At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead high-fidelity design for complex, data-rich products and elevate visual design standards.
- Company: Join The Trade Desk, a global leader in digital advertising technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Mentor fellow designers and represent our design vision at industry events.
- Why this job: Shape the future of advertising with your design skills and make a global impact.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in product or UX design with exceptional visual craft and interaction expertise.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
The Trade Desk is a global technology company and the world’s leading independent platform for digital advertising, with nearly 4,000 employees across more than 30 offices. Our technology helps advertisers reach the right audiences across the open internet - from streaming TV and podcasts to mobile apps, news, and more. Advertising powers the content people love. By making it more transparent, effective, and responsible, we help support trusted journalism, quality entertainment, and creators worldwide. The world’s brands and agencies rely on us to reach their customers and grow their businesses responsibly. The scale of our platform brings unique technical challenges - from processing massive datasets in real time to building systems that operate reliably on a global scale. When you work here, your impact is worldwide. We welcome diverse perspectives, encourage curiosity, and build teams that learn from one another. If you’re driven to solve meaningful challenges, we’d love to meet you.
What we do: The Trade Desk is seeking a Staff UX Visual Designer to help define and elevate the visual and interaction design quality of our platform. This is a senior individual-contributor design role for someone with exceptional visual craft, strong UX judgment, and a systems-level eye for detail. The Trade Desk is transforming the way advertising is bought, sold, and consumed as a global leader in the programmatic industry. As our platform grows more powerful and more complex, this role will shape how it looks, feels, and behaves for advertisers and agency partners - bringing clarity, consistency, and craft to sophisticated, data-dense experiences.
As Staff UX Visual Designer, you will own high‑fidelity design execution across key areas of The Trade Desk's platform and serve as a design partner to Product, Engineering, and UX Leadership, helping set the visual and interaction design bar across the company. At The Trade Desk, great design is what makes complexity usable. As Staff UX Visual Designer, you will help shape the visual and interaction design quality of the platform, lead its execution hands-on, and set the standard for thoughtful, well‑crafted design across adtech.
What you'll do:
- Define & Champion Visual Design Excellence
- Set the visual and interaction design bar for how The Trade Desk platform looks, feels, and behaves across complex, data-dense workflows.
- Translate ambiguous, technical, or data-heavy problems into clear, compelling, well‑crafted product experiences.
- Define what 'good' looks like for visual design and interaction quality across the platform - typography, layout, motion, and information hierarchy.
- Build and evolve design patterns and systems that bring consistency and polish across surfaces.
- Partner with UX Leadership to align design quality standards with broader product and company strategy.
- Lead End-to-End Design Execution
- Lead hands-on, high-fidelity design for flagship product features - from early concept and prototyping through detailed interaction design and launch.
- Design across a wide range of experience types, including dashboards, workflow tools, data visualization, and - where relevant - AI-assisted features embedded in the product.
- Rapidly prototype concepts to test feasibility, gather feedback, and align stakeholders around a shared design vision before heavy investment.
- Drive user research and usability testing to validate design decisions and inform iteration.
- Partner closely with Product and Engineering to ensure design vision and technical feasibility evolve together.
- Elevate Craft & Set the Bar for Visual and Interaction Design
- Set the craft standard for visual and interaction design across the UX organization, raising the bar on clarity, polish, and consistency.
- Champion strong design fundamentals - typography, layout, color, motion, and information design - applied to complex, data-dense interfaces.
- Ensure experiences are accessible, inclusive, and usable across a wide range of customer sophistication and contexts.
- Provide critique and design direction across the design team, acting as a go-to reviewer for visual and interaction design quality.
- Partner Cross-functional
- Act as a strong design voice in product strategy conversations with Product and Engineering leadership.
- Identify opportunities to improve the customer experience through better visual design, interaction patterns, and information architecture.
- Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and serve as a thought partner on product design direction.
- Represent the customer experience perspective in cross-functional discussions about product capability and behavior.
- Mentor & Grow Design Talent
- Mentor designers across the UX organization on visual craft, interaction design, and design systems thinking.
- Lead by example through visible, hands-on craft - modeling what excellent design execution looks like in practice.
- Contribute to a shared point of view, vocabulary, and set of patterns that help the broader design team raise the bar on craft.
- Represent TTD's Design Point of View
- Represent The Trade Desk at industry events and design conferences, sharing perspective on design craft in adtech.
- Position TTD as a company at the forefront of thoughtful, well‑crafted, customer-centered design.
- Contribute to broader UX design community conversations, research, and thought leadership.
Who you are:
You are an experienced designer with a track record of shaping the visual and interaction design of complex, data-rich products. You combine strong craft with sound UX judgment, and you are energized by turning ambiguous, technical problems into experiences that feel clear, confident, and considered.
Bachelor's degree in Design, HCI, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
8+ years of experience in product design or UX design, with a strong emphasis on visual and interaction design craft.
Proven track record shaping high-fidelity design execution from concept through shipped product, in a complex enterprise or platform-based product.
Exceptional visual design skills - typography, layout, color, and information hierarchy - applied to complex, data-dense interfaces.
Strong command of Figma and modern prototyping tools, used in service of fast, high-fidelity design exploration.
Deep interaction design expertise, including for dashboards, workflow tools, and data visualization.
Experience contributing to or evolving design systems.
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to present design vision clearly to cross-functional partners and senior leadership.
Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive clarity and alignment in complex, fast-moving environments.
Working familiarity with AI-powered product patterns and how they show up in modern UX (preferred, not required).
Experience in adtech, martech, or enterprise SaaS with complex, data-dense interfaces (preferred).
Portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual craft, interaction design, and measurable impact on user experience and product outcomes.
Staff UX Visual Designer employer: Thetradedesk
The Trade Desk is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for a Lead Staff Systems Reliability Engineer. With access to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity to work on global-scale challenges, employees are encouraged to grow through mentorship and diverse perspectives. The company's commitment to inclusivity and employee development ensures that every team member can thrive in a supportive environment while making a meaningful impact in the digital advertising space.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff UX Visual Designer
✨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 Thetradedesk for a Staff UX Visual 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 Thetradedesk before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff UX Visual Designer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Staff UX Visual Designer at Thetradedesk, 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 Thetradedesk 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 Thetradedesk. 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 Thetradedesk.
How to prepare for a job interview at Thetradedesk
✨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 Thetradedesk, 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. Thetradedesk 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 Thetradedesk!
✨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 Thetradedesk is looking for.
