Open to opportunities

James Reilly

@jamesreilly

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Senior product designer with 15+ years of experience delivering impactful products.

United Kingdom

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What I'm looking for

I am looking for a role that values collaboration, innovation, and impactful design, where I can contribute to building user-centered products.

With over 15 years of experience as a Senior Product Designer, I have a proven track record of delivering complex, high-impact digital products for global banks and fintech platforms. My expertise lies in system-level thinking and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring that design supports real business outcomes. I am dedicated to helping teams build better tools, faster.

One of my career highlights includes leading a team of five designers at Payroc to deliver a unified product experience, which involved creating a custom design system that reduced delivery time by 40%. I thrive in fast-paced environments, where I can leverage my skills in usability testing, Figma prototyping, and accessibility to drive impactful design solutions.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

VP of Product Design

Current

JP Morgan

Jan 2022 - Present (3 years 7 months)

Led the design of internal AI-powered data tools for engineering and operations teams, focusing on reducing manual analysis and increasing data accuracy. Shaped the end-to-end UX strategy across multiple squads in a fast-moving Agile environment, reducing engineering effort by 30% through smarter interfaces and actionable AI insights.

AI Tools Data Analysis UX Strategy Agile Methodologies Usability Testing Figma

Head of Product Design

Payroc

Jan 2020 - Present (5 years 7 months)

Led a cross-functional design team to deliver a suite of enterprise tools, including an enterprise-level website, Salesforce-integrated support hub, and a developer documentation portal. Built and scaled a new design system used across all products, reducing delivery time by 40% and streamlining onboarding for users and developers.

Salesforce Design Systems Cross Functional Collaboration Delivery

Freelance Design System Lead

NatWest Group

Jan 2019 - Present (6 years 7 months)

Created a new design system for NatWest, RBS, and other brands, solely responsible for its end-to-end design and delivery. Audited existing products, interviewed design teams, and created a robust Figma component library, enabling faster, more consistent delivery and saving over £200K through reduced QA and duplication.

Design Systems Figma Component Libraries Usability Testing QA

Freelance Lead UX / UI Designer

Virgin Money

Jan 2016 - Present (9 years 7 months)

Led design for both consumer and business-facing platforms, including building Virgin’s first fully operational design system from scratch. Delivered research-driven features in complex flows and collaborated daily with engineers, cutting time to launch by 40% on core journeys and increasing accessibility scores.

UX UI Design Design Systems Design Research Accessibility

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Ulster

Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Graphic Design

Studied Graphic Design at the University of Ulster, focusing on visual communication principles and design methodologies. Developed a strong foundation in design thinking and creative problem-solving.