context.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Design/Product) to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 strong projects that best showcase your end-to-end UX process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Tailor your selection to highlight relevant experience with financial services or complex user journeys.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (research, ideation, testing), the key decisions you made, the solutions you designed, and the measurable outcomes or impact achieved.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (wireframes, prototypes, user flows, final UIs) effectively. Explain your rationale behind design choices and how data/research informed them.

• Highlight Collaboration: Detail how you worked with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Research, stakeholders) and how you managed feedback and differing opinions.

• Address Accessibility: Explicitly mention how you incorporated accessibility (WCAG) and inclusive design principles into your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a design problem that requires you to think critically about user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints.

• Focus on outlining your process: how would you approach understanding the problem, what questions would you ask, what research methods would you employ, and how would you iterate on solutions?

• Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely.

• Consider how your proposed solution aligns with Skipton's likely user base and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, with a strong emphasis on practical application and the ability to articulate design strategy and impact. A well-prepared portfolio that clearly demonstrates the process and outcomes is critical for success at this senior level.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (Proficiency required in at least one, ideally familiar with multiple). These tools are central for creating wireframes, high-fidelity designs, interactive prototypes, and design system components.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or similar for agile workflow management, documentation, and team communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with data analysis and user behavior tracking tools is beneficial. While not explicitly stated as a requirement for UX designers, understanding how to interpret data from tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or product analytics platforms (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude) will be crucial for informing design decisions.

• Experience with A/B testing platforms and interpreting results would also be advantageous. CRM & Automation:

• While primarily a UX design role, an understanding of how user journeys integrate with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) or marketing automation platforms can provide valuable context for designing seamless member experiences, especially in a financial services setting.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools like Figma is non-negotiable. The role also benefits from an understanding of analytics and collaboration tools to effectively integrate UX work within broader product development and operational workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Member-Centricity: Placing the member at the heart of all design decisions, ensuring their needs and satisfaction are paramount.

• Collaboration: Working effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Research) to co-create solutions and achieve shared goals.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing member insights, behavioral data, and research findings to inform design strategies and validate solutions.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterative design, learning from feedback, and constantly seeking ways to enhance user experiences and operational efficiency.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Designing experiences that are usable and valuable for all members, regardless of ability or background.

Collaboration Style:

• Outcome-Focused: Teams work towards defined objectives and value delivery, with design playing a crucial role in achieving these outcomes.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing agile methodologies for rapid development and continuous feedback loops, allowing for quick adaptation and refinement of designs.

• Transparent Communication: Open dialogue and knowledge sharing across disciplines to ensure alignment and foster innovative solutions.

• Empowerment: Junior members are encouraged to contribute ideas, and senior members are expected to mentor and guide.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mutual status likely influences a culture that values trust, long-term relationships, and community impact. For this role, these values translate into designing experiences that build member loyalty and trust, supported by data and collaborative practices.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Member Needs with Business Objectives: Effectively reconciling diverse user requirements with technical constraints and strategic business goals within the financial services sector.

• Designing for Complex Financial Products: Simplifying intricate financial products and services into intuitive user interfaces that members can easily understand and use.

• Driving Organizational Change: Championing user-centered design principles and influencing stakeholders across a large organization to adopt new ways of working and design best practices.

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Technology: Continuously adapting design approaches and toolsets to leverage new technologies and meet changing user expectations in the digital landscape.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Skill Expansion: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas such as service design, advanced prototyping, accessibility standards, or user research methodologies.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend industry conferences, workshops, and training programs related to UX design, digital transformation, and financial services innovation.

• Mentorship: Access to senior leaders and experienced colleagues for guidance and career development support.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Working closely with diverse teams provides exposure to different aspects of the business, broadening understanding of product development and operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior roles in established organizations, particularly in regulated industries like finance. The growth opportunities are significant, offering a clear path for career advancement and skill enhancement within a supportive environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex user journey you designed and how you ensured it was seamless and valuable for both the member and the business. What data or insights informed your decisions?"

• "How do you prioritize design tasks when faced with multiple competing demands and tight deadlines within an agile team?"

• "Walk us through a time you had to influence stakeholders who had differing opinions on a design direction. What was your approach and the outcome?"

• "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive? Can you provide an example of how you've applied WCAG guidelines?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Skipton Building Society and our mission as a mutual organization?"

• "How do you see your role contributing to the 'Journey Experience' team's goals of designing simple, seamless experiences?"

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid or flexible work environment. How do you maintain collaboration and productivity?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Impactful Projects: Choose projects that demonstrate end-to-end UX thinking, problem-solving, and tangible results. Prioritize projects related to financial services or complex digital products if available.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the "Why" (problem/objective), "What" (your role/solution), and "How" (your process/tools/collaboration), and "So What" (outcomes/impact).

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced support tickets, improved task completion times).

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, the trade-offs you made, and how you responded to feedback or challenges.

• Showcase Your Process: Highlight your use of research, data, and iterative testing in your design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills but also strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to articulate the business value of UX. Highlighting experience with data-driven decisions and cross-functional collaboration will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Design Specialist position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday application link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your online portfolio to prominently feature 3-4 of your most impactful UX design projects. Ensure these projects clearly illustrate your end-to-end design process, problem-solving skills, and ability to deliver measurable outcomes, especially if they relate to financial services or complex digital products.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 5-10 years of senior-level UX experience, specific skills (Figma, interaction design, accessibility), and achievements. Use keywords from the job description such as "member experience," "user-centered design," "agile," and "stakeholder management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design rationale, decision-making process, and the business impact of your work. Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've used data and member insights to drive design. Rehearse presenting your portfolio projects.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Skipton Building Society's mission, values, and its position as a mutual organization. Understand how their customer-centric approach might influence design priorities and the overall member experience.

⚠️ 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.