Lead UX & Design Manager

Lead UX & Design Manager

Location: Newbury HQ + *Hybrid working

Working Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week - Mon - Fri

*Hybrid We believe that through collaboration and connection with our colleagues we can achieve great things. Our hybrid working approach allows our people to work both in the office and at home, providing the flexibility and resources you need to succeed in your role. We don't require you to be in on specific days; instead, we ask people to come into the office 2-3 days each week. You should work with your line manager to understand what their expectations are for you, your specific role and your team.

Who We Are

We’re here to build a network the UK can count on - one that connects people, places and potential. Because no matter where you live, what your background is, or how you get online - we think everyone deserves the same chance to stay connected, and with VodafoneThree, that future’s being built - today.

We’re creating more than the UK’s best network. We’re helping close the digital divide, empower communities and drive meaningful progress.

We believe that everyone should feel they belong. Whoever you are and whatever your story, there’s space for you here. We’re building a workplace where different perspectives are welcomed, voices are heard, and everyone feels safe to show up as themselves.

You’ll join a team that genuinely cares - about each other, about our customers, and about the future we’re building. From day one, you’ll be welcomed, valued and encouraged to bring your whole self to work.

Why VodafoneThree

Join us and you’ll be at the heart of change. That means building responsibly, investing sustainably and creating opportunities that last.

We’re not just expanding connectivity; we’re reimagining what a connected nation looks like. With £11bn invested in 5G and digital infrastructure, your work will directly power businesses, services, and communities across the country.

You’ll work on real challenges, with real impact, across every corner of the country. Wherever you join us, whatever your role, you’ll be helping to build a future that works better for everyone.

We move at pace, because what we’re building matters - and we’re learning as we go. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re just getting started.

The Lead UX & Design Manager is the senior design leader for Business Digital, responsible for defining and driving the design vision, user experience strategy, design standards and operating model across all digital products and channels. The role ensures design delivers exceptional customer experiences while supporting commercial objectives and long-term business goals.

As the subject matter expert for Design within Business Digital, the Lead Design Manager shapes the future design capability, drives design maturity and embeds user-centred design principles across the organisation. Leading a multidisciplinary team of UX and UI specialists, they establish best practice in research, interaction design, visual design, accessibility and design systems.

The role acts as the primary point of connection with Consumer Digital design teams and strategic design technology partners such as Figma, ensuring Business Digital benefits from emerging capabilities, shared assets, innovation and industry-leading practices.

What you'll do

• Design Capability, Innovation & Industry Leadership - Act as the senior design authority for Business Digital. Define design principles, frameworks and ways of working. Build strong design capability across the organization and monitor industry trends, AI-enabled design approaches and emerging technologies. Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, efficiency and design maturity. Represent Business Digital design in senior governance forums, influencing investment decisions, roadmap priorities and experience strategy.
• Design Systems & Tooling - Define the Business Digital design system strategy and roadmap. Partner with Consumer Digital to evolve shared components and design standards. Build strategic relationships with Figma and other design technology partners to maximise platform value, influence future capabilities and improve efficiency and consistency.
• UX Strategy & Experience Vision - Define the long-term user experience strategy for Business Digital, ensuring customer needs, commercial objectives and business priorities are translated into a coherent experience vision and roadmap.
• Experience & Interaction Design - Lead the UX and UI design of end-to-end digital journeys across web, app and portals to deliver best-in-class digital customer experiences. Ensure experiences are user-centered, intuitive, and optimised for conversion and self-service. Translate product requirements into clear UX flows, wireframes and high-fidelity designs, ensuring customer experience is at the head of all design decisions..
• Design Leadership & Standards - Define and evolve the design operating model, establishing and maintaining design standards, patterns and best practice across Digital. Drive alignment with Consumer design teams, leveraging shared patterns, components and best practice, working closely to evolve the design system for Business to ensure consistency and scalability. Ensure all design outputs meet accessibility and usability standards.
• User Insight & Testing - Establish UX performance measures and success criteria, using customer insight and behavioural analytics to demonstrate the impact of design investments and prioritise future improvements. Ensure continuous validation of designs before and after release.
• Design Advocacy - Own the strategic relationship with Consumer Digital design leaders to ensure Business Digital benefits from shared design systems, experimentation outcomes, tooling enhancement, design standards and emerging best practice. Represent Business Digital design requirements within wider Digital forums and influence future design direction across VodafoneThree.
• Team Leadership - Lead, coach and develop UX and UI designers, building a high-performing design organisation. Set clear direction and priorities, aligned to the Business Digital quarterly roadmap and ensuring design capacity is planned effectively. Ensure high-quality outputs across the team through coaching and review. Build capability in user-centered design and modern design practices.
• Cross-functional Collaboration - Partner with Product Owners and Product Managers to shape solutions. Work closely with Consumer Digital UX and Technology Digital Engineering to ensure designs are feasible and implemented as intended. Support alignment across Digital, Marketing and Commercial teams. Ensure work is effectively showcased to stakeholders, with clear visibility of progress and outcomes.

Who you are

• Extensive experience leading UX, product design or digital design functions within complex organisations
• Proven experience building and leading high-performing design teams, including leadership of senior design practitioners
• Expertise in UX design, interaction design, accessibility and design systems
• Demonstrable experience defining design strategies that deliver measurable customer and commercial outcomes
• Strong stakeholder management skills with experience influencing senior leadership teams
• Experience embedding user-centred design approaches within product organisations
• Significant experience with enterprise design tooling and systems - preferably with Figma Experience working in agile product and digital delivery environments, preferably within a Telecommunications or regulated industry.

Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly?

We know that everyone is unique, with multiple aspects to their identity and different experiences behind them. We are passionate about Inclusion for All and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another role, and our recruitment team can help you see how your skills fit in.

Need to know

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulators standards.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to interview for a role that matches their skills. In collaboration with our Talent, Diversity & Inclusion teams and our employee-led DEI Networks, we identified a range of reasonable adjustments to help you feel comfortable and perform at your best self during the interview process. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, for example, extended time or breaks in between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology, please contact your recruiter directly or email [email protected] for guidance.

We use AI in different parts of our business to boost innovation, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities. We know many candidates use AI to fine-tune their CVs or prepare for interviews, but what we really care about is your unique experiences and achievements.

During the interview, we want you to rely on your own knowledge and skills to show us who you really are-your personality, creativity, and abilities. Above all, we’re looking for authenticity and can’t wait to get to know the real you.

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