Who are we?

First Rail is one of the most experienced rail operators in the UK, with more than 770,000 passenger journeys daily last year across our Department for Transport contracted operations and open access routes.

We operate two major UK train operating companies - Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR), and two open access passenger rail services, Hull Trains and Lumo. We are also 'shadow operator' on the HS2 programme and operate the London Trams service on behalf of Transport for London.

Our First Rail head office is home to specialist teams that provide expert support across the Engineering, Finance, Property, Operations, Procurement, IT, and Human Resources functions of the rail division. First Rail Holdings is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London.  FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier.  FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

We are currently recruiting for a Customer App UX-UI Designer to join our Rail Digital Retail team. This role is responsible for taking ownership of the design of our digital retail platforms, primarily the First Rail mobile apps; delivering clean and simple user experiences that help solve complex problems for our customers by working with the wider FRH and TOC teams to deliver industry leading customer experience that supports the growth of our digital retail platforms. 

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Use customer insight, analytics and industry insight to understand user behaviours and inform design changes to First Rail's portfolio of customer-facing mobile apps, in collaboration with the Group Product Manager and TOC product managers.
• Illustrate design ideas using storyboards, wireframes and prototypes.
• Develop UI designs that clearly illustrate how our apps function and should function, and what they look like.
• Provide Figma designs for product features and work closely with the digital product managers and insight partners to see your designs through prototyping, user research validation, the build process, to release and post-release validation and reiteration.
• Maintain and contribute to design systems, ensuring consistent on-brand designs across multiple products.
• Use your expertise to recommend ongoing improvements to the design process.
• Work with the Group Product Manager(s) to ensure structure and content for apps, app stores and (on an ad-hoc basis) website balance strong user experience with ASO and SEO performance.
• Create beautiful UX that exceeds customer needs and delivers real commercial gains.
• Work closely with third party development teams and data providers, to understand technical capabilities and transform industry data into aesthetic and efficient app and web experiences.
• Ensure all design work meets accessibility standards and operates within brand guidelines and industry regulations.
• Monitor ongoing competitor activity to ensure that First Rail channels remain ahead of the market and proactively meet and exceed user expectations.

You'll need:

• An in-depth knowledge of consumer facing app and website design, UX & UI, working with marketing collateral, and branding.
• Have extensive knowledge of various designs tools.
• Have a strong understanding of how to use analytical tools such as Google Analytics (GA) to inform the design process.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• Proven experience working in mobile UX/UI design.
• Excellent knowledge of Figma, Sketch, InVision, HTML, Visio, iOS, Android, Adobe Creative Suite, or equivalent software
• Previous experience in E-commerce or Travel and Transport is desired but not essential.
• An agile mindset: you can design the user journey on our digital products and finesse visual designs at a vector or pixel level.
• Ability to work to shifting priorities to best meet the needs of the team and the end user.
• Capability to deliver outstanding designs that balance strong user experience and creative flair with commercial performance.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills, with the confidence to influence stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills, enthusiastic and self-motivated.

About the location

Based at The Point, London, with Hybrid working included.

The Reward

• Minimum of 10% (5% employer and 5% employee) contribution to your Pension (only applicable to members of the company pension scheme)
• 25 days Holiday plus National Bank Holidays
• Travel Offers for Bus and Rail *
• Shopping Discounts including discounts and cashback on electrical goods, your weekly shop, holidays, cinema trips, car insurance, upgrading your mobile and lots more
• Buy as You Earn – allows you to buy shares each month. You can vary the amount you save or stop it at any time. You need to participate in the scheme for at least 3 years to receive the matching shares *
• Save as You Earn – allows you to use your savings after three years, to buy shares at a discounted price, or take your savings back as cash *
• Employee Assistance Helpline – free, confidential employee support service provided by an independent provider
• Payroll Giving – donate directly from your pay to a Charity of your Choice

* After 6 months employment 

We all belong at First Rail Holdings. FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/