Hours:

Full time Permanent role - 35 hours a week - Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm
Hybrid working from Skipton Head Office

Salary:

£60,000 Per Annum

Closing Date:

Mon, 16 Dec 2024

UI Design and Engineering Lead

Up to £60k (per annum) Dependant on experience

Do you love leading and inspiring a technical UI design team that creates engaging and user-friendly interfaces?  Are you passionate about making technology accessible to everyone? This Role may be for you …

This role is responsible for providing functional leadership, expertise and direction for UI design and UI engineering. Leading the team that creates engaging, usable, inclusive, and accessible User Interface solutions for web and mobile applications.

This role requires a blend of UI design and UI engineering skills along with a deep understanding of UI design principles, design systems, and UI development best practice to deliver user-centric inclusive experiences across multiple digital channels and applications.

Who Are We?

Not just another building society. Not just another job.

We're the fourth biggest building society in the UK and what makes us a bit different is that we're a mutual organisation. We don't have shareholders; we're owned by our members.

Our colleagues say Skipton's a great place to work, and you could be one of them, bringing with you new ideas on how we can keep customers at the heart of what we do.

Whatever your background, and whatever your goals, we'll help you take the next step towards a better future.

Join a powerhouse team of UI/UX designers and engineers! We collaborate daily with UX Designers, our Engineering Team, and wider stakeholders to craft user-centric experiences across web and mobile. As well and Leading and inspiring the team, you'll iterate solutions with creative minds, then bring those ideas to life in user-friendly, inclusive interfaces.  Get ready to solve problems and make a real difference!

What’s In It For You?

Skipton values work/life balance and we are proud to support hybrid and flexible working, where possible. We have a newly refurbished head office which offers a vibrant and collaborative working space.

We have a range of other benefits available to you including.

• Annual discretionary bonus scheme

• 25 days standard annual leave + bank holidays + rising 1 day per year of service to a maximum of 30 days.

• Holiday trading scheme allowing the ability to buy and sell additional annual leave days.

• Matching employer pension contribution (up to 10% per annum)

• Colleague mortgage (conditions apply)

• Salary sacrifice scheme for hybrid & electric car

• A commitment to training and development.

• Private medical insurance for all our colleagues

• 3 paid volunteering days per annum

• Diverse and inclusive colleague networks available for you to join including our Carers and Pride Alliance groups.

• We care about your health and wellbeing – we provide a range of benefits that support this including cycle to work initiative and discounted gym membership.

What Will You Be Doing?

This role works closely with a range or stakeholders, technical and non-technical, including senior managers and heads of department. It will also work with third party companies and resources within the area of expertise. This role will influence, educate, and negotiate with various roles, influencing business and product owner backlogs and be a decision maker in areas of expertise.

You’ll be responsible for leading a team of UI Designers and Engineers who, alongside you, will be designing best in class User Interface assets and artifacts that follow best practices and are aligned to our design and technology principles, and brand guidelines.

You and your team will be designing and developing UI assets using a variety of code, including HTML, CSS, Sass, React, JavaScript. 

As a Lead you will:

• Lead to ensure the design system is fit for purpose including the platform and technologies used, processes are efficient, effective, and embedded by the teams who use it. Contribution and maintenance of the Design System to ensure consistency across Digital assets, applications, and products.

• Ensure a practical application of design standards, process, practice and principles within the team, external teams, and third-party engagements.  Ensure UI skills and knowledge balance between Digital and Engineering disciplines.

• Future thinking, strategy, and road map in relation to UI design and UI engineering, setting direction and horizon scanning to meet business needs. 

• Accessibility lead from a UI design and UI engineering perspective, providing direction, future thinking, and subject matter expertise.  Ensure usability and accessibility are at the forefront of design and development across different disciplines.

• Be responsible for designing User Interface assets and artifacts that follow best practice and aligned to design principles, technology principles and best practice, brand guidelines.

• Be responsible for engineering User Interface assets using a variety of code used within the team.

• Implement and apply UI/UX best practices and principles.

• Lead on the UI design and engineering work required on assigned projects and initiatives working with peers to ensure alignment and collaboration across functional teams including UX, Engineering, Testing, Marketing and Change Delivery.

• Stay up to date with the latest UI trends, techniques, standards, and technologies.

What Do We Need From You?

Working in a fast-paced agile environment, managing multiple deadlines, you will need to be able to work as part of a multi-discipline team and on your own initiative.

Skills

• Ability to functionally lead the team, proactive support, and development.

• Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills coupled with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation including technical and non-technical colleagues.

• Identify, understand, and implement design and engineering technologies and skills to ensure team are fit for the future balancing immediate need with future direction. In areas of expertise, future thinking, horizon scanning and roadmap creation.

• Able to balance conflicting requirements and priorities, influencing team and stakeholders.

• Drive UI design and engineering best practice balancing against business and commercial needs.

• Able to educate and embed accessibility, inclusive design/development and accessibility technologies and tools.

• Very proficient in tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma or something equivalent.

• Strong Technical skills including JavaScript,TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Sass and working knowledge of React needed for UI engineering.

• UI Kit creation and maintenance in Figma or something similar.

• Design system creation and maintenance, including UI repositories, process, and documentation. Systems, tools, process, repositories, and applications used. Storybook, ZeroHeight, KnapSack or similar.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of design principles and UI best practice.

• Industry standards relating to area of expertise, W3C, WGAC.

• UX principles and best practice.

• Strong accessibility and inclusive design knowledge.

• Best practice for design systems including, atomic design, design token, styling, and build.

• Strong understanding of technologies and tools used for inclusive UI design, development, testing.

Experience

• Functional leading a team, supporting, and motivating colleagues.

• Working on complex problems, requirements, and large-scale projects.

• Creating roadmaps, supporting strategic workstreams, initiative back logs.

• Proven working experience of designing and developing UI for web and mobile applications.

• Hands on practical experience in building UI using React, React Native, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, TypeScript, or similar technologies. Using Git and package managers.

• Building design systems, theory and best practice application of structure, process, and technologies.

• Educating and influencing in areas of expertise across UI Design, Development and Accessibility.

• Working in cross discipline teams, working with UX Design, Full stack engineers, Marketing, and business functions.

• Presenting to technical and non-technical audiences across multiple levels and roles.

• Working across different methodologies, Waterfall, Agile, Kanban or similar