Lead UX/UI Designer

Job Description
About us
We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.
As strategies, technologies and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.
Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough use of technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.
An innovation and transformation consultancy, we are over 4000 specialists in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our people are strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers and technologists.
We operate globally from offices across the UK, US, Netherlands and Nordics.
PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life.
Job Description
Digital Design at PA
We are a vibrant service and product design community of experts, with deep specialist practitioner skills across all parts of the design spectrum – covering research, design strategy and service design, UX/UI and IA, through to content, prototyping and movement.
We display a generalist attitude; an understanding of the whole design process, and can easily navigate, communicate and practice the full spectrum.
We are passionate about the possibilities for innovation between Strategy, Design and Front End. We're embedded in mixed discipline teams, are militantly collaborative and believe in continual learning and supportive peer review.
The Role
As our Lead Designer, you will act as visionary, leading the evolution of design best practice and ensuring creative excellence in every aspect of our work. You will work across a variety of projects, clients and sectors, leading challenging and innovative programmes of work.
You will scope projects, formulate and articulate design strategy, develop and implement new processes. You will lead all design aspects of our work, ensuring it is robust, progressive and commercially strong. You will support the Chief Design Officer, with shared responsibility for the welfare, development and performance of the design team.
You will develop strong, long-term strategic relationships with clients and colleagues, deepening their understanding of digital design practice. And lead initiatives and develop propositions that set the direction of our vibrant global design community.
What You’ll Do
Lead complex design engagements across multiple clients
Formulate and lead design strategy and processes
Present and justify design solutions to clients at a strategic level
Build and manage strong relationships with internal teams and clients
Clearly communicate design direction to others, oversee and guide the work of your team, but be ‘in’ the work yourself with rolled up sleeves
Direct and produce artefacts across the full design spectrum as required
Have a strong focus on quality and timely delivery of a complex suite of work
Challenge inappropriate ideas and solutions and push for innovation
Be a committed member of the community, directing and supporting design initiatives
Line manage other designers: develop coaching and training plans, organise/run performance appraisals, support promotion cases
Provide design input to bids and new business proposals
Help scope projects for bids and sold work
Assist with recruitment and onboarding of new designers
Flexible working
- We are guided by our client work and needs; however, you have autonomy to manage your time and diary to suit your work/life balance.
Qualifications
As Lead Designer you have extensive experience in solving complex digital ecosystem problems. An outstanding and highly skilled hybrid design practitioner, you can confidently navigate all parts of the design spectrum and demonstrate deep expertise in UX and UI. You have knowledge of a wide range of tools and techniques – and know when to use them.
Design leadership skills
Lead by example; building strong client and colleague relationships through delivery of high impact work – demonstrating the value of being led by design
Analyse a wide range of data to reframe problems, uncover opportunities and form hypotheses; distilling complexity into clear strategic design direction
Collaborator; creating the conditions for the team to do their best work by working openly and transparently
Set and manage clear expectations about quality and speed of team output
Assess new design techniques and integrating them into our practice
Approachable design authority; guiding client teams on governance and best practice
Accurately scope, estimate effort and define design activities for large complex programmes of work
Experience line managing people, understanding skills, interests and developing their careers (we provide training and support where needed)
Practitioner Skills
Plan and facilitate a range of research activities to uncover user needs
Analyse a wide range of data to re-frame problems, articulate opportunities and form hypotheses
Plan and facilitating design thinking, vision and innovation workshop activities, and co-creation sessions; both in person and using online tools
Sketch target customer experiences, journeys and interfaces
Create low and high fidelity design artifacts for validation/testing/delivery as required (eg. service blueprints, experience maps, user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, detailed UI design) and coach others to do the same.
Use design, prototyping and collaboration software (eg. Figma, Sketch, Invision, Zeplin, Storybook, Axure, Adobe XD, Miro, Mural, or any others you can introduce us to)
Interpret and follow design guidelines; creating or evolving digital design systems for complex eco-systems
Communication Skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Use a range of presentation techniques that are impactful, accessible and captivating
Lead conversations, employing sensitivity and robustness
We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today by completing our online application
Additional Information
Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.
We believe diversity fuels ingenuity. Diversity of thought brings exciting perspectives; diversity of experience brings a wealth of knowledge, and diversity of skills brings the tools we need. When we bring people together with diverse backgrounds, identities, and minds, embracing that difference through an inclusive culture where our people thrive; we unleash the power of diversity – bringing ingenuity to life.
Find out more about Life at PA here.
We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:
Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare for you and your family
25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5additional days
Generous company pension scheme
Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
Annual performance-based bonus
PA share ownership
Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)
We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our workforce is diverse at all levels and that our firm is representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.
Adjustments or accommodations
- Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.