At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead design strategy and elevate product quality for innovative media technology.
- Company: Join Backlight, a global leader in media technology shaping creative content production.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team culture with high ownership and fast-paced growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on creative tools used by industry giants like NBC and BBC.
- Qualifications: Senior design leadership experience in B2B SaaS and strong collaboration skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Are you a senior design leader who loves complex systems and wants to stay close to the craft whilst reporting to supportive, empathetic leaders? This is for you.
About Backlight
Backlight is a global media technology company shaping the future of how creative teams produce, manage, and distribute content. Through its portfolio of products—including Iconik, Ftrack, Celtx, Zype, and Wildmoka—Backlight empowers creators, studios, and broadcasters such as NBC and BBC to bring stories to life from concept to screen. Backlight has brought together some of the most respected creative tools in the industry into one ecosystem serving the full media lifecycle.
The Opportunity
We are hiring a Head of Design to lead design across a core part of Backlight’s product portfolio and help shape the next phase of growth. This is a hands-on player-coach role. You will:
- Shape the Product & Platform strategy, as a core contributor to the Product and Technology leadership team
- Set the design vision and raise the quality bar
- Partner deeply with Product and Engineering
- Scale a small senior team responsibly
- Stay close enough to the work to influence key flows and experience decisions
Team & Environment
Current team: 2 highly experienced designers (Stockholm-based), with plans to grow. Engineering presence: strong development team in Sophia Antipolis (France). Culture: high output, high ownership, fast-moving.
We are looking for someone who thrives in environments where they must:
- Make decisions with imperfect information
- Bring structure without slowing momentum
- Translate complexity into clarity
This is not a heavily layered design org. It is a tight, high-trust group that needs leadership to scale.
What You’ll Do
Design Leadership & Strategy
- Define and evolve the design direction for Iconik and Wildmoka
- Align design execution with product strategy and engineering capability
- Shape how Iconik and Wildmoka expands into new customer segments and use cases
- Drive cross-functional collaboration across “tribes” as the organisation grows
Player-Coach Craft
- Maintain a high craft bar in complex B2B workflows
- Simplify powerful systems without dumbing them down
- Contribute directly to critical UX, interaction, and structural design work
Team & Operating Model
- Coach and develop a small, senior design team
- Introduce scalable rituals, prioritisation clarity, and feedback loops
- Partner closely with Senior Leadership across Backlight to ensure high-quality implementation
What We’re Looking For
Essential
- Senior product design leadership experience in B2B SaaS environments
- Experience working on complex, systems-driven products (workflow tools, systems of record, platforms)
- Ability to operate as a player-coach
- Comfort leading in scrappy, under-documented, high-ambiguity environments
- Comfortable working in a modern, iterative product environment (prototyping, testing, continuous refinement)
- Strong cross-functional collaboration with Product and Engineering
Strong Plus
- Exposure to high-craft, opinionated tools (e.g. Linear, Attio, etc.)
- Familiarity with video, media, or creative workflows (industry experience not required, but affinity helps)
- Experience scaling small teams through inflection points
Location & Travel
Preferred locations: Stockholm, Sophia Antipolis / Nice / Cannes, London. Travel expectations depend on base location but may include periodic travel between Stockholm and the South of France.
Head of Design in London employer: Good Maven
Limbic is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to shape the design function at a pioneering clinical AI start-up in London. With a strong focus on employee growth and a collaborative work culture, you will have the chance to make a meaningful impact on patient wellbeing while enjoying competitive benefits, including equity participation and flexible working arrangements. Join us to tackle complex challenges in healthcare and design experiences that truly matter.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Design in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best work, especially projects that relate to complex systems and B2B design. Make it easy for potential employers to see what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its products. Understand their design philosophy and be ready to discuss how you can contribute to their vision, especially with tools like Iconik and Wildmoka.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Design in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Design:When writing your application, let your love for design shine through! Share specific examples of projects that excited you and how they relate to the role. We want to see your enthusiasm for shaping user experiences.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for this role. Highlight your experience in B2B SaaS and complex systems, as these are key to what we’re looking for. Show us how your background aligns with our needs!
Be Clear and Concise:We appreciate clarity, so keep your application straightforward. Use bullet points where possible and avoid jargon. This helps us quickly understand your skills and experiences without getting lost in the details.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your materials and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Good Maven
✨Know Your Design Philosophy
Before the interview, take some time to reflect on your design philosophy and how it aligns with Backlight's vision. Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've shaped product strategy in previous roles, especially in B2B SaaS environments.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
As a player-coach, it's crucial to demonstrate your ability to balance leadership with hands-on design work. Prepare a portfolio that highlights your direct contributions to complex systems and workflows, showcasing how you simplify complexity without losing functionality.
✨Emphasise Cross-Functional Collaboration
Backlight values strong collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams. Be prepared to share stories about how you've successfully partnered with other departments to drive projects forward, especially in high-ambiguity environments.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your decision-making skills in imperfect situations. Think of examples where you've had to make tough calls with limited information, and be ready to explain your thought process and the outcomes of those decisions.
