At a Glance
- Tasks: Create innovative prototypes and design engaging user experiences in a dynamic tech environment.
- Company: Join Kyndryl, a leader in mission-critical technology systems with a focus on human progress.
- Benefits: Enjoy a flexible work culture, competitive salary, and comprehensive wellness programs.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive team that values growth, belonging, and continuous learning.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of AI and technology through creative collaboration.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in creative technology or design, with a strong portfolio showcasing your work.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Who We Are
At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world’s leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people—Kyndryls—that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.
The Role
As Senior Creative Technologist you are the Lab's primary builder: part interaction designer, part engineer, part researcher. Working to engagement direction from the Associate Director and the Director, you turn ambiguity into momentum - taking a customer opportunity from brief to service blueprint, agent concept, working prototype and evidence. You build the interaction, not only the screen: agent state, confidence, permissions, explanation, escalation and outcome, across interface, voice, device, spatial and physical touchpoints. You are customer-facing throughout, and on smaller engagements you carry the day-to-day customer relationship yourself. You bring depth in at least one making discipline - HCI, interaction or product design, industrial design, software development or creative technology - and the range to work across all of them. You would rather get something in front of people this week than perfect it for a month, and you are unprecious about the first version and rigorous about the evidence.
What you will do
- Make the brief buildable - Turn a customer opportunity into users, workflows, decisions, constraints and hypotheses. Map the service blueprint and the human-agent-system model: roles, knowledge, handoffs, exceptions and what should stay human.
- Prototype at the lowest useful fidelity - Move from sketches and Wizard-of-Oz simulations to coded interfaces, live agents, connected devices or fabricated forms as the question demands. Put the perceived experience first and fake what is not needed to answer it.
- Make it behave for real - Wire approved or synthetic data, APIs, models and tools so prototypes show credible end-to-end behaviour rather than disconnected screens.
- Test with people before polishing - Run focused research and co-design with customers, users and subject‑matter experts. Define the evidence up front, then diagnose whether a breakdown sits in the interaction, workflow, policy, data or model.
- Work directly with customers - Present and demonstrate your work to customer teams, lead research, co‑design and testing sessions, and bring tangible work into executive workshops. On smaller engagements, act as the customer's day-to-day contact with direction from the Associate Director or Director.
- Capture the pattern behind the prototype - Separate reusable interaction logic, components, agent states, prompts, policies and evaluation assets from the customer‑specific example.
- Package the work to move - Hand pilot and delivery teams the flows, code, assets, dependencies, risks and test evidence they need to continue without starting over.
- Explore the edge - Experiment with sensors, microcontrollers, edge devices, fabrication and ambient feedback, and use the Lab's protected moonshot capacity to test high‑upside ideas in human‑AI collaboration.
- Scope and partnerships - You own the making within an engagement - the quality, credibility and learning value of the prototypes and artifacts you carry - and the day-to-day customer relationship on smaller engagements.
- You own assigned workstreams and prototypes - Day-to-day design, technical exploration, build, testing, evidence and handoff, and the customer sessions that go with them.
- The Associate Director and Director set engagement direction - Customer journey, executive relationship, opportunity framing, prioritization and post‑Lab outcome. On smaller engagements you carry the customer relationship within that direction.
- Engineering and Lab operations own their domains - Engineering leads own production architecture, security, integration and deployment; you own prototype behaviour and the intended human‑AI experience.
- Success looks like - Customers experience and question the opportunity before major investment; testing visibly changes the design; delivery teams continue the build and other Lab teams reuse the patterns, assets and evaluation methods behind it.
Who You Are
What you bring
- Minimum qualifications
- Education - Bachelor's degree in interaction design, HCI, industrial design, computer science, engineering, architecture or another creative or technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience - 5+ years in creative technology, design technology, interaction design or software prototyping, including 2+ years building prototypes for customers or stakeholders under time pressure.
- Portfolio - A link or PDF of recent work showing prototypes you built yourself, the question each one answered and what changed as a result - not only strategy decks or polished screens.
- Language - Business-level fluency in English.
You will thrive here if you have
- Depth in one craft, range across several - HCI, interaction or product design, industrial design, software development or creative technology, with the ability to build directly in at least one medium and collaborate across code, agents, data, devices and fabrication.
- Practical AI fluency - A working grasp of generative and agentic systems, an AI-native way of working and the habit of picking up new capabilities quickly and applying them responsibly.
- Research and evaluation instincts - Experience learning with people and turning evidence into concrete changes to an interaction or system.
- Fluency in both design and engineering language - The judgment to work with customers, designers, researchers, engineers and industry experts, and healthy habits for seeking feedback and acting on it.
- Customer presence - Comfort presenting, demonstrating and running sessions with customer teams, and the judgment to carry a smaller engagement day to day.
Preferred Skills
- Advanced degree - Master's degree in interaction design, HCI, design engineering, computational design or a related field.
- Software prototyping stack - Modern web front end (TypeScript or JavaScript, React), Figma, Git, API integration and LLM or agent frameworks, with working knowledge of at least one cloud platform.
- Embodied and physical AI - Microcontrollers and edge devices (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32 or similar), sensors, firmware, wireless connectivity, 3D printing or CNC fabrication, spatial audio or ambient feedback.
- Immersive and motion - Unity or Unreal, WebGL or Three.js, AR or VR headsets, 3D tools such as Blender or Rhino, motion tools such as After Effects.
- Lab, studio or consultancy background - Time in an innovation lab, product studio, design consultancy, creative agency or research group, building for clients under time pressure.
- Mobility - Willingness to travel to customer sites and Lab locations as engagements require.
Being You
The “Kyn” in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our customers and our communities. We focus on ensuring all Kyndryls feel included and we welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. We believe in growth, and we’re excited to see what you can bring. At Kyndryl, employee feedback has told us that our number one driver of employee engagement is belonging. That sense of belonging — being a valued, respected, trusted member of the team — is fundamental to our culture and fueling great experiences for our customers. That’s The Kyndryl Way.
What You Can Expect
Your career with us isn’t just a job—it’s an adventure with purpose. We offer a dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well‑being and empowers you to grow. Our Be Well programs are thoughtfully designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health—because we know that when you feel your best, you do your best. From your very first day, you’ll dive into impactful work that powers the systems our customers rely on every day. You won’t just contribute—you’ll make a difference, tackling meaningful projects that sharpen your skills and fuel your growth. We’re here to champion your journey. With powerful tools to chart your career path, personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions, and continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track, you’ll have everything you need to thrive and evolve. You’ll develop in-demand skills to grow your career and achieve your ambitions with access to cutting‑edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands‑on experiences. And through it all, you’ll be part of a culture that values empathy, restless learning and a devotion to shared success. We want you to thrive here—and we’re committed to helping you do just that. Ready to make an impact? Join us and help shape what’s next.
AI Innovation Lab - Senior Creative Technologist employer: Kyndryl
At Kyndryl, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a flexible and supportive work environment that prioritises your well-being and professional growth. As a Director in Cyber Defense, you will lead a globally diverse team, engaging in meaningful work that not only enhances your skills but also contributes to the security of critical technology systems worldwide. Our commitment to continuous learning, inclusive culture, and employee engagement ensures that every Kyndryl feels valued and empowered to make a difference.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land AI Innovation Lab - Senior Creative Technologist
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Kyndryl or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Kyndryl.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Kyndryl.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Kyndryl that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace AI Innovation Lab - Senior Creative Technologist
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Kyndryl.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Kyndryl and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Kyndryl
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Kyndryl uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.