Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and Tech adoption. We have partnered with 1,500 companies to deliver a new kind of learning that's transforming today’s workforce. Our upskilling apprenticeships are designed for people of any age and career stage to build critical AI, data, and tech skills. Our learners have driven $2bn ROI for their employers, using the skills they’ve learned to improve productivity and measurable performance. In June 2022, we announced a $220 million Series D funding round co-led by StepStone Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners and General Catalyst. With a post-money valuation of $1.7bn, the round makes us the UK’s first EdTech unicorn. But we aren’t stopping there. With a strong operational footprint and 800 employees, we have ambitious plans to continue scaling. We’re building a world where tech skills unlock people’s potential and output. Join Multiverse and power our mission to equip the workforce to win in the AI era. The Opportunity At Multiverse, we’re building a product-led business that transforms the workplace through high-quality apprenticeships, giving people from all backgrounds access to world-class careers. Our UX team designs intuitive, inclusive, insight-driven experiences that drive real outcomes — with velocity, learning, and craft excellence at the core. We’re seeking a strategic, hands-on Design Manager to elevate UX quality and effectiveness across a pivotal product group: Product Fundamentals. You'll help deliver against our “Cost to Serve” OKR, building smarter systems that reduce operational effort without compromising user experience. What You'll Do Shape UX vision and priorities across your group: Align 3–4 cross-functional squads around user-centred goals, driving quality, efficiency, and measurable impact. Be a hands-on leader (Player-Coach): As a Player, you'll spend around 40% of your time actively contributing to strategic discovery, vision prototyping, and unblocking squad work. As a Coach, you'll spend around 60% of your time developing your team — growing skillsets, managing performance, and raising the UX quality bar You'll lead from both the pitch and the sidelines, flexing your hands-on involvement based on team needs and maturity. Champion quality and growth: Embed critique culture, QA standards, and operational UX excellence across your squads. Drive scalable, cost-efficient systems: Design smart solutions that reduce internal effort and increase user satisfaction. Collaborate across disciplines: Work closely with Research, Data, Product, and Engineering partners. Embed Growth Design practices: Help your team prioritise experiments, optimisation, and measurable improvements. Evolve our design operations: Shape planning rituals and workflows that support fast, sustainable delivery. Hire, lead, and develop your team: Manage 2–5 product designers, building a culture of high performance and creativity. About You Proven experience leading design teams and scaling quality in fast-paced environments. Strong UX craft and systems thinking, with a portfolio showing real-world impact. Skilled at balancing strategic leadership and hands-on contribution. Collaborative by nature — building strong partnerships across Product, Engineering, and Data. Comfortable embedding Growth Design principles and experimentation mindsets. A strong coach who grows designers’ craft, confidence, and impact. Fluent in Figma and fast at using prototyping for communication and alignment. Embodying Multiverse values, especially "Development is at our core." Bonus Points While not required, you might stand out even more if you: Show proof of curiosity through side projects — experimenting with things like 'vibe coding', new AI tools, or self-driven UX challenges. Bring multidimensional experience across complementary areas like coding, copywriting, motion design, video editing, or growth marketing. Can obsess over specific problems, going deep to truly understand the nuances of a user need or system challenge. Who You’ll Be Joining You’ll join a thoughtful, ambitious team of designers and researchers shaping Multiverse’s product evolution. Designers work as true partners with PMs and Engineers. Strong foundations exist: Product First Principles, Design QA, Critique Culture, and a Design System — with varied adoption across squads. Based on the Nielsen Norman UX Maturity Model, we’re currently at Stage 4: Structured — systematic, but variably effective. We're evolving toward a more craft-driven, scalable UX culture, and you’ll play a key role in raising maturity and consistency. Benefits Time off - 27 days holiday, plus 7 additional days off: 1 life event day, 2 volunteer days and 2 company-wide wellbeing days and 8 bank holidays per year Health & Wellness - private medical Insurance with Bupa, a medical cashback scheme, life insurance, gym membership & wellness resources through Gympass and access to Spill - all in one mental health support Hybrid work offering - and the opportunity to take part in our work-from-anywhere scheme Team fun - weekly socials, company wide events and office snacks! Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion We’re an equal opportunities employer. And proud of it. Every applicant and employee is afforded the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. This will never change. Read our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy here. Right to Work Do you have the right to work in the UK? Unfortunately, at this time we cannot offer sponsorship for this role and we cannot consider overseas applications. Safeguarding All posts in Multiverse involve some degree of responsibility for safeguarding. Successful applicants are required to complete a Disclosure Form from the Disclosure and Barring Service ("DBS") for the position. Failure to declare any convictions (that are not subject to DBS filtering) may disqualify a candidate for appointment or result in summary dismissal if the discrepancy comes to light subsequently.