Experience Design Lead

at  Horizontal Digital

At Horizontal Digital, we hold ourselves to one key belief: You’re only as good as your worst customer experience. This mantra is what drives our digital consultancy to think beyond the easy answers and instead create websites, apps, portals and other experiences that solve customer needs for Fortune 500 companies in intuitive and empathetic ways. And we make this lofty standard a reality by fusing strategy, data, design and technology together to arrive at solutions that set the bar higher for everyone.
Our digital product solutions are driven by our CX Strategy, Design and Engineering teams — and powered by technical platforms like Sitecore, and Salesforce. Get a deeper look at our expertise today by visiting the Work section of our website.
Our Creative, UX, and Design (CXD) team is growing across EMEA (Dubai, UK, KSA), and we require a big thinking conceptual creative, able to win big accounts through the power of their ideas and creativity; then work in the Discovery & design phase of our projects.
We use these values to fuel superior results:
Lock arms
We forge relationships that make our impact 1,000x stronger. This means working across departments and engaging both our clients and our communities to deliver the greatest good.
Show hustle
We’re not ones to sit on our hands and wait. Instead, we anticipate opportunities, collectively roll up our sleeves and find ways to execute the exceptional.
Embrace change
From new technologies to workplace philosophies, we welcome the unexpected and constantly anticipate what’s next.
Elevate empathy
We listen before we take action. This means understanding a variety of perspectives and holding ourselves to a higher standard of accountability.
Never settle
We motivate each other to push past the easy answers and collectively arrive at bigger, more inspiring ideas.
But enough about us. Let’s talk about you.
As an Experience Design Lead, you will be pivotal in leading and elevating our UX and UI strategies to create best-in-class digital experiences. You will seamlessly integrate creative knowledge with design practices to enhance customer experiences and drive our digital experience-focused projects. From supporting sales pitches to guiding project phases (kickoff, discovery, execution) with minimal oversight, your role is to establish and communicate strategic and creative visions that align with our client’s business goals. Your exceptional taste will shape, design, and guide executions that are visually stunning, intuitive, and engaging. You will build strong, trusted relationships with clients and work collaboratively with internal teams to deliver premium digital products in a fast-paced, transformative environment.

What you’ll do:

• Take charge of the experience and creative vision, inspiring both internal teams and external clients with your ideas and executions.
• Lead projects with a strong creative viewpoint, ensuring alignment with client business objectives and delivering exceptional user experiences.
• Design beautiful, thoughtful, and meticulously crafted digital experiences with flawless execution.
• Connect the dots between client objectives, strategy, creative, and development, leading the entire process.
• As part of our strategy and design practice, you will build strong, trusted relationships with clients and work collaboratively with internal teams to deliver premium digital products in a fast-paced, transformative environment.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal partners and cross-functional teams, including UX designers, writers, engagement leads, project managers, strategists, developers, and leadership.
• Establish trusted relationships with clients through effective collaboration, thoughtful recommendations, and flawless execution.
• Strategicallysell award-winning work by crafting compelling stories and presentations for clients and internal stakeholders.
• Adapt seamlessly to evolving requirements, timelines, and feedback.
• Mentor and coach less experienced designers, demonstrating empathy and guidance.
• Provide input on tools and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, from new design system approaches, to GenAI solutions.
• Work as part of the strategy and experience practice to support departmental and client growth.
• Be open to travel across EMEA as needed.

Who you are:

• A creative and digital visionary with the ability to apply strategic insights to complex business problems and customer needs.
• A digital expert with a keen sense of what makes an experience outstanding.
• A leader who can take charge of projects, make a significant impact, and guide teams toward executing the vision.
• Passionate about the tone, look, feel, story, and interactivity of digital experiences.
• A confident communicator capable of selling concepts and executions to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Continuously eager to learn and grow, staying informed about the latest digital trends and innovations.
• A proactive problem-solver who operates with minimal direction.
• Flexible, able to manage multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change, embracing ambiguity with confidence.
• Positive and adaptable, maintaining a can-do attitude throughout projects.
• Exceptional in written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Arabic is a plus but not essential.

What you bring:

• 8+ years of experience in UX and UI design and systems thinking.
• 8+ years of experience in a digital and product design environment.
• 3+ years of leadership experience on digitally focused, creative-led projects.
• Strong understanding of the creative process for component-based digital solutions (e.g., Sitecore or other CMS).
• Expertise in experience design fundamentals and the creative process.
• Deep understanding of brand dynamics and the ability to elevate brands through experience design.
• Excellent presentation skills, capable of clearly expressing ideas and maintaining a strong presence in both in-person and remote settings.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to handle stress and deadlines positively.

• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Suite (XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), and PowerPoint.Experience with Motion Design or CSS is a bonus.

• The above description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice

• Take charge of the experience and creative vision, inspiring both internal teams and external clients with your ideas and executions.
• Lead projects with a strong creative viewpoint, ensuring alignment with client business objectives and delivering exceptional user experiences.
• Design beautiful, thoughtful, and meticulously crafted digital experiences with flawless execution.
• Connect the dots between client objectives, strategy, creative, and development, leading the entire process.
• As part of our strategy and design practice, you will build strong, trusted relationships with clients and work collaboratively with internal teams to deliver premium digital products in a fast-paced, transformative environment.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal partners and cross-functional teams, including UX designers, writers, engagement leads, project managers, strategists, developers, and leadership.
• Establish trusted relationships with clients through effective collaboration, thoughtful recommendations, and flawless execution.
• Strategicallysell award-winning work by crafting compelling stories and presentations for clients and internal stakeholders.
• Adapt seamlessly to evolving requirements, timelines, and feedback.
• Mentor and coach less experienced designers, demonstrating empathy and guidance.
• Provide input on tools and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, from new design system approaches, to GenAI solutions.
• Work as part of the strategy and experience practice to support departmental and client growth.
• Be open to travel across EMEA as needed