Senior UX Designer - 12 Months FTC

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer - 12 Months FTC

Company: NEC Software Solutions (NECSWS)

Location: Remote, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time, Temporary (12 Months Fixed-Term Contract)

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-10-06

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years estimated)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and hands-on delivery of user experience for mission-critical control room software used by emergency services.

• Drive UX roadmap development and coordinate design activities across multiple Scrum teams to ensure a unified and effective user experience.

• Provide design leadership, mentorship, and constructive critique to a team of designers, fostering a culture of user-centered design excellence.

• Champion accessibility, inclusive design, and best practices, ensuring the platform meets stringent operational requirements and user needs in high-pressure environments.

• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, customers, and stakeholders to balance user needs, operational realities, technical constraints, and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw data indicates a UX Designer role, the depth of responsibilities around strategy, roadmap, and leadership, combined with the context of mission-critical software for emergency services, strongly suggests a Senior UX Designer or Lead UX Designer capacity. The mention of coordinating design across multiple Scrum teams and mentoring other designers further supports this seniority. The "12 Months FTC" indicates a fixed-term contract for a significant project duration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive UX strategy and design roadmap for the control room software programme, aligning with user needs, product priorities, and delivery timelines.

• Plan, coordinate, and oversee design activities across multiple Scrum teams, ensuring work is prioritized, evidence-based, and ready to support agile delivery at pace.

• Provide direct leadership, support, critique, and mentoring to other designers within the programme, fostering effective ways of working and a coherent user experience.

• Conduct and synthesize user research and usability testing, independently or in collaboration with specialist researchers, to inform design decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Lead hands-on UX design for complex user journeys, workflows, and interactions, producing high-quality wireframes, interactive prototypes, and implementation-ready designs.

• Advocate for user-centered design principles and practices, increasing UX maturity across teams and disciplines through coaching, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

• Establish and enforce practical standards, principles, and reusable design patterns to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficient delivery across the platform.

• Champion accessibility and inclusive design throughout the entire product development lifecycle, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and best practices.

• Build strong relationships with customers, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams, facilitating workshops and collaborative design sessions to gather insights and drive consensus.

• Evaluate alternative design approaches, clearly communicate trade-offs, and ensure effective utilization of design systems, reusable components, and established patterns.

• Collaborate closely with engineers to ensure design intent is accurately implemented and contribute to the ongoing evolution of design systems and organizational best practices.

• Act as an escalation point for design quality, consistency, and delivery risks, proactively identifying and mitigating potential issues.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description details significant strategic and leadership responsibilities beyond typical hands-on design. The emphasis on "UX strategy, Planning & Delivery," "Design Leadership," and "Stakeholder Collaboration" indicates a senior role requiring a blend of strategic thinking, team management, and execution. The coordination across multiple Scrum teams highlights the complexity and scale of the role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, or a related field is typically expected for senior roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be highly valued.

Experience: Significant experience (estimated 5-10 years) in designing complex enterprise, case management, operational, or internal digital products. Proven experience in leading and supporting UX or Product Designers, and coordinating design activities across multiple delivery teams or workstreams.

Required Skills:

• Eligibility for UK Security Clearance is mandatory.

• Demonstrable experience leading UX strategy and design direction for complex digital products.

• Proven ability to develop and maintain a UX roadmap, ensuring design activity is planned and prioritized to support product objectives and agile delivery.

• Strong hands-on user-centered design expertise, including the ability to personally deliver high-quality user journeys, interaction designs, wireframes, and prototypes.

• Proficiency in using research and evidence to inform design decisions and iterate on solutions.

• Excellent stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, and communication skills, with the ability to challenge assumptions and guide evidence-led decision-making.

• Experience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams, balancing user needs, operational realities, technical feasibility, and delivery constraints.

• Strong understanding of accessibility and inclusive design principles, with experience designing within regulatory, compliance-driven, or policy-driven environments.

• Experience owning, evolving, and applying design systems (including Material UI), reusable components, and design patterns to support consistency, scalability, and efficient delivery. Preferred Skills:

• Experience working with public safety, emergency services, policing, fire, ambulance, justice, or similarly complex operational environments.

• Experience designing products that span multiple screens, user roles, workflows, or interconnected systems, maintaining a coherent experience across complex journeys.

• Experience using and integrating established industry design systems (e.g., Material Design, Human Interface Guidelines) alongside organizational design systems.

• Experience leveraging AI-powered design, research, or prototyping tools to enhance efficiency while maintaining design quality and user-centered decision-making.

• Experience designing AI-enabled product experiences, understanding the value AI can add to users and when traditional interaction patterns are more appropriate.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Essential" qualifications are critical and must be addressed by applicants. The AI-derived experience level (5-10 years) is a reasonable estimate based on the "Senior" title and the breadth of responsibilities. The inclusion of "Material UI" in both required and preferred skills suggests a strong emphasis on this design system.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing significant experience in designing complex enterprise, case management, or operational digital products.

• Evidence of measurable outcomes and impact from your design work, demonstrating how your contributions improved user experience, operational efficiency, or business objectives.

• Case studies detailing your approach to UX strategy development, roadmap creation, and how you coordinated design efforts across multiple teams or workstreams.

• Examples of your hands-on design delivery, including wireframes, interactive prototypes, and production-ready designs for complex user journeys and workflows.

• Demonstrations of your ability to apply user research, usability testing, and evidence-based insights to inform and iterate on design solutions.

• Examples of your stakeholder management and workshop facilitation skills, showing how you collaborated with diverse groups to drive consensus and make informed decisions.

• Documentation or case studies highlighting your experience with accessibility standards and inclusive design practices within regulated or policy-driven environments.

• Examples of your experience with design systems, including how you've owned, evolved, or applied them (specifically mentioning Material UI is beneficial) to ensure consistency and scalability. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your process for developing and maintaining a UX roadmap, including how you prioritize design activities in alignment with product objectives and agile delivery.

• Illustrate your methods for planning and coordinating design work across multiple Scrum teams, ensuring readiness for agile sprints.

• Provide examples of your user research and usability testing methodologies, detailing how you translate findings into actionable design recommendations and product decisions.

• Document your approach to creating and maintaining design documentation that supports collaboration and successful implementation by engineering teams.

• Demonstrate your process for advocating for user-centered design and increasing UX maturity within teams through coaching and knowledge sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role, particularly one involving complex enterprise software and leadership, a robust portfolio is paramount. The emphasis on "measurable outcomes," "UX roadmap," and "coordination across multiple teams" suggests the need for detailed case studies that go beyond visual design. The mention of Material UI in the qualifications directly translates to a need for portfolio examples showcasing its application.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the Senior UX Designer title, 12-month FTC, and remote location within the United Kingdom, the estimated salary range is likely between £60,000 - £90,000 per annum, depending on experience, specific skill set, and negotiation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This salary estimate is based on general UK market data for Senior UX Designers in technology roles, factoring in the fixed-term contract nature (which can sometimes command a slightly higher hourly rate equivalent) and the specific requirements like UK Security Clearance and experience with enterprise systems. Researching comparable FTC roles on UK job boards (e.g., LinkedIn, Reed, CWJobs) for similar seniority and location would provide more precise benchmarks.

Benefits:

• Private Medical Cover funded by NEC for Employees (option to add family members at an additional cost).

• 25 days paid holiday per year (pro-rata for FTC), with the option to buy/sell leave.

• 4x basic salary life assurance cover funded by NEC (option to increase cover).

• Group Pension Plan with significant employer contributions (up to a maximum of 8.5%).

• A selection of flexible benefits tailored to individual needs.

• Free access to LinkedIn Learning, offering over 15,000 courses for continuous professional development.

Working Hours: Standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week. While the role is remote, maintaining effective communication and collaboration with teams across different time zones (within the UK) will be essential. Flexibility may be offered, but core availability during UK business hours is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of "flexible benefits" and the explicit mention of "LinkedIn Learning" are valuable perks for operations professionals focused on continuous improvement and skill development. The standard 40-hour week is typical for full-time roles, but remote work often allows for some flexibility in managing tasks and schedules.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (Software Development), Government & Public Sector, Security & Safety. NEC Software Solutions develops software that supports critical public services, including emergency response, healthcare, and public administration. This means the work has a tangible impact on society.

Company Size: NEC Software Solutions is part of the global NEC Corporation. While the specific size of the Public Safety team or the Digital Studio practice is not detailed, NEC Corporation itself is a large enterprise (over 100,000 employees globally), indicating a stable, well-resourced organization with established processes and potential for broad impact. The Digital Studio practice likely offers a more focused, agile environment within this larger structure.

Founded: NEC Corporation was founded in 1899, providing a long history of technological innovation and stability. NEC Software Solutions is a significant part of this global entity, focusing on software development for public sector clients.

Team Structure:

• The role is embedded within the Public Safety team, focusing on control room software. This team likely comprises product managers, developers, testers, user researchers, and other designers.

• The Senior UX Designer will also be part of NEC Digital Studio's Product Design practice, which includes UX designers, interaction designers, service designers, and user researchers. This provides a strong user-centred design community for support and collaboration.

• The reporting structure likely involves reporting to a Head of Design, Design Lead, or Product Management lead within the Public Safety team, while also being connected to the broader design community within NEC Digital Studio. Methodology:

• The teams operate using Agile methodologies, specifically mentioning Scrum teams. This implies iterative development, sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and a focus on delivering working software incrementally.

• User-centered design principles are paramount, with an emphasis on research, evidence-based decision-making, and balancing user needs with technical and business constraints.

• There is a focus on establishing "effective ways of working," "reusable design patterns," and "design system adoption," indicating a drive for efficiency, consistency, and scalability in design processes.

Company Website: www.necsws.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to support public services is a key cultural differentiator. The hybrid structure of being embedded in a specific product team while part of a larger design practice is common in large tech organizations and offers both focused project work and broad community support. The mention of Material UI suggests a potential alignment with Google's design language.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX Designer role, indicating a significant level of experience and responsibility. It's a position for an individual contributor who also takes on leadership and strategic responsibilities, rather than a people management role. The focus is on driving design excellence for a critical product line.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Product Lead, Design Manager, or Head of Design within the Public Safety program. They will also collaborate closely with Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and engineering leads within the Scrum teams. Being part of the broader NEC Digital Studio design community means they will also engage with other senior designers and potentially a Design Director.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on the effectiveness of emergency services and public safety organizations. The control room software is mission-critical, meaning design decisions directly influence how incidents are managed, resources are coordinated, and operational decisions are made under pressure. This translates to tangible outcomes in public safety and response times.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in UX strategy, design leadership, and complex enterprise system design. Gain experience in specialized areas like designing for AI-enabled products or highly regulated environments.

• Design System Evolution: Contribute to the strategic development and adoption of design systems, potentially leading initiatives for specific components or principles.

• Mentorship and Leadership: Develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers, shaping design processes, and influencing UX maturity across teams.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Enhance ability to influence product direction and technical implementation through strong stakeholder collaboration and evidence-based design advocacy.

• Industry Specialization: Become a recognized expert in UX for public safety and emergency services, a niche but critical field.

• Potential for Future Roles: Successful performance in this FTC could lead to opportunities for permanent roles within NEC Software Solutions or similar organizations, or opportunities to lead larger design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "operations impact" for a UX role in this context is about enabling efficient and effective operations for the end-users (emergency services). The growth opportunities highlight progression within the design discipline, focusing on strategic impact and leadership rather than a traditional management track.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is advertised as "Remote, United Kingdom," indicating a fully remote work arrangement. The company also mentions "Subject to Location" for remote or hybrid, suggesting that while remote is the primary option, some roles might have a hybrid component depending on the employee's location and team needs. However, for this specific listing, "Fully Remote" is indicated.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, NEC Software Solutions has offices across the UK. The specific office locations are not detailed in the listing but are likely spread throughout the country to support their diverse client base. For remote employees, the primary "location" is their home office.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: As a remote role, collaboration will primarily occur through digital tools (e.g., video conferencing, Slack, Figma, Jira). The company fosters a strong user-centred design community (NEC Digital Studio) that provides opportunities for virtual interaction, knowledge sharing, and peer support.

• Tools and Technology: Employees will have access to standard digital collaboration tools and design software. The company emphasizes the use of design systems (Material UI) and likely provides access to relevant project management and prototyping tools.

• Team Interaction: Regular virtual meetings, stand-ups, and collaborative design sessions are expected. Proactive communication and engagement are key to success in a remote setting.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week. While remote work offers flexibility, candidates should be prepared to align their working hours with the needs of the UK-based teams and stakeholders, ensuring availability for key meetings and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Fully Remote" status is a key aspect. The company's mention of "remote or Hybrid, Subject to Location" suggests flexibility, but this specific listing prioritizes remote work. The emphasis on digital collaboration tools is standard for remote roles.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and resumes, focusing on relevant experience, portfolio strength, and eligibility for UK Security Clearance.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, discussing specific case studies that demonstrate their UX strategy, leadership, hands-on design skills, and impact. This is a critical stage.

• Technical/Skills Interview: This may involve discussing design challenges, problem-solving approaches, and specific tool proficiencies. Expect scenario-based questions related to designing for complex operational environments.

• Team/Cultural Fit Interview: Discussions with potential team members, including other designers, product managers, or engineers, to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and alignment with company values.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your UX strategy, leadership, and hands-on design capabilities for complex systems. Prioritize projects with measurable outcomes.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the challenges, your process (research, ideation, design, testing), the solutions you implemented, and the measurable impact (e.g., improved efficiency, reduced error rates, increased user satisfaction).

• Highlight Leadership: Emphasize instances where you led design efforts, mentored others, coordinated across teams, or influenced product strategy.

• Showcase Technical Skills: Clearly demonstrate your proficiency with wireframing, prototyping tools, and design systems (especially Material UI). Include examples of how you translated designs into implementation-ready assets.

• Address Accessibility: Explicitly discuss how you incorporated accessibility and inclusive design principles into your work.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to answer in-depth questions about your design decisions, trade-offs, and how you handled challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario-Based Problems: Be prepared for hypothetical design challenges related to control room software, incident management, or public safety operations. Think about user needs, operational constraints, and potential technical limitations.

• Process Design: You might be asked to outline how you would approach designing a specific feature or improving a particular workflow, detailing your methodology.

• System Thinking: Demonstrate an understanding of how different components of a complex system interact and how your design fits into the broader ecosystem.

• Communication: Practice articulating your thoughts clearly, concisely, and persuasively, especially when explaining complex design concepts or rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio and presentation is crucial for senior design roles. The specific mention of "UK Security Clearance" should be a primary consideration for applicants from the outset. The interview process will likely test strategic thinking, leadership, and hands-on design expertise.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and collaboration needs), Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure RP.

• Design Systems: Material UI (explicitly mentioned as required), potentially custom company design systems.

• User Research & Testing: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Hotjar, Google Analytics, specialized survey tools.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Trello.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Pendo, Mixpanel, or similar platforms for understanding user behavior and product usage.

• Dashboarding tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for visualizing data and insights. CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how UX design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and automation platforms (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot) for customer journey mapping might be beneficial, though less critical for this specific role.

• Familiarity with API integrations and how they impact user experience can be a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Material UI in the qualifications is a strong indicator that proficiency with this design system is essential. Figma is the industry standard for collaborative design and prototyping, making it a likely tool. The broader stack includes tools for research, project management, and analytics, all critical for evidence-based design.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of users, especially in critical operational contexts where user error can have severe consequences.

• Impact & Purpose: A drive to contribute to meaningful work that supports public services and makes a tangible difference in society.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: A strong emphasis on working effectively with multidisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, and sharing knowledge to achieve common goals.

• Excellence & Quality: A dedication to delivering high-quality design solutions that are robust, accessible, and meet stringent operational requirements.

• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of constantly seeking to improve design processes, user experiences, and team efficiency.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research, analytics, and evidence to inform design choices and measure impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with product managers, engineers, user researchers, and stakeholders to ensure design efforts are aligned with broader product and business objectives.

• Constructive Challenge: A culture where team members feel empowered to challenge assumptions and requirements constructively, leading to better-informed decisions and outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in the NEC Digital Studio community, sharing best practices, providing feedback, and learning from peers.

• Agile Iteration: Working within an agile framework means collaborating closely with development teams through sprints, providing continuous design support and adapting designs based on feedback and testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to support public services is a strong cultural driver. The emphasis on "user-centred design," "impact," and "collaboration" are key values that candidates should align with. The mention of "challenging requirements constructively" indicates a culture that values critical thinking and proactive problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Competing Demands: Effectively balancing user needs, stringent operational requirements, technical constraints, and business goals within a fast-paced, mission-critical environment.

• Complex User Journeys: Designing intuitive and efficient user experiences for complex workflows and interconnected systems used by emergency services, where usability is paramount.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Navigating diverse stakeholder perspectives and ensuring buy-in for user-centered design recommendations, especially when they challenge existing assumptions or processes.

• Remote Collaboration: Maintaining effective communication, collaboration, and design quality across distributed teams and ensuring consistent application of design systems.

• Security Clearance: The requirement for UK Security Clearance can be a barrier for some candidates and requires a thorough vetting process.

• Fixed-Term Contract Nature: Adapting to a 12-month contract duration while still driving significant strategic impact and ensuring knowledge transfer at the end of the term.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Strategy: Developing expertise in strategic UX planning, roadmap creation, and influencing product direction for critical software.

• Design Leadership: Honing skills in mentoring, critiquing, and guiding other designers, and shaping design processes within a team.

• Public Safety Domain Expertise: Gaining deep insights into the operational needs and challenges of emergency services, becoming a specialist in this domain.

• Design System Mastery: Contributing to and leveraging sophisticated design systems (like Material UI) for large-scale enterprise applications.

• AI in Design: Exploring and applying AI-powered design tools and understanding the design implications of AI-enabled products.

• Cross-functional Influence: Strengthening abilities to collaborate and influence across diverse teams (engineering, product, sales, customer success) and senior stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the challenges and growth opportunities is crucial for candidates to assess if the role aligns with their career aspirations and risk tolerance. The fixed-term nature and security clearance are significant considerations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you developed a UX roadmap for a complex product. What was your process, and how did you ensure it aligned with business objectives and delivery timelines?"

• "How do you approach coordinating design activities across multiple Scrum teams to maintain a coherent user experience?"

• "Walk us through a project where you had to balance conflicting user needs, operational requirements, and technical constraints. What trade-offs did you make, and why?"

• "How would you advocate for user-centered design principles within a team that is heavily focused on rapid development?"

• "Describe your experience in mentoring or leading other designers. What is your approach to providing constructive feedback?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in working with NEC Software Solutions and specifically on our Public Safety software programme?"

• "How do you see your skills and experience contributing to our mission of supporting public services?"

• "Describe your ideal team environment and how you foster collaboration, especially in a remote setting."

• "How do you stay updated on accessibility standards and inclusive design best practices, and how have you applied them in your work?"

• "What are your thoughts on the use of Material UI, and how have you leveraged design systems in previous roles?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the solution, and the measurable impact. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "reduced task completion time by X%", "improved user satisfaction scores by Y points").

• Demonstrate Leadership: Highlight instances where you led design initiatives, mentored junior designers, or influenced strategic decisions.

• Showcase Process: Clearly explain your design process, emphasizing research, ideation, iteration, and validation. Use visuals to illustrate key stages.

• Technical Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your proficiency with specific tools (Figma, Material UI) and how you ensure designs are implementable by engineers.

• Conciseness: Practice presenting your portfolio within a set timeframe (e.g., 20-30 minutes), leaving ample time for Q&A.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for these types of questions will allow candidates to showcase their strategic thinking, leadership potential, and practical design skills, directly addressing the core requirements of the Senior UX Designer role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided job link on SmartRecruiters.

• Tailor your resume to highlight your experience in complex enterprise/operational software design, UX strategy, design leadership, and your ability to work within agile/Scrum environments. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate your portfolio to showcase 3-5 of your most relevant projects. Focus on case studies demonstrating UX strategy, leadership, hands-on delivery, and measurable outcomes, particularly those involving complex systems or design systems like Material UI.

• Prepare a concise presentation of your portfolio, ready to discuss your process, decisions, and impact. Practice articulating your experience in relation to the job description's requirements, especially regarding stakeholder management and cross-team coordination.

• Research NEC Software Solutions and their mission to support public services. Understand their values and how your contributions can align with their societal impact goals. Be ready to discuss your eligibility for UK Security Clearance.

⚠️ 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.