At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead design direction for AI-enabled customer experiences and guide research activities.
- Company: Join Lloyds Banking Group, a leader in transforming financial services.
- Benefits: Generous pension, performance bonuses, 30 days holiday, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Inclusive culture focused on diversity, equity, and personal growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of intelligent customer experiences and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in design leadership with expertise in AI-powered products.
The predicted salary is between 92701 - 109060 £ per year.
Salary Range: £92,701 - £109,060
Flexible Working Options: Hybrid Working, Job Share
About this Opportunity
We’re looking for an experienced Design Lead to help shape the future of intelligent customer experiences within Intelligent Customer Products. This is a design leadership role with design research as a core specialism. You'll use customer insight, behavioural understanding and critical thinking to help define the experiences, products and services we build, while leading design direction across a multidisciplinary squad. We're looking for someone who is curious, comfortable with ambiguity and excited by the opportunity to help define new interaction models, products and services in a rapidly evolving space. This is a role for someone who can combine deep customer understanding with strategic leadership, helping teams decide not just how to build things, but what should be built in the first place.
What you’ll be doing
- Design Leadership & Experience Strategy: Lead design direction for a strategic product area, aligning customer needs, business priorities and technology opportunities. Shape experience strategy and future vision for intelligent, AI-enabled customer experiences. Use customer insight and research to influence product strategy, roadmap decisions and investment priorities.
- Research Leadership & Capability: Lead and guide research activity across the lab, ensuring teams have the evidence needed to make confident decisions. Build and evolve research capability within Intelligent Customer Products, helping establish standards, practices and ways of working that increase the impact of customer insight. Ensure customer understanding is embedded throughout the product lifecycle, from opportunity identification through to delivery and optimisation.
- People Leadership: Line manage and develop designers and researchers, supporting career growth, capability development and high performance. Create an inclusive, supportive environment where individuals can thrive and deliver their best work. Coach and mentor designers, helping raise capability across the team.
- Delivery, Impact & Ways of Working: Work with Product, Engineering and Design leaders to define and track Objectives and Key Results. Establish clear success measures and ensure customer, business and design outcomes remain aligned.
Why join us?
We’re transforming at pace. Investing billions in our people, data and tech to change the way we meet the needs of our 28 million customers. We’re growing, and we’d love you to be part of the journey.
What we’re looking for?
- 8+ years experience leading design for complex digital products, platforms or services.
- Experience working on AI-enabled customer products, conversational experiences, virtual assistants, chat experiences or agentic systems.
- Strong understanding of the opportunities, limitations and design considerations associated with AI-powered customer experiences.
- Strong expertise in design research and using customer evidence to shape decisions, strategy and product direction.
- Experience leading and developing designers and researchers, including coaching, performance management and capability building.
- Experience influencing senior partners and building alignment across multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to connect customer insight, business goals and technology opportunities into a clear design direction.
- Strong facilitation, communication and storytelling skills.
We know that great talent comes from many backgrounds. Whilst this job advert may reference specific years of experience, we recognise that skills are developed in many ways, so if you have relevant, transferable experience, we encourage you to apply. This is a place for you. Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion supporting our customers, colleagues and communities and we’re committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop.
Benefits
We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:
- A generous pension contribution of up to 15%
- An annual performance-related bonus
- Share schemes including free shares
- Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
- 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top
- A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies
At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop.
We're focused on creating a values‑led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.
Design Lead - Research & Experience Strategy (12 Month FTC) employer: Lloyds Bank plc
Lloyds Banking Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Cardiff that fosters professional growth and collaboration. With a competitive salary package, generous benefits including a robust pension scheme and flexible working options, employees are empowered to thrive both personally and professionally. The company prioritises inclusivity and well-being, ensuring that all team members can achieve their full potential while making a meaningful impact in the SME banking sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Design Lead - Research & Experience Strategy (12 Month FTC)
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Lloyds Bank plc for a Design Lead - Research & Experience Strategy (12 Month FTC), make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Lloyds Bank plc before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Design Lead - Research & Experience Strategy (12 Month FTC)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Design Lead - Research & Experience Strategy (12 Month FTC) at Lloyds Bank plc, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Lloyds Bank plc does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Lloyds Bank plc. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Lloyds Bank plc.
How to prepare for a job interview at Lloyds Bank plc
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Lloyds Bank plc, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Lloyds Bank plc might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Lloyds Bank plc!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Lloyds Bank plc is looking for.
