UI Design Principal

Job Description

UI Design Principal needed to join our team on a permanent basis. We are looking for a UI Design Principal who is an expert in design and getting the best out of designers. Reporting into the Head of UI and Content, this is a role requiring someone with excellent leadership and design abilities, who is equally comfortable talkingto conversion-led design principles and about Design Systems as they are at mentoring, developing and elevating the individuals within their Design Team.As Principal UI Designer / Partner, you’ll also have had exposure to ensuring quality work is produced, helping to define WoW, solving problems, creating break-through work, and automating for efficiencies and scale.Primary Responsibilities: Managerial:

• Manage and take responsibility for a large team of talented Leads, UI designers and UX writers (mix of perm and contract, UK and near-shore) across a wide range of projects, with support from a Design Principal and Head of UI & Content
• You will oversee the career progression of permanent staff and proactively identify their skills gaps, arrange and implement training and development plans to address any skills gaps in the current team, regular check-ins with contractors to QA and coursecorrect as well as instilling a culture of team collaboration (internally across perm and contractors, countries and the wider Business Servies team as well as with clients), proactive knowledge sharing and seamless alignment with Tech and UX.
• Collaborate and represent UI in resource planning to allocate the right team members to the jobs.

Design excellence and leadership:

• Demonstrable eCommerce experience
• Skilled in standard software: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
• Creative, yet meticulous. Detail oriented with a keen sense of craftsmanship.
• Enjoys leading designers to help them create their best work
• Willing to adapt and take on new challenges and driven to continually improve
• Proven track record in adapting and taking on new challenges, driven to continually improve and make change happen
• Help to drive the evolution of our existing UI design & Content offer
• Able to estimate and plan work to support pitches, proposals and project set up

Brand and design systems

• Experience creating, evolving and developing brand identities
• Understand and able to create and theme design systems for brands that we work with.
• Systematic approach to work, anticipating future needs for clients and customers.
• Keen collaborator with software engineering.

Approach

• Great attitude, strong work ethic, excellent communication skills.
• Ability to manage own projects and to work quickly and accurately to tight deadlines.
• Able to multi-task and perform well under pressure.
• Excellent time management, people management and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong leadership skills with developed financial and commercial acumen.
• Identifies opportunities to build pipeline for both UI & Content teams and wider business.

Presentation and pitching

• Able to lead design conversations on key accounts with senior stakeholders, presents concepts and owns decisions.
• Senior representative of the UI team within agency and outside.
• Where necessary, comfortable leading pitches and offering counsel to senior client stakeholders.
• Enthusiastic, self-confident and self-motivated.

Experience

• Significant line management and mentoring experience
• Strong experience within a dedicated UI design role (client-side or agency).
• Degree educated in Graphic design / UI or similar discipline.
• Breadth of experience across sectors / audiences.
• Compelling portfolio of high-quality distinctive UI, visual storytelling and brand related work, including eCommerce
• Proven experience with motion design and animation tools.
• Experience in building strong relationships with client stakeholders.

What you need to be good at:You see the big picture and identify what are the right questions to ask, the right skillsets needed and the right methodologies to apply to move the project/conversation forward efficiently.You understand clients’ goals and constraints and sees industry and client context. Taylors the conversation and approach based on client context and goals. You showcase a track record of shaping end-to-end digital products and services across diverse industries,with measurable outcomes.If you know some of this even better!

• eCommerce industry experience
• Leading large scale customer experience design projects

What we can offer you:Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.We offer a great benefits package including hybrid working that works for everyone, a discretionary bonus scheme, training opportunities, competitive pension, medical insurance, life assurance, social events, opportunities to buy and sell holidays, familyfriendly policies, discounts with hundreds of retailers and much more.VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands and drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca,Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Intel, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendys.If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.When you click the "Submit Application" button below, this will send any information you add below to VML (formally Wunderman Thompson commerce). Before you do this, we think its a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it (Wunderman Thompson Commerce)"