Experience Design Director

SQLI UK & ME

SQLI UK & ME is a leading digital commerce & services company that specialises in helping businesses transform their digital presence and customer experiences. With a global presence and a strong focus on innovation, we work with clients across various industries to create exceptional digital solutions. We are seeking a talented Experience Design Director to join our team and lead and grow our experience design efforts in the UK and Middle East regions.

As the Experience Design Director at SQLI UK & ME, you will be responsible for growing and leading a team of Experience experts and driving the creation of innovative and user-centric digital experiences, with a focus on commerce. You will work closely with clients, cross-functional teams, and senior management to define research & design strategies, ensure design excellence, and deliver projects that meet and exceed client expectations. This position offers a unique opportunity to drive innovation and elevate our clients' digital experiences to the next level, helping them achieve their business objectives. Note we are currently a small team with big dreams to grow. This role requires someone who’s able to be hands on whilst scaling the team, as well as providing strategic vision and following through.

Key Responsibilities:

Customer Experience Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive CX strategy aligned with our clients' business objectives. Analyse customer data and feedback to identify areas for improvement and enhancement of the customer journey.

Design Leadership: Provide vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the Experience Design team, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Client Engagement: Build and maintain strong client relationships, understanding their business goals and translating them into exceptional design solutions.

Team Management: Grow, lead and mentor a team of CX thinkers & designers, providing guidance, feedback, and development opportunities to foster their growth and expertise, and creating a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centric thinking.

UI Design & UX Strategy: Develop and implement UX & design strategies that align with clients' objectives and drive exceptional user experiences. Collaborate with user research teams to gain insights into user behaviour and preferences, incorporating findings into design decisions.

Customer Journey Mapping: Create customer journey maps to visualise and understand the end-to-end customer experience. Identify pain points and opportunities to optimise and transform the customer journey.

Project Oversight: Oversee the end-to-end design process, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and at the highest quality standards.

Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including developers, product managers, and marketers, to ensure seamless integration of design into the overall product or project strategy.

Quality Assurance: Implement design QA processes to maintain consistency and quality across projects.

Innovation: Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in research, UX and UI design, CX strategy, AI & technology to drive continuous improvement and innovation.

GTM strategy, pitches & proposals: A key part of this role is in building the GTM strategy and pipeline for your team and our business. Be able to create, cost and lead Experience pitches & proposals.

Client Presentations: Present design concepts, strategies, and solutions to clients, effectively communicating the value of design in achieving their goals.

CX Advocate: Serve as a CX advocate within the organisation to prioritise customer-centric initiatives.

Ensure the work of our team is amplified within our business, within Group and externally to clients and the wider market.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Design, HCI, UX).
• Proven experience in a CX leadership role, a strong background in e-commerce, and experience delivering exceptional digital experiences.
• In-depth understanding of CX methodologies, journey mapping, and customer feedback analysis.
• Strong portfolio showcasing a wide range of UX / design projects across retail, commerce (B2B & D2C), and different platforms.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Azure, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, or equivalent.
• Excellent knowledge of user-centered design principles and methodologies, and the ability to lead UX research, persona development, user journeys / maps, workshops, design sprints, and creation of design systems.
• Experience working with clients across various industries (wider than commerce) i.e. finance, travel, insurance, hospitality or healthcare, is a plus.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Strong project management and organisational abilities.
• A passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Ability to inspire and motivate a team, fostering a collaborative and creative environment.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.
• Health and dental benefits.
• Continuous learning and professional development opportunities.
• A collaborative and innovative work environment.

If you are a creative leader with a passion for designing exceptional commerce & digital experiences and are ready to make an impact to a growing company, please submit your CV, portfolio, and current salary. We look forward to reviewing your application.