Director of Design in Southampton

Director of Design in Southampton

Southampton Full-Time 100000 - 136000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Benifex

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a dynamic design team to create exceptional user experiences for millions.
  • Company: Join Benifex, a fast-growing tech leader in online rewards and benefits.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible work, and extensive perks including 25 days holiday.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of design in a company recognised as a Best Place to Work.
  • Qualifications: Experience in building design functions and collaborating in B2B SaaS environments.
  • Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with opportunities for growth and learning.

The predicted salary is between 100000 - 136000 £ per year.

Who are Benifex? We are a fast‑moving technology company, and one of the most successful providers of online reward and benefits solutions in the world. We believe that everyone deserves an exceptional experience at work, every day, and build workplace technology that makes this happen. Benifex’s mission is to build remarkable experiences that employees love. Today Benifex supports more than five million employees in over 3,000 organisations across more than 100 countries. To help us on our quest to be the best, we need brilliant people on board and that’s where you come in.

Why should you apply? You’ll shape a complex, multi‑product experience, bringing clarity and coherence to a suite used by millions. You’ll build and elevate the design function, creating the team, standards and processes that define how great design happens at Benifex. You’ll have real influence, acting as a key voice in product leadership and helping set direction, priorities and quality. You’ll work on meaningful design challenges, from modernising legacy systems to launching new products at pace. You’ll drive modern, AI‑powered design practices that raise quality and accelerate delivery.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship and require people to be based in the UK or Ireland for this position.

Great benefits:

  • £100,000 - £136,000 salary
  • Flexible work – choose a working setup that works for you, our only ask is to see you once a month in the office and you must be based in the UK or Ireland.
  • Full access to our comprehensive benefits package, including discounts from hundreds of high street brands, salary sacrifice schemes across Finance, Health, Tech, and more
  • 25 days holiday plus your local bank holidays
  • Your birthday off
  • Two half day wellbeing days
  • Healthcare cash plan to cover the costs of day‑to‑day healthcare
  • Employee Assistance Plan 24/7 365 support
  • Income Protection (75%) and life assurance (4x salary)
  • Referral bonuses
  • Enhanced parental leave package – 26 weeks fully paid maternity leave and 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave
  • Work from Anywhere policy for 90 days
  • Buy and Sell scheme for holidays
  • £50 monthly allowance to spend on whatever takes your fancy, your very own Benifex card will be topped up at the start of each month!

Role Overview: We’re hiring a Director of Design to lead our growing team of product designers and researchers and to prove that great design is the difference between a product people tolerate and one they truly love! You’ll elevate the craft, create clarity in how we work, strengthen product coherence across our suite, and significantly influence what we build and how quickly we ship it. You’ll be a senior voice in product leadership, ensuring we stay focused on real user pain while embracing modern tooling (especially AI) to drive both quality and speed. This is a role for a design leader who understands B2B SaaS complexity, collaborates deeply with engineering, and knows how to turn insights into product direction, not just pixels.

Responsibilities:

  • Building the design function: hiring, coaching, setting clear quality standards, and establishing processes that enable designers to do their best work
  • Owning product coherence across our suite — ensuring customers feel the value of a unified experience, not disconnected parts
  • Acting as the design voice in product leadership: shaping priorities, highlighting user problems, and advocating for quality while engaging with trade‑offs
  • Grounding the team in real user problems using research, analytics, support data and customer conversations — not just usability testing
  • Driving the adoption of modern design tools and AI‑aided workflows that accelerate both quality and delivery
  • Partnering closely with product and engineering to scope work, make decisions quickly, and keep momentum high

What are we looking for?

  • You’ve built or significantly scaled a design function, hiring designers and establishing processes that stuck
  • You’ve worked in complex B2B SaaS environments with multiple user types, legacy constraints and configuration‑heavy problems
  • You collaborate deeply with product and engineering, understand technical constraints, and know how to help teams move decisively
  • You start with user problems, not interfaces and have examples to show this
  • You value pace, helping your team avoid rabbit holes and ship high‑quality work regularly
  • You have strong visual taste and have previously elevated an aesthetic in a grounded, enterprise‑appropriate way
  • You measure design impact through analytics, NPS, task data or customer signals
  • You’ve built and shipped a design system adopted by engineering that improved consistency and velocity

Even if you don't meet all of the requirements for this role, we encourage you to apply! We are looking for talented and passionate individuals who are eager to learn and grow. We also offer a variety of other roles, so please check out our careers page to see if there is something else that might be a good fit for you.

Our interview process:

  • Initial informal call with the Talent team
  • Interview with the hiring manager
  • 2 part interview: Presentation with key stakeholders followed by a meet with some of the team
  • Final interview with Engineering stakeholder

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are a proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage during the recruitment process, please let us know with your application.

Director of Design in Southampton employer: Benifex

At Benifex, we pride ourselves on being a leading technology company that champions exceptional workplace experiences. Our flexible work culture allows you to choose a setup that suits your lifestyle, while our comprehensive benefits package, including generous parental leave and wellness support, ensures you feel valued and supported. With a commitment to employee growth and a focus on innovative design practices, joining our team means contributing to meaningful projects that impact millions globally, all from the comfort of your home in the UK or Ireland.
Benifex

Contact Detail:

Benifex Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Director of Design in Southampton

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry, especially those at Benifex. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info about the company culture and what they really value in a Director of Design.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your portfolio! When you get that interview, make sure to highlight your best design work. Tailor it to showcase how you've tackled complex B2B SaaS challenges and how your designs have made a real impact.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for the interview by understanding Benifex’s mission and values. Think about how your experience aligns with their goal of creating remarkable employee experiences. This will help you stand out as a candidate who truly gets what they’re about.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up! After your interview, send a quick thank-you note to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a simple gesture that shows your enthusiasm and keeps you fresh in their minds.

We think you need these skills to ace Director of Design in Southampton

Design Leadership
B2B SaaS Experience
Team Building and Coaching
Product Coherence
User-Centric Design
Collaboration with Engineering
Modern Design Tools
AI-Aided Workflows
Analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making
Design System Development
Visual Design Aesthetics
Problem-Solving
Agile Methodologies
Communication Skills

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion for Design: When you're writing your application, let your love for design shine through! Share what excites you about the role and how you can contribute to creating remarkable experiences at Benifex.

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight your experience in B2B SaaS and how you've tackled complex design challenges. We want to see how your background aligns with our mission!

Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your achievements and how they relate to the responsibilities of the Director of Design role.

Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to submit your application through our careers page! It's the best way for us to receive your details and get the ball rolling on your journey with Benifex.

How to prepare for a job interview at Benifex

✨Know Your Design Impact

Before the interview, think about how your design work has made a measurable impact in previous roles. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've used analytics or user feedback to drive design decisions. This will show that you understand the importance of grounding design in real user problems.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

As a Director of Design, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to build and scale a design function. Prepare to discuss your experience in hiring, coaching, and establishing processes that empower designers. Highlight any successful teams you've built and how you fostered collaboration with product and engineering.

✨Embrace Modern Tools

Familiarise yourself with modern design tools and AI-aided workflows that can enhance quality and speed. Be prepared to discuss how you've implemented these tools in past projects and how they can benefit Benifex's design processes. Showing your enthusiasm for innovation will resonate well with the team.

✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios

Since collaboration is key in this role, think of examples where you've worked closely with product and engineering teams. Be ready to discuss how you navigated technical constraints and made decisive decisions to keep projects moving forward. This will demonstrate your ability to be a strong voice in product leadership.

Director of Design in Southampton
Benifex
Location: Southampton

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