At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead UX and design practice, shaping human-centred solutions for clients.
- Company: Established consultancy with a collaborative and ambitious team culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, hybrid working, and comprehensive benefits package.
- Other info: Opportunities for innovation, training, and clear career progression.
- Why this job: Influence design practices and drive impactful client solutions in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Senior leadership experience in UX, user research, and service design.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 100000 £ per year.
We are working with a well-established consultancy that partners with a mix of major private and public sector clients across a broad range of sectors. This is a senior leadership hire within the design and experience function, bringing together customer experience, user research and UX/UI design, supported by data and technology, to design human-centred solutions that connect customer needs with business outcomes.
The role
As Head of UX, you will lead and evolve a high-performing UX, user research and service design capability, while shaping experience-led work across digital and service ecosystems. You will make sure the practice delivers high-quality, evidence-based work across user experience, end-to-end journey design and service innovation, driving client value and supporting the firm's growth ambitions. The role is client-facing and selectively billable, contributing to revenue mainly through presales, paid discovery, mobilisation and senior advisory work. You will operate across strategy, sales and delivery, bridging disciplines so opportunities are both compelling and operationally viable.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leadership and practice development: Lead and evolve the UX, user research and service design practice, setting standards for quality, methodology and ways of working. Define and embed end-to-end service design principles, including journey orchestration, service blueprinting and alignment across front and back-stage experiences. Coach, develop and manage senior practitioners, and oversee recruitment and capability planning.
- Client engagement and delivery excellence: Act as a senior client advisor and escalation point for UX and digital experience work. Lead or support complex delivery, provide quality assurance, and facilitate senior workshops and presentations.
- Presales, growth and transformation conversion: Play a key role in presales and early-stage shaping of opportunities, defining value propositions, delivery models, scope, estimates and risks. Work alongside sales and transformation leaders to qualify opportunities, shape proposals, validate written tender submissions with the bids team, and support mobilisation.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Work with colleagues in technology, data and strategy to design integrated services spanning systems, processes and user experiences. Support large transformation programmes through advisory input, discovery, mobilisation planning and light-touch assurance after launch.
- Thought leadership and proposition development: Contribute to internal and external thought leadership, develop points of view and repeatable frameworks, and help shape propositions that strengthen market differentiation.
What You'll Bring
Senior leadership experience in UX, user research, service design or digital experience within a consultancy or complex organisation, with a track record leading service design and end-to-end journey design including service blueprinting. You'll have led multidisciplinary teams and managed senior practitioners, with a strong hands-on background in user-centred design, accessibility and research methodologies. Experience overseeing complex client delivery, commercial accountability (scoping, estimation, utilisation, risk and margin), and presales or public-sector bid experience are all important, alongside strong stakeholder management and excellent communication and facilitation skills. Exposure to regulated, enterprise or public-sector environments, experience shaping service design propositions or operating model transformation, integrating qualitative insight with data or technology platforms, thought leadership experience, and familiarity with emerging trends including AI-assisted design and research would all be an advantage.
What's On Offer
A senior leadership role with genuine scope to shape a practice and influence how the business wins and delivers its work, within a collaborative, ambitious team. Clear, merit-based career progression, dedicated time for innovation and training, a personal development plan, a mix of internal and externally run training, hybrid working (currently up to three days a week in the office), a comprehensive benefits package including pension and health and wellbeing schemes plus flexible benefits.
Head of UX in London employer: Alfa AI
Five Guys is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of London where innovation and collaboration thrive. As a senior cybersecurity leader, you will have the opportunity to shape the cybersecurity landscape across Europe, with ample support for professional growth and development. The company fosters a culture of inclusivity and empowerment, ensuring that every employee can contribute meaningfully while enjoying the unique advantages of working in a vibrant city.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of UX in London
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Alfa AI for a Head of UX, make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Alfa AI before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of UX in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Head of UX at Alfa AI, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Alfa AI does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Alfa AI. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Alfa AI.
How to prepare for a job interview at Alfa AI
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Alfa AI, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Alfa AI might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Alfa AI!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Alfa AI is looking for.
