User Experience (UX) Designer

EMBL; Hinxton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

EMBL-EBI's Digital Experience (DX) team seeks a thoughtful UX Designer on a 12-month fixed-term maternity cover contract. You will explore emerging technologies and shape digital solutions to help users discover, access and interact with EMBL-EBI's data and services.

From research to prototyping and delivery, you will collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues, champion accessibility and contribute to design systems. A Grade 5 salary is provided with generous benefits.

Qualifications

• Professional experience in UX or product design.
• Portfolio demonstrating user research, interaction design, prototyping and outcomes.
• Experience planning, conducting and synthesising user research and usability testing.
• Strong skills in Figma or comparable design tools.
• Practical knowledge of accessibility and WCAG standards.
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Planning and conducting user interviews, usability tests, workshops and feedback sessions.
• Translating qualitative and quantitative evidence into clear insights and priorities.
• Creating user flows, information architectures, wireframes, prototypes and accessible interface designs.
• Simplify complex workflows and data-rich experiences without losing essential detail.
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams throughout discovery and delivery stages.
• Contributing to design systems, reusable patterns and clear UX documentation.
• Championing accessibility, inclusive design and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Using AI and other emerging tools thoughtfully within the design process to support exploration, prototyping and iteration.

Skills

UX design

User research

Figma

Accessibility

Prototyping

Communication

Collaboration

Learning agility

Tools

Figma

Job description

We are seeking a thoughtful and proactive User Experience (UX) Designer to join EMBL-EBI's Digital Experience (DX) team at EMBL-EBI on a fixed-term maternity cover contract.

In this role, you will help us explore and apply emerging technologies and design digital solutions that enhance how users discover, access and interact with EMBL-EBI's information and services.

Working as part of the DX team, you will contribute across the design lifecycle, from research and discovery to prototyping, delivery and continuous improvement. You will connect user needs with practical solutions and support the team in shaping intuitive, accessible and engaging digital experiences.

By shaping connected, accessible services around users' needs, the DX team helps bring EMBL-EBI's mission to life: making life science data freely available and helping scientific discovery move forward.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Planning and conducting user interviews, usability tests, workshops and feedback sessions.
• Turning qualitative and quantitative evidence into clear insights and priorities.
• Creating user flows, information architectures, wireframes, prototypes and accessible interface designs.
• Simplify complex workflows and data-rich experiences without losing essential detail.
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams throughout discovery and delivery stages.
• Contributing to design systems, reusable patterns and clear UX documentation.
• Championing accessibility, inclusive design and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Using AI and other emerging tools thoughtfully within the design process to support exploration, prototyping and iteration, while critically evaluating their outputs, limitations and impact on users.

You will bring:

• Professional experience in UX or product design, ideally in a scientific, technical or data-intensive environment.
• A portfolio demonstrating user research, interaction design, prototyping and delivered outcomes.
• Experience of planning, conducting and synthesising user research and usability testing.
• Strong skills in Figma or comparable design and prototyping tools.
• Practical knowledge of accessibility and WCAG standards.
• The ability to communicate design decisions clearly and work effectively with technical and non-technical colleagues.
• A collaborative, organised and adaptable approach; you will be confident to approach learning new and unfamiliar concepts

You may also have:

• An interest in, or experience with, responsible AI-enabled design and research methods.
• Experience contributing to design systems, reusable components or shared UX standards.
• Experience designing data-rich products or services for specialist and international audiences.
• Knowledge of analytics, front-end technologies or Agile and Lean UX practices.

What success looks like:

Success means delivering clear research insights, tested designs and accessible interfaces that teams can confidently build. You will strengthen collaboration between UX and engineering, improve consistency across the digital portfolio and help create trustworthy services that embrace the possibilities of an AI-enabled future while remaining grounded in real user needs.

Contract length:

12-month fixed-term Staff Member contract to c over maternity leave. As a result, preference will be given to candidates who are available to start in December 2026 or January 2027.

Please note:

Please note that, due to the duration of the appointment, relocation support is not available for this position.

Salary:

Grade 5 - Monthly salary from £3,452.05 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on individual circumstances. Excluding 12.99% personal pension and insurance contributions.

Where Can I Find Out More?

EMBL-EBI's ITS Digital Experience Team Geetika Malhotra

Why join us

Do something meaningful

At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.

Join a culture of in