Head of UX, Research & Design

University of the Arts London (UAL) is a world-leading creative university for teaching and research in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. UAL is made up of six renowned colleges and hosts several institutes that further the university's mission and social purpose. Under the leadership of our new President and Vice-Chancellor, we are designing the University around social purpose; through the students and ideas we send out into the world, and the partnerships we build to achieve social, environmental, and economic progress.

Digital & Technology at UAL is on an exciting journey towards product management and user-centric design. Over the last two years we have been scaling our capabilities, shifting focus from a technology and project-centric approach to the design of intuitive, positive user experiences, and optimised digital services that can scale to support our ambitious growth.

As part of that journey, we are creating a new Head of UX, Research & Design role, a key leadership position where you will lead and grow a team of UX, Service and UI Designers and User Researchers to create seamless user-centric digital experiences for our students and staff, driving the design of intuitive, engaging and effective digital products that cut across teaching and learning, web platforms and student support.

Your role will be key in establishing practices for user experience and research and design to place the user at the heart of what we do, defining a user experience vision and strategy that can be applied across products and services, enabling us to deliver value at pace, as well as setting and owning UX and UI functional design, research, and accessibility standards.

You'll get the opportunity to drive data led working, using quant and qual data to really understand our users and their behaviours, and to determine if a feature, product or service is successful.

Experience

• A track record of establishing, integrating and improving user centred design standards and processes within an agile, product environment
• Excellent leadership skills, managing teams (direct and Matrix), coaching, and mentoring team members, and creating a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement
• Experience in utilising a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative user research methods to translate insights into improvements
• Extensive senior level stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration, and experience of working with external partners/suppliers

UAL is a world-class university, shaping the creative industries worldwide, and staff have access to a range of benefits, training and personal development to recognise and reward the contributions they make, and to encourage excellence, creativity and diversity, including:

• Competitive salary package of circa £75,000 per annum, depending on experience
• An initial 3-year fixed term contract
• 34 days annual leave plus public holidays
• Generous, defined benefit pension scheme
• Family-friendly policies, including 26 weeks of full maternity or paternity pay

HAYS Technology have been retained by University of the Arts London to manage the search and recruitment of this role. For all enquiries, please contact Joel Mundy or Breanna Mahan at Hays Technology.