Senior User Interface (Ui) Designer

Job Introduction

Digital Factory, part of IT Services, was created to deliver innovative products at a fast pace that our Network Rail colleagues will love. We do this using Agile techniques, focusing on the elements that provide real business value whilst also seeking to deliver well-designed products that embrace accessibility to make them useable by everyone. Our team, based in Milton Keynes, brings together the best of discovery, design, development, test, and support to offer a unique service to our Network Rail customers.

We also have a number of specialist teams focusing on areas such as open integration. enabling us to make the best use of data from across the organisation. Our Digital Academy will enable colleagues to better understand and embrace the digital world we now live in and as the railway continues to evolve, we will help drive the change needed to deliver long term benefits through a digital workforce. This was on the original advert, do you need to tweak it to fit?

Main Responsibilities

You’ll lead on the designing and delivering of prototypes, mock-ups and flats for Digital Applications, setting and defining the standard for consistent and accessible designs across all products created by the Digital Factory.

What will you be doing?

• Manage and develop the creation and updating of a design language/system to keep a consistent look and feel across the estate of products, establishing and defining the style of the products for the rest of the Digital Factory team.
• Create a tangible customer vision across all products, including the creation of prototypes (both interactive and non-interactive), flat designs, and mock-ups to enable customers to visualise the proposed product as early as possible in the lifecycle and to establish a consistent ‘look and feel’ for all products.
• Co-ordinate and lead design workshops, designing and running the sessions, to understand the needs of the user to deliver an intuitive and user-centred solution, translating business goals and objectives into digital experiences and building relationships with customers so the User Interface is optimised.
• Create exportable assets and styling information which can be used by developers to inform and enhance the final product's design, so all components are delivered at the end of each development period.
• Collaborate with Digital Delivery Specialists, other Designers, Developers and Quality Engineers so Digital Factory designs are correctly implemented whilst accounting for real-world capabilities and constraints both on device and in user's use-cases.
• Take on User Requirements and User Flows and turn them into explorable, lovable prototypes, meeting with users and customers to explore their ideas in a tangible manner, in order to create successful, aesthetically pleasing products the customer will want to use.
• Research design principles and best practise and then present design decisions and recommendations, both to the team and with customers, using a long-term roadmap to communicate to customers the rationale behind UI choices, enabling the design and delivery of current, functional User Interfaces.
• Control and monitor all design’s adherence to accessible design standards, both on web and mobile, implementing relevant standards, so Network Rail is fully compliant to all accessibility legislation.
• Collaborate with the rest of the team during Design Sprints, leading on the User Interface aspect of the product, presenting new ideas and improvements in a concise and understandable manner, so that customer needs are considered, and best practise is met.
• Support user testing, research, usability and accessibility to test new ideas and concepts prior to implementation, in collaboration with the rest of the team, leading to successful adoption of the products created by Digital Factory.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential

• Degree in Computer Science/Graphics Design or similar degree/equivalent relevant experience.
• Advanced qualification in HCI/UI Design or equivalent
• Proven experience providing expertise in UI Design, preferably focussed on web/mobile design, with a solid understanding of typography, colour and layout.
• Significant experience and knowledge of implementing a design language system in a corporate environment.
• Experience in coaching junior colleagues, providing positive guidance and learning in the tools and techniques associated with the field of User Experience design.
• Good understanding and knowledge of design tools, including but not limited to Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, etc.
• Experience working in an Agile environment delivering digital products.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and in written form
• Proven experience in managing stakeholders and understanding customer needs.

Desirable

• Proven experience in a similar Senior UI role.
• Development experience, including an understanding of HTML5/CSS3 etc.
• Willing and able to work in multi-disciplinary teams to resolve business issues and problems in a collaborative fashion
• Formal training and certification in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, UI Principles etc.

We are committed to a diverse workplace enriched with representation from diverse cultures, backgrounds and skills. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where difference is embraced, and individuals can thrive. We recognise that the success of the team is dependent on a multi-cultural, multi-disciplined group of individuals, aligned to deliver successful solutions.

At Network Rail, we have a number of employee networks to reflect our diverse population and help to raise issues to the wider workforce and support their membership and support our Everybody Matters strategy, led by our central Diversity & Inclusion team. We have Diversity & Inclusion Champions who take part and lead on many activities, to drive through more initiatives to support an inclusive environment for all its people and promote a professional and positive working environment. For more information on Diversity & Inclusion at Network Rail, please follow this link

Do you consider yourself to have a protected characteristic? If so and you require any additional support with your application, please do not hesitate to contact the Resourcer who will happily assist.

About The Company

We’re an organisation where people matter. We matter to millions.

We offer excellent benefits, including:

Generous annual leave (28 days plus statutory days), with the option to buy/sell days.

✨ Defined benefit pension scheme.

75% subsidy on rail and underground season tickets.

Up to 75% off leisure travel for you and your family (subject to terms and conditions)

️ Interest-free travel loan for train and car park season tickets.

Discounts at stations with your Network Rail pass.

Flexible/hybrid working arrangements.

️ Volunteer leave to make a positive impact.

❤ Healthcare Scheme, GymPass discounts, Cycle to work plus more.

We offer generous maternity, paternity, and adoption leave to support our employees during significant life moments

We are proud to be recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for Gender Equality for the third year in a row.

Our role is to run a safe, reliable and efficient railway, serving customers and communities. We exist to get people and goods where they need to be and to support our country’s economic prosperity. Safety is our number one priority.

We're undertaking an ambitious change. Our vision is Putting Passengers First - becoming a company that is on the side of passengers and freight users. As one of the UK’s leading equal opportunities employers, our values and the way we behave is important to us and we have created an environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution. We have seven employee networks that provide fantastic support, opportunities and development for applicants from all backgrounds. Click here for more information

Package Description

Vacancy type: Permanent, 35 hours per week, Hybrid working of 2/3 days in the office. We welcome applications from those seeking flexible or part time hours.

Location: The Quadrant: MK

Closing date: 27th March 2024

Band & Salary: Band 3B

The railway has seen nearly 200 years of technology and innovation that has transformed how we provide services to passengers and freight customers. Technology is continuing to transform the railway industry. Imagine an exciting environment where Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) are not just buzzwords but the driving force behind every operation, every decision, and every solution.

As part of the DDaT directorate, you have a unique opportunity to enable our customers and industry partner with modern and transformative technology. From the day-to-day IT operations that keeps a national railway running, to the extensive delivery programmes that our helping to reshape the railway – we are at the forefront of all of it. We operate with a talented and passionate workforce, fostering empowered individuals and teams who understand that technology is not just a tool – it's the catalyst for progress, especially in an ever-demanding industry where change is a constant.