Global Head of UX Design - Digital Products

JD GROUP; Bury; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000

Job description

About the Role

JD Sports is on a journey to create a cohesive and scalable global digital experience that enhances customer interactions across web, app, loyalty, and in-store digital experiences. As Head of UX Design, you will be responsible for leading the development and rollout of the JD Global UX Strategy, ensuring world-class digital experiences for our customers worldwide.

This is a senior leadership role that requires a strategic mindset, exceptional design expertise, and the ability to balance human-centered design with commercial outcomes. You will lead a team of UX designers and agency partners, taking full accountability for the end-to-end design process across our product development lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• UX Strategy & Leadership
• Define, lead, and implement JD’s Global UX Strategy, ensuring a unified and scalable digital experience across all platforms.
• Champion a human-centered design approach while maintaining a pragmatic, data-driven, and commercially aware mindset.
• Take full ownership of all digital touchpoints, including web, app, loyalty programs, and in-store digital experiences.
• Drive the evolution and governance of the JD Global UX Design System, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency.

Design & Execution

• Oversee the UX design process from discovery through to execution, ensuring customer-centric, high-performing experiences.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders to translate strategic goals into best-in-class UX solutions.
• Ensure that UX design decisions are grounded in research, insights, and performance data.
• Work closely with global teams and agency partners to scale UX design efficiently across multiple regions.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing global UX design team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the team.
• Partner with agency and technology vendors to expand UX capabilities and accelerate delivery.

Commercial & Business Focus

• Align UX strategy with business objectives and P&L priorities, ensuring UX delivers tangible business impact.
• Advocate for UX at the executive level, ensuring leadership understands and supports the value of design.
• Balance long-term UX strategy with short-term business needs, ensuring agility in execution.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading UX teams at a senior level, ideally within global retail, e-commerce, or omnichannel environments.
• Strong expertise in UX strategy, design systems, and digital experience design across web, mobile apps, and in-store technology.
• A track record of delivering customer-centric UX solutions that drive measurable business impact.
• Deep knowledge of human-centered design methodologies, user research, and usability best practices.
• Ability to balance UX theory with commercial agility, ensuring speed and effectiveness in execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at an executive level.
• Experience working within cross-functional product teams using agile methodologies.
• Strong technical understanding of design systems, accessibility, and digital platforms