Lead UX Designer

Job description

Role: UX Design Lead
Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract (with potential extension to 24 months subject to programme scope)
Shift Pattern: Full Time
Hours: 37.50
Recruitment Partner: Matthew Nelligan

Join us at Boots to be part of transforming the digital future of Boots! We're seeking a motivated UX Design Lead to join our brilliant UX team. At Boots, our UX mission is to create seamless, enjoyable, and accessible user experiences, across retail and healthcare sectors. By prioritising human insight, we drive outstanding results and make a meaningful impact on our business.

About the Role
This is a hands-on senior UX role where you'll own and personally conduct UX activities across the full User-Centred Design (UCD) lifecycle, from discovery and research through to concept development, prototyping, testing, validation and delivery. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you'll define the UX approach, manage stakeholders, influence senior leaders and drive evidence-based decisions, ensuring solutions are intuitive, inclusive, accessible and grounded in user needs. Responsibilities include:

• Hands-on across full UCD lifecycle: Operating as a full-stack UX practitioner, across the full User-Centred Design process. From discovery and user research through to journey mapping, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping and usability testing. Comfortable delivering the work yourself and adapting to the needs of the project(s).
• Own and deliver the UX workstream: Take end-to-end ownership of a UX workstream, defining the UX approach, plan the work, track process and deliver the UX activities. Proactively managing timelines, risks, dependencies and stakeholders to ensure successful delivery with minimal supervision.
• Research and problem definition: Conduct research, uncover user needs and pain points, and use insights to define problems, opportunities and clear evidence base for decision-making.
• Design and validation: Create journeys, wireframes, prototypes that solve customer and business problems. then validate solutions through testing and user feedback.
• Stakeholder management and influence: Build strong relationships and influence decisions through evidence-based recommendations and clear UX rationale.
• Communication and storytelling: Translate user needs, insights and UX recommendations into compelling stories that drive action. Communicate confidently with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, tailoring your approach to suit different audiences.
• Quality and consistency: Deliver high-quality UX outputs that balance user needs, business goals, technical feasibility and accessibility requirements. Work within Boots' User-Centred Design process and design system, helping to continuously improve them where appropriate.

About You

• Senior UX practitioner: Significant experience (6-8years) delivering UX work on digital experiences. With experience and skillset that spans the full UCD lifecycle, including user research, discovery, journey mapping, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, user testing and delivery. With supporting portfolio (or case studies) to demonstrate end-to-end ownership, independent delivery and measurable outcomes.
• Autonomous workstream ownership: Comfortable working with ambiguity, defining the UX approach, planning activities and managing timelines, risks and dependencies with minimal supervision.
• Research and insight-led approach: Confident performing and using research, analytics and customer insight to insight to define problems, identify opportunities and validate solutions. Communicating evidence to drive decision-making and advocating for user needs.
• Communication and storytelling: Excellent presentation, facilitation and storytelling skills, with the ability to clearly articulate user needs, research findings and design recommendations. Confident pitching, influencing decisions and tailoring messages to technical and non-technical audiences at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Accessibility and inclusive design: Experienced in designing accessible and inclusive products and services that meet WCAG 2.2 standards. Skilled in user research, accessibility testing, and assistive technology, to ensure experiences work for everyone, including people with disabilities.
• Stakeholder management: Identifies and manages stakeholders effectively. Building trusted relationships and influencing decisions through collaboration, evidence and expertise
• Tools and ways of working: Proficient in Figma, UserTesting, Jira and other UX tools, with experience working in agile teams and lean UX environments.

What Success Looks Like

• User-centred solutions validated through research, testing and customer insight.
• UX deliverables completed to agreed scope, timelines and quality standards.
• Accessibility requirements met in line with WCAG 2.2 standards.
• Positive stakeholder feedback and evidence of influencing product decisions through insight and expertise.
• High-quality UX outputs delivered with minimal supervision.
• Successful ownership and delivery of a strategic UX workstream from discovery through to implementation.

What We Offer

• Competitive Salary: We value your skills and experience.
• Boots Retirement Savings Plan: Up to 12% company contribution.
• Generous Employee Discounts: For you and a family member.
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave Pay: Supporting you during important life events.

What's Next?
If you're ready to take the next step in your career and be part of a team that makes a difference, we'd love to hear from you! Apply now, and our team will be in touch to discuss the next steps.
At Boots, we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you require any adjustments during the application process, please let us know.
Be brilliant with Boots!
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