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Design Lead - Product - BPL

London, United Kingdom

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Date live: 12/02/2026

Business Area: Acquiring & Gateway

Area of Expertise: Product Development & Management

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000097646

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Barclays Product Development & Management

In a role in Product Development & Management, you'll oversee our entire product lifecycle. Your responsibilities include gathering and prioritising product and customer requirements, defining product vision, and ensuring successful delivery and ongoing performance.

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Join us as a Design Lead, where you’ll build and own our design function from the ground up, shaping the end-to-end experience across seven value streams spanning the full merchant lifecycle. From onboarding and merchant portals to processing, point of sale, and value-added services, you’ll establish design as a core capability within the organisation. This role is about creating the standards, systems, and practices that make design indispensable as the portfolio evolves. You’ll partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership, working alongside Research and CX teams to translate insight into intuitive, scalable experiences for both small businesses and enterprise merchants. Initially hands-on, you’ll lead wireframing, prototyping, experimentation, and usability testing while building a robust, scalable design system. As the organisation grows, you’ll recruit and develop a high-performing team, embed strong design governance, and define what great design looks like across the portfolio. This is an opportunity to set the direction, raise the bar, and shape how design drives measurable business impact.

Essential Skills / Basic Qualifications:

  • Significant experience building and leading design teams within digital product environments, including establishing design functions from the ground up

  • Demonstrable portfolio spanning UX, UI, and service design, with the ability to operate hands-on as well as lead and develop others

  • Experience creating, implementing, and scaling design systems across complex, multi-product organisations

  • Proven track record of working within Product, Design, and Engineering partnerships to shape and influence product strategy

  • Evidence of delivering measurable outcomes, such as improving task completion rates, increasing customer satisfaction, or scaling team capability

  • Experience driving design quality and consistency across multiple products or value streams

Desired Skills / Preferred Qualifications:

  • Background in payments, fintech, or wider financial services environments

  • Experience designing merchant-facing products, such as portals, onboarding journeys, or self-service platforms

  • Experience collaborating closely with dedicated research or customer insight teams

  • Understanding of regulatory considerations and their influence on digital product design

  • Experience building or contributing to externally facing design systems

You may be assessed on key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is based in London.

About BPL

Barclays’ payments acceptance business provides critical infrastructure to the UK economy, processing billions of pounds of payments annually for both small businesses and domestic and international corporate clients.

In April 2025, we announced a long-term partnership with Brookfield Asset Management to grow and transform the payments acceptance business by broadening the range of services offered, enhancing the experience for both existing and prospective clients. Leveraging extensive client relationships and deep experience of UK payments, we will create an environment of continuous innovation - activated by Brookfield’s global private equity expertise in payments, technology, operational transformation and corporate carve-outs - to ensure the business is strategically positioned for long-term growth.

Barclays will invest approximately £400m in the new business, the majority of which will be incurred during the first three years. Performance-linked incentives will drive greater alignment between the partners, underpinning the long-term commitment to the transformation. Barclays and Brookfield will work to create a standalone entity over time, continuing to use the Barclaycard Payments (BPL) brand and acting as the sole payments acceptance services provider to Barclays’ clients for a minimum of ten years. 

For more information on our partnership with Brookfield, please visit Barclays.com.

Purpose of the role

To create best in class user experiences that are aligned to customer needs and drive optimal commercial and customer outcomes. Creating products and journeys that meet customers informational, functional and emotional needs.  

Accountabilities

  • Conceptualisation, design and implementation of user-centric digital banking products and experiences, ensuring alignment with customer needs, industry best practices and business objectives. Monitoring impact of design post launch through relevant metrics.   .
  • Collaboration with cross-functional teams including product managers, developers, business analysts to translate business requirements into compelling user experiences. Efficiently communicate design rationale and advocate for user-centred design principles. Advocate and champion Design Principles within the organisation.   .
  • Development of interactive prototypes and wireframes to visualise design concepts and validate solutions. Iterate designs based on feedback, incorporating changing technical and business requirements and user feedback.   .
  • Evaluation of the technical feasibility, legal compliance, and potential risks associated with the development and launch of the new product. Securing governance oversite and providing design assurance.
  • User research, usability testing and data analysis to gather insights in user behaviour, preferences and pain points. Utilise findings to inform design decisions and enhance the over user experience and translate these into commercial and customer outcomes.
  • Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies and design tools within the fintech and banking industry. Proactively identify opportunities for innovation and improvement in product design processes, tools and methodologies.

Vice President Expectations

  • To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
  • If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
  • If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
  • OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
  • Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
  • Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
  • Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
  • Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
  • Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
  • Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
  • Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
  • Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

This is Barclays London

Our global HQ is in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London’s financial district. There are over 10,000 colleagues here – a hugely diverse workforce made up of the world’s best financial and tech talent. If you love the buzz of city life, this is the place to be.

Supporting active commuters

Cycle or run to work? We’ve got everything you need – from cycle hire and parking areas to new showering and changing facilities.

Time to connect

CoSpace is our drop-in co-working space, where networks are built, problems are solved collectively and our community is strengthened.

Wellbeing in focus

Our Wellness Suite includes a well-equipped gym and exercise studios, and provides personal training sessions and massage therapy.

Advanced trading floors

Our new trading floors enhance communication, integrate sustainability, and support health and wellbeing through innovative design and British-sourced furniture.

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more

Application Process

Your application

We’ll ask for information about you, your CV and cover letter.

1

Your assessment

Covering your behaviours and ability at work.

2

Your interview

Exploring your past experiences and skills.

3

Next step

We’ll request additional information so that you can complete our screening process

4
How to ApplyRead our FAQ's
Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience.
And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

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