Lead Product Designer (Digital)

At Rapha, we want to make cycling the most important sport in the world, by transforming the lives of millions. We are on a mission to create the world’s greatest club, through passionate storytelling, progressive product design and a reimagined RCC (Rapha Cycling Club).

The Role

We're looking for a Lead Digital Product Designer who wants to help shape the future of how cycling, retail, and community come together digitally. You'll work on our mobile app, website, and the connections between our digital products and our physical spaces, designing experiences that seamlessly blend online shopping, membership, events, and community.

This isn't about incremental improvements or following what others are doing. We're building experiences that don't exist yet, thinking years ahead whilst shipping work that matters now. You'll be designing for a sophisticated, global community of riders who expect excellence and creating products that become reference points for the industry.

You'll be

• Designing mobile-first experiences that connect our digital platforms with our physical spaces and events

• Creating journeys that work seamlessly whether someone's shopping online, visiting a Clubhouse, or managing their membership

• Working on subscription features that drive engagement, retention, and member value

• Developing and evolving our design system, creating components, patterns, and standards that work across platforms

• Ensuring our products are accessible to all riders, meeting WCAG standards and inclusive design principles

• Running research with riders, members, and Clubhouse visitors to understand real needs and behaviours

• Collaborating with retail, events, membership, and product teams to understand the full customer experience

• Working with engineers to ship high-quality features that actually work

• Setting the standard for design quality and mentoring other designers

What we're looking for

Essential:

• 5+ years designing mobile applications for retail, fashion, sports, or fitness brands

• Proven experience designing subscription or membership products (onboarding, retention, engagement, benefits)

• Deep experience in high-end retail or luxury fashion, understanding what premium customers expect

• Strong track record designing for sports, fitness, or events applications

• Demonstrated ability to build and evolve design systems, creating reusable components, documentation, and standards

• Solid understanding of accessible design principles and WCAG standards, with experience implementing accessibility across digital products

• Expertise in creating experiences that bridge online and in-store; you understand how people move between channels

• Advanced Figma skills and experience with component libraries and design tokens

• Proven ability to work with engineers in agile environments

• The ability to balance business goals, user needs, and technical reality whilst maintaining quality

• A genuine understanding of cycling culture and what makes Rapha different

Must demonstrate:

• A portfolio showing mobile-first work that connects digital and physical experiences (retail apps, event platforms, membership experiences)

• How you've designed subscription experiences that actually retain and engage members

• Examples of design systems you've built or significantly contributed to

• Your approach to accessible and inclusive design in practice

• Mobile experiences that connect to physical retail or events

• Your process for understanding and improving complex customer journeys

• Work that shows restraint, craft, and attention to detail, not just trends

• The ability to design for iOS and Android whilst respecting platform conventions

• Experience with tiered membership or loyalty programmes in any industry

• Understanding of international markets and localisation

• Background in community or social features

Who you are

• You thrive in a high-pace environment with ambitious goals. You're comfortable getting stuck into the detail whilst also thinking strategically; you don't just execute, you shape direction. Agility and adaptability come naturally to you; change isn't something that frustrates you, it's how you work best.

• You're focused on outcomes, not process for process's sake. You know when to follow the playbook and when to bin it, whatever gets the right result shipped matters more than ticking boxes or perfect documentation.

• You work hard but you're collaborative by nature. You want to be part of a team, build proper relationships with colleagues, and get involved in the wider cycling community, whether that's joining rides, visiting Clubhouses, or just being around the sport.

• You're either already driven by cycling or genuinely open to getting into it. You don't need to be the fastest rider or have a garage full of bikes, but you do need to understand or be willing to learn about the sport, the culture, and the commitment it takes. We're designing for the cycling community, and you can't do that well without really getting what matters to riders.

• Most importantly, you want to build things that set new standards, work that others look to as the benchmark.

Working at Rapha

We are continuously looking into ways to invest in our employees and build a better working culture and environment. Here are just some of the internal benefits we offer:

• Flexible working hours

• Support for ad-hoc remote working during the week - minimum 4 days in office

• 25 days annual leave

• 2 additional days paid time off to participate in a sportive or similar related cycling event

• A flexible riding benefit to allow you to go out riding on a Wednesday morning with colleagues or learn to cycle through our Getting Started Scheme

• An annual clothing allowance of £1,200 for testing and promotional purpose

• A company bonus scheme

• A health cash plan provided by Healthshield worth up to £1405 per year

• Mental health support with MyndUp

• Free barista coffee and social drinks in the office

• Subsidised lunches 3 days per week

• Monthly department social events and quarterly office social away days

• Bike racing expenses up to £35 per race entry

• A 50% staff discount and a discount for family and friends

• Industry discounts on brands such as Patagonia, Osprey, Finisterre, Wahoo

• Free membership to the Rapha Cycling Club

• Cycle2Work scheme

• Company Pension Scheme

• Enhanced Parental Leave and Pay