Senior UX / UI / Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX / UI / Service Designer

Company: Acenda

Location: Docklands, VIC, Australia; Brisbane City, QLD, Australia; North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Category: User Experience (UX) / User Interface (UI) / Service Design

Date Posted: 2026-08-18

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic UX, UI, and service design efforts for a significant digital integration program, focusing on consolidating multiple advisory, customer, member, and partner portals into a unified, scalable ecosystem.

• Drive the creation of wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs that enhance critical customer journeys, including acquisition, onboarding, servicing, retention, and claims processes.

• Act as a key design authority, collaborating closely with cross-functional stakeholders across Product, Technology, Customer Experience (CX), Marketing, and Operations to translate complex business objectives into intuitive, user-centred digital solutions.

• Champion the adoption and consistent application of modern design systems, accessibility standards (WCAG), and human-centred design principles to ensure scalable, high-quality, and inclusive digital experiences across all touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant ownership over design outcomes within a large-scale digital transformation. The emphasis on "agency-style environment," "hit the ground running," and "take ownership" indicates a need for a proactive, self-directed designer who can manage ambiguity and drive results in a fast-paced, integration-focused program. The mention of "Operations" as a stakeholder group suggests that understanding operational impacts and efficiencies of design decisions will be crucial.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the UX, UI, and service design for a high-profile digital integration program, aiming to consolidate disparate portals into a seamless, intuitive, and user-friendly experience.

• Develop comprehensive design artifacts, including wireframes, detailed user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs, to optimize customer acquisition, onboarding, ongoing servicing, retention, and claims management journeys.

• Foster strong partnerships with Product Managers, Technology Leads, CX Strategists, Marketing teams, and Operations specialists to effectively translate business goals and regulatory requirements into user-centric design solutions.

• Champion and enforce best practices in design systems, accessibility standards (WCAG), and consistent design patterns to ensure the scalability, maintainability, and high quality of all digital experiences.

• Initiate and conduct user research, usability testing, and journey mapping exercises to uncover deep customer insights, validate design hypotheses, and drive iterative improvements across the user experience.

• Apply creative thinking and commercial acumen to a diverse range of initiatives, including the design of digital journeys, customer communications, marketing campaign concepts, educational content, and future-state digital propositions.

• Influence the organization's digital evolution by advocating for human-centred design methodologies, leading design discussions, and contributing to the strategic vision for customer experiences in a dynamic, regulated financial services environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on execution. The explicit mention of "Operations" as a stakeholder group, alongside Product, Technology, and Marketing, highlights the critical need for this designer to understand and integrate operational considerations into their design process, ensuring that user-centric designs are also operationally feasible and efficient.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of proven experience delivering UX, UI, and/or Service Design outcomes across complex digital products, platforms, portals, or customer-facing experiences. Experience within financial services or other highly regulated industries is highly regarded.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in wireframing, prototyping, user flows, information architecture, and journey mapping.

• Strong command of human-centred design principles and methodologies.

• Proficiency in creating visually compelling and intuitive high-fidelity designs.

• Deep understanding of design systems, their implementation, and maintenance.

• Comprehensive knowledge of accessibility standards, particularly WCAG 2.1 (AA or AAA).

• Proven ability to lead design initiatives and influence stakeholders at various levels.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with experience in cross-functional team environments.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and balance user needs with business objectives and delivery constraints.

• Experience working within Agile development methodologies. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in agency, consulting, digital transformation, or platform migration projects.

• Familiarity with financial services, insurance, or wealth management sectors.

• Experience conducting and synthesizing user research and usability testing.

• Knowledge of service design blueprints and ecosystem mapping.

• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, etc.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience level (5-10 years) and the emphasis on leading initiatives and influencing stakeholders suggest this is a senior role. The preference for experience in regulated industries and digital transformation highlights the specific context of this role within a large-scale integration program.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5-10 years of professional design work, with a strong emphasis on complex digital products, platforms, or customer-facing portals.

• Demonstrate a clear progression from strategic problem definition through to final design execution, including user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and any conducted usability testing or iteration.

• Showcase strategic thinking by detailing the problem statement, target users, business objectives, and how your design solutions addressed these.

• Highlight visual creativity and UI design capabilities with examples of polished, high-fidelity interfaces.

• Include at least one case study demonstrating experience with design systems or a commitment to consistent, scalable design patterns.

• Present examples that illustrate an understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and how they were integrated into the design process.

• Quantify impact where possible, detailing user experience improvements, engagement metrics, or operational efficiencies achieved through your designs. Process Documentation:

• Clearly articulate the design process followed for each case study, emphasizing methodologies such as user-centred design, design thinking, or agile UX.

• Detail how user research, journey mapping, and usability testing were integrated into the design workflow to inform decisions and validate concepts.

• Showcase experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Operations) throughout the design lifecycle, illustrating communication and feedback mechanisms.

• Provide examples of how design systems or style guides were utilized or contributed to, ensuring consistency and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior UX/UI/Service Designer role, particularly one involving digital transformation and integration, a robust portfolio is paramount. The emphasis should be on demonstrating strategic problem-solving, end-to-end design process, collaboration, and tangible impact, rather than just visual aesthetics. The note about "Operations" implies that demonstrating how designs consider operational feasibility and efficiency would be a significant differentiator.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given the role is Senior UX/UI/Service Designer in major Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) with 5-10 years of experience, and considering the financial services industry which often offers competitive compensation, a typical salary range would be AUD $130,000 - $180,000 per annum. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in Australia, factoring in the complexity of digital integration programs and the regulated environment.

Benefits:

• Hybrid Working: Flexibility to balance work from home and in-office collaboration, supporting a healthier work-life integration.

• Additional Lifestyle Leave: Generous leave provisions beyond standard annual leave, supporting employee well-being and personal pursuits.

• Incentive Programs: Opportunities to earn bonuses or rewards based on individual and company performance, aligning personal success with organizational goals.

• Recognition Programs: Formal and informal recognition for outstanding contributions, fostering a culture of appreciation and motivation.

• Comprehensive Health & Wellbeing Support: Access to tools, resources, and benefits designed to support the holistic well-being of employees.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, skill enhancement, and career growth within the organization.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, likely around 38-40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid working model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on typical senior UX/UI/Service Designer compensation in major Australian metropolitan areas for a role involving complex digital transformation within a large financial services group. Benefits are drawn directly from the provided text, highlighting key aspects attractive to professionals in this field.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Life Insurance, Wealth Protection, Retirement Solutions). Acenda Group is a significant player, formed by the integration of Acenda Life, Resolution Life Australasia, and Asteron Life New Zealand, backed by Nippon Life. This indicates a company with a strong heritage, deep market expertise, and a global financial backing, currently undergoing a period of significant integration and growth.

Company Size: Acenda Group is described as one of the largest life insurance businesses across Australia and New Zealand, serving over two million customers. This suggests a large enterprise environment, likely with several thousand employees across its various entities.

Founded: The company highlights a combined heritage of over 176 years, indicating a long-standing presence and deep industry experience, even though the current "Acenda Group" entity may be more recent through integration.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within a major digital integration program, implying a dedicated program or project team structure.

• This team will be cross-functional, including Product Managers, Technology Leads, CX Strategists, Marketing specialists, and Operations personnel, requiring strong collaboration.

• The Senior UX/UI/Service Designer will likely report into a Design Lead, Head of CX, or a Product/Program Lead, with significant interaction across various business units. Methodology:

• The company is undergoing integration and growth, suggesting a dynamic environment with a focus on process rationalization and system consolidation.

• A strong emphasis is placed on digital transformation and creating a unified, scalable ecosystem, indicating a forward-thinking approach to technology and customer experience.

• The mention of "agency-style environment" within the program suggests a fast-paced, results-oriented methodology, likely incorporating elements of Agile and Design Thinking.

Company Website: https://www.acenda.com/ (Inferred from domain_derived)

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Acenda's position as a large, integrated financial services group is key. The "digital integration program" context is central to the role, meaning the designer will be instrumental in merging systems and experiences, which often involves navigating complex legacy structures and regulatory requirements. The "Operations" team's involvement suggests that efficiency and process streamlining will be as important as user satisfaction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role, focused on leading design outcomes within a critical program. It demands strategic thinking, hands-on execution, and the ability to influence without direct authority. It sits at the experienced end of the design spectrum, requiring a blend of deep UX/UI craft and service design acumen.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX/UI/Service Designer will likely report to a Design Manager, Head of UX/CX, or a Program Director within the digital integration initiative. They will collaborate extensively with Product Owners, Business Analysts, Developers, Marketing Managers, and crucially, representatives from the Operations teams who manage the day-to-day execution of services and processes.

Operations Impact: The designs created will have a direct impact on operational efficiency and scalability by consolidating fragmented systems and workflows. By creating unified digital experiences for advisors, customers, and partners, the designer can reduce manual workarounds, streamline support processes, and improve data consistency, thereby enhancing overall operational effectiveness and reducing costs. The role also influences future digital propositions that will shape how the company delivers its core insurance, wealth, and retirement products, impacting long-term revenue and customer retention.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Transformation: Opportunity to lead design strategy and execution within a major, high-visibility digital integration program, building a strong track record in large-scale transformation projects.

• Specialization & Broadening: Potential to deepen expertise in financial services UX/UI and service design, or to broaden experience into product strategy, CX transformation, and future digital innovation within the group.

• Mentorship: As a senior member, there's an opportunity to mentor junior designers and contribute to building a stronger design capability within Acenda.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Extensive exposure to Product, Technology, Marketing, and Operations provides a holistic understanding of the business, paving potential paths into product management, CX strategy, or operational leadership roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Impact" section is crucial. The role isn't just about user interfaces; it's about how design choices affect the operational backbone of the company. Highlighting this connection will appeal to operations-minded candidates who want to see the broader business impact of their work.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers a hybrid working model, indicating a blend of remote work and in-office presence. The office environment is described as collaborative and people-centred, designed to support team interaction and foster a positive culture.

Office Location(s): Roles are available in Docklands (Melbourne, VIC), Brisbane City (QLD), and North Sydney (NSW), Australia. These are major metropolitan hubs, offering accessibility and a vibrant working environment. Specific details on office amenities or layout are not provided but can be inferred to be modern and conducive to professional work.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace will be collaborative, encouraging interaction with cross-functional teams including Product, Technology, Marketing, and Operations.

• Expect access to standard design tools and technologies necessary for UX/UI and service design work.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with design peers, program stakeholders, and potentially wider business units, facilitating knowledge sharing and strategic alignment.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, likely around 38-40 hours per week. The hybrid model offers flexibility, allowing individuals to manage their work schedule in coordination with team needs and project deadlines, which is beneficial for deep work sessions common in design and analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work arrangement is a key benefit for many professionals, especially in design roles that require both focused individual work and collaborative sessions. The locations are in prime business districts, suggesting a professional and connected work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review applications and portfolios, focusing on relevant experience, skills, and alignment with the role's core requirements. Prepare a concise resume highlighting key achievements and a portfolio that clearly demonstrates your design process and outcomes.

• Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: Expect a practical exercise. This could be a take-home challenge or a live presentation of a past project from your portfolio. Focus on a project that showcases your ability to tackle complex problems, your end-to-end design process (research, ideation, wireframing, UI, testing), and your understanding of user needs, business goals, and operational considerations.

• Stakeholder Interviews: You will likely meet with key stakeholders, including Product Managers, Engineering Leads, CX Leads, and potentially members of the Operations team. Be prepared to discuss your design philosophy, collaboration style, how you handle feedback, and your approach to balancing competing priorities.

• Final Interview: This may involve a discussion with senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall suitability for the senior role and the company's vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best represent your capabilities for this specific role. Prioritize projects that involved complex digital platforms, integration efforts, or regulated environments.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed (emphasizing research, ideation, and iteration), your design decisions and rationale, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Process & Strategy: Go beyond showing final screens. Detail your research methodologies, user journey maps, wireframes, and prototypes. Explain why you made certain design choices, linking them to user needs and business objectives.

• Showcase Collaboration: Mention how you worked with cross-functional teams, including Operations, to gather requirements, iterate on designs, and ensure feasibility.

• Address Operational Considerations: If possible, include a project where your design considered operational efficiencies, scalability, or integration challenges. This will be a significant differentiator for this role.

• Visual Clarity & Professionalism: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, visually appealing, and easy to navigate.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a challenge, thoroughly understand the brief, the target audience, and the business objectives.

• Structure Your Approach: Plan how you will tackle the challenge, outlining your steps (e.g., research, ideation, sketching, wireframing, prototyping).

• Focus on Rationale: Be prepared to explain your design decisions and trade-offs, linking them back to user needs and business goals.

• Consider Operations: Think about how your proposed solution might impact the company's operations, customer service, or support teams.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse your presentation to ensure it is clear, concise, and within the allocated time.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio review for a Senior UX/UI/Service Designer role are heavily focused on demonstrating practical skills and strategic thinking. The specific mention of "Operations" in the job description and the need for a "unified, scalable ecosystem" means candidates should be prepared to discuss how their designs consider operational integration and efficiency.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar platforms for wireframing, UI design, and interactive prototyping.

• Design Systems: Experience working with, contributing to, or implementing design systems to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across digital products.

• Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with tools for team collaboration and communication, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms, essential for working within cross-functional Agile teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar to understand user behaviour and inform design decisions.

• Usability Testing Platforms: Familiarity with tools for remote usability testing and session recording (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Hotjar) to gather user feedback.

• Data Visualization Tools: Basic understanding of how designs translate into dashboards and reports, potentially interacting with tools like Tableau or Power BI.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Awareness of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) function and how digital interfaces integrate with or impact CRM data and workflows.

• Workflow/Process Mapping Tools: Experience with tools used for service design and process mapping (e.g., Miro, Lucidchart, Visio) to visualize customer journeys and operational processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the specific tools are not listed, the role's focus on digital integration, design systems, and cross-functional collaboration implies a need for proficiency in modern UX/UI design software and collaborative platforms. The mention of "Operations" suggests an awareness of how designs interface with broader business systems and processes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A core value likely shared across the organization, driving a focus on understanding and meeting customer needs through intuitive and effective digital experiences.

• Collaboration & Partnership: The role requires working closely with diverse teams (Product, Tech, Marketing, Operations), emphasizing a culture of shared goals and mutual support.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Given the integration program, there will be a strong emphasis on designing solutions that are not only user-friendly but also operationally efficient and scalable across the consolidated business.

• Innovation & Future Focus: Acenda is positioning itself as a future-focused business, encouraging new ideas and approaches to digital engagement and product delivery.

• Integrity & Confidence: As a financial services provider, integrity and building customer confidence are paramount, influencing design decisions to ensure clarity, transparency, and trustworthiness.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with Product, Technology, Marketing, and Operations teams, requiring clear communication and shared ownership of outcomes.

• Agile & Iterative: Expect a collaborative style within an Agile framework, involving regular feedback loops, design reviews, and iterative refinement of solutions.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: A culture that values using data from user research and analytics to inform design choices and demonstrate impact.

• Constructive Feedback: An environment where constructive feedback is welcomed and utilized to improve designs and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Operations" as a stakeholder group suggests that the company values designs that are not only user-friendly but also practically implementable and efficient from an operational standpoint. This is a key cultural aspect for candidates to understand.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Integration Complexity: Navigating the technical and user experience complexities of consolidating multiple legacy systems and portals into a single, cohesive platform.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Balancing the diverse needs and priorities of various stakeholders (customers, advisors, internal teams, regulators) to achieve consensus on design solutions.

• Pace of Change: Working within a dynamic, fast-moving transformation program where priorities may shift, requiring adaptability and resilience.

• Regulatory Environment: Designing within a highly regulated industry necessitates a deep understanding of compliance requirements and risk mitigation in user experience.

• Bridging Digital & Operational Gaps: Ensuring that the digital experiences designed are seamlessly supported by and integrated with the underlying operational processes and teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Financial Services UX: Gaining specialized knowledge and experience in designing for insurance, wealth management, and retirement products within a regulated context.

• Large-Scale Digital Transformation: Contributing to and learning from a major digital integration program, a valuable experience for career progression.

• Service Design Acumen: Developing and applying service design principles to map and optimize complex customer and internal journeys.

• Design System Mastery: Enhancing skills in building, maintaining, and scaling design systems for enterprise-level applications.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Broadening understanding of Product Management, Technology architecture, Marketing strategies, and Operations management through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the critical need for a designer who can think holistically, considering not just the user interface but also the underlying systems and operational realities. The growth opportunities are significant for someone looking to specialize in financial services or gain experience in large-scale digital transformations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the UX/UI design for a complex digital integration or platform consolidation. What were the key challenges, your approach, and the outcomes?" (Focus on your process, stakeholder management, and how you handled integration complexities.)

• "How do you balance user needs, business objectives, and regulatory requirements in your design process, particularly within a financial services context?" (Prepare examples that demonstrate your ability to navigate these competing priorities.)

• "Walk us through a project where your design significantly improved an operational process or efficiency. How did you identify the opportunity, what was your solution, and what was the impact?" (This is crucial given the role's context.)

• "How do you approach building and maintaining design systems, and what is their importance in a large organization undergoing integration?" (Showcase your understanding of scalability and consistency.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Acenda's mission and our role in helping customers live, save, and retire with confidence?" (Research the company's values, recent news, and market position.)

• "How do you see your role contributing to our digital transformation and the integration of our brands?" (Connect your skills to the company's strategic goals.)

• "Describe your experience working with Operations teams. How do you ensure your designs are practical and beneficial from an operational perspective?" (This is a key differentiator for this role.)

• "How do you approach collaboration within cross-functional teams, especially in a dynamic, agency-style project environment?" (Highlight your teamwork and communication skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Select Impactful Projects: Choose 2-3 key projects that best showcase your ability to handle complex digital integrations, your end-to-end design process, and your strategic thinking.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the user and business goals, your design process (research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, UI, testing), key design decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Emphasize Process & Rationale: Detail how you arrived at your solutions. Explain your research methods, user flows, and why certain design choices were made.

• Highlight Collaboration & Operations: Explicitly mention how you collaborated with Product, Technology, Marketing, and especially Operations. Discuss how your designs considered operational feasibility and efficiency.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design decisions, challenges encountered, and how you would iterate or improve the design if given more time or resources.

• Visual Polish: Ensure your presentation is clean, professional, and easy to follow, reflecting your UI design skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation for this role should heavily emphasize the candidate's ability to integrate operational considerations into their design thinking, given the explicit mention of "Operations" as a key stakeholder and the context of a large-scale integration program. Demonstrating this understanding will be critical for success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX/UI/Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Acenda Taleo careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 5-10 years of relevant experience, focusing on UX/UI/Service Design for complex digital products, platforms, or portals. Quantify achievements where possible and use keywords from the job description (e.g., digital integration, design systems, accessibility, stakeholder management).

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a digital portfolio that showcases 2-3 strong case studies. Prioritize projects demonstrating strategic thinking, end-to-end design process, collaboration with cross-functional teams (especially Operations), and successful outcomes in digital transformation or integration contexts. Ensure it clearly illustrates your UX, UI, and service design capabilities.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your process for tackling complex challenges, and how you ensure designs are user-centric, operationally efficient, and meet business/regulatory needs. Practice presenting your portfolio projects concisely and impactfully.

• Research Acenda: Understand Acenda Group's mission, its brands (Acenda Life, Resolution Life Australasia, Asteron Life NZ), its market position in financial services, and its stated values regarding customer confidence, integration, and growth. This will help you tailor your application and interview responses.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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