Lead Designer

Co-op Digital; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday (32 with service)

Employer pension up to 10%

Private healthcare

Onsite gym access (Manchester HQ)

Staff discount

Job summary

Co-op Digital is seeking a Lead Designer in Manchester to lead design across complex product initiatives, starting with the Quick Commerce team. You will shape accessible, user-centred experiences and drive end-to-end journeys with cross-functional teams.

The role emphasizes strong interaction design, research and service design, with leadership responsibilities and opportunities to coach others while contributing to the wider design practice at Co-op.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in interaction design and usability with a portfolio showing complex problems
• Strong design craft with rapid exploration and prototyping using Figma, Adobe CC, sketches and AI ideation
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work across multiple design disciplines including user research, service design and accessibility
• Experience leading end-to-end design activities in product teams
• Experience coaching and mentoring other designers
• Ability to balance priorities and lead design from discovery to delivery

Responsibilities

• Lead design activity across complex product initiatives, starting with Quick Commerce
• Shape intuitive, accessible, user-centred digital experiences focusing on interaction design
• Drive broader design practice across the product ecosystem and end-to-end journeys
• Facilitate workshops and present design work to diverse audiences
• Coach and support designers to develop capabilities across the team
• Use research and data to inform design decisions and improve outcomes
• Collaborate with product managers and engineers to identify opportunities and deliver value
• Maintain high standards of design quality, accessibility and user-centred thinking
• Contribute to continuous improvement of design practices and tools across Co-op

Skills

Interaction design

Usability

Communication

Facilitation

Cross-functional teamwork

Leadership

Tools

Figma

Adobe Creative Cloud

Sketching

Job description

Lead Designer
From £60,000 plus private healthcare, pension with up to 10% employer contributions and more great benefits (Work Level 5)
Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office when required for workshops, team meetings and events (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We're open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future. We’re creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Lead Designer to join our Experience and Product Design team and help us create simple, inclusive and effective digital experiences for our customers. This is a generalist design role with a strong focus on interaction design, requiring the confidence to work across disciplines including research, content, service design and accessibility. Initially supporting our Quick Commerce Value Stream, you'll work across product teams to solve complex customer problems, improve customer journeys and deliver outcomes that make a measurable difference to both customer experience and business performance.

Why this role matters

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and influence the future of one of Co-op's fastest-evolving digital products. Quick Commerce is a growing area with plenty of opportunities to innovate, experiment and improve how customers shop with us online. You'll work alongside a talented team of designers, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and have the freedom to shape solutions from discovery through to delivery. It's a role that offers variety, ownership and the chance to develop your leadership skills by coaching and supporting other designers, while continuing to grow your own craft. Based within a supportive and collaborative design community, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on both customer experience and the wider design practice across our Co-op.

What you’ll do

• Lead design activity across complex product initiatives, initially within our Quick Commerce team
• Shape and deliver intuitive, accessible and user-centred digital experiences, with a strong focus on interaction design and usability
• Drive broader design practice across the product ecosystem, leading research, content, optimisation and service design to shape cohesive, end-to-end customer journeys
• Facilitate workshops, present design work and confidently communicate decisions to a range of audiences
• Coach, mentor and support designers across interaction, research, content and service design, helping to develop capability across the team
• Use research, insight and data to inform design decisions and improve customer outcomes
• Work closely with product managers, engineers and other stakeholders to identify opportunities, solve problems and deliver value
• Champion high standards of design quality, accessibility and user-centred thinking
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of our design practices, tools and ways of working across our Co-op

What you’ll bring

We're committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Proven experience in interaction design and usability, with a portfolio that demonstrates solving complex customer problems for digital products
• Strong design craft skills, with the ability to rapidly explore, prototype and communicate ideas using tools and techniques such as Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, sketching, paper prototyping and AI-assisted ideation
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence decisions, build alignment and work effectively through ambiguity
• The ability to work confidently across a range of design disciplines, including user research, service design, content design and accessibility
• Experience working within multidisciplinary product teams alongside engineering, product and delivery colleagues
• Experience leading end-to-end design activities, from identifying opportunities and understanding problems through to delivering solutions and measuring impact
• Experience coaching, mentoring and supporting the development of other designers, alongside a pragmatic and collaborative approach to problem solving
• The confidence to balance competing priorities and lead design activity from discovery through to delivery

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we're committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we're owned by our members. And because we're owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you're not just taking a job, you're joining a movement. We're an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we're powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you'll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Private healthcare
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We're building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.
We're proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we'll support you.
Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.