Head of UX Design

Mott Mac Donald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve.

Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do.

With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best.

As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued.

Whatever your ambition, Mott Mac Donald is where people come to be brilliant.

We are looking for a Head of UX Design to join our growing Digital and Technology team, based in the UK with a hybrid working pattern from either our London or Cambridge office.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced design leader who is passionate about creating meaningful digital experiences, developing people, and shaping the future of user-centred design within a global organisation.

You will provide leadership for our UX/UI design capability, influence strategic digital initiatives, and help deliver solutions that support major infrastructure and public-sector programmes around the world.

About the role

As Head of UX Design, you will be accountable for the quality, consistency and impact of UX and UI design across our digital products and services.

You will lead and develop a multidisciplinary design team while remaining closely connected to delivery, providing expert guidance on key design decisions when required.

You will also work alongside an established external UX partner, helping to strengthen and evolve our design capability while introducing fresh perspectives, innovative approaches and emerging best practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape and own the UX vision and strategy for Mott Mac Donald's digital products and services, working closely with senior stakeholders across the business.
• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary UX/UI design team, including recruitment, mentoring, and supporting the career development of other designers.
• Stay across emerging design tooling and AI-assisted approaches, exploring how they can strengthen our UX/UI design practice, and help set standards for their responsible use within the team.
• Collaborate with and support an established external UX design partner, enabling their practice while introducing new thinking and ways of working.
• Set and uphold UX/UI design quality standards across the team, acting as the final point of quality assurance on major design decisions.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and wider project teams across different regions and time zones to define user problems and design effective, user-centred digital solutions.
• Champion design systems, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and scalability across products and platforms.
• Champion user research and evidence-led design, ensuring decisions are grounded in real user insight throughout the UX design lifecycle.
• Candidate Specification
• Proven experience leading or building a UX design team, with a genuine passion for developing others.
• Comfortable working alongside an established UX design practice or partner, adding value and fresh perspective.
• A track record of delivering end-to-end UX and UI design work for digital products or services, at a level you can demonstrate through past project work (your portfolio is a useful way to support this during recruitment).
• Confidence shaping UX/UI design strategy and influencing decisions at a senior, cross-functional level.
• A pragmatic and proactive approach, looking for ways to strengthen UX design's impact at Mott Mac Donald while balancing the need to get the job done.
• Strong communication skills, curiosity and openness to feedback.
• Structured and reliable in the way you work, with the ability to manage priorities, navigate ambiguity, and keep projects and people moving forward.

Essential

• Experience in a UX leadership or Head of UX Design role.
• Strong portfolio evidencing end-to-end UX/UI design work and design decision-making.
• Proficiency in the latest design tooling, including in-depth knowledge of using Figma within an organisation.
• Strong communication skills and experience collaborating in multidisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with web technologies (HTML, CSS, Java Script).
• Experience using and managing a design system within an organisation.

Desirable

Experience with or interest in Microsoft Power Platform (Power BI, Power Apps).

Why Join Mott Mac Donald?

This role offers a unique opportunity to

• Shape and lead UX/UI design capability across a global, multidisciplinary business.
• Work on impactful projects that contribute to sustainable development and improved social outcomes.
• Collaborate with colleagues across disciplines, sectors and regions, bringing together engineering, digital, design and environmental expertise.
• Influence the direction of digital products and services used across major infrastructure and public-sector programmes.
• Grow your skills through access to professional development opportunities, technical communities and industry-leading expertise.
• Be part of a business that values inclusion, wellbeing, flexibility and continuous learning.
• Contribute to an employee-owned organisation where your ideas and expertise can make a lasting difference.
• #LI-EH1
• UK Immigration

Mott Mac Donald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK.

This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024.

We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working

At Mott Mac Donald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments.

We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all.

We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

AI Usage

At Mott Mac Donald, we see the value AI can bring, but we take a people-first approach to hiring.

While AI tools can help candidates prepare and build confidence, every application and hiring decision is reviewed by our recruitment and hiring teams.

We encourage the responsible use of AI while ensuring we get to know the real person behind the application.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process.

If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable. adjustments@mottmac. com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including

• Financial wellbeing
• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
• Employee Ownership
• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.
• Health and wellbeing
• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
• Lifestyle
• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• 10 days additional paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.
• Enhanced family and carers leave
• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• We offer policies and dedicated support to help military families balance service life with career and wellbeing.
• Learning and development
• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.
• Networks, communities, and social outcomes
• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and Gold Award holders in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, supported by our dedicated internal Armed Forces Network.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes .

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.