Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer

Company: VML Enterprise Solutions

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: April 21, 2026

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

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive best-in-class user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design for digital products and services within a dynamic agency environment.

• Lead end-to-end design processes, from initial discovery and user journey mapping to high-fidelity UI execution and component systemization.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including strategists, developers, and project managers, to deliver impactful and user-centric solutions for a diverse client portfolio.

• Act as a design leader, capable of framing complex problems, shaping product direction, and influencing senior stakeholders with strong communication and storytelling abilities.

• Leverage advanced proficiency in Figma and a deep understanding of tokenized design systems, responsive design principles, and accessibility standards to ensure quality and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, indicating a need for significant autonomy, leadership in design execution, and the ability to manage complex projects and stakeholder relationships. The emphasis on "end-to-end expertise" and "shaping product direction" suggests a strategic contribution beyond typical UI implementation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the full design lifecycle for digital products, from user research and concept ideation through to detailed interaction design and polished UI, ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Develop and refine user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups, translating complex requirements into intuitive and engaging interfaces.

• Champion user-centric design principles and best practices, integrating user research findings and data analytics to inform design decisions and drive product improvement.

• Manage and evolve complex, tokenized design systems, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to component architecture and design patterns.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders to define product strategy, align on design direction, and ensure successful implementation of design solutions.

• Effectively manage multiple workstreams and priorities within both agile and retained delivery models, balancing pace, quality, and stakeholder expectations across various clients and sectors.

• Present and articulate design rationale, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly and persuasively to senior stakeholders, fostering buy-in and alignment.

• Ensure all designs adhere to accessibility standards, conversion principles, and brand guidelines, adapting approach to diverse client needs and design maturity levels.

• Produce high-quality supporting design artifacts, including interactive prototypes, presentations, and visual assets for communication and user research purposes.

• Contribute to a culture of innovation by exploring new design trends, tools, and methodologies to enhance product offerings and client solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Responsibilities are tailored to reflect a senior-level product designer who not only executes but also strategizes and leads. The inclusion of "BAU and retained delivery models" and "operating within complex, tokenised design systems" highlights the practical, ongoing nature of the work in a large agency setting.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often preferred for demonstrating foundational knowledge in design principles and user behavior. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX/UI design, with a significant portion focused on product design within agency or fast-paced digital environments is required.

Required Skills:

• Proven ability to work autonomously and lead design initiatives in complex, fast-paced, and often ambiguous environments with evolving requirements.

• Strong experience in stakeholder management, including the ability to challenge, influence, and align senior stakeholders across various disciplines.

• Demonstrated ability to frame problems, define opportunities, and shape product direction independently, rather than solely responding to briefs.

• Expertise in operating as a true end-to-end product designer, seamlessly transitioning between UX strategy, interaction design, and high-fidelity UI execution without compromising quality.

• Proven adaptability in working across a variety of clients, sectors, and problem spaces, quickly grasping domain knowledge and adjusting approach to different levels of design maturity.

• Proficiency in managing multiple workstreams, priorities, and stakeholders within both Business As Usual (BAU) and retained delivery models.

• Strong experience working with complex, tokenized design systems, with a deep understanding of component architecture (variants, properties, scalable patterns).

• Solid understanding of responsive design principles and behavior logic for consistent cross-device and cross-platform experiences.

• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including the ability to create scalable, well-structured design files that support collaboration, handover, and systemization.

• Ability to adapt design approach to multiple brands and visual identities while maintaining consistency, quality, and brand alignment.

• Skill in producing high-quality supporting design artifacts, including prototypes, presentations, and visual assets for communication and user research.

• Expertise in translating user research and data into actionable insights to drive informed design decisions and build stakeholder confidence.

• Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale, trade-offs, and recommendations.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with other design and prototyping tools (e.g., Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision).

• Familiarity with front-end development concepts (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to facilitate better collaboration with engineering teams.

• Experience in A/B testing and multivariate testing methodologies to optimize user experiences.

• Knowledge of e-commerce platforms and their specific design considerations.

• Experience in mentoring junior designers or leading design critiques.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills are highly specific and detailed, reflecting the senior nature of the role and the agency context. The emphasis on autonomy, stakeholder management, and end-to-end design is crucial. Figma proficiency is explicitly called out as advanced.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end product design expertise, demonstrating a clear process from problem definition to final UI execution across diverse projects.

• Case studies that highlight your ability to frame problems, define opportunities, and shape product direction, rather than just responding to briefs.

• Examples of complex, tokenized design systems you have worked with or contributed to, detailing component architecture, variants, and scalability.

• Demonstrations of responsive design principles and behavior logic applied across multiple devices and platforms.

• Evidence of advanced Figma file structure, scalability, and collaboration features.

• Projects that illustrate your experience working with multiple brands and visual identities, showcasing adaptation while maintaining consistency.

• Prototypes, presentations, and other supporting design artifacts that effectively communicate design rationale, trade-offs, and user research insights.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase detailed process documentation for at least 2-3 significant projects, outlining your methodology for:
  • Discovery & Strategy: How you approach understanding user needs, business goals, and market context.
  • Information Architecture & User Flows: Mapping out user journeys and interaction models.
  • Wireframing & Prototyping: Iterative design and testing phases.
  • UI Design & Systemization: Crafting visual interfaces and leveraging/building design systems.
  • Collaboration & Handoff: Working with development and other stakeholders.
  • Iteration & Optimization: Incorporating feedback and data for continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily focused on demonstrating a strategic, end-to-end design process and proficiency with complex systems, reflecting the senior and agency-based nature of the role. Emphasis on problem framing and influencing stakeholders is key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the role being a Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer in London, England, United Kingdom, with 5-10 years of experience, and considering the agency context (VML Enterprise Solutions is part of WPP, a large global network), the estimated salary range is £60,000 - £85,000 per annum. This range accounts for the cost of living in London and the specialized skills and experience required.

Benefits:

• Discretionary bonus scheme

• Comprehensive training opportunities for skill development and career growth

• Competitive pension plan

• Medical insurance

• Life assurance

• Regular social events to foster team cohesion and networking

• Opportunities to buy and sell holidays, allowing for flexible time off

• Family-friendly policies to support work-life balance

• Discounts with hundreds of retailers and service providers

Working Hours: The role is advertised as full-time. A standard full-time work week in the UK is typically 40 hours. The hybrid nature of the role suggests a flexible arrangement, with specific days in the central London office expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior UX/UI designers in London, UK, taking into account the employer's size and sector. The benefits listed are directly from the job description and are typical for large agency environments.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advertising & Marketing, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Solutions, E-commerce. VML is part of WPP, a global leader in marketing and communications services. The Enterprise Solutions division specifically focuses on helping large organizations deliver digital experiences across various market channels.

Company Size: VML, as part of WPP, is a very large organization with over 26,000 employees globally. The Enterprise Solutions division operates with over 4,200 experts across 55 operational centers in 34 countries. This scale offers significant resources and opportunities but also requires navigating a large corporate structure.

Founded: VML was founded in 1992 and merged with Wunderman in 2020 to form Wunderman Thompson, which then merged with VMLY&R in 2024 to form VML. WPP itself was founded in 1982. This history indicates a company with deep roots in the agency world, constantly evolving through mergers and acquisitions.

Team Structure:

• The Enterprise Solutions division is a large, global group with specialized experts in strategic consulting, creative and technical architecture, development, and operations.

• The design team likely operates within this division, collaborating closely with strategists, architects, developers, and project managers.

• Reporting structure will likely involve a Design Lead or Director, with senior designers reporting to them and potentially mentoring more junior team members.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis & Insights: Expertise in translating user research and data into actionable insights for informed design decisions.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: Designing efficient and user-friendly workflows for digital products and services.

• Automation & Efficiency: Leveraging technology and design systems to streamline processes and enhance user experiences. The company works with numerous technology partners (Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, Shopify, etc.), suggesting a tech-forward approach.

• Agile & Iterative Development: Working within agile frameworks to deliver projects iteratively, balancing pace and quality.

Company Website: https://www.vml.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context emphasizes VML's scale, global reach, and deep integration within WPP. The Enterprise Solutions division's focus on large-scale digital commerce and transformation is key. The mention of numerous technology partners reinforces the need for designers to be adaptable and technically aware.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Product Designer role, indicating a position of significant responsibility and autonomy. It's a stepping stone towards potential leadership roles such as Design Lead, Principal Designer, or even Head of Design within specific accounts or practice areas. The role requires not just execution but also strategic input and influence over product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Director or Group Creative Director within the Enterprise Solutions division. They will collaborate extensively with Product Managers, Project Managers, Technical Leads, and Account Directors, and may mentor junior designers.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is directly tied to driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands by delivering outstanding digital experiences. This includes influencing customer acquisition, engagement, conversion, and loyalty through well-designed products and services. The successful candidate will contribute to generating significant annual revenue for clients (over $29bn cited for clients).

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in specific areas like design systems, e-commerce UX, accessibility, or performance optimization. Exposure to a wide range of clients and industries allows for broad skill development.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to lead design on major client accounts, mentor junior designers, and potentially transition into management roles. The agency structure often provides clear career progression paths.

• Industry Exposure & Networking: Working with global brands and a large international team offers unparalleled exposure to industry best practices, emerging trends, and a vast professional network within WPP and its partners.

• Specialization: Potential to specialize in particular sectors (e.g., automotive, CPG, enterprise software) or design disciplines (e.g., complex systems, conversion rate optimization).

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth analysis focuses on career progression within a large agency structure, emphasizing skill development, leadership potential, and the broad impact of design on client business outcomes. The term "operations" is adapted to "design operations" in the context of impact and career growth within the design discipline.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is described as hybrid, requiring presence in the central London office. This suggests a professional, collaborative office environment designed to foster teamwork, client engagement, and creative problem-solving.

Office Location(s): The primary specified location is central London, England. This implies accessibility via public transport and proximity to business hubs. VML has multiple offices globally, but this role is tied to the London operation.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office space is likely designed to encourage interaction and brainstorming among cross-functional teams (design, strategy, development, account management).

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma is a must), collaboration tools, and potentially advanced hardware for prototyping and presentations.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for daily interaction with colleagues, design critiques, team meetings, and client presentations, both in-person and virtually. The hybrid model allows for flexibility while maintaining team connection.

Work Schedule: A full-time position, typically around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for a mix of remote and in-office work. This offers a degree of flexibility for operations (design) processes and deep work, balanced with in-person collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description emphasizes the hybrid model and the collaborative nature of agency work, with a focus on the central London location.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A session where you present your portfolio, walking through 2-3 key case studies. Expect in-depth questions about your process, problem-solving approach, design rationale, stakeholder management, and how you handle ambiguity and complex requirements.

• Design Challenge/Exercise: You may be given a short, timed design exercise (e.g., critique an existing interface, propose solutions for a hypothetical problem) or a take-home assignment focusing on specific skills like UX strategy or UI design.

• Stakeholder/Team Interviews: Meetings with potential colleagues, design leads, and product managers to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit within the VML Enterprise Solutions team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss your overall experience, career aspirations, and strategic fit within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate end-to-end product design, problem-solving, and impact. Prioritize projects that align with the requirements (complex systems, stakeholder management, shaping direction).

• Focus on Process, Not Just Pixels: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you faced, your decision-making rationale, and the measurable outcomes or impact of your work. Use diagrams, screenshots, and user flows to illustrate your journey.

• Highlight Autonomy & Leadership: Emphasize instances where you took initiative, led design efforts, influenced stakeholders, or navigated ambiguity.

• Showcase Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your Figma file structure, component libraries, and how you ensure scalability and collaboration.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., conversion rate increases, user satisfaction scores, task completion times).

• Tell a Story: Frame your case studies as compelling narratives that showcase your problem-solving skills and your ability to deliver value.

Challenge Preparation:

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

• Prioritize and Scope: For timed challenges, focus on the most critical aspects of the problem and demonstrate a clear, logical approach rather than trying to solve everything.

• Communicate Your Thinking: Clearly articulate your assumptions, design decisions, and trade-offs. Even if you don't finish, showing your thought process is crucial.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse presenting your work and answering questions concisely and confidently.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice tailored to a senior design role in an agency, focusing on portfolio depth, process articulation, and demonstrating leadership and strategic thinking.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency required for UI design, prototyping, component architecture, and collaboration. This is the core tool for this role.

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma is primary, familiarity with other prototyping tools (e.g., InVision, Principle) may be beneficial for specific use cases.

• Design System Tools: Experience with creating, managing, and utilizing tokenized design systems is crucial. This involves understanding component libraries, variants, and properties.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, usability testing, and surveys (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback).

• Analytics Tools: Familiarity with web analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to understand user behavior and derive insights.

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret data from dashboards and reports to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing workflows and tasks within agile environments.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Confluence for team communication and knowledge sharing.

• Client/Partner Platforms: Exposure to enterprise-level platforms such as Adobe Experience Cloud, Salesforce, SAP, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, Acquia, HCL, or similar is highly advantageous given the company's client base.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tool stack emphasizes Figma as the primary requirement. The inclusion of enterprise platforms highlights the company's strategic partnerships and the need for designers to be aware of the broader technology ecosystem their designs will integrate with.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Heart: Fosters empathy and trust, encouraging genuine connections and human-centric design approaches. This means understanding user needs deeply and creating respectful, inclusive experiences.

• Brains: Values relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges. This translates to a proactive approach to learning, problem-solving, and seeking innovative design solutions.

• Courage: Inspires speaking up, embracing experimentation, and advocating for bold solutions. This implies a culture where designers are empowered to challenge the status quo, propose innovative ideas, and defend their design choices with strong rationale.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on delivering tangible business results for clients through effective design solutions, measured by metrics like conversion, engagement, and loyalty.

• Collaboration: Emphasis on working effectively within cross-functional teams and with clients to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers work closely with strategists, developers, project managers, and account teams, requiring strong communication and the ability to translate between disciplines.

• Process Review & Feedback: A culture that encourages constructive feedback on design work through critiques and regular check-ins to ensure continuous improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Practices that promote sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across the team and wider organization.

• Client-Centricity: A consistent focus on understanding and meeting client needs and delivering value to their brands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture is defined by VML's core values (Heart, Brains, Courage) and tailored to a design context, emphasizing empathy, innovation, boldness, and collaboration within a client-service environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Working with evolving or incomplete requirements and diverse client needs requires strong problem-framing skills and the ability to create structure from uncertainty.

• Balancing Pace & Quality: In a fast-paced agency environment, delivering high-quality, user-centric designs under tight deadlines for multiple clients can be demanding.

• Influencing Stakeholders: Gaining buy-in from senior stakeholders with varying levels of design understanding and competing priorities requires persuasive communication and strategic design rationale.

• Adapting to Diverse Design Maturity: Working with clients who have different levels of design maturity requires flexibility in approach and the ability to educate and guide them.

• Staying Current: The rapidly evolving landscape of digital design, tools, and user expectations necessitates continuous learning and adaptation.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like advanced Figma techniques, design system management, accessibility audits, conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies, or specific e-commerce platforms.

• Industry Conference & Certification Participation: Access to external training, workshops, conferences, and potentially certifications relevant to UX/UI and product design.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Potential to be mentored by senior design leaders and to develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers or leading design initiatives on client projects.

• Exposure to Global Brands: Working on projects for leading global brands provides invaluable experience and broadens professional understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are framed around typical senior agency design roles, emphasizing the need for adaptability, strategic thinking, and strong communication. Growth opportunities are tied to skill enhancement, leadership, and industry exposure.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to shape product direction from ambiguous requirements. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on problem framing, research, strategy, and impact.)

• "How do you approach influencing senior stakeholders who may not fully understand design principles or have conflicting priorities?" (Prepare examples of persuasion, negotiation, and data-backed recommendations.)

• "Walk us through a complex design system you've worked with. What were its key components, how did you ensure scalability, and what challenges did you face?" (Be ready to discuss tokenization, component architecture, and governance.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about VML Enterprise Solutions and our work with brands like [mention a client from the description]?" (Research VML's recent work, company values, and the Enterprise Solutions division's focus.)

• "How do you embody our core values of Heart, Brains, and Courage in your design work?" (Prepare specific examples that align with each value.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the user and business objectives, your design process, key decisions and trade-offs, challenges, solutions, and measurable results.

• Demonstrate Figma Mastery: Be prepared to show specific examples of your Figma files, highlighting efficient structuring, component usage, and collaboration features.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics and data to back up your claims about the success of your projects. If exact numbers aren't available, discuss the potential impact or how you would measure it.

• Articulate Rationale: Be ready to explain why you made certain design decisions, referencing user research, best practices, or business goals.

• Be Concise and Engaging: Practice your presentation to ensure it fits within the allotted time and holds the audience's attention.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation focuses on behavioral questions, strategic thinking, and demonstrating proficiency with core design processes and tools, all within the context of a senior agency role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX/UI (Product) Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Greenhouse job board.

• Tailor your CV: Highlight experience and skills that directly match the requirements for a Senior Product Designer, emphasizing end-to-end design, stakeholder management, design systems, and Figma proficiency. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that showcase your strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and impact. Ensure each case study clearly articulates your process, rationale, and outcomes, with a focus on complex challenges and senior-level contributions. Be prepared to discuss your Figma file structure and design system experience.

• Prepare your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on storytelling, clear articulation of your design process, and the ability to answer in-depth questions about your decisions and impact.

• Research VML and WPP: Understand the company's values (Heart, Brains, Courage), its position in the market, the Enterprise Solutions division's focus, and recent client work. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.