Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: interactive investor

Location: Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: May 11, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office, 2 days remote)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end user experience (UX) design for product squads, driving innovative and intuitive digital solutions.

• Own and evolve the organization's Design System to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across all platforms and products.

• Act as the primary UX representative, effectively managing stakeholders and aligning diverse perspectives to achieve shared goals.

• Champion user-centered design principles, accessibility (WCAG), and inclusive design practices throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Mentor and guide junior UX designers, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented design culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Designer, implying a significant level of autonomy, strategic input, and potential leadership within the UX team. The emphasis on Design System adoption and governance, coupled with stakeholder management and mentorship, suggests a need for a candidate who can not only execute design but also influence process and people. The hybrid work model indicates a structured approach to collaboration, balancing in-office synergy with remote flexibility.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Squad UX Leadership: Take ownership of the complete user experience for assigned squad projects, from initial concept and ideation through to final delivery, ensuring the creation of seamless, intuitive, and visually compelling designs.

• Design System Evolution & Governance: Play a pivotal role in the adoption, ongoing development, and governance of the company's Design System, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency across all digital platforms and products.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Alignment: Serve as the main UX point of contact in stakeholder meetings, cultivating strong relationships with internal and external partners, aligning on strategic objectives, and proactively managing expectations to ensure design solutions effectively meet both business and user needs.

• Effective Communication & Presentation: Articulate complex design concepts, strategies, and justifications through compelling visual presentations, engaging storytelling, and persuasive communication tailored to a variety of audiences, including executives, developers, and non-design stakeholders.

• Team Mentorship & Development: Provide guidance, mentorship, and constructive feedback to other UX designers, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and growth-oriented culture within the design team, ensuring high-quality deliverables.

• User-Centered Research Integration: Collaborate closely with UX Researchers to leverage qualitative and quantitative research, usability testing, and stakeholder workshops, translating research insights into actionable and impactful design solutions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely and proactively with Product Managers, Product Owners, Developers, Analysts, and Testers to ensure strong alignment and cohesion between design initiatives, business objectives, and technical implementation details.

• Accessibility & Usability Advocacy: Actively champion accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG compliance) and inclusive design principles, ensuring that all products are usable and enjoyable for all users, irrespective of their abilities.

• Complex Problem Solving: Analyze intricate user and business challenges, designing elegant and effective solutions that not only meet user needs but also align with broader organizational objectives and strategic goals.

• Multi-Platform Design: Deliver designs that are optimized for a range of platforms, including responsive web, native mobile applications, and emerging digital interfaces, ensuring a consistent user experience across all touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of individual contribution and leadership. The emphasis on "owning" the UX for squads and "playing a key role" in the Design System suggests a senior individual contributor with significant influence. The mentorship aspect is crucial for a senior role, indicating an expectation to develop team capabilities. The explicit mention of Agile/Lean UX environments points towards a need for adaptability and iterative design processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Psychology, or a related field is highly beneficial. Equivalent practical experience will also be strongly considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in User Experience (UX) Design, with a proven track record of delivering impactful digital products and a demonstrated readiness to step into a senior-level role.

Required Skills:

• UX Design Expertise: Extensive experience in end-to-end UX design, encompassing user research, information architecture, interaction design, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing.

• Design System Proficiency: Hands-on experience in implementing, managing, scaling, and governing design systems, with a deep understanding of how to ensure consistency and efficiency across multiple products and platforms.

• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to effectively engage with, influence, and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all organizational levels, manage expectations, and align diverse perspectives towards common goals.

• Advanced Communication & Presentation: Exceptional verbal, visual, and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly and persuasively articulate complex design concepts, processes, and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated experience working effectively within cross-functional teams in Agile or Lean UX environments, adept at balancing priorities, fostering alignment, and contributing to a collaborative team culture.

• User Research & Synthesis: Proficiency in conducting various forms of user research (qualitative and quantitative) and usability testing, with a strong ability to synthesize findings into actionable design decisions.

• Design Tool Proficiency: Expertise in industry-standard design tools, particularly Figma, for creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.

• User-Centered Design Principles: A solid understanding of core user-centered design principles, usability heuristics, and accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).

• Problem-Solving: A strong analytical and problem-solving mindset, capable of dissecting complex challenges and devising elegant, user-centered solutions that meet business and technical requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the financial services or investment platform industry.

• Familiarity with or experience in driving digital transformation initiatives.

• Knowledge of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better collaborate with engineering teams.

• Experience with A/B testing and data-driven design optimization.

• Familiarity with various UX research methodologies beyond standard usability testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Must Have" section strongly implies that a robust portfolio is a critical requirement, showcasing not just finished products but the candidate's thought process, problem-solving approach, and demonstrated impact. The emphasis on Figma suggests it's the primary tool, and candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their proficiency. The blend of required hard skills (Figma, research) and soft skills (communication, mentorship, stakeholder management) indicates a well-rounded senior professional is sought.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Present detailed case studies that illustrate your complete UX design process, from initial problem definition and user research through to ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final design execution.

• Design System Contribution: Showcase examples of your involvement with design systems, whether it's contributing to their creation, evolution, governance, or successful adoption within a product team. Highlight how you ensured consistency and efficiency.

• Problem-Solving Demonstrations: Include examples that clearly articulate a complex user or business challenge and how your design solutions effectively addressed it, demonstrating your analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

• Measurable Impact: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your design work. This could include metrics related to improved user satisfaction, increased conversion rates, reduced task completion times, enhanced accessibility, or efficiency gains.

• Collaboration & Communication: Provide evidence of your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, etc.) and present your work and design rationale persuasively to stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate your ability to map out and document user flows, system interactions, and design processes, with a focus on identifying areas for optimization and efficiency improvements.

• Design System Governance: If applicable, examples of process documentation related to design system component usage, contribution guidelines, and version control.

• User Research Synthesis: Showcase how you document and synthesize user research findings to inform design decisions and communicate insights to the wider team.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about showing pretty screens, but about demonstrating a strategic, user-centric, and collaborative design process. Applicants should be prepared to walk through their portfolio, explaining their rationale, challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved. The emphasis on Design Systems means specific examples of contribution or utilization are highly valuable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: From £42,000 per year.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary starts at £42,000. Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Designers in Manchester, UK, with 5-10 years of experience, the typical range can extend up to £60,000 - £70,000+, depending on the breadth of experience, specific skills in areas like design systems and financial services, and the overall market demand. The £42,000 figure likely represents the lower end of the spectrum for this seniority, suggesting potential for negotiation or that the upper end of the range is not explicitly stated. Researching comparable roles in Manchester and considering the specific requirements (e.g., Design System expertise, stakeholder management) will be crucial for candidates during salary discussions.

Benefits:

• Group Personal Pension Plan: Generous 8% employer contribution with a 4% employee contribution.

• Life Assurance & Group Income Protection: Providing financial security for you and your family.

• Private Medical Insurance: Comprehensive coverage provided by Bupa.

• Annual Leave: 25 days of paid annual leave, in addition to bank holidays.

• Staff Discounts: Special discounts on interactive investor's investment products.

• Personal & Well-being Fund: A dedicated fund to support your physical and mental wellness.

• Retail Discounts: Access to savings at a wide range of high street and online retailers.

• Voluntary Flexible Benefits: A program allowing you to tailor additional benefits to suit your personal lifestyle needs.

Working Hours: Standard working hours are implied to be 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for 2 days of remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package is comprehensive, reflecting a commitment to employee well-being and financial security. The Personal & Well-being Fund and Voluntary Flexible Benefits offer modern perks that can be highly attractive. The staff discount on investment products is a unique benefit for a financial services company like interactive investor.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Investment Platform. interactive investor operates in a highly regulated and competitive sector, demanding a focus on trust, security, reliability, and a strong customer-centric approach, especially as they aim for user-centricity and design-led transformation.

Company Size: interactive investor is a significant player in the UK investment platform market, with over 500,000 customers and assets under administration approaching £75 billion. This indicates a well-established company with substantial operations, offering opportunities for impact within a large user base.

Founded: Founded nearly 30 years ago, interactive investor has a long history in the market, evolving from its origins to become the UK's number one flat-fee investment platform. This longevity suggests stability and a deep understanding of the financial landscape, now coupled with a drive for modernizing through design.

Team Structure:

• UX Squads: The role implies a squad-based structure, where UX designers work within cross-functional teams focused on specific product areas or initiatives. This promotes agile collaboration and focused development.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Senior UX Designer would typically report to a Head of UX, Design Lead, or Product Design Manager, with opportunities to mentor other designers within their squad or the broader UX team.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes close collaboration with Product Managers, Product Owners, Developers, Analysts, and Testers, indicating a highly integrated approach to product development.

Methodology:

• User-Centric Design: The company's stated goal is to transform into a user-centric, design-led organization, meaning user needs and experiences are at the forefront of decision-making.

• Agile/Lean UX: The role operates within an Agile or Lean UX environment, requiring iterative design processes, flexible planning, and continuous feedback loops.

• Data-Driven Insights: Expect a blend of qualitative (user research) and quantitative (analytics, testing) data to inform design strategies and measure impact.

Company Website: https://www.ii.co.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's journey from a long-standing financial services provider to a design-led organization is a key cultural aspect. This suggests a dynamic environment where established practices are being challenged and improved with modern UX methodologies. The scale of the company means that design decisions can have a broad impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX Designer role, placing it at an experienced individual contributor level. It signifies a capacity to lead projects independently, influence design strategy, mentor junior staff, and contribute to the evolution of design processes and systems. The role is pivotal in driving the company's transition towards a user-centric, design-led approach.

Reporting Structure: Typically, a Senior UX Designer would report to a Design Manager, Head of UX, or a similar leadership role. They would also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within their squad. The mentorship aspect suggests they may guide or oversee the work of junior UX designers or other team members.

Operations Impact: The Senior UX Designer has a direct and significant impact on the customer experience, influencing customer acquisition, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, the company's success as a leading investment platform. By driving user-centricity and improving the usability and accessibility of the platform, they contribute directly to business goals like increased customer engagement and trust.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead UX Designer, UX Manager, or Head of UX role, taking on greater strategic responsibility and team management.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as Design Systems, UX Research, Accessibility, or Product Strategy within the financial services domain.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Develop strong partnerships with Product and Engineering that could lead to opportunities in Product Management or broader GTM strategy roles.

• Mentorship & Training: Formal and informal opportunities to develop leadership and coaching skills through mentoring junior designers and contributing to design team development programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior UX Designer role is positioned as a critical stepping stone for individuals looking to advance into design leadership or specialized product roles. The company's focus on design-led transformation implies a fertile ground for individuals who can demonstrate strategic thinking and drive change.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role operates on a hybrid model, requiring 3 days per week in the Manchester office and allowing 2 days remote. This suggests a modern office environment designed to facilitate collaboration, innovation, and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Manchester, England. Candidates should confirm the exact office address and its accessibility for commuting.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office likely features modern collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, and potentially quiet zones to support diverse work styles and project needs.

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to the necessary design tools (e.g., Figma), hardware, and potentially specialized software that supports UX research and prototyping.

• Team Interaction: The 3-day in-office requirement is designed to foster strong team dynamics, facilitate spontaneous discussions, and build relationships with colleagues across Product, Engineering, and other departments.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are expected to be around 40 hours per week, with the hybrid model offering flexibility on location for 2 of those days. This schedule balances the need for focused individual work with collaborative team engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key feature of the work environment. The 3 days in the office are likely structured to maximize in-person collaboration, brainstorming, and team building, while the 2 remote days allow for focused individual work and better work-life balance.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio to assess basic qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into your experience, approach to UX design, leadership potential, and cultural fit. Expect questions about your portfolio and past projects.

• Design Task/Challenge: Candidates may be asked to complete a design exercise or case study, either as a take-home assignment or a live workshop, to evaluate your problem-solving skills, design process, and ability to articulate your rationale.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with cross-functional team members (Product Managers, Developers, potentially other designers) to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate with the team.

• Final Interview: Potentially a final interview with a more senior leader to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase end-to-end UX design, your role, and quantifiable outcomes.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your process, the decisions you made (and why), your specific contributions, and the results achieved. Use visuals to support your narrative.

• Highlight Design System Work: If you have experience with design systems, dedicate specific slides or sections to illustrate your involvement and impact.

• Focus on Seniority: Emphasize strategic thinking, leadership, mentorship, and your ability to influence stakeholders and drive design initiatives.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design choices, challenges, trade-offs, and how you would approach similar problems at interactive investor.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: Thoroughly read and understand the design challenge prompt. Ask clarifying questions if needed.

• Emphasize Process: Focus on demonstrating your UX process – research, ideation, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, and testing – even if you can't complete the entire cycle within the given time.

• Communicate Your Thinking: Clearly articulate your assumptions, rationale, and design decisions at each step.

• Consider Business Goals: Relate your design solutions back to the business objectives and user needs mentioned in the prompt.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse presenting your solution concisely and persuasively, anticipating potential questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess both design craft and collaborative/leadership capabilities. A strong portfolio that clearly articulates process and impact is essential. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with design systems in detail and demonstrate how they can mentor others.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is explicitly mentioned as a required tool for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design. Proficiency is expected.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's native capabilities, other prototyping tools might be beneficial or used within the team.

• Design System Management Tools: While Figma is key for creation, tools for documentation, governance, and version control might be integrated.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms to understand user behavior on the website and app.

• User Feedback Tools: Platforms for collecting and analyzing user feedback, surveys, and sentiment analysis.

• A/B Testing Tools: Tools such as Optimizely, VWO, or Google Optimize for running experiments and data-driven design optimization.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not directly a UX tool, understanding how CRM data (e.g., customer segmentation, interaction history) can inform UX design is valuable.

• Project Management Tools: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello are commonly used in Agile environments for task management and workflow tracking.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for day-to-day team communication and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma as a core tool means candidates should be ready to showcase their skills in this software. Awareness of how UX design integrates with analytics, user feedback, and project management tools within an Agile framework is also crucial for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User Advocacy: A strong commitment to understanding and championing the needs and experiences of the user throughout the design and development lifecycle.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: A culture that values close working relationships with Product, Engineering, and other departments, fostering a shared sense of ownership and collective problem-solving.

• Excellence & Quality: A drive to deliver high-quality, well-crafted, and user-friendly designs that meet both user expectations and business objectives.

• Continuous Improvement: An ethos of learning, adaptation, and iterative enhancement, both in terms of product design and personal/team development.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilizing research, testing, and analytics to guide design decisions and measure their effectiveness.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Squads: Working within cross-functional squads where designers, product managers, and engineers collaborate closely and iteratively.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue, constructive feedback, and transparent communication across all team members and stakeholders.

• Design System-Centricity: A collaborative approach to the Design System, where contributions and adherence are encouraged, and feedback loops are established for its continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company is actively seeking to become a "user-centric, design-led organization." This implies that values like user empathy, strong collaboration, and a commitment to quality design are not just buzzwords but core tenets that will be actively lived and promoted within the team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business Goals: Navigating the complexities of financial services, where user experience must be balanced with stringent regulatory requirements, security protocols, and diverse business objectives.

• Driving Design-Led Transformation: Acting as a change agent to embed user-centricity and design thinking into a traditionally finance-focused organization, which may involve overcoming ingrained processes or mindsets.

• Scaling a Design System: Effectively managing and scaling a Design System across a growing product suite and diverse teams, ensuring adoption and consistency while allowing for necessary flexibility.

• Hybrid Work Management: Optimizing collaboration and team cohesion within a hybrid work model, ensuring effective communication and workflow despite varying work locations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX/Product Strategy: Opportunities to deepen skills in product strategy, service design, and leveraging UX to drive business outcomes in the FinTech space.

• Design Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership capabilities through mentoring junior designers, contributing to design process improvements, and potentially leading key design initiatives.

• Industry Trends & Innovation: Staying abreast of emerging UX trends, tools, and technologies, particularly those relevant to financial services and digital platforms, through conferences, training, and internal knowledge sharing.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gaining deeper insights into product management, business operations, and the financial markets, enhancing overall business acumen.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly linked to the company's strategic goals of transformation and growth. The opportunities are geared towards developing a senior professional into a more impactful leader and strategist within the UX and product domain of the financial sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with differing opinions on a design direction. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your communication, negotiation, and rationale articulation skills.)

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for a complex financial product, given limited time and resources?" (Prepare to outline your agile UX process, prioritization, and trade-off considerations.)

• "Walk me through your process for creating and maintaining a Design System. What are the key challenges, and how do you address them?" (Be ready to discuss governance, adoption strategies, and your specific contributions.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about interactive investor and our mission to empower investors?" (Research the company's values, recent news, and its position in the market.)

• "How do you see UX design contributing to the transformation of a traditional financial services business?" (Connect your UX philosophy to the company's stated goals.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: Organize your chosen case studies logically, starting with the problem and ending with the solution and impact.

• Highlight Your Role: Clearly define your specific contributions, especially in team projects. Use "I" when discussing your direct actions and "we" when referring to team efforts.

• Visual Storytelling: Use high-fidelity mockups, prototypes, user flow diagrams, and research insights to visually convey your process and outcomes.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion, improved task success rate, higher user satisfaction).

• Practice for Time: Rehearse your presentation to fit within the allotted time, ensuring you cover the most critical aspects without rushing. Be prepared for follow-up questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on showcasing not just design skills but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to operate effectively within a hybrid, Agile, and regulated environment. Demonstrating how you can mentor others and drive the company's design-led transformation will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate end-to-end UX design, specific experience with Design Systems, and your ability to manage stakeholders. Focus on showcasing your impact and strategic thinking relevant to financial services.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your years of experience, key skills (especially Figma, Design Systems, User Research, Accessibility), and achievements, using keywords from the job description. Quantify your accomplishments where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, decision-making rationale, and leadership experience. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to present your portfolio confidently.

• Company Research: Gain a thorough understanding of interactive investor's business, its market position, its customer base, and its strategic goals, particularly its drive towards becoming a user-centric, design-led organization.

⚠️ 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.