Lead Product & UX Designer in London

Lead Product & UX Designer in London

London Full-Time 108000 - 180000 £ / year (est.) On-site
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead user research and design innovative AI-powered product interfaces.
  • Company: Join a pioneering tech company shaping the future of AI search.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and a vibrant office culture in London.
  • Other info: Dynamic startup environment with opportunities to shape processes and growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in a cutting-edge field with your design expertise.
  • Qualifications: 5-8 years in product and UX design, strong research and visual skills.

The predicted salary is between 108000 - 180000 £ per year.

Location: London (in-office)

Seniority: Senior

The Role

Searchable is building the platform that helps brands understand and improve how they appear across AI-powered search: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and beyond. It's a new category, and the product has to make that clear instantly.

This is a research-led, systems-driven design role. You'll own the full journey from user research and problem framing through to high-fidelity, production-ready prototypes that a design or front-end engineer can build from directly. There's no handoff ambiguity. The prototype is the spec.

You'll work in-office in London, embedded directly with the product and engineering team, and report to the founding team.

What You'll Own

  • User Research & Problem Definition
    • Run structured and unstructured research: interviews, usability tests, behavioural analysis, and session data
    • Translate findings into clear problem definitions and design briefs
    • Build a research practice that compounds: documented insights, reusable frameworks, and a living understanding of our users
    • Work closely with GTM and product to ensure research is connected to commercial reality, not just UX theory
  • Product Design (End-to-End)
    • Own the design of core product surfaces: dashboards, onboarding, reporting, workflow tools, and alerts
    • Design for clarity and speed: our users are time-poor marketers and SEO leads who need to act on data fast
    • Maintain and evolve the design system, ensuring visual and interaction consistency across the product
    • Contribute to product strategy: you should have opinions on what to build, not just how to present it
  • AI-Native Prototyping
    • Use Figma, Claude Code, and Lovable to take designs from concept to interactive, production-quality prototype
    • Prototypes should be detailed enough that a design engineer can build directly from them: no translation layer, no ambiguity
    • Use AI tooling to move faster: generate variants, test edge cases, iterate in hours not days
    • Stay current with what's possible; the expectation is that your workflow evolves as the tools do
  • Design-to-Engineering Handoff
    • Own the handoff process end-to-end: annotated components, documented interactions, responsive behaviour, and edge states
    • Work directly with front-end and design engineers to QA implementation against design intent
    • Flag and resolve discrepancies before they reach users

Day-to-Day

  • Plan and run user research sessions and synthesise findings into actionable outputs
  • Design and iterate on product features across web and dashboard surfaces
  • Build interactive prototypes in Figma and with Claude Code / Lovable
  • Maintain the design system and component library
  • Present work clearly and take direct feedback well
  • Partner with engineering on implementation quality

What We're Looking For

  • 5 to 8 years of product and UX design experience, ideally in B2B SaaS or data-heavy products
  • Strong research capability: you can design and run studies, not just interpret someone else's findings
  • Equally strong visual and interaction design skills: research-led does not mean low-fidelity
  • Genuinely AI-native: you use Claude Code, Lovable, and similar tools in your actual workflow, not as a talking point
  • Figma fluency, including component architecture and design systems
  • Comfortable working directly with engineers and reading front-end code well enough to have a real conversation about implementation
  • Clear communicator: written, verbal, and visual
  • Based in London and comfortable working in-office

Strong Signals

  • Experience designing for dashboards, analytics, or data visualisation products
  • Exposure to SEO, content marketing, or AI search tools
  • Experience building or maintaining a design system from scratch
  • Portfolio that shows research artefacts alongside final UI: not just pretty screens
  • Evidence of working in early-stage environments where process didn’t exist before you built it

Compensation: £150,000 + equity

Lead Product & UX Designer in London employer: Searchable

Searchable is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, perfect for those passionate about shaping the future of AI technology. With a strong focus on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to mentor new hires and influence product direction while enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of our London Bridge office. Our commitment to weekly shipping and hands-on involvement ensures that your contributions are both meaningful and rewarding.

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Contact Details:

Searchable Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Product & UX Designer in London

✨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 Searchable for a Lead Product & UX Designer, 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 Searchable before they go live!

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Product & UX Designer in London

User Research
Problem Definition
Design Systems
Prototyping
Figma
Claude Code
Lovable

Some tips for your application 🫡

Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Lead Product & UX Designer at Searchable, 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 Searchable 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 Searchable. 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 Searchable.

How to prepare for a job interview at Searchable

✨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 Searchable, 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. Searchable 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 Searchable!

✨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 Searchable is looking for.