Head of Barclays UK Design - Fixed Term Contract - External / Secondment - Internal

London, United Kingdom

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Date live: 21/07/2025

Business Area: Marketing & Design

Area of Expertise: Product Development & Management

Contract: T&M Agency (Headcount)

Reference Code: JR-0000058004

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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We’re looking for a bold, strategic and customer-obsessed Design Director to lead our team of Product and Service Designers, transforming the way people experience banking every day. In this role, you’ll create the space for design to drive innovation and commercial growth. You’ll lead the direction on how we craft products and services that are not only beautifully designed but make a real impact – for our customers, colleagues, communities and our business.

Key Criteria:

Lead and inspire a high-performing team of product and service designers, working across digital products, customer journeys and end-to-end service experiences.
Partner closely with business, product, technology, marketing and CX leaders to shape experiences that are loved by customers and drive measurable results; embedding design as a core lever of value creation, differentiation and growth.
Drive holistic design thinking and champion service design and systems thinking to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Ensure design is a key enabler of innovation, customer loyalty, brand value and business growth.
Responsible for driving the commercial impact of design through the bank’s journeys, services and digital channels; elevate Design as a strategic lever, building trust advocacy across executive and cross-functional teams.
Define and articulate the design strategy for product and service innovation within the broader context of Business objectives and Agile delivery framework.
Set high-standards for design excellence, defining standards that drive the commercial value of design with a foundational focus on usability, inclusivity, brand compliance and regulatory adherence.
Define design operating models, resource planning and quality governance to support scalable design excellence and efficiencies in practice. Embed the use of design systems, tools and frameworks to ensure consistency, quality and scalability.
Partner with Group Brand & Experience teams, to ensure connectivity and strengthened practice between BUK and wider areas of the organisation.
Build, inspire and lead a high performing design team with a strong culture of curiosity, innovation, inclusivity and continual learning.
Influence the strategic development of new propositions and services through design-led thinking.
Bring together marketing insights and CX insights to ensure design solutions and delivery are highly relevant and resonate with target customer segments.
Promote design thinking culture across the bank through training and best practice sharing.
Design talent development, retention of design team talent growth and engagement.
10yrs+ in Experience Design with at least 5 years in leadership.
Proven track record of delivering innovative customer experiences at scale, influencing through enterprise leadership
Deep understanding of human centred design, behavioural insights, market analysis, agile methodologies, and customer research practice.
Strong portfolio showcasing strategic thinking, communication skills and influence at senior levels.
Understanding of brand strategy and marketing, and business transformation in large organisations.
Exceptional stakeholder management. Has worked in or with complex regulated environments like banking, insurance or health sectors.

Accountabilities

Need identification and distillation to support the creation of balanced business cases which factor in customer appeal and feasibility and drive positive customer outcomes.
Delivery of high-quality insight and design outputs across all practice disciplines, any project budgets allocated to Insights and Design, including the management of budget related to research or design agencies or the use of a contingent workforce.
Problem statement facilitation and prioritisation across the business areas, lead solution discovery, co-ordinate solution/service designs taking accountability for solution integrity across Barclays.
Evaluation of programme or product risks to mitigate potential risks through iterative design and testing ahead of customer launch. Building a culture that understands the value of customer-focused, human-centric design.
Customer research, listening, testing and market scanning processes within specific business areas. Monitor market trends including competitor insights and wider macro trends. Incorporate colleague feedback into investigations into service provision. Test designs and experience through prototypes with target customers and colleagues to identify areas for improvement to refine products or service experiences before launch. Enabling identified areas for improvement to be translated into clear customer and commercial benefits.
Implementation of agile ways of working within teams, enabling greater efficiency across the business and technology.
Delivering of accurate insight on core CX outcomes and building stronger awareness and engagement around critical customer metrics, enabling the business to better identify new opportunities, amplify existing plans and identify potential risks. Promotes and builds a stronger customer experience culture with stakeholders.

Director Expectations

To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior 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.

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

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.

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.

Your assessment

Covering your behaviours and ability at work.

Your interview

Exploring your past experiences and skills.

Next step

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

How to Apply Read our FAQ's

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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