Sr. UX Designer - UK

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. UX Designer - UK

Company: Impel

Location: United Kingdom (Remote)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: August 31, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end user experience design for Impel's AI Operating System, focusing on complex B2B SaaS products within the automotive industry.

• Drive product innovation by designing AI-driven customer interactions, advisor workflows, and configuration tools, ensuring a cohesive user journey.

• Conduct user research with dealers and their staff to inform design decisions and validate solutions, directly impacting product strategy.

• Develop and maintain Impel's design system, creating scalable patterns and components that enhance usability and consistency across the platform.

• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and Data teams across global locations to deliver impactful and user-centric experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Designer, indicating a need for significant autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor or influence junior team members, even if not explicitly stated as a management role. The emphasis on "no existing pattern" and designing with AI tooling suggests a highly innovative and experimental design environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete design lifecycle for multiple product surfaces, from initial concept and user discovery through to shipped experiences and subsequent iterations.

• Translate intricate dealership workflows into simplified, intuitive, and easily learnable user interfaces.

• Execute generative and evaluative user research with key stakeholders, including dealers, sales advisors, BDC agents, and internal partners, to uncover needs and validate design concepts.

• Expand and refine Impel’s existing design system by creating scalable patterns and reusable components that promote design consistency and efficiency.

• Ensure all designs meet WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards as a baseline requirement for inclusive product design.

• Define key success metrics in collaboration with Product and Data teams, and rigorously evaluate the impact of design decisions using behavioral data and A/B testing.

• Create prototypes at various fidelities, from low-fidelity sketches to high-fidelity Figma designs and AI-assisted or coded prototypes, to effectively communicate and resolve design decisions.

• Leverage modern AI tooling throughout the design process to accelerate synthesis of research, exploration of design solutions, and rapid prototyping.

• Effectively present design work and articulate rationale to influence stakeholders and drive decisions, even without direct authority.

• Elevate the overall quality of design work through active participation in design critiques and thorough documentation of design decisions and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on user research, iterative design, and data-driven decision-making, which are critical for success in a Senior UX role within a B2B SaaS environment. The expectation to "raise the craft bar" suggests a culture that values design excellence and continuous improvement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

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

Experience: 5+ years of professional experience designing digital products within complex B2B, SaaS, or platform environments.

Required Skills:

• End-to-End Product Design Ownership: Demonstrated ability to take ownership of complex workflow-heavy problems from conception to delivery and iteration.

• Portfolio Excellence: A robust portfolio showcasing deep understanding of design thinking, decision rationale, trade-offs, and measurable outcomes, not just final visual designs.

• Problem Framing & Simplification: Proven ability to transform ambiguous problems with undefined briefs into clear, actionable, and defensible design directions.

• Advanced Figma Proficiency: Mastery of Figma, including experience with design systems, complex prototyping, and seamless developer handoffs.

• AI Tooling Fluency: Practical and advanced familiarity with modern AI tools integrated into the daily design workflow.

• Accessibility Standards: Strong understanding and practical application of accessibility standards, such as WCAG 2.2 AA.

• Evidence-Based Design: Comfort and skill in utilizing both quantitative (behavioral data, experimentation) and qualitative (user research) evidence to inform and validate design decisions.

• Interface Copywriting: Strong written communication skills, particularly in crafting effective interface copy, including labels, empty states, error messages, and system notifications.

• Distributed Team Collaboration: Proven experience working effectively with geographically distributed teams across different time zones.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI/ML features, agentic systems, or understanding model limitations and feedback loops.

• Background in conversational or voice user interface (VUI) design.

• Prior experience in automotive retail, dealership operations, marketplace platforms, or e-commerce.

• Experience contributing to or leading the development of a design system at scale.

• Ability to read front-end code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) or build coded prototypes.

• Experience designing for multiple user types with complex permission models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "workflow-heavy problems" and "ambiguous problems" points towards a role that requires strong analytical skills and the ability to structure and solve complex operational challenges within a B2B context. "Practical fluency with modern AI tools" suggests the need for hands-on experience, not just theoretical knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Case Studies: Comprehensive case studies detailing the entire design process for at least 2-3 complex workflow-heavy problems. Each case study should clearly articulate the initial problem, your research and discovery methods, design process, key decisions and trade-offs made, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Decision Rationale: Explicitly explain the reasoning behind critical design choices, including user research findings, data analysis, and business objectives that influenced the direction.

• Systemic Thinking: Showcase examples of how you've contributed to or leveraged design systems, demonstrating an understanding of scalability, consistency, and component-based design.

• AI Tool Integration: Provide examples of how AI tools were used in your process for synthesis, exploration, or prototyping, highlighting the benefits and impact.

• Accessibility Integration: Demonstrate how accessibility standards were considered and incorporated into your design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Present examples of how you have analyzed, simplified, and optimized complex user or operational workflows through intuitive interface design.

• Research & Validation: Detail your approach to user research, including discovery techniques, validation methods, and how research insights directly shaped design iterations.

• System Implementation & Evolution: Showcase contributions to design systems, pattern libraries, or component frameworks, emphasizing scalability and maintainability.

• Impact Measurement: Include examples of how you've defined success metrics and used data (behavioral, experimental) to evaluate the impact of your designs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are highly specific, emphasizing process, rationale, and impact over purely visual polish. This indicates Impel values a strategic and data-informed approach to UX design, particularly for complex B2B environments.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given the Sr. UX Designer title, 5+ years of experience, the remote nature within the UK, and the specialized B2B SaaS/AI industry, a competitive salary range is expected. Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UX Designers in the UK, the estimated annual salary range would be between £60,000 and £90,000 GBP. This can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, portfolio, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: As outlined above, reflecting the seniority and expertise required.

• Remote Work Flexibility: Fully remote position allowing for work from anywhere within the United Kingdom.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance coverage (e.g., medical, dental, vision), potentially including mental health support.

• Retirement Savings: Pension scheme contributions (e.g., matching contributions to a UK pension plan).

• Paid Time Off: Generous holiday allowance, sick leave, and potentially parental leave.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, including access to training, conferences, workshops, and potentially funding for relevant certifications.

• Technology Stipend: Allowance for home office setup and ongoing technology needs.

• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for equity participation in a growing AI company.

Working Hours:

The role is listed as Full-time, typically implying around 40 hours per week. Given the distributed team structure, flexibility in working hours is likely, with core collaboration hours expected to overlap with teams in the UK, US, and Tbilisi.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on typical UK market rates for senior-level UX designers in tech, adjusted for the specialized AI and B2B SaaS sector. Benefits are standard for competitive tech roles in the UK but may include additional perks related to a remote-first, AI-focused startup environment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automotive Technology. Impel is building the "AI Operating System" for the automotive industry, aiming to revolutionize customer interactions, sales, service, and retention processes.

Company Size: Impel is likely a growing scale-up or established startup, given the need for senior roles and the ambitious nature of building an "AI Operating System." Company size can range from 50-250 employees, with a distributed workforce across the UK, US, and Tbilisi.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's focus on AI and its ambitious product vision suggest it's a relatively modern, forward-thinking organization.

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Design: The UX Designer will be part of a product team that includes Product Managers, Engineers (likely across front-end and back-end), Data Scientists, and potentially other UX/UI designers.

• Distributed Collaboration: Close partnerships with teams in the UK, US (likely East and West Coast), and Tbilisi, requiring strong asynchronous and remote collaboration skills.

• Research-Informed: A culture that values direct user interaction and research, with designers expected to conduct their own discovery and validation with dealers and staff.

Methodology:

• AI-First Approach: Designs will be heavily influenced by and integrated with AI capabilities, requiring designers to understand and advocate for users within an AI-driven context.

• Data-Driven Iteration: Emphasis on defining success measures and using behavioral data and experimentation to iterate and improve designs.

• User-Centric Workflow Simplification: A core objective is to simplify complex dealership operations into intuitive interfaces.

• Design System Driven: Adherence to and contribution to a scalable design system for consistency and efficiency.

Company Website: Impel.ai

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on AI in the automotive sector is a significant differentiator. The culture likely embraces innovation, rapid iteration, and a strong emphasis on user feedback from a specific, complex B2B segment (dealerships).

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior UX Designer. This level implies significant autonomy, ownership of complex problem spaces, and the ability to influence product direction and design standards. It's a crucial role in translating user needs and business goals into tangible product experiences within a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Reporting Structure: Typically, a Senior UX Designer reports to a Head of Design, Design Manager, or a Director of Product. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within their assigned product squads or feature teams.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's work will directly impact Impel's ability to acquire, retain, and satisfy automotive dealerships by providing intuitive and efficient tools. Success in this role will lead to improved user adoption, increased efficiency for dealership staff, and ultimately, higher revenue and customer satisfaction for Impel. The designs will shape how dealerships interact with AI technology, a critical differentiator in the automotive market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Systems: Opportunity to become a key contributor or lead in evolving and scaling Impel's design system, impacting all product areas.

• Specialization in AI/Automotive UX: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-driven products and the specific nuances of the automotive retail sector.

• Product Strategy Influence: As a senior member, contribute significantly to product strategy discussions, leveraging user insights and design thinking to shape the product roadmap.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior designers and influence the overall design craft and culture within the organization.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop stronger collaboration and influence skills across Product, Engineering, and Data science teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth into lead design positions, specialization in a niche but growing field (AI in Automotive), and significant influence on product strategy. The emphasis on "no existing pattern" means there's a high potential for innovation and establishing best practices.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This means the primary work environment is a home office setup.

Office Location(s): While fully remote, the role specifies "United Kingdom - Remote," indicating that candidates must be based within the UK for legal and tax purposes. Impel also has teams in the US and Tbilisi, suggesting a global, distributed work culture.

Workspace Context:

• Independent Work: Requires self-discipline, strong time management, and the ability to work effectively without direct, in-person supervision.

• Digital Collaboration Tools: Heavy reliance on digital tools for communication (e.g., Slack, Teams), project management (e.g., Jira, Asana), design collaboration (e.g., Figma, Miro), and video conferencing.

• Asynchronous Communication: Proficiency in clear, concise asynchronous communication is crucial due to distributed teams across time zones.

• Focus on Output: The environment likely prioritizes results and impact over hours spent at a desk, typical of modern tech companies.

Work Schedule: While typically full-time (40 hours/week), the remote nature and distributed teams suggest a degree of flexibility. Core collaboration hours will likely be established to ensure overlap with teams in different regions, but the exact daily schedule may be adaptable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote environment demands strong self-management and excellent digital communication skills. The distributed nature means candidates must be comfortable with asynchronous work and bridging time zone differences.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

2. Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your experience, approach to UX design, and understanding of the role. This may involve discussing your portfolio.

3. Portfolio Review & Design Exercise: A dedicated session where you present your portfolio, walking through specific case studies. You may also be given a small design exercise or a take-home challenge related to a complex workflow problem.

4. Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with potential peers (e.g., other designers, Product Managers, Engineers) to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.

5. Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership or the Head of Design to confirm fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative: the problem, your journey to solve it, the challenges, and the impactful outcome.

• Focus on Process: Emphasize your thinking, research methods, decision-making process, and trade-offs. Show how you arrived at the solution.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., "reduced task completion time by X%", "increased conversion by Y%").

• Showcase AI Integration: Highlight specific instances where AI tools assisted your workflow and how this contributed to efficiency or better outcomes.

• Address Ambiguity: Be prepared to discuss how you tackle ill-defined problems and create clarity.

• Tailor to Impel: Research Impel's product and target audience (automotive dealerships) to tailor your presentation and highlight relevant experience.

Challenge Preparation:

• Deconstruct the Problem: If given a design challenge, break down the problem into smaller, manageable parts. Identify user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.

• Think Aloud: Articulate your thought process clearly, as if you were collaborating with a team.

• Prioritize and Justify: Demonstrate your ability to make trade-offs and prioritize solutions based on impact and feasibility.

• Consider AI Implications: Given Impel's focus, think about how AI might play a role in the solution.

• Accessibility and WCAG: Keep accessibility standards in mind throughout your design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio showcasing "end-to-end ownership of workflow-heavy problems" and "clear decision rationale" is paramount. Candidates should be prepared to deeply discuss their process and the 'why' behind their designs.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, design systems, and developer handoff. Advanced proficiency is required.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities, potentially supplemented by tools like Framer or Principle for more advanced interactions.

• AI Design Tools: Practical fluency with modern AI tools for synthesis, ideation, exploration, and prototyping (e.g., Midjourney for ideation, AI-assisted research synthesis tools, AI-powered prototyping tools).

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

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, or similar tools for remote brainstorming, journey mapping, and collaborative diagramming.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: Familiarity with how to interpret data from tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or custom internal dashboards to evaluate design impact.

• Experimentation Platforms: Understanding of A/B testing principles and platforms.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct responsibility, familiarity with CRM systems (like Salesforce, HubSpot) and their impact on user workflows within B2B contexts can be beneficial, especially in understanding dealership operations.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar for managing design tasks and sprint planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and modern AI tooling are explicitly called out as critical. The ability to interpret data and contribute to A/B testing will be important for demonstrating design impact.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of users, particularly automotive dealers and their staff.

• Innovation & Experimentation: A culture that encourages exploring new ideas, especially with AI, and is comfortable with iterative development and learning from failures.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Reliance on quantitative and qualitative evidence to guide design and product strategy.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and partnership across Product, Engineering, and Data teams, fostering a shared sense of ownership.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A drive for high-quality design, attention to detail, and adherence to accessibility standards.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Designing solutions that are not only effective but also scalable and maintainable, often through robust design systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Actively collaborates with Product Managers to define requirements and strategy, and with Engineers to ensure feasible and high-quality implementation.

• Design Critiques: Engages in constructive feedback loops through design critiques to refine work and elevate standards.

• Research Collaboration: Works closely with any dedicated researchers or takes the lead on conducting user research to gather insights.

• Asynchronous Communication: Utilizes clear documentation and communication tools to bridge time zones and facilitate effective collaboration with distributed teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI, data, and user-centricity within a complex B2B context shapes the core values. The collaborative style needs to be effective in a remote, globally distributed setting.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing with Novel AI: Creating intuitive user experiences for AI-driven features where established patterns may not exist. This requires strong user advocacy and the ability to guide users through new paradigms.

• Simplifying Complex Workflows: Translating intricate and potentially inefficient dealership operations into streamlined, user-friendly digital interfaces.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: Navigating the tension between rapid iteration in a fast-paced startup environment and maintaining high design quality, accessibility, and user experience standards.

• Cross-Time Zone Collaboration: Effectively communicating and collaborating with teams spread across multiple continents and time zones.

• Bridging the Gap: Ensuring seamless integration and a coherent user journey across sales, service, and retention touchpoints, managed by the AI Operating System.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Becoming a recognized expert in designing user experiences for AI-powered products within a specific industry.

• Deep Dive into Automotive Retail: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the automotive dealership ecosystem and its operational challenges.

• Advanced Design System Contribution: Opportunity to influence and scale a design system for a growing B2B SaaS product.

• Exposure to Cutting-Edge Technology: Working with the latest AI advancements and their application in real-world business scenarios.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Developing leadership skills through strategic contributions and potential mentorship of junior team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in pioneering new design approaches for AI in a complex B2B domain. The growth opportunities are significant for those looking to specialize and lead in this emerging field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design a complex workflow for a B2B SaaS product. What was the problem, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on your process, problem-solving, and impact measurement.)

• "How do you approach designing for a product where there are no existing patterns or established user behaviors?" (Highlight your research, ideation, and user advocacy skills.)

• "Imagine you need to simplify a multi-step process for dealership staff. Walk us through how you would start, what tools you'd use, and how you'd validate your solution." (Demonstrate structured thinking, tool proficiency, and user-centricity.)

• "How do you balance the need for rapid iteration with maintaining design quality and accessibility standards?" (Showcase your understanding of trade-offs and prioritization.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Impel's mission to build an AI Operating System for the automotive industry?" (Research Impel's vision and connect it to your passion.)

• "How do you approach collaborating with distributed teams across different time zones?" (Discuss your communication strategies and experience with asynchronous work.)

• "Describe your experience using AI tools in your design process. What benefits have you seen, and what are your concerns?" (Be specific about tools and your practical experience.)

• "How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive?" (Reference WCAG and your practical application.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem statement, your role, the process (research, ideation, design, testing), key decisions and trade-offs, and the measurable results.

• Highlight AI Integration: Specifically call out where and how AI tools were used in your process and the impact they had.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Be ready to discuss your use of design systems, components, and advanced prototyping features in Figma.

• Focus on Rationale: Be prepared to defend your design choices with evidence from research, data, or user feedback.

• Address Ambiguity: Practice explaining how you turned vague requirements into concrete design solutions.

• Conciseness: Respect the allocated time. Practice delivering your key messages efficiently.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your portfolio and your ability to articulate your design process, decision-making, and impact, especially concerning complex workflows and the integration of AI.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided ADP job link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of experience in B2B/SaaS product design, specific achievements in workflow simplification, and proficiency with Figma and AI tools. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that best demonstrate end-to-end ownership of complex workflow problems, your decision rationale, and any experience with AI tooling or B2B environments. Ensure it’s easy to navigate and clearly articulates your process and impact.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies concisely, focusing on storytelling, rationale, and quantifiable outcomes. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI tools and accessibility.

• Research Impel: Understand Impel's mission, product, and the automotive industry context to articulate your interest and how your skills align with their goals.

⚠️ 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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