Design Lead - AI & Digital Experience in London

About Tangent

We’re Tangent, a digital agency helping clients design, build and improve digital products, services and platforms. Our design team works across strategy, UX, UI, prototyping and design systems, with a growing focus on AI-powered products, digital experience platforms and new ways of working. We work closely with engineers, strategists and client teams to turn complex problems into clear, useful digital experiences.

Following our acquisition by Exadel, we now combine Tangent’s experience design, strategy and digital product capability with the scale of a global AI and digital engineering business. Exadel brings 25+ years of enterprise software experience, 2,000+ engineers worldwide and relationships with more than 100 enterprise clients. For our design team, this creates a bigger platform: more complex client challenges, deeper technical capability and more opportunity to take ideas from strategy and prototype through to delivery and optimisation.

We’re looking for a Design Lead, AI & Digital Experience to help lead design within one of our delivery pods and support modern digital experience work for Tangent and Exadel clients. This is a hands-on, client-facing role for someone with strong UX and product design craft, good judgement and the confidence to start taking on more leadership responsibility. You may already be operating as a Design Lead, or you may be a strong Senior Designer ready to step up. You’ll be supported by the Chief Design Officer and another Design Lead, but you’ll also be expected to take ownership where it matters: leading client-facing design work, turning research and workshops into prototypes, championing AI-enabled ways of working, supporting other designers and helping us deliver value quickly.

We’re building the next stage of our design capability around AI, digital experience and platform-led delivery. That means the role will be hands-on from day one, with more opportunity for pod leadership, line management and client ownership as the team grows.

What you'll be doing

• Hands-on design leadership
  • Lead design work within a delivery pod, working closely with the Chief Design Officer.
  • Stay hands-on across discovery, UX, UI, prototyping and delivery.
  • Support and mentor designers, helping them grow their craft, confidence and client-facing skills.
  • Line manage designers as the pod grows.
  • Review work regularly, giving clear feedback that improves quality and helps the team move forward.
  • Help plan design capacity across current and upcoming projects.
• Product definition and prototyping
  • Lead discovery activities that help clients understand customer needs, business goals and digital opportunities.
  • Translate research, workshops, stakeholder input and product canvas outputs into clear product direction, journeys, prototypes and requirements.
  • Connect user needs, business value, content, data, technology and delivery constraints.
  • Help clients prioritise what should be tested, designed or delivered next.
  • Create prototypes that help clients see, test and understand ideas before committing to delivery.
• AI-enabled ways of working
  • Champion Tangent’s evolving AI-enabled design workflow.
  • Use AI-assisted tools to support synthesis, concepting, prototyping and design iteration.
  • Help the team move faster from research and workshop outputs into useful prototypes.
  • Explore practical ways of working across AI-assisted design, no-code tools, conversational prototyping, front-end-aware design and vibe-driven build workflows.
  • Work with designers and engineers to understand where AI can improve speed, quality and decision-making.
  • Share useful prompts, methods, templates and examples with the wider team.
• AI, platforms and delivery readiness
  • Design digital experiences that use AI where it adds genuine value.
  • Explore how AI, automation, personalisation, conversational interfaces and adaptive experiences can improve customer journeys.
  • Understand how CMS, DXP, CRM, analytics, experimentation, personalisation, APIs and integrations support joined-up digital experiences.
  • Work with clients and technical teams to understand platform constraints and opportunities, including environments such as Optimizely, Adobe and similar enterprise platforms.
  • Consider how content, data, design systems, components, governance and accessibility need to work together.
  • Collaborate with engineering, data, AI and platform teams to make sure ideas are useful, feasible and deliverable.
• Client consulting and commercial support
  • Bring a clear design and experience perspective to Tangent and Exadel client conversations.
  • Help clients understand how digital experience, AI and platform thinking can support customer, operational and commercial goals.
  • Support proposals, scopes and early-stage opportunities by helping define where design can create value.
  • Present work clearly to stakeholders, connecting design decisions to customer insight, business value and delivery realities.
  • Think practically about effort, value, risk and prioritisation.
  • Spot opportunities to improve or extend work where there is a clear client need.
• Practice growth
  • Help Tangent continue to evolve its design practice, methods and point of view.
  • Contribute to reusable frameworks, templates and ways of working.
  • Share knowledge across the design team and wider business.
  • Stay close to emerging tools and patterns across AI, design systems, prototyping and digital delivery.

What we are looking for

We’re looking for a strong, adaptable designer with solid digital experience foundations, confident client-facing skills and an interest in how AI, platforms and product thinking are changing customer experience. This could suit someone already working as a Design Lead, or a Senior Designer who is ready to take on more ownership, client leadership and team support. You can demonstrate:

• Strong experience across UX, product design and digital experience design.
• Confidence leading design workstreams, workshops, client conversations or stakeholder reviews.
• Experience turning research, workshops, product canvas outputs or business requirements into prototypes, journeys, features and delivery-ready design.
• The ability to stay hands-on while supporting other designers.
• A practical, adaptable mindset and the ability to make progress through ambiguity.
• Curiosity and practical experience with AI-assisted design workflows.
• An understanding of AI-powered experiences, conversational UX, personalisation, automation or emerging interface patterns.
• Awareness of modern digital platforms, including CMS, DXP, CRM, analytics, experimentation, personalisation, APIs and integrations.
• Familiarity with platforms such as Optimizely, Adobe or similar would be useful, but is not essential.
• The ability to connect user needs, business goals, technical constraints and commercial outcomes.
• Comfort working with engineering, data, AI, strategy, project management and platform teams.
• Design systems literacy, including components, patterns, content structure and scalable design foundations.
• Strong prototyping and storytelling skills.
• Commercial awareness, with an understanding of value, effort, risk and prioritisation.
• A clear, thoughtful communication style.
• Curiosity, flexibility and a desire to help shape the future of design at Tangent.

Experience with no-code tools, conversational prototyping, prompt design, front-end-aware prototyping or platform-led digital transformation would be a bonus.

What we believe

At Tangent, we understand people, design user-centred products and create high-performing teams. We care about producing work that is measurable, considered and designed to move our clients’ businesses forward. We are also committed to reducing the environmental impact of our digital work and making better decisions for our clients, users and the planet.

Our work is guided by four core values:

• Always ask questions
• Listen more than speak
• Own your area
• Strive for better

What we offer

• Flexible working: Work remotely or hybrid depending on your location and role, with the support and opportunity of a wider global business.
• Global socials: Regular socials and events, with opportunities to connect across Tangent and the wider Exadel business.
• Enhanced holiday: Earn additional days with length of service, up to three extra days per year.
• Growth and training: Ongoing development through training, events and learning opportunities, especially as our AI and digital experience practice evolves.
• Private healthcare: Private medical insurance for eligible employees after one year of service.

At Tangent our aim is to create a working environment where every single member of the team has the opportunity to be themselves. We are an equal opportunities employer and will welcome and consider all applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation.