Taylor & Francis (Informa Group Plc.) is hiring a Head of Design and Research

Design is at the heart of how Taylor & Francis delivers value to its users. As Head of Product Design, you will lead the design function to create intuitive, accessible, and delightful experiences at scale across our digital ecosystem. This high-impact strategic role involves setting the design vision, building a world-class team, and embedding design thinking throughout product development. Partnering with Product and Data & Intelligence leaders, you'll lead a function that both informs and executes decisions. Reporting to the VP of Product, you're joining at a pivotal moment as we evolve our portfolio for researchers, educators, and institutions in a digital, mobile-first, AI-augmented world. Your work will directly shape how millions of users discover, consume, and engage with trusted content. Design Leadership & Strategy Own the end-to-end design strategy for T&F's products and services, championing user-centred thinking at every level, from executive strategy to tactical execution Build and evolve a comprehensive design system that enables consistency, speed, and quality across all product surfaces, platforms, and content types (desktop, mobile, offline, emerging formats) Establish design principles and standards that scale across a multi-region, multi-product organization while allowing for contextual flexibility Drive innovation in design practice, exploring emerging paradigms including AI-assisted design, personalization at scale, accessibility-first thinking, and inclusive design Define and track design success metrics, establishing how design impact is measured and communicated across the organization Anticipate future user needs, positioning design as a strategic function that shapes not just responds to product roadmaps Team & Culture Hire, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of UX Designers, UI Designers, and Researchers placing product design and a customer mindset at the heart. Create a culture of critique, collaboration, and continuous learning within the design function, where challenge is welcomed and excellence is the standard Advocate for the role of research and evidence in shaping product direction, ensuring user insight is a first-class input to decision-making Mentor and grow design talent, creating clear career pathways and development opportunities that attract and retain exceptional people Build design capability across the organization, coaching non-designers in design thinking and user-centred approaches Cross-Functional Partnership & Influence Work closely with the Head of Product Management and Head of Data & Intelligence to align design with product strategy, data insights, and business outcomes Collaborate deeply with Engineering to ensure design intent is realized in the final product, balancing ambition with technical reality Partner with Content, Editorial, and Commercial teams to ensure design serves both user needs and business goals Contribute to the VP Product leadership team, representing the design perspective in strategic decisions and helping shape organizational direction Present and defend design decisions at executive level, translating design rationale into business impact and strategic value Build design advocacy across the organization, elevating the visibility and influence of design as a strategic discipline Operational Excellence Establish scalable design processes and rituals that balance speed with quality, enabling the team to deliver consistently excellent work Manage design operations, including tooling, workflows, critique processes, and cross-functional handoffs Balance strategic vision with tactical delivery, knowing when to lead from the front and when to empower the team Navigate ambiguity and complexity, making sound decisions with incomplete information and adapting as context evolves