Are you looking to hire an Interim Head of User Experience or transition into the role yourself? These temporary but crucial positions ensure continuity in product design and development, driving innovation and seizing market opportunities. Whether you’re a client seeking talent or a professional exploring this sector, this guide covers key skills, responsibilities and contract considerations.
The Interim Head of User Experience reports into the User Experience Director. They are often directly responsible for overseeing the User Experience Lead or User Experience Manager, with some responsibilities for leading the Junior UX team too.
Interim Head of User Experience / Interim Head of UX roles
If you are looking for an Interim Head of User Experience / Head of UX job role or would like to find out how to become an Interim Head of UX, what skills you need and what day rates are on offer, you will find a complete guide below.
If you’re an employer looking to recruit an Interim Head of UX position, please see our product design and UX recruitment services, our interim recruitment services page or the full overview of our services to employers. If you need to hire and would like our services, contact us today.
What is an Interim Head of UX?
The Interim Head of User Experience is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing the design and usability of a company’s products and services on a temporary basis, usually bridging the gap during a period of leadership transformation. In essence, the Interim Head of UX is tasked with ensuring that the user experience of a product or service is intuitive, engaging, and enjoyable for the end-user.
The role of the Interim Head of UX is crucial in today’s digital age, where user experience has become a key differentiator for businesses. With competition in almost every industry intensifying, companies need to ensure that their products and services stand out in the market. The Interim Head of UX plays a critical role in achieving this objective by focusing on the needs of the end-users.
The Interim Head of UX typically has a team of designers, researchers and other UX professionals reporting to them. They work closely with cross-functional teams such as product managers, developers, and marketers to ensure that the end-to-end user experience is seamless and cohesive. The Interim Head of UX acts as an advocate for the end-user, ensuring that their needs and desires are understood and incorporated into the product design process.
What does an Interim Head of UX role include?
The responsibilities of the Interim Head of UX are varied and encompass several aspects of the user experience design process. These include:
Design strategy: working closely with senior leadership to understand the company’s goals and translate them into a design vision that is aligned with the needs of the end-users.
User research: responsible for conducting user research to understand the needs and desires of the end-users. They use this research to inform the design process and ensure that the end-product meets the needs of the target audience.
Design standards: responsible for developing and maintaining design standards that ensure consistency across all products and services. This includes defining the visual design language, interaction patterns, and usability guidelines.
Design leadership: responsible for providing design leadership to the UX team. This includes mentoring and coaching designers, providing feedback on their work, and helping them grow their skills.
Design execution: working closely with the product team to ensure that the design is implemented correctly and that the end-product meets the desired user experience standards.
Read our guide to UX Design principles, process and tools
Interim Head of UX day rate
In today’s market, a typical Interim Vice President Product Design’s day rate would be in the region of £600 – £800.
Interim Head of UX job description
A typical Interim Head of User Experience / Head of UX job description will read something like the one below:
Job title: Interim User Experience Director
Location: Remote or on-site
Duration: 3-12 months
We are looking for an Interim Head of UX to lead the design team, responsible for driving the end-to-end user experience. The Interim Head of UX will lead the UX team to success across research, ideation, conception, design, prototypes and testing across the product portfolio. The Interim Head of UX will also be responsible for the development and progression of a small, but passionate team of designers and researchers.
The Interim Head of User Experience’s main responsibilities:
- Lead the team of designers and researchers including team meetings, reviews, personal development, mentoring and coaching
- Work collaboratively with other areas of the business, including product management and engineering to ensure progression towards business KPIs
- Create intuitive and elegant UX solutions to user problems
- Develop and maintain a UX programme to guide designers, product management and tech teams towards the UX objective
- Run a user testing programme to deliver continuous improvement for the product portfolio, using data to inform design decisions
- Lead a team of internal product designers to success, including mentoring, coaching and all development needs
- Design all UX best practises and processes, embedding these into the team
- Prepare and perform usability tests with users to gather direct feedback
- Prompt decision making use of data and technical considerations in your thinking
To be successful in this Interim Head of UX role, you will:
- Have 8 – 10+ years’ experience as a UX Designer
- Have a track record of leading teams
- Be able to show a portfolio showcasing results, processes, best in class user experience and products
- Be detail driven, and able to manage time across several projects at the same time
- An understanding of design, usability and research best practises
UX Interview questions
View our guide to User Experience interview questions, with 47 example questions that employers normally ask at interview.
What is the Difference Between an Interim and Fractional Head of UX / User Experience?
While both roles are temporary and bring senior-level user expertise, there are key differences:
- Interim Head of UX: Works full-time and is deeply embedded in the company, overseeing the design and usability of a company’s products and services for a defined period. They focus on the needs of the end-users to make sure their products and services stand out in the market and ensure seamless collaboration across teams.
- Fractional Head of UX: Provides part-time support, often working with multiple companies simultaneously. They focus on high-level strategic guidance rather than day-to-day execution or management.
The right choice depends on your company’s needs. If your business requires hands-on, dedicated design leadership to manage teams, implement processes, and execute a design vision, an interim role is the better fit. For broader, advisory-level input without full-time commitment, a fractional role may be more suitable.
When to hire an Interim Head of User Experience?
Here are some of the top scenarios where hiring an Interim Head of UX / User Experience can be crucial:
Navigating a period of leadership transition, such as when a permanent Head of User Experience is leaving or has already left.
Scaling up product efforts during times of rapid growth or major product launches.
Stabilising and aligning product teams in response to organisational restructuring or a strategic pivot.
Driving critical projects to meet market deadlines or seize strategic opportunities.
Managing complex product portfolios in times of high complexity, such as mergers or partnerships.
Interim Head of User Experience FAQs
- What does an Interim Head of UX / User Experience do?
- An Interim Head of User Experience leads the overall UX strategy, ensuring the design team delivers exceptional user-centred experiences. They manage the UX vision, guide research and design initiatives, mentor the team, and collaborate with cross-functional leadership to align user experience with business objectives - temporarily stepping in during leadership transitions or critical periods of change.
- What does UX stand for?
- UX stands for User Experience. Those working within UX design the user experience across products, like websites and apps, to ensure the products are fit for the consumer purpose and running effectively.
- Who is the highest paid in UX?
- The highest position with UX is the UX Director, also know as a User Experience Director. The salary range for this position is currently £85,000 to £110,000 in the UK.
- When should a company hire an Interim Head of UX?
- Companies hire an Interim Head of UX when there’s a leadership gap, whether due to the departure of a permanent leader, organisational restructuring or a critical UX project requiring experienced oversight. This role is often filled during periods of growth, product pivots or while a permanent hire is being found.
- How does the role of Interim Head of UX differ from a permanent head?
- While a permanent Head of UX focuses on long-term strategy, team growth and scaling the UX function, the Interim Head of UX is focused on stability, continuity and execution during a transitional phase. The interim leader ensures that teams remain productive, maintains UX standards and helps guide the company through change or uncertainty.
- What skills are required for an Interim Head of UX?
- Essential skills for this role include strategic vision, leadership and mentoring, advanced UX research and design expertise, strong communication skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity. They must be adept at making decisions quickly, driving collaboration and ensuring the design team remains aligned with business goals.
- How long does an Interim Head of UX typically stay in the role?
- An Interim Head of UX typically stays for 3 to 6 months, though this can vary depending on the company’s needs. Some interim roles may extend longer if the company is still transitioning or if the interim leader is assisting with recruitment and onboarding for a permanent replacement.
