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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and elevate our design team while staying hands-on with impactful projects.
- Company: Join a rapidly growing start-up focused on improving patient healthcare.
- Benefits: Flexible working, generous leave, wellness bonuses, and an annual learning budget.
- Other info: Work from home or our vibrant office, with opportunities for international work.
- Why this job: Shape the future of design in a high-stakes environment and make a real difference.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in regulated environments and strong UX instincts backed by data.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 120000 £ per year.
The role: We're looking for an experienced Director of Product Design to help take our small design team to the next level of maturity at an exciting stage of business growth. Partnering closely with the Director of Product, this is a high-impact leadership role with a genuine hands-on element. You'll be the voice of the user across the organisation, while still rolling up your sleeves and contributing to day-to-day design work. If you're an experienced designer ready to step into a senior leadership role without wanting to leave behind the craft, this could be a great move.
A key part of this role is creating the conditions for great design to happen - carving out time for best practices, advocating for the right level of design rigour, and ensuring design is always an enabler and never a bottleneck.
What you'll do:
- Define and lead our design practice - build the processes, rituals, and standards that set the team up for success as we scale.
- Be the voice of the user - ensure user needs are represented in every significant product and business decision, from early discovery through to delivery.
- Make research stick - establish how we learn from users, and make sure those insights are visible, accessible, and shaping what we build.
- Own the design system - keep it healthy, consistent, and evolving alongside the product, with an eye on AI-readiness and long-term scalability.
- Shape our approach to AI - lead the way in integrating AI tools into the design workflow, and help the team build confidence and good habits around them.
- Bring data into the design process - champion the use of quantitative and qualitative data together, helping the team make evidence-led decisions.
- Stay in the craft - contribute directly to designing complex clinical and patient-facing features, staying close to the work and leading by example.
- Own the vision: Lay out to the business and our users how the platform will evolve as we execute on our product roadmap.
What we're looking for:
- A track record of designing in high-stakes, regulated, or clinical environments where consistency, clarity, and safety are non-negotiable.
- Technically fluent - able to hold a credible conversation with engineers, understand constraints, and design pragmatically in an environment where the cost of rework is high.
- Sharp UX instincts backed by evidence - you use data, research, and clinical context to identify opportunities and make a compelling case for the right decisions.
- You stay close to where AI is heading - experimenting with new tools, understanding what they make possible, and bringing that knowledge into how we design and build.
- A confident communicator who can articulate design rationale to clinical, product, and engineering stakeholders alike - and influence decisions without always having the loudest voice in the room.
- Strong instincts for process, quality, and what makes design teams function well at pace.
Benefits:
- Work from home or at our office in 131 Finsbury Pavement – Industrious
- Equity options available and pension contributions
- Flexible working times
- Work abroad for up to 90 days per year
- Enhanced parental leave
- 25 days annual leave (on top of bank holidays)
- Take your birthday off and another significant day off of your choice
- Treat your friends or family to a meal each quarter (up to £75)
- A monthly wellbeing bonus (£50 per month for gym membership/wellbeing activities) or private medical insurance
- Quarterly team socials
- An annual learning budget to support your growth
- Delivering social impact through improved patient healthcare
- Working at a well-funded and rapidly growing start-up, solving a global problem in a new way
Director of Design employer: Isla Care
Contact Detail:
Isla Care Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Design
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the design field, especially those who work at companies you're interested in. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info that could help you stand out.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your portfolio! Make sure it’s up-to-date and highlights your best work. When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, be ready to discuss your projects and the impact they had.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common design questions and scenarios. Think about how you can demonstrate your leadership skills and hands-on experience, as this role is all about balancing both.
✨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 genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Design
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Design: When you're writing your application, let your love for design shine through! Share specific examples of projects you've worked on that highlight your hands-on experience and how you've contributed to the design process. We want to see your enthusiasm for creating great user experiences!
Be the Voice of the User: Make sure to emphasise your understanding of user needs in your application. Talk about how you've represented user insights in past roles and how you plan to do the same with us. Remember, we’re looking for someone who can advocate for users while still getting stuck into the design work!
Highlight Your Leadership Skills: Since this is a leadership role, don’t forget to showcase your experience in guiding teams and building design practices. Share how you've created processes or standards that have helped your team succeed. We want to know how you can help us take our design team to the next level!
Tailor Your Application: Take the time to customise your application for this specific role. Use the language from the job description and align your skills and experiences with what we're looking for. This shows us that you’re genuinely interested in joining our team and understand what it takes to thrive here!
How to prepare for a job interview at Isla Care
✨Know Your Design Process Inside Out
Make sure you can clearly articulate your design process and how it aligns with the company's goals. Be ready to discuss specific methodologies you've used in past projects, especially in high-stakes environments. This will show that you understand the importance of consistency and clarity in design.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Since this role involves a hands-on element, be prepared to share examples of your direct contributions to design work. Highlight any complex features you've designed, particularly in clinical or regulated settings, to demonstrate your ability to balance leadership with craft.
✨Bring Data to the Table
Emphasise your experience with both qualitative and quantitative data in the design process. Prepare to discuss how you've used user research to inform design decisions and how you plan to integrate data into the team's workflow to make evidence-led choices.
✨Communicate Like a Pro
Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and confidently. You’ll need to influence various stakeholders, so think about how you can convey your ideas effectively, even if you're not the loudest voice in the room. Tailor your communication style to resonate with clinical, product, and engineering teams.