About Us
We're part strategic consultancy, part design agency. We shape the strategy and create the work that consumers see and experience.
We're proud to be fiercely independent, working with brands we believe in and building our company around the things that energise us. That means meaningful collaboration, genuine empowerment, and the ability to move with pace and flexibility for our clients.
We're looking for people who want to make their mark. People who thrive in environments that aren't overly neat or tightly prescribed. Those who embrace ownership, enjoy variety, and feel energised by the opportunity to shape both the work and the way we work.
Role/s Overview
As Design Director, you will provide strategic and creative leadership across complex, large-scale digital programmes within global organisations.
This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping the overall design vision and ensuring excellence across UX, UI, Service Design, and digital ecosystems. You will oversee multiple workstreams and design leads, ensuring cohesive thinking across product experiences, service models, and performance-driven touchpoints.
You will operate at both strategic and operational levels, defining long-term design direction while ensuring delivery quality, governance, and measurable business impact.
This role requires strong executive presence, deep experience in digital commerce and experience design, and the ability to guide complex, multi-disciplinary teams across regions.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
* Define and articulate a clear design vision aligned with client business objectives.
* Shape multi-year experience strategies across digital product, service, and campaign ecosystems.
* Ensure alignment between UX, UI, service design, CRM, and performance marketing initiatives.
* Act as a senior strategic partner to client leadership teams.
Creative & Design Excellence
* Champion high standards of craft, accessibility, usability, and innovation across all outputs.
* Oversee the evolution of scalable design systems and governance frameworks.
* Ensure work balances brand storytelling with conversion and performance goals.
* Maintain consistency across global and regional markets.
Team Leadership & Mentorship
* Lead and mentor senior designers, service designers, strategists, and marketing designers.
* Foster a culture of structured feedback, growth, and continuous improvement.
* Establish clear workflows and quality standards across all design disciplines.
* Support recruitment and development of high-performing design talent.
Client & Stakeholder Management
* Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across product, CX, CRM, and marketing functions.
* Lead executive presentations, workshops, and strategic planning sessions.
* Navigate complex, matrixed organisations with confidence and clarity.
* Represent FW.D as a senior voice in design leadership conversations.
Operational Oversight
* Ensure design workstreams are aligned with delivery timelines and KPIs.
* Support governance frameworks that ensure scalable and repeatable excellence.
* Identify risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for optimisation across workflows.
* Travel to client locations in Europe and the US as required.
What We're Looking For
Essential
* 10+ years' experience in UX/UI, Service Design, or Digital Experience roles, with significant leadership experience.
* Proven experience leading multidisciplinary design teams within complex digital environments.
* Deep expertise in design systems, governance frameworks, and scalable experience architecture.
* Strong commercial understanding, able to connect design decisions to KPIs such as conversion, retention, and engagement.
* Experience operating at executive stakeholder level within large organisations.
* A portfolio demonstrating strategic impact, design leadership, and measurable business results.
Preferred
* Experience working within global or multi-market digital ecosystems.
* Background in both product experience and performance-driven digital environments.
* Familiarity with CRM, lifecycle marketing, and customer journey optimisation.
* Experience shaping operating models and embedded team structures.
Benefits
* Remote first, with regular opportunities to collaborate in-person as a team
* 25 holiday days, in addition to bank holidays
* Regular team-wide get-togethers
* Company pension with 4% employer contribution