User Experience Designer

**Closing Date for Applications 24th November**

Who are we?

Polytag is a well-funded, revenue producing scale-up developing technology to enable the packaging circular economy. Alongside this we are also and developing a full ‘connected packaging’ solution for SME’s.

We have built a platform business based around a rich data registry that enables a range of stakeholders across the circular economy to describe, tag and trace packaging through the supply chain: working with ‘tagging partners’ who specialise in various printing formats on high-speed label-lines; robotics experts developing hardware to sort packaging in recycling centres; applications to scan unique codes to verify product identities; with GS1 web technology to provide consumers access to rich dynamic content and enable interoperability across supply chain systems.

Polytag is led by Alice Rackley, our CEO, who has experience leading teams developing disruptive mobile and platform technology solutions that make a real tangible difference in consumer-facing businesses.

The team is committed to building products using agile practices and modern scalable technology, guided by customer feedback. You will work in a trusting, thought-provoking environment that encourages collaborative problem-solving in order to implement creative solutions that are designed to save the Planet. Quite literally.

If you want to be part of a team that is striving to make a tangible difference to the plastics problem, and contribute to solving the climate change challenge, please read on.

Job Brief

This is a really exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of Polytag’s products, supporting our mission to disrupt the recycling economy and bring transparency to packaging lifecycles. 

We are looking for a UI/UX Product Designer to help shape scalable, intuitive user experiences across our platform. You’ll be part of a cross-functional team that’s responsible for the full development life cycle—from conception to deployment—covering interface design and data displays, user flows, user research, product testing, and competitor benchmarking. 

As the UI/UX Product Designer, you‘ll be comfortable conducting user interviews, designing wireframes and prototypes, validating usability through testing, and collaborating closely with product and engineering to bring ideas to life. You’ll take an iterative approach to designs—sharing different versions, exploring trade-offs, and refining solutions and user experiences through feedback, collaboration and testing. 

All roles at Polytag require full KPI ownership and autonomy, no micro-management here: Roll-your-sleeves-up-to-your-neck-in-dig-deep-belief-everything-you’ve-got-dreamingabout-making-it-work satisfaction. We have four major products that make up the Polytag proposition, and as each one grows you will support the product team in delivering thoughtful, user-centred design across them. 

This is a hybrid working role. Candidates should show a willingness to work anywhere within the UK for up to 3 days each month depending on customer needs, and we meet as a whole team in person once a quarter. Our ultimate intention is to hire a permanent team that can do 2 – 4 days a month in person in an office around the Chester area: Polytag definitely supports the ‘work where works for you’ philosophy, but we also believe in the power of informal chats, team banter and socialising to build successful teams. And that means we have to get together in real life. Plus, with younger team members at an early stage in their careers we can’t support and teach them about the ‘invisible stuff’ (building rapport, stakeholder management, office etiquette) on 100% Teams calls.

Key Responsibilities

• Be hands-on—develop a deep understanding of Polytag’s products, how they work, and how users interact with them, keeping customer needs and usability front of mind. 
• Design wireframes, prototypes, and user journeys that support intuitive, user-friendly experiences across our product suite 
• Iterate on designs collaboratively, sharing multiple versions, exploring trade-offs, and refining solutions based on feedback from product, engineering, and users. 
• Participate in the Software Development Lifecycle, sharing design progress, gathering feedback, and aligning on priorities with the Product Lead 
• Conduct user interviews, usability testing, and feedback sessions to validate design decisions and uncover opportunities for improvement. 
• Support pre-release product testing with a focus on UX quality, consistency, and attention to detail. 
• Benchmark competitor products to identify UX trends, strengths, and gaps, and translate insights into actionable design improvements. 
• Document rationale behind design choices in a clear and accessible way, helping the wider team understand how user needs, feedback, and trade-offs shape the final approach. 
• Collaborate closely with product function and engineers to ensure design feasibility and alignment with product goals. 
• Contribute to the evolution of Polytag’s design practice, helping to establish consistent patterns and a user-centred approach across all products. 
• Build and maintain design systems and style guides to ensure consistency across all applications 
• Maintain clear, well-organised design files to ensure ease of use and collaboration across the team 
• Leverage analytics tools to understand user flows and identify user pain points 

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Demonstrable 5+ years’ experience in a UI/UX Product Design role, ideally within a SaaS or digital product 
• Skilled in wireframing, prototyping, and designing intuitive user flows and interactions that make digital tasks feel seamless and easy to complete 
• Expert user of modern design tools (preference Figma) and prototyping methods 
• Proficiency in creating and maintaining design systems and reusable component libraries 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a willingness to iterate and refine designs based on feedback - comfortable working closely with PM and engineers in a fast-moving team 
• Ability to present design work clearly and explain the rationale behind decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders 
• Experience using analytics tools (e.g. Mixpanel, Hotjar) to understand how products are used to support enhancements (preference for Mixpanel) 
• Hands on experience conducting user research and usability testing, and translating insights into actionable design improvements 
• Familiarity with Agile development practices and tools such as the Atlatissan suite 
• Experience working within sprint cycles and contributing to cross-functional teams 
• Strong analytical, technical, and communication skills 
• Comfortable dealing with ambiguity as we develop our proposition in a new, emerging market 
• Knowledge of FMCG and category management is a bonus, especially in relation to packaging, recycling, or sustainability 
• Knowledge and experience of UI development, including HTML 5, CSS, and other frameworks is a bonus 

Benefits

£50,000 annual salary, auto enrolment in a pension, 25 days holiday a year (plus bank holidays on top).

Cake on your birthday.

Polytag is an equal opportunity employer that places a high value on diversity and inclusion. Working in a way that enables you to make a positive contribution to what we do in the way that works for you. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we support applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.