UX/UI Designer at DYNAMIC EQUIPMENT GROUP

Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

07 Jun, 26

Salary

55000.0

Posted On

09 Mar, 26

Experience

2 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

User Research, UX/UI Design, Figma, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Design Systems, Component Libraries, Interaction Design, Workflow Design, Product Strategy, React, Stakeholder Management, B2B SaaS Design, Legacy Modernisation, Pragmatism

Industry

Software Development

Description

About Kinetic At Kinetic we’re redefining operational excellence in higher education, conferencing, and events. As the leading provider of software solutions for student accommodation, event management, catering, and residential services, we help institutions streamline operations, elevate customer experiences, and unlock their full potential. With over 25 years of experience and trusted by more than 350 institutions worldwide, our software empowers universities and venues to run smarter, faster, and more collaboratively. From bustling campuses to dynamic corporate environments, our technology adapts to the rhythm of each organisation — helping them thrive in a fast-changing world. But we’re more than just software. We’re a team of passionate problem-solvers, innovators, and collaborators who care deeply about our customers and each other. Our culture is built on empowerment, community, and continuous growth. We believe in giving people the tools, support, and freedom to do their best work — and have fun while doing it. Joining Kinetic means being part of a purpose-driven business where your ideas matter, your development is supported, and your impact is real. If you’re ready to help shape the future of operational technology in education and events, we’d love to meet you. The Role Kinetic is a £15.7M higher education software business serving 350+ universities across the UK, North America, and the Middle East with accommodation, catering, conferencing, and operational management systems. We're transforming from on-premise to cloud-first SaaS, targeting £100M revenue growth whilst maintaining service excellence for customers who value quality and reliability above flashy features. We need a UX/UI Designer who understands complex operational software — not consumer apps or marketing sites. You'll be designing experiences for university accommodation managers juggling 4,000-bed allocations, catering directors managing meal plans across multiple venues, and conferencing teams coordinating events while students book their own rooms. Multiple user types, complex workflows, mission-critical operations. This role sits at the intersection of product strategy and engineering execution. You'll report to the Head of Product for strategic influence, whilst being embedded day-to-day with Product Owners and engineering teams. You'll champion user needs in roadmap discussions, design experiences that balance familiarity for long-time users with modernity for new customers, and establish design systems across our product portfolio. You'll be the first dedicated UX/UI hire — establishing design practices from the ground up. The Situation We're using a "strangler fig" approach to modernisation — gradually replacing legacy systems with modern SaaS experiences whilst maintaining operational stability. Our customers explicitly tell us they want systems that "work like they're used to, but look modern." They value quality, stability, and reliability. They don't want procurement-triggering disruption. The Design Challenge: Multiple products across different tech stacks (KxWelcome, KxStudent, KxEngage, KxInspections, Conferencing, Catering) each serving different but overlapping user needs Users range from power users (daily administrative tasks) to occasional users (students booking a room once per term) Legacy interfaces with no consistent design language or component library Product teams operating independently without shared design standards Customer feedback highlighting usability issues: NPS survey shows 21 mentions of bugs/issues, 19 mentions of support concerns, requests for "systems that just work" Engineering teams working in React, .NET, and legacy Delphi with limited design guidance Modernisation work happening incrementally — new features coexist with legacy interfaces during migration The Opportunity: Be the first dedicated UX/UI Designer — shape design practices, establish standards, define how Kinetic approaches user experience Influence product strategy directly — report to Head of Product, participate in roadmap decisions, champion user needs at leadership level Solve meaningful problems for universities — your designs will impact how hundreds of institutions manage critical operations Work on complex B2B operational software — not trivial consumer apps, but systems that require deep domain understanding and thoughtful interaction design What You’ll Be Doing Conduct User Research & Build Domain Knowledge Talk to university accommodation managers, catering directors, conferencing teams, and students to understand their workflows, pain points, and actual needs (not what they say they want, but what they actually need to do their jobs). Analyse NPS feedback, support tickets, and customer conversations to identify recurring usability patterns. Validate design decisions through usability testing with real users. Build deep understanding of higher education operational software — this isn't a domain you can fake. Design for Incremental Modernisation Create user experiences for new SaaS features as we gradually modernise using strangler fig patterns. Design interfaces where old and new coexist gracefully during migration. Balance the needs of long-time power users (who know every keyboard shortcut) with new occasional users (who need intuitive, self-explanatory interfaces). Ensure new designs feel familiar enough not to disrupt critical operations whilst being modern enough to compete with newer products like StarRez. Establish Design Systems & Component Libraries Build the design system infrastructure Kinetic currently lacks. Create reusable component libraries that work across multiple products (React-based). Define interaction patterns, spacing systems, colour palettes, typography standards. Ensure consistency across accommodation, catering, conferencing, and inspection products without forcing inappropriate uniformity. Make it easy for engineers to build interfaces that don't require constant design oversight. Collaborate with Product Owners & Engineering Partner with Product Owners to translate complex university operational requirements into intuitive experiences. Work directly with React engineering teams to ensure designs are implemented correctly. Provide guidance during development. Review pull requests when UI changes are significant. Participate in sprint planning and refinement sessions. Be a hands-on collaborator, not a designer who throws mockups over the wall. Advocate for Users in Product Decisions Champion user needs in roadmap prioritisation discussions. Sometimes this means pushing back on features that don't serve real user needs. Sometimes this means defending simplicity against feature bloat. Present design concepts and rationale to leadership and stakeholders. Use evidence (research, testing, customer feedback) to make the case for design decisions, not just aesthetic preferences. Design for Complex, Multi-User Workflows University operational software isn't simple. Accommodation allocation involves student preferences, room availability, payment plans, meal options, accessibility needs, contract variations, and integration with student records systems. Conferencing involves availability checking, resource booking, catering coordination, invoicing, and client communications. Design experiences that handle this complexity without overwhelming users. Balance Strategic Design Work with Tactical Support Some weeks you'll be doing strategic research and designing the future state of a product line. Other weeks you'll be helping a Product Owner solve an immediate usability problem that's blocking a customer implementation. This role requires both long-term vision and practical flexibility. You'll need to context-switch between strategic and tactical work without losing momentum on either. Who You Are We're looking for someone who understands that good UX isn't about following design trends — it's about solving real problems for real users doing real work. You care more about whether university staff can complete their tasks efficiently than whether the interface looks like the latest SaaS darling. What You’ll Bring Core Skills & Experience 3+ years of UX/UI design experience in product companies (ideally B2B SaaS or enterprise software) Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end design process — research insights → wireframes → prototypes → shipped products User research capabilities — you know how to conduct interviews, run usability tests, and synthesise findings into design decisions Proficiency with design tools (Figma strongly preferred, or Sketch/Adobe XD) Understanding of front-end capabilities and constraints — you know what's feasible with React and can design within technical realities Experience designing for complex workflows — operational software, enterprise applications, or B2B systems with multiple user types Strong communication skills — you can articulate design decisions to both technical and business stakeholders, and advocate for users without being precious about your designs Independence — you can own design initiatives from research through delivery with minimal supervision Pragmatism — you balance ideal designs with delivery realities, business constraints, and technical debt Nice to Have B2B SaaS or enterprise software experience — particularly multi-user operational software Education sector knowledge — understanding how universities manage accommodation, catering, or events Design systems experience — building component libraries and establishing design standards across products Legacy modernisation experience — designing new experiences that gradually replace existing systems Experience with API and integration UX — designing experiences that connect multiple products Familiarity with strangler fig patterns or incremental product replacement Understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design principles Experience working in product-led organisations with Product Owners, Product Managers, and engineering teams Personal Qualities User empathy — you genuinely care about making software easier to use for people doing important work Curiosity about domains — you're willing to learn about higher education operations even if you don't know the sector Collaboration — you build consensus with Product Owners, engineers, and customers rather than dictating solutions Resilience — modernising legacy products is hard; you don't give up when faced with constraints Design maturity — you know when to fight for a design principle and when to compromise pragmatically Comfort with ambiguity — this is a ground-up role; you'll be defining processes as much as following them What Success Looks Like Design system established — component library exists and is being used by engineering teams across multiple products User research embedded in product process — regular research cadence with customers, findings informing roadmap decisions Measurable usability improvements — reduction in support tickets related to UI confusion, improved task completion rates Consistent design language — users can move between KxWelcome, KxEngage, and KxInspections without cognitive friction Product Owner partnerships working — POs proactively involve you in feature definition, not just asking for mockups after requirements are fixed Strategic influence visible — your design thinking has shaped at least one major product direction decision NPS feedback shows improvement — reduction in complaints about interface complexity, increase in mentions of ease of use Engineering team embracing design — developers consulting design system before building, fewer UI rework cycles Why This Role Matters Universities run on software. When accommodation systems are clunky, students have poor housing experiences. When catering systems are confusing, operational staff waste hours on tasks that should take minutes. When conferencing systems are unintuitive, events get mismanaged and revenue is lost. Your design work will directly impact how universities serve their students and run their operations. This isn't trivial consumer app work — it's designing for systems that matter to institutions serving tens of thousands of students. You're joining at an inflection point. We've just completed comprehensive strategy work that produced clear product priorities and investment decisions. For the first time, design will be embedded in product strategy from the beginning, not bolted on afterward. You'll have executive support, a seat at the product leadership table, and the mandate to establish design as a core capability. This is high-leverage work. The standards you set, the systems you build, and the research insights you uncover will compound across multiple teams and products. You'll be shaping not just individual interfaces, but how Kinetic thinks about user experience. Benefits & Perks At Kinetic, we believe work should come with rewards that make a real difference. Here’s just a taste of what you can expect when you join us: 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) - with extra days the longer you’re with us Two paid wellbeing days each year, with a budget to enjoy some time out with someone important to you Enhanced pension contributions to support your future Two paid days a year to give back through volunteering, charity work, or sustainability projects with our Green Team Salary sacrifice schemes for electric vehicles and cycle-to-work 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme for confidential advice and support A full annual health check to keep you at your best A flexible benefits platform - from life assurance and learning opportunities to retail discounts and cinema tickets A genuine people-first culture where your growth and wellbeing come first Performance-related bonus scheme to reward your contribution Regular socials - from team get-togethers to all-company celebrations, with each department owning a budget for their events The opportunity to attend group conferences, away days and learning forums both in the UK and abroad - network with other talent We’ve created a welcoming office environment, with well-stocked kitchens offering free breakfast, fresh fruit, hot and cold drinks, and a range of tuck shop goodies to keep you fuelled throughout the day. Kinetic is an equal opportunity employer, fostering diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Responsibilities

The designer will conduct user research to build domain knowledge in higher education operations and design user experiences for incremental modernization of legacy software systems using strangler fig patterns. Key tasks include establishing design systems, creating reusable component libraries, and collaborating closely with Product Owners and engineering teams.