Lead UI Designer

Your role:

As Lead UI Designer, you will own the visual and interaction design of key product areas across two of Global Relay’s core offerings: our information archiving (IA) and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including UI/UX Designers, Researchers, Writers, Product Managers, Engineers, SMEs and Stakeholders, to deliver high-quality user experiences in our customer-focused agile environment. As a Lead UI designer, you’ll also ensure alignment across the design team and mentor fellow UI Designers, without direct management responsibilities.

You’ll be the go-to expert for UI craft excellence, providing guidance that elevates our entire design practice while ensuring our products meet both business objectives and user needs. This involves setting craft direction, establishing and maintaining design standards, creating reusable component and patterns and signing-off on UI to ensure output quality.

Your responsibilities: 

• Lead, in collaboration with UX Designers, the design execution of key initiatives from discovery through delivery.
• Work directly in the details—user flows, UI artifacts, interaction models, prototypes, and final design specifications.
• Collaborate with product, UX Designers and engineering to define goals, scope, priorities, and success metrics.
• Collaborate tightly with cross-functional teams to build alignment and advocate for user-centred decisions across Product, Engineering, Subject Matter Experts, and Stakeholders.
• Produce clear, implementation-ready documentation that articulates design rationale, decisions, and process.
• Partner closely with product and engineering during development to ensure quality, consistency, and design intent.
• Contribute to the growth of design maturity across the organization by identifying gaps and proactively driving improvements.
• Evolve and champion adoption of the design system within your product areas, ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Provide mentorship through guidance, participation in design standards, and hands-on support, including design reviews and shadowing opportunities.

About you: 

• 10+ years of experience in UI and visual design for web, desktop, and mobile applications.
• 2+ years of experience leading designers or design direction, guiding projects, and managing stakeholder expectations.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale, world-class digital products and mature design systems across responsive web and native platforms.
• Experience in an Enterprise business environment and Agile.
• Deep expertise in design systems, including component libraries, design tokens, scalable UI frameworks, and system governance.
• You view design as a process of discovery, using experimentation, early concepts, and iterative validation to define problems and refine solutions.
• Highly skilled in prototyping to communicate ideas, validate assumptions, and iterate quickly throughout the design process.
• Ability to clearly articulate design decisions, backed by evidence-based rationale and strong storytelling.
• Extensive experience working with engineering teams to ensure high-quality implementation from concept through release.
• Strong understanding of accessibility standards and inclusive design principles.
• Comfortable designing responsive interfaces.
• Expert-level proficiency in Figma, with strong visual design craft and a commitment to staying current with industry trends and emerging tools.
• Champion for design within the organization—able to communicate its value to senior leaders, influence strategic direction, and elevate design culture.

Nice to have:

• Familiarity with traditional design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite is an asset.
• Experience with micro-animations and motion design is a plus.
• Experience working in regulated or compliance-heavy industries.
• Background in financial services.
• Published case studies that show depth in research and problem-solving.
• Experience contributing to design strategy or shaping product direction.

Applications must include a portfolio of relevant work. We’re looking for examples that highlight your visual design craft, interaction design thinking, and experience with design systems at scale. Especially welcome are case studies that walk through your process from problem definition to final delivery.

Employees are required to attend the office 4 days per week in accordance with Global Relay’s hybrid working policy.

Global Relay is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application.