Head of Experience Design

Tanqeeb; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 450,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Al Tayer Insignia is seeking a Head of Experience Design to own end-to-end experience strategy across physical, digital, and phygital touchpoints. You will lead the creation of a formal XD practice, collaborate with Digital, IT, and brand stakeholders, and shape the experiential strategy for our luxury retail portfolio, Amber loyalty, and future concepts.

The role requires 8-10+ years in experience/design leadership within premium omnichannel environments and a proven track record of scaling

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years in experience/service design, ideally luxury retail
• Proven ability to scale a CX/XD practice
• Retail experience mandatory

Responsibilities

• Define Al Tayer Insignia's experience design vision and multi-year roadmap, translating the Customer Strategy into concrete design priorities across physical, digital, and phygital (bridge CX, UX, UI where needed).
• Build the experience design function from scratch: methodology, standards, tools, governance, talent
• Turn customer intelligence, trends, and journey insight into design interventions that make truly shape differentiation and preference for our portfolio brands, our loyalty programme, and our customers.
• Set the design agenda for reinventing the experiential side of retail formats across all verticals and channels (Department Stores, online flagships, Amber, new concepts)
• Govern the associated investments, feeding design perspective into business cases and OKRs and pave the way for Innovation through experiences.

Skills

Design frameworks

Experience design

UX design

CX XD practice

Collaboration

Brand strategy

Strategic influence

Retail experience

Job description

Job description

The Head of Experience Design owns end-to-end experience design strategy and execution across physical (in-store, physical), digital, and phygital touchpoints for Al Tayer Insignia’s portfolio. Playing an instrumental part in shaping the differentiating value proposition of our brands and concepts beyond products, they support the development and realisation of our Customer Strategy and experiential north star, contributing to reinventing the way we do retail and building true regional and global experiential statements.

Focused on crafting and elevating delightful moments that inspire our customers and orchestratating seemless experiences, this role translates key insights (from customer intelligence, trends monitoring, market, VoC, and journey insight) into strategic, compelling, innovative and creative design interventions, across each phases of the end-to-end customer journeys.

The Head of Experience Design acts as the experience design authority for the company, building and scaling a formal and innovative experience design practice/discipline within ATI, from methodology, to tools, governance and talent.

They deploy a customer-centric and brand-centric approach to design, which allows our brands to prioritize the delivery of truly empathetic and human-centric experiences, natively omnichannel and filled with signature moments that drive both customer and commercial outcome. Their work enables the reinvention and future proofing of our existing key formats, from Department Stores to online flagships, our loyalty programme Amber, new concepts, and beyond.

As a cross-functional leader and collaboration role model at heart, the Head of Experience Design ensures that they effectively partner with all business verticals and brands stakeholders, beyond CX & Marketing functions, effectively ensuring that they support their strategic ambitions. They also collaborate successfully with talent across Digital and product teams, IT teams, and other enabling functiuons. Critically, they engage with the store teams, customer care team and other customer facing roles to design in context and with a true focus on relevance.

Finally, the Head of Experience Design works with the Customer Intelligence team and others to effectively measure the key journeys end to end and continuously improve them, ensuring that there is effective ownership.

At Al Tayer Insignia, your career is more than a job — it’s a journey into the heart of luxury retail. For over 40 years, we’ve partnered with the world’s most iconic brands, creating award-winning retail experiences across our boutiques, department stores, and leading online platforms. With stores and outlets across the GCC and a truly seamless omnichannel presence, we bring style, innovation, and heritage together. Here, you’ll join a diverse, customer obsessed, passionate team that celebrates creativity, values individuality, and empowers you to grow. Join us on our journey, reimagining fashion and redefining the meaning of luxury in the region.

Responsibilities

Strategic Roles and Responsibilities

• Define Al Tayer Insignia's experience design vision and multi-year roadmap, translating the Customer Strategy into concrete design priorities across physical, digital, and phygital (bridge CX, UX, UI where needed).

• Build the experience design function from scratch: methodology, standards, tools, governance, talent

• Turn customer intelligence, trends, and journey insight into design interventions that make truly shape differentiation and preference for our portfolio brands, our loyalty programme, and our customers.

• Set the design agenda for reinventing the experiential side of retail formats across all verticals and channels (Department Stores, online flagships, Amber, new concepts)

• Govern the associated investments, feeding design perspective into business cases and OKRs and pave the way for Innovation through experiences.

Functional Roles and Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end journey mapping and service design across the full customer lifecycle. Connect all the dots that need to be connected, from strategy to CX design, UX to UI.

• Deploy Design Thinking methodologies and onboard key stakeholders to the approach

• Design signature moments that balance creative differentiation with commercial impact

• Collaborate with the Customer Intelligence team around: behavioural personas, trends and insights, concept testing, customer co-creation, and more.

• Partner with the relevant teams to track and continuously improve key journeys, with clear ownership at each stage

People Management Roles and Responsibilities

• Manage the Experience Design unit and drive systematic collaboration with the relevant teams

• Coach on both the craft (experience design, prototyping, etc.) and strategic, brand-led thinking

• Partner cross-functionally with brand and vertical stakeholders to align design work to their priorities

• Influence and inspire stakeholders, ensuring that a culture of experience design emerges beyond the team

• Work closely with tech enabling functions such as with Digital and IT to ensure designs are technically feasible and get implemented

• Work closely with store teams, customer care, and other front-line teams to keep design grounded in operational reality and connected with the needs of those who deliver the experience

Qualifications

Years of Experience

• 8-10+ years in experience/service design, ideally luxury retail, hospitality, or premium omnichannel environments.

Knowledge and Skills

• Proven fluency in Design Frameworks, Experience Design, UX Design

• Proven track record designing and scaling a CX / XD practice

• Proven track record in knowledge sharing, inspiration, influence, culture shaping

• Outstanding collaboration abilities

• Strong abilities in bridging business strategy, creative design, trends analysis, brand strategy, and financial outcomes, through experience design

• Ability to operate at strategic level, unlocking key decisions with senior stakeholders, while continuously contributing to hands‑on craft and guiding the team

• Retail experience mandatory