Thoughtworks is a pioneer in integrating experience design with agile software delivery. Our designers work in multi-disciplinary teams that balance the thinking required to understand complex problems with the discipline needed to get high-quality working software into the hands of our clients and customers. Designers at Thoughtworks creatively solve the right problems. We work collaboratively to deliver bespoke software and take on the most challenging problems our clients have.

As a Principal Experience Designer, you lead the creation of impactful, human-centered digital products and services and are adept at balancing creative thinking with the discipline required to deliver high-quality, working software that solves complex challenges. Principal designers not only design solutions but promote best practice, drive innovation and inspire teams by thinking big and beyond. This role requires a leader who can drive independently through ambiguity, foster a culture of deep collaboration and continuous learning, and champion design excellence both within Thoughtworks and in the wider industry.

Job responsibilities

• Spearhead the design of transformative technology projects, establishing the vision for how our clients and their customers engage with new digital products and services. Develop strategies to achieve desired outcomes, linking daily work to a long-term vision for design excellence.
• Promote best practices and industry standards for inclusive design and advocate strongly for accessibility. As a design leader for accessibility, you will drive inclusive design strategy and embed best practices into the product development lifecycle. You champion accessibility as a fundamental aspect of excellent design.
• You will mentor teams on WCAG standards, develop solutions for emerging technology challenges (such as AI and new interaction paradigms) and advocate strongly for accessibility across the company. By partnering with product, engineering and research, you will ensure our products are not only compliant but truly usable and delightful for users of all abilities.
• Foster innovation through agile design methodologies and continuous design practices, setting benchmarks for user-centric, technically feasible design solutions.
• Lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams to create a wide range of exceptional design deliverables, including journey maps, service blueprints, roadmaps, prototypes and scalable design systems.
• Act as a thought leader on usability, design principles and heuristics. Apply qualitative and quantitative research methods (e.g., analytics, unmoderated research, contextual analysis, moderated interviews, experiments, user tests) to uncover data-driven insights. Use data to share customer stories that lead to breakthrough design solutions and clearly present your methods and findings.
• Facilitate high-impact workshops with clients and internal teams, develop unique design strategies for products and make strategic design decisions at the portfolio level. Navigate through complexity and ambiguity to guide teams towards effective solutions.
• Develop testable hypotheses and user-testing strategies to validate or invalidate new ideas through data-driven experimentation and user feedback
• Support and enable the growth of others by extending your expertise to teammates, providing on-the-job coaching and fostering a culture of design excellence. Play a key role in building high-performing teams and actively participate in recruiting and company growth.
• Effectively balance client and Thoughtworker expectations by clearly communicating experience design vision, deliverables and rationale. Excel at stakeholder management and tailor communication to diverse audiences to achieve desired results, influencing with authenticity.
• Promote, write and speak extensively on interaction design, user experience and design innovation. Advocate for experience design expertise within the broader community through conferences, webinars, meetups and publications.

Job qualifications

Technical skills

• You are a recognized expert and thought leader in experience design, with deep specialities in multiple core areas such as user research, service design, digital product design, interaction design and visual design.
• Expertise ininclusive design with a strong, demonstrable advocacy for accessibility.
• Experience with emerging technologies (XR, AI, voice interaction etc.).
• Track record of driving innovation through agile design methodologies, setting benchmarks for user-centric, technically feasible design solutions.
• Expertise in creating impactful interactive prototypes and component libraries, with experience with prototyping tools and platforms.
• You can plan, recruit and lead customer research programs, persuade stakeholders to invest and use insights to inform customer and product strategy.
• Proven capability to lead the research, synthesis and experimentation of product designs, resulting in breakthrough solutions.

Professional skills

• You bring a visionary, inspiring and unique approach to product design, excelling at facilitating client brainstorms, strategic workshops and collaborative sessions.
• You work effectively in autonomous teams, are courageous in sharing opinions and challenging ideas (and being challenged), and are adept at co-creation and compromise.
• You are self-reflective, actively give and receive constructive feedback, and have a keen interest and ability to drive learning for yourself and others.
• Proven ability to impact complex systems or domains by understanding the whole picture, skillfully navigating through complexity and ambiguity.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills; you can expertly liaise with senior clients and key stakeholders, ensuring buy-in, gaining trust and influencing using authenticity over authority.
• A natural leader in communicating and defining design direction, building confidence within teams. You can adapt your leadership style to the situation and excel at conflict management/resolution.
• Deeply committed to helping others grow in their design skills and capabilities, fostering a dynamic and supportive design culture.
• Passionate about contributing to the global experience design community at Thoughtworks and beyond, through peer reviews, thought leadership and ensuring unwavering quality.
• You measure, articulate and drive towards business value and success, take pragmatic risks to innovate and deliver effectively, and demonstrate strong drive, decision-making and accountability.
• You are willing to see the world from the point of view of the vulnerable, consistently demonstrate empathy, respect and openness, and are fundamentally inclusive.
• A keen interest to participate in recruiting and company growth is essential.

Please share a portfolio link that showcases your expertise in leading the design of impactful digital products (web and mobile), your innovative methodologies and your influence on significant projects. Enterprise / SaaS experience is highly preferred.

Other things to know

Learning and development

There is no one-size-fits-all career path at Thoughtworks: However you want to develop your career is entirely up to you. But we also balance autonomy with the strength of our cultivation culture. This means your career is supported by interactive tools, numerous development programs and teammates who want to help you grow. We see value in helping each other be our best and that extends to empowering our employees in their career journeys.

About Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks is a dynamic and inclusive community of bright and supportive colleagues who are revolutionizing tech. As a leading technology consultancy, we're pushing boundaries through our purposeful and impactful work. For 30+ years, we've delivered extraordinary impact together with our clients by helping them solve complex business problems with technology as the differentiator. Bring your brilliant expertise and commitment for continuous learning to Thoughtworks. Together, let's be extraordinary.