Lead Designer - Commercial Product

Tesco UK • Welwyn Garden City • Hybrid • Full-Time • Working hours 36 • Apply by 06-Apr-2026

We are looking for a Design Lead to join our Commercial Product Design Leadership team. Reporting into our Head of Design for Commercial Product, this is very much an hands on role, leading large scale initiatives working alongside a talented, and multi-disciplined design team. Someone who can see the possibility in every opportunity - from large transformational projects on big budgets to the small incremental quick wins that will provide millions of our customers and colleagues with immediate improvements. You'll have a well-rounded design background and be a natural born leader, with the gravitas and ability to inspire those around you to create products and experiences that are compelling and easy to use, always with a focus on best-in-class design culture & craft.

Our design challenge is vast and we have bold plans for both innovation and expansion so it's the perfect time to join us and help shape the future of design in Tesco.

You'll collaborate with other teams across our Technology function - Product, Engineering, Program and Data Science as well as the wider business in a fast-paced agile environment. We align around our collective purpose of "Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day" to provide customer and business value.

You'll be a smart, empathetic creative with a real a passion for craft and design and great story-telling skills. You'll always champion a human-centered approach to problem-solving throughout all stages of the discovery and design process and most of all have a clear vision of the future for customer experience.

You'll have a genuine appetite for solving complex problems as well as passion and a flare for the visual communication of your ideas. You'll have solid experience in research, service design, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, ideation and validation. Insights and data are what drive you and you'll use it to empower your decisions.

What is in it for you
We're all about the little helps. That's why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you - both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years' service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

You will be responsible for

• Taking ownership of large initiatives or programmes of work, with a clear problem statement that span multiple work streams and end to end journeys

• Working with the design leadership team to provide thought leadership for design capability programs and then champion these across the wider Tesco design community

• Collaborating with Design Managers and other Design Leads to ensure the right people are solving the right problems in the best way for our customers and business

• Ensuring a tireless focus on a human centered design practice and guide you team to effectively identify and understand user needs and opportunities that are always evidence based

• Supporting development of business level KPIs across teams alongside your Product counterparts

• Networking and evangelising team's achievements across Tesco and the broader Tech community

• Demonstrating strong written, verbal communication and presentation skills to all levels of seniority and disciplines within the organisation.

• Critiquing & challenging product & strategic roadmaps and upward communication of potential initiatives and opportunities

• Effectively coordinating, facilitating, and leading ceremonies, peer/design reviews and workshops with design & research teams, business owners and stakeholders

• Continuously seeking to improve research, design, and development processes to gain efficiency, remove obstacles, and simplify workflows

• Being an advocate for correct use of and contribution to our design system

• Leading by example, demonstrating Tesco values, provide guidance and mentoring to help the team focus on our mission, achieve their best and strive for excellence

• Providing support & mentorship for your team help to define objectives and help manage professional & personal development

• Hiring and managing design contractors and brief agencies where required

You will need

• A strong, well-curated portfolio demonstrating your expertise across web, responsive and native apps.
• Strong experience in high-profile design projects in a customer-facing commercial environment.
• Passion for solving product problems while balancing all facets of a user experience, including strategy and research, information architecture, interaction design and accessibility.
• A good understanding of the end-to-end iterative design process including how to develop and use design research, journey mapping, wire-framing, prototyping, and user testing to achieve human-centred design solutions.
• Proficiency in interaction design for web (desktop and mobile) and native applications
• Experience of designing with accessibility in mind and meeting WCAG 2.1 level AA.
• Experience collaborating closely with multiple disciplines including product and engineering.
• Self-motivation, and good organisational and time-management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to present skills to all levels of seniority and subject area experts within the organisation.
• The ability to coach, mentor and set standards for ways of working for more junior team members.
• Proficiency with current industry design and collaboration tools, such as Figma and Miro.
• Previous experience in the retail sector is an advantage.

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About us
Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here.

We're a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full-time & part-time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern - combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you - Everyone is welcome at Tesco.