UX Design Director Head of Interaction
- London, United Kingdom
Posted 7 days ago
About the role
UX Design Director Head of Interaction
Location: London
Level: CL5/6
Purpose
Drive the strategic vision, culture, and execution of world-class interaction design across Accenture Song — setting the standard for craft quality, embedding human-centred design at the heart of the business, and ensuring every digital product and service delivers measurable value.
Orientation
Define and champion interaction design strategy at an organisational level; set standards for conceptual thinking, interaction design, and experience coherence across multi-disciplinary teams; establish governance and ways of working that elevate quality and consistency; lead with a systems-thinking mindset, connecting design strategy to business goals, technology capabilities, and long-term product vision.
Expectations
Be visionary. Set the standard. Build the culture. Lead with empathy at scale. Drive strategic clarity. Develop others relentlessly. Hold a high bar. Champion design with courage and conviction.
Years of Experience
12+ years of progressive industry experience, including 6+ years in senior design leadership or people management roles.
Demonstrated experience owning and evolving a UX or interaction design practice at an organisational or business-unit level.
Track record of managing and developing design managers, not just individual contributors.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Design, HCI, or a related field; advanced degree advantageous.
Requirements
Leadership & Personal
Define and communicate a bold, long-range vision for interaction design that aligns with organisational strategy and inspires teams at all levels.
Position design as a strategic business driver; articulate the commercial and experiential return on design investment to C-suite and senior stakeholders.
Establish a research-led, evidence-based design culture across the organisation.
Serve as an executive sponsor for design, advocating for resources, headcount, and tooling.
Model and instil a culture of psychological safety, ambition, and continuous learning.
Craft & Standards
Own and evolve the design standards, frameworks, and systems that define quality across all products and services.
Set the vision for design language and cross-platform experience coherence, from concept through to delivery.
Create organisational knowledge artefacts — principles, playbooks, and pattern libraries — that scale craft and reduce inconsistency.
Act as the final creative authority on high-stakes, complex design decisions.
People & Organisation
Build, scale, and retain a world-class design team; develop a talent pipeline through hiring, mentoring, and succession planning.
Manage a team of senior designers and design managers; set clear performance expectations and create meaningful growth pathways.
Foster a diverse, inclusive team culture that reflects the breadth of the users we serve.
Lead organisational design for the UX function, including team structure, roles, and operating model as the organisation scales.
Champion design career frameworks and ensure equitable, transparent progression across the discipline.
Strategic Delivery & Governance
Own the end-to-end design delivery model across multiple simultaneous programmes, ensuring quality, pace, and alignment with business priorities.
Introduce and maintain design governance processes, critique cadences, and quality gates.
Partner with Product, Engineering, Data, and Research leadership to co-define roadmaps and ensure design is embedded at every stage.
Drive adoption of state-of-the-art methods and emerging design practices.
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
Serve as the executive design lead in senior client relationships, building long-term trust and acting as a strategic thought partner.
Translate complex design strategy into compelling narratives for executive and board-level audiences.
Lead the design of strategic workshops and co-creation sessions with C-suite stakeholders.
Identify and shape new business opportunities through design-led thinking.
Industry & Community
Represent Accenture Song as a recognised thought leader; present at major industry conferences and build the studio external profile.
Cultivate an external network that generates talent, partnership, and innovation opportunities.
Set the agenda for internal design community initiatives, shaping a studio-wide culture of craft, curiosity, and excellence.
Skillset
Proven ability to think at a systems level — connecting interaction, service, brand, and business strategy into a coherent experience vision.
Deep expertise in human-centred and research-led design practices, with the authority to set organisational standards.
Mastery of the full design toolkit: experience strategy, interaction design, information architecture, rapid prototyping, and usability evaluation.
Strong command of design systems thinking and the governance required to maintain them at scale.
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills; able to influence and inspire at every level of the organisation.
Commercially literate — able to frame design decisions in terms of business outcomes, risk, and opportunity.
Fluency with leading design and prototyping tools; knowledge of front-end technical constraints and emerging technologies including AI-driven design tooling.
Set Yourself Apart
Experience leading UX transformation programmes or establishing a design practice from the ground up.
A published body of work — articles, talks, or research — that has contributed meaningfully to the broader design community.
Experience operating within a global, matrixed organisation across multiple markets or practice areas.
Portfolio Requirement
Applications without a design portfolio demonstrating craft quality, process, and relevant experience will not be considered.
What'sin it for You
In addition to a competitive salary package, you will benefit from an extensive rewards offering including up to 30 days' annual leave, private medical insurance, and 3 additional days' leave per year for charitable work of your choice.
Flexibility and mobility arerequiredto deliver this role. There will be a requirement to spend meaningful time on-site with clients, partners, and teams to enable delivery of the first-class experiences we are known for.
Some clientsrequirebackground checks. You will need to complete a Baseline Personal Security Standard (BPSS) to confirm your identity, criminal record, right to work and residency.
Comfortable with hybrid working. Every project is different, but we love our team to be in the studio and in our client's office to work collaboratively.
Accenture is an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.