Director, User Experience Design

Cengage; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cengage, a global education technology company, is seeking a UX Design Director to shape the future of educational software. You will set design strategy, mentor a team of designers, and partner with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to deliver modern, intuitive experiences grounded in user research.

The role emphasizes leadership, design craft, and staying ahead of trends and AI capabilities, with a strong focus on customer understanding and measurable improvements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior UX design leadership role.
• 3+ years managing design teams of 10+ people.
• Deep expertise in human-centered design, research-informed practices, and modern product design processes.
• Strong collaboration and communication, ability to influence stakeholders.
• Portfolio demonstrating leadership and design craft.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-impact UX team to deliver modern experiences grounded in data and user insights.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to align priorities and embed UX principles in development.
• Drive intuitive, scalable design patterns from concept to production.
• Set UX standards, principles, and guidelines across products.
• Continuously evaluate customer experience and drive product improvements.

Skills

UX leadership

UI/UX principles

Mentoring teams

Cross-functional collaboration

Portfolio required

Job description

We believe in the power and joy of learning At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose - driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

What Makes This Opportunity Unique

As a UX Design Director, you'll help shape the future of educational technology, creating modern, exceptional experiences that exceed the expectations of learners and educators. You'll bring vision and set design strategy, lead and mentor a dedicated team of designers, and set the standard for design quality and craft. Grounded in deep customer understanding, empathy, data, and insights, you'll apply the rigor of design fundamentals to solve substantial problems and turn complex challenges into simple, intuitive experiences that make a real difference.

Job Responsibilities

As the Director of User Experience, you will:

• Lead impactful design by empowering your team to create exceptional, modern experiences that solve complex problems and are grounded in data, insights, and a deep understanding of our customers!
• Lead through strategic partnership by working closely with Product, Engineering, and Marketing leaders to define focus areas, align teams around shared priorities, and embed UX principles throughout the product development process.
• Drive the creation of intuitive, modern experiences and scalable design patterns, guiding your team from early concepts and prototypes through polished solutions that solve real customer needs!
• Set and evolve UX standards, design principles, and guidelines that set the standard for modern, consistent, and high-quality experiences across our products.
• Continuously evaluate the customer experience, using data, research, and insights to find opportunities, shape priorities, and drive substantial product improvements.
• Stay ahead of evolving design trends, AI capabilities, emerging technologies, and new tools, applying them thoughtfully to advance our design practice and create more innovative customer experiences.
• Use design as a competitive advantage by evaluating leading products and experiences, finding opportunities to differentiate, and setting a higher standard for how our products look, feel, and deliver value to customers.
• Develop outstanding talent by coaching and mentoring those you lead to strengthen their craft, grow as leaders, and deliver high-quality work that expands their impact!

Requirements

• Proven experience in a senior UX Design leadership role, including 3+ years of people management experience leading and developing design teams of 10 or more.
• Deep expertise in UX and UI design principles, human-centered design methodologies, research-informed practices, and modern product design processes.
• Outstanding leadership skills with a track record of mentoring and developing high-performing teams.
• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence, align, and build strong partnerships
• A portfolio is required to be considered for this position

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [e-mail] .

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position, you will be eligible to partic