Visual Designer (12-Month FTC)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Visual Designer (12-Month FTC)

Company: Lloyds Banking Group

Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time, Temporary (Fixed-Term Contract)

Category: Visual Design / User Interface (UI) Design / Experience Design

Date Posted: June 18, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (7-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive visual design quality and deliver exceptional customer experiences for Digital Cards and Wallets within the mobile application.

• Collaborate within agile teams to uncover priorities, visualize outcomes, and define scope for user-centric digital journeys.

• Design engaging digital interfaces for web and mobile applications, leveraging a central design system.

• Create production assets, infographics, and other visual elements to enhance customer engagement through rich storytelling.

• Contribute to the evolution and advocacy of accessibility standards and digital design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a 12-month Fixed-Term Contract (FTC), indicating a project-based need for a skilled Visual Designer to enhance specific digital product experiences. The emphasis on "raising the quality bar" and "bringing delight and joy" suggests a focus on user experience refinement and aesthetic appeal within existing digital platforms, particularly mobile applications.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the visual design direction for Digital Cards and Wallets, significantly elevating the quality and user delight of the mobile application experience.

• Apply creative problem-solving skills to design intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces for web and mobile applications.

• Develop a range of design assets, including UIs, production-ready graphics, infographics, and logos, ensuring brand consistency.

• Skillfully design and lay out pages and user interfaces, creatively utilizing components from a central design system to achieve an optimal balance of content and UI elements.

• Translate complex customer problems into simple, elegant, and visually engaging design solutions.

• Actively participate in agile ceremonies, contributing visual design expertise to uncover priorities, visualize outcomes, and define project scope.

• Collaborate closely with researchers, content writers, strategists, interaction designers, and developers to ensure seamless design implementation and adherence to specifications.

• Advocate for and ensure adherence to accessibility standards in all design outputs, making digital experiences usable for a broad range of users.

• Contribute to the ongoing development and maintenance of the existing digital design system, ensuring its effective and consistent application.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on design role with significant ownership over specific digital product features. The mention of "agile teams" and "full-stack design team" implies a collaborative environment where the Visual Designer will work closely with various disciplines to bring designs from concept to delivery. The focus on "experience-led brand digital journeys" underscores the importance of aligning visual design with brand identity and customer journey mapping.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and a deep understanding of visual design principles is essential.

Experience: Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive experience as a Visual Designer, with a proven track record of driving delivery and enhancing visual design quality for digital products.

Required Skills:

• Visual Design Expertise: Proven ability to elevate visual design quality and bring digital experiences to life with a focus on customer delight.

• Prototyping Software: Proficiency in Figma (as it's the primary tool) is mandatory.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Strong command of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and other relevant tools.

• Microsoft Office Suite: Competency in PowerPoint for presentations, Excel for data handling, and Acrobat for document management.

• UI Design & Layout: Skill in designing and laying out pages and user interfaces, balancing content and UI elements.

• Design System Contribution: Experience in understanding, contributing to, and advocating for digital design systems.

• Accessibility Standards: A solid understanding of and commitment to designing for accessibility.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to apply creative thinking to solve complex visual design challenges and simplify them.

• Digital Storytelling: Experience in using rich storytelling to engage customers through digital interfaces.

Preferred Skills:

• Collaboration: Experience working collaboratively within a full-stack design team, including Researchers, Content Designers, Service Designers, and Interaction Designers.

• End-to-End Delivery: Strong ability to see designs through to final delivery, effectively communicating with developers to ensure design specifications are met.

• User-Centric Design: Experience in designing for a broad range of users of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities.

• Mobile Application Design: Specific experience in designing for mobile applications and a nuanced understanding of mobile UI patterns.

• Infographic Design: Experience creating clear and engaging infographics.

• Logo Design: Experience in designing logos that align with brand identity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 7-10 years of experience, combined with specific tool proficiencies like Figma, positions this as a mid-to-senior level role. The emphasis on understanding and contributing to a design system, along with accessibility, indicates a need for a designer who can work within established frameworks while also pushing for best practices. The "great talent comes from many backgrounds" statement suggests an openness to candidates with non-traditional career paths if their skills and portfolio are strong.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Visual Design Excellence: Showcase a minimum of 7-10 years of impactful visual design work, demonstrating a clear progression in quality and complexity.

• Figma Proficiency: Include case studies or examples that highlight your advanced skills and creative application of Figma for UI design and prototyping.

• Design System Integration: Present examples where you've either utilized an existing design system effectively or contributed to its development/enhancement. Clearly articulate your understanding of its principles and benefits.

• Accessibility Focus: Demonstrate how accessibility standards were considered and integrated into your design process and final deliverables.

• Problem/Solution Framing: For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your design approach, the tools used (especially Figma and Adobe CC), and the tangible outcomes or impact achieved.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Illustrate your process for translating user needs and business requirements into intuitive visual designs, detailing your steps from concept to high-fidelity mockups.

• Iteration and Feedback: Show examples of how you incorporated feedback from stakeholders (developers, researchers, product managers) to refine designs and improve user experience.

• Asset Creation & Handoff: Provide samples of production-ready assets and detail your process for design handoff to development teams, ensuring clarity and adherence to specifications.

• Metrics and Impact: Where possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the positive impact of your visual design solutions on user engagement, satisfaction, or conversion.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Visual Designer role at this level, a strong portfolio is paramount. The emphasis should be on showcasing not just aesthetic skill but also a systematic approach to problem-solving, collaboration, and understanding of design systems and accessibility. The FTC nature of the role might mean focusing on projects with clear deliverables and measurable outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £61,344 - £68,160 per annum.

Benefits:

• Pension: Generous contribution of up to 15% from Lloyds Banking Group.

• Performance Bonus: An annual performance-related bonus is offered.

• Share Schemes: Access to share schemes, including free shares, to foster employee ownership.

• Lifestyle Benefits: A range of benefits that can be adapted to individual lifestyles, such as discounted shopping.

• Holiday Entitlement: 30 days of annual leave, in addition to bank holidays.

• Wellbeing Support: A variety of wellbeing initiatives are available to support employees' health and mental wellness.

• Parental Leave: Generous parental leave policies are in place.

Working Hours: 35 hours per week, Full-Time. The work style is hybrid, requiring at least two days per week (or 40% of time) in the Edinburgh office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Visual Designer with 7-10 years of experience in the UK market, particularly in a financial services context. The comprehensive benefits package, including a strong pension, bonus, and share schemes, reflects Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to employee well-being and long-term engagement. The hybrid work arrangement with specified office days is a key factor for candidates in the Edinburgh area.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services. Lloyds Banking Group is one of the largest banking groups in the UK, offering a wide range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. This industry context means a strong emphasis on security, customer trust, and regulatory compliance, which can influence design decisions.

Company Size: Large enterprise (Lloyds Banking Group is a major financial institution with tens of thousands of employees globally). This implies a structured environment with established processes, extensive resources, and opportunities for career development across various departments.

Founded: The current entity of Lloyds Banking Group was formed through mergers and acquisitions, with roots tracing back to the late 18th century. This long history suggests a stable, established organization with a deep understanding of the financial landscape.

Team Structure:

• Experience Design Team: The Visual Designer will join a multidisciplinary Experience Design team, comprising Interaction Designers, Researchers, Content Writers, and Strategists. This indicates a collaborative, user-centered design approach.

• Agile Teams: The role involves working within agile teams, suggesting a dynamic, iterative, and cross-functional working environment focused on delivering value incrementally.

• Reporting: While not explicitly stated, a Visual Designer typically reports to a Design Lead, Head of Experience Design, or Product Management within the digital product area.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: The team operates using agile methodologies, emphasizing flexibility, rapid iteration, and continuous feedback.

• User-Centric Design: A core principle is putting human needs at the heart of problem-solving, driven by research and a deep understanding of customer journeys.

• Design System Utilization: There's a strong reliance on a central design system for consistency and efficiency in UI design.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While not explicitly detailed, in the finance sector, design decisions are often informed by data analytics regarding customer behavior and product performance.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to being a "values-led culture" and its purpose "to help Britain prosper" suggests an organization that values integrity, customer focus, and community impact. For a designer, this means understanding how visual design can contribute to building trust and delivering on these core values within digital channels.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a mid-to-senior level, requiring substantial experience (7-10 years) and the ability to "own and deliver" visual design for key product areas. It's a hands-on design role focused on execution and quality enhancement, rather than pure strategy or management.

Reporting Structure: The Visual Designer will be part of the Experience Design team and will work within various agile teams. They will likely report to a Design Lead or Manager within the digital product division, collaborating closely with Product Owners and Development Leads.

Operations Impact: The Visual Designer's impact is directly tied to enhancing the user experience of Lloyds Banking Group's digital products, specifically the mobile application. By improving visual appeal, usability, and customer engagement through design, they contribute to customer satisfaction, retention, and potentially the acquisition of new customers. In the finance sector, a positive digital experience can significantly influence customer loyalty and trust.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization within Design: Opportunity to deepen expertise in mobile UI design, digital product design, and advanced Figma techniques within a large, established organization.

• Cross-Functional Learning: Exposure to a full-stack design team (research, content, interaction, service design) provides chances to learn from different design disciplines and broaden skill sets.

• Design System Advocacy: Potential to become a key contributor or champion for the design system, influencing its evolution and adoption.

• Project Ownership: The FTC nature allows for focused ownership of specific product features, providing a clear deliverable and sense of accomplishment.

• Internal Mobility: While this is a fixed-term contract, successful performance could open doors to other opportunities within Lloyds Banking Group's extensive network of digital and design roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The FTC nature of the role means that immediate career progression might be limited to the project's duration. However, the experience gained, especially with Figma and within a large financial institution's design system, is highly transferable and valuable for future roles, both within Lloyds and elsewhere. The emphasis on learning from a diverse design team is a significant growth aspect.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working model. Employees are expected to spend at least two days per week (or 40% of their time) at one of the company's office sites. The specific office mentioned is Edinburgh New Uberior House Head Office. This implies a blend of in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility.

Office Location(s): Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The primary work location is the New Uberior House Head Office.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment likely includes collaborative zones designed for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional work, essential for agile teams.

• Design Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and necessary hardware will be provided. The company is invested in its digital capabilities, suggesting a modern tech infrastructure.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model allows for regular face-to-face interaction with colleagues in the Experience Design team and broader agile project teams, fostering strong working relationships and knowledge sharing.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 35 hours per week, full-time. The hybrid model offers flexibility, allowing individuals to balance office presence with remote work, accommodating personal needs and enhancing work-life integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, requiring a degree of self-discipline and effective communication to maintain productivity and collaboration across both remote and in-office settings. The Edinburgh location is specific, and candidates should consider their commute and ability to meet the hybrid requirements.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application & Screening: Initial review of CV and portfolio against the specified requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: A dedicated session to walk through selected projects from the portfolio, focusing on your design process, problem-solving approach, tool proficiency (especially Figma), and understanding of design systems and accessibility. Be prepared to discuss your specific contributions and the impact of your work.

• Skills-Based Assessment: Potentially a design challenge or a practical exercise to assess your visual design skills, ability to work with a design system, and problem-solving approach under time constraints.

• Team/Manager Interview: Discussion about your experience, working style, collaboration skills, and how you align with the team's agile methodology and Lloyds Banking Group's values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your visual design expertise, Figma proficiency, and experience with digital products (especially mobile).

• Problem-Solution Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem or user need, your design process, key decisions made (and why), your specific contributions, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Figma & Design Systems: Explicitly demonstrate your advanced Figma skills and your understanding of how to effectively use and contribute to design systems.

• Showcase Visual Polish: Ensure your portfolio itself is visually polished, well-organized, and easy to navigate. This is a direct reflection of your visual design capabilities.

• Accessibility Integration: Clearly communicate how accessibility considerations were integrated into your design process and deliverables.

Challenge Preparation:

• Familiarize with Figma: Practice common UI design tasks and prototyping within Figma.

• Design System Thinking: Be prepared to work with a hypothetical design system or to discuss how you would approach building/using one.

• Accessibility Guidelines: Refresh your knowledge of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and how to apply them.

• Agile Context: Understand the principles of agile development and how design fits into that workflow.

• Brand Alignment: Be ready to discuss how you would ensure designs align with brand guidelines and customer needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on evaluating your portfolio. Be ready to articulate your thought process, justify your design decisions, and demonstrate how you translate requirements into visually compelling and user-friendly interfaces, particularly within the context of a large financial institution's digital products.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Advanced proficiency is a must.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for graphic design, asset creation, and potentially more complex visual manipulations (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator).

• Microsoft PowerPoint: Used for presentations, stakeholder updates, and communicating design concepts.

• Microsoft Excel: For data analysis, tracking, and potentially managing design-related information.

• Microsoft Acrobat: For handling and reviewing design documents and specifications.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a primary tool for the designer, familiarity with how analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) are used to measure design impact would be beneficial. Understanding how to interpret data related to user behavior and conversion rates can inform design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the core responsibilities of a Visual Designer, but understanding how CRM systems and automation impact customer journeys can provide broader context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable for this role. The expectation is that the candidate can leverage its collaborative and prototyping features effectively. The mention of Microsoft tools indicates their importance in corporate communication and documentation within Lloyds Banking Group.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A primary value is putting customers at the heart of every decision, ensuring designs meet their needs and enhance their experience.

• Integrity: Operating with honesty and transparency, crucial in the financial services sector, means designs should be clear, trustworthy, and avoid misleading elements.

• Collaboration: Working effectively with diverse teams (designers, researchers, developers, product managers) to achieve shared goals.

• Excellence: Striving for high quality in all aspects of work, from visual aesthetics to user experience and technical implementation.

• Inclusion: Committed to creating an inclusive workplace and designing products that are accessible and usable by everyone.

Collaboration Style:

• Agile and Iterative: The team embraces agile principles, meaning collaboration is continuous, iterative, and involves frequent communication and feedback loops.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely with individuals from different disciplines, fostering a shared understanding of project goals and user needs.

• Design System Advocacy: A collaborative approach to maintaining and evolving the design system ensures consistency and shared ownership across the design team.

• Open Communication: Encouraging open dialogue and constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement in both design outcomes and team processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Lloyds Banking Group emphasizes a values-led culture. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how their personal values and working style align with the company's core principles, particularly customer focus, integrity, and inclusion, and how these translate into their design practice.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Vision with Constraints: As a Visual Designer in a large financial institution, balancing creative vision with established brand guidelines, technical limitations, and accessibility requirements can be challenging.

• FTC Duration: Working within a 12-month contract requires rapid onboarding, efficient delivery, and making a significant impact within a defined timeframe.

• Hybrid Work Management: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong team dynamics in a hybrid work environment requires proactive communication and self-management.

• Elevating Quality in an Established Product: Raising the "quality bar" for existing digital experiences means identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes that are both impactful and feasible within the product's architecture.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Figma Skills: Deepen expertise in Figma's advanced features, including complex prototyping, component libraries, and collaborative workflows.

• Design System Mastery: Gain in-depth experience working with and contributing to a large-scale enterprise design system.

• Financial Services UX: Develop a nuanced understanding of user needs and design considerations specific to the financial services industry.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Learn from researchers, interaction designers, and content designers to gain a more holistic view of the user experience design process.

• Accessibility Best Practices: Enhance knowledge and practical application of accessibility standards in a real-world product context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The FTC nature presents a unique challenge to deliver significant value quickly. However, it also offers focused opportunities for skill development and exposure to specific project types that can be highly beneficial for career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to elevate the visual design quality of an existing digital product. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your approach to identifying issues, proposing solutions, and implementing them.)

• "How do you approach designing for accessibility, and what are your go-to resources for ensuring compliance with standards like WCAG?" (Demonstrate your understanding and practical application of accessibility principles.)

• "Walk us through a project where you heavily utilized Figma. What features did you leverage, and how did it contribute to your design process and collaboration?" (Be ready to showcase specific Figma techniques and workflows.)

• "How do you balance creative design vision with the constraints of a design system and brand guidelines?" (Highlight your ability to innovate within established frameworks.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Lloyds Banking Group's purpose and values, and how do you see your role as a Visual Designer contributing to them?" (Research their mission and values thoroughly.)

• "How do you approach collaboration within an agile, cross-functional team, especially in a hybrid work environment?" (Emphasize your communication, teamwork, and adaptability.)

• "What are your thoughts on designing for a diverse customer base in the financial services sector?" (Showcase your empathy and understanding of user needs.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Structure your portfolio walkthrough as a narrative for each project. Start with the problem, explain your journey and decisions, and conclude with the impact.

• Visual Clarity: Use high-quality visuals. Ensure screenshots, mockups, and prototypes are clean and easy to interpret.

• Tool Demonstration: When discussing Figma projects, be prepared to quickly demonstrate key features or interactive prototypes if asked.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics or specific examples to illustrate the success of your designs (e.g., improved conversion rates, positive user feedback, reduced errors).

• Conciseness: Given the potentially large number of projects, be prepared to present your most impactful work concisely, focusing on the aspects most relevant to the role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss your experience with design systems and accessibility in detail, as these are explicitly mentioned requirements. The interview will likely assess not only your technical design skills but also your ability to integrate into a large corporate environment and contribute to a team-oriented, agile workflow.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Visual Designer (12-Month FTC) position:

• Submit Your Application: Utilize the provided application link to formally submit your CV and any requested supplementary information.

• Tailor Your CV: Ensure your CV clearly highlights your 7-10 years of visual design experience, specific proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, and any experience with design systems and accessibility. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a strong portfolio showcasing 3-5 relevant projects. Prioritize examples demonstrating your visual design skills, Figma expertise, mobile application design, and understanding of design systems and accessibility. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., via a link).

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design process, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work during portfolio review sessions. Practice explaining your contributions clearly and concisely.

• Research Lloyds Banking Group: Understand their mission, values, and recent digital initiatives to demonstrate your interest and cultural fit. Familiarize yourself with their brand identity and any publicly available design principles.

⚠️ 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.