Design Lead in Southampton

We’re looking for an experienced and visionary Design Lead to shape the future of our digital product delivery. The ideal candidate is a hands‑on leader who can drive the end‑to‑end design process, from discovery and strategy to execution and delivery, while mentoring a talented team of product designers. This role requires a strong strategic mind, deep expertise in UX/UI design, and a passion for creating impactful, user‑centric experiences.

• Digital Product Design: Designing beautiful interfaces (UI) and intuitive experiences (UX).
• Leading Discovery workshops: Helping clients understand their underlying problems and creating viable solutions in the form of wireframes, diagrams and interactive prototypes.
• Collaboration: Liaising with project managers, developers and other team members to deliver complex digital projects.
• Managing and mentoring the design team: Directly manage, mentor, and coach a team of Product Designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, growth, and high performance.
• Process & Methodology: Define, refine, and enforce best practices for the entire design process, including research, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final visual design (UX/UI).
• Quality control: Ensuring visual accuracy and that design intents are followed through into development.
• Marketing and brand assets: Work with the Marketing Manager to provide visual asset support to Rareloop’s own marketing efforts.

About Rareloop: Rareloop is a well established, B Corp certified, award winning Digital Product Studio based in Southampton. We help ambitious businesses and charities to design and build best of breed websites, apps and bespoke web software. We use human‑centred design, automation and AI to solve real problems for organisations, helping them to cut costs and accelerate growth.

Person specification:

• Creative problem solver with a passion for using technology to solve problems.
• Strong critical thinking skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of translating complex ideas to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to multitask.
• Organised and thorough, taking ownership of outcomes.
• Desire for constant improvement.
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team.
• Someone who thrives in an SME with a flat structure and empowered team members.
• Commuting distance from Southampton for meetings/workshops.
• Must have the right to work in the UK.

Required experience:

• 5 years commercial design experience working in similar roles.
• Strong portfolio showcasing product design process and outcomes.
• Agency or consultancy experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead Discovery workshops.
• Demonstrated experience working on non‑trivial projects.
• Expertise in UX principles, interaction design, and accessibility.

If you’re excited by this role but don’t feel you meet every requirement then we’d still encourage you to apply. We’re looking for a passionate individual who aligns with our values and can grow with the business.

As a valued part of our team you’ll get:

• 25 days holiday.
• Sick pay package.
• Contributory Pension (after 3 months).
• An opportunity to develop & grow your skills within an expert team.
• Continuing Personal Development (CPD).
• Yearly training budget.
• Free coffee/tea and soft drinks.
• Regular free lunches to celebrate team wins.
• Group Life Assurance.
• Private Medical Insurance*.
• Optical cover*.
• Central Southampton office location with free parking.

*after successful completion of probation.

How to apply: We would like to understand who you are, why you’re interested in this role and how your experience matches what we’re looking for so don’t be afraid to include some personality in your application. We reserve the right to reject without response any application that appears to have been generated with AI. There is no deadline for applicants, we’re keen to hire the right person and willing to take our time to find them. No recruiters/agencies please! We know where you are if we need you.

We’re proud to be a certified B Corp! This means we’ve been independently verified to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. It means we care about the work we do, our team, our culture, our customers, the wider community and our environment. In short, we’re using business as a force for good.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive environment for all employees regardless of an individual’s age, gender, relationship status, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability status.