At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of impactful customer experiences and shape product strategy.
- Company: Join interactive investor, the UK's top flat-fee investment platform.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous leave, and wellness support.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for continuous learning and growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in user-centred transformation within financial services.
- Qualifications: Significant experience in senior UX design roles and strong portfolio required.
The predicted salary is between 64000 - 64000 £ per year.
Location: Hybrid - Manchester 3 days in office, 2 days remote
Salary From: £64,000
Who we are: interactive investor is an award-winning investment platform that puts its customers in control of their financial future. We’ve been helping investors for nearly 30 years. We’ve seen market highs and lows and been resilient throughout. We’re now the UK’s number one flat-fee investment platform, with assets under administration approaching £75 billion and over 500,000 customers.
Purpose of the Role
The Principal UX Designer leads the design of complex, high-impact customer experiences, helping shape product strategy, influence organisational direction, and elevate UX maturity across the business. You'll join a highly collaborative, supportive, and talented UX team with a strong culture of partnership, continuous learning, and shared success, where great ideas can come from anyone and design excellence is achieved together.
Working across multiple squads and initiatives, you will provide leadership through expertise, coaching, and strategic influence. You'll collaborate closely with UX Research, UX Writing, Product, Engineering, Analytics, and the Design System team to deliver intuitive, accessible, and effective digital experiences that meet customer and business needs. This is an opportunity to play a key role in a significant user-centred transformation within a leading financial services organisation.
Key Responsibilities
- UX Strategy & Leadership
- Partner with the UX Design Manager to define and drive UX strategy across products, platforms, and customer journeys.
- Help evolve the UX discipline by shaping standards, practices, and ways of working.
- Identify opportunities to improve customer outcomes and business performance.
- Design Excellence
- Lead the design of complex, strategically important initiatives spanning multiple products, teams, and journeys.
- Drive end-to-end design activities from discovery through to delivery and optimisation.
- Create and contribute to journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
- Set the benchmark for design quality, craft, and execution across the UX team.
- Standards, Accessibility & Design Systems
- Champion UX best practices, accessibility, and inclusive design throughout the product lifecycle.
- Support the adoption and evolution of the Design System to ensure consistency and scalability.
- Mentoring & Influence
- Act as a role model for UX, sharing expertise and helping grow capability across the team.
- Communicate design strategy and rationale to stakeholders at all levels.
- Influence decisions through customer insight, evidence, and design expertise.
- Advocate for user-centred design and help strengthen a customer-focused culture.
Requirements
Must Have
- Significant experience in a Principal, Lead, Staff, or equivalent senior UX design role.
- Proven track record designing complex digital products, platforms, and customer journeys.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, design leadership, and measurable impact.
- Expertise in UX design, interaction design, information architecture, and complex problem solving.
- Experience leading large-scale or strategically important design initiatives.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and presentation skills.
- Strong understanding of accessibility, inclusive design, and WCAG standards.
- Experience working with and championing Design Systems.
Desirable
- Experience within regulated industries, particularly financial services.
- Experience leading transformation programmes or strategic design initiatives.
- Experience influencing organisational change and design maturity.
- Understanding of end-to-end customer journeys across multiple channels.
- Experience using AI-powered tools to support research, ideation, and design delivery.
Benefits
- Group Personal Pension Plan – 8% employer contribution and 4% employee contribution
- Life Assurance and Group Income Protection
- Private Medical Insurance – Provided by Bupa
- 25 Days Annual Leave, plus bank holidays
- Staff Discounts on our investment products
- Personal & Well-being Fund – Supporting your physical and mental wellness
- Retail Discounts – Savings at a wide range of high street and online retailers
- Voluntary Flexible Benefits – Tailor your benefits to suit your lifestyle
Please Note: We will do our utmost efforts to respond to all applicants. However, due to the high volume of applications we're currently receiving, if you haven't been contacted within 30 days of application, please consider unsuccessful. interactive investor operates in accordance with the UK Equality Act 2010. We welcome applications from individuals of all ages, disabilities, gender identities, marital status, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We are committed to treating all applicants fairly and making reasonable adjustments where needed to support disabled applicants. We actively prevent all forms of discrimination, harassment, and victimisation—whether direct, indirect, associative, or perceptive.
UX Design Principal (Mat Cover 10 Months Contract) in Manchester employer: Interactive Investor
At interactive investor, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic hybrid work environment in Manchester that fosters collaboration and innovation. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our supportive culture, comprehensive benefits including a generous pension plan and private medical insurance, and opportunities for continuous learning within a leading financial services organisation. Join us to make a meaningful impact while enjoying a balanced work-life experience and the chance to shape the future of investment for our customers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land UX Design Principal (Mat Cover 10 Months Contract) in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at interactive investor on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by diving deep into their UX projects. Familiarise yourself with their design systems and customer journeys. Show them you’re not just a fit for the role, but that you genuinely care about their mission and values.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your storytelling skills! When discussing your portfolio, focus on the impact of your designs. Use metrics and examples to illustrate how your work has improved user experiences and business outcomes.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email reiterating your enthusiasm for the role can leave a lasting impression. Plus, it shows you’re proactive and genuinely interested in joining their team.
We think you need these skills to ace UX Design Principal (Mat Cover 10 Months Contract) in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Portfolio:Make sure to include a strong portfolio that highlights your strategic thinking and design leadership. We want to see how you've tackled complex digital products and customer journeys, so pick your best work!
Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application! Take the time to tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences mentioned in the job description. This shows us you’re genuinely interested in the role.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured responses that get straight to the heart of your experience and how it relates to the role. Avoid fluff!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of being noticed. It’s super easy and ensures your application goes directly to us. Plus, we love seeing applications come through our own platform!
How to prepare for a job interview at Interactive Investor
✨Know Your UX Fundamentals
Make sure you brush up on your UX design principles, especially around accessibility and inclusive design. Given the role's focus on championing best practices, being able to discuss WCAG standards and how they apply to your work will show that you're not just a designer, but a thoughtful leader in the field.
✨Showcase Your Portfolio Strategically
Prepare to present your portfolio with a focus on complex projects that demonstrate your strategic thinking and design leadership. Highlight measurable impacts of your designs and be ready to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. This will help illustrate your ability to lead large-scale initiatives.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Since excellent stakeholder management is key for this role, practice articulating your design rationale clearly and confidently. Think about how you can influence decisions through customer insights and evidence from your past experiences. This will show that you can effectively communicate and advocate for user-centred design.
✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios
Expect questions about collaboration with cross-functional teams. Be ready to share examples of how you've worked with UX Research, Product, and Engineering teams in the past. This will demonstrate your ability to thrive in a highly collaborative environment, which is crucial for the Principal UX Designer role.
