Director, UX Design (Benefit)

WEX; United States; Remote; USD 158,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in benefits design is seeking an Experience Design Lead to shape strategic vision and elevate user experiences across platforms. This strategic role requires expertise in end-to-end design processes, strong leadership, and the ability to influence at executive levels. The candidate will advocate for design excellence and drive impactful decisions that benefit both employees and employers, utilizing modern design practices inclusive of AI and data strategies.

Benefits

Health, dental, and vision insurances

Retirement savings plan

Paid time off

Flexible spending accounts

Tuition reimbursement

Qualifications

• Expert in framing and solving large-scale challenges.
• Proven ability to collaborate with product and engineering teams.
• Experience with accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic design vision and operationalize design principles.
• Orchestrate experience design across products and services.
• Mentor senior designers and cultivate a high-performing culture.

Skills

Strategic Design Leadership

End-to-End Experience Architecture

Advanced Facilitation

Systems Thinking

Executive Storytelling

Cross-Functional Influence

Education

10+ years in experience design

5+ years in design leadership

Job description

Experience Design Lead, Director Location: Remote Hub or Portland ME
Team: WEX Benefits Experience Design
Reports to: VP, Head of Design About WEX At WEX, we believe great design can transform the way people connect with their benefits. Our Benefits Design team is on a mission to create intuitive, accessible, and meaningful experiences that help employees maximize the value of their benefits and empower employers to deliver impact at scale. Your Role As the Experience Design Lead for WEX Benefits, you will shape the long-term design vision, strategy, and operating model for one of WEX’s most impactful platforms. You will lead cross-functional teams, influence senior stakeholders, and advocate for design excellence that drives measurable outcomes. This is not just a design leadership role—it’s a strategic one. You will guide your team through ambiguity, define new experience frontiers, and serve as a voice of design at the highest levels. You bring systems thinking, customer obsession, and the ability to move fluidly from vision to execution. What You’ll Do

Lead Strategic Design Vision

• Define and evangelize a North Star for the end-to-end employee benefits experience across touchpoints, channels, and customer segments.
  
• Establish and operationalize experience principles and design quality standards that scale across the product ecosystem.
  
• Guide teams through ambiguous problem spaces with a hypothesis-led, insights-driven approach that surfaces unstated needs and unlocks innovation.
  
• Lead high-impact workshops, including C-suite and executive strategy sessions, to align business, product, and experience outcomes.
  

Drive Design Excellence and Execution

• Orchestrate experience design across multiple products, services, and user journeys, ensuring cohesion and elevating the overall ecosystem.
  
• Lead AI-first design practices that integrate machine learning, automation, and personalization into the benefits experience.
  
• Partner with engineering and enterprise architecture to ensure design is embedded in implementation decisions, from architecture to go-live.
  
• Champion inclusive and accessible design at every level, holding your teams to the highest standards of usability and compliance.
  

Inspire and Elevate Talent

• Lead and mentor a team of senior designers, experience strategists, and design managers—cultivating a high-performing, inclusive, and growth-oriented culture.
  
• Foster cross-pollination of ideas across product lines and functions, enabling your team to operate as strategic partners, not just service providers.
  
• Serve as an executive coach and thought partner, growing design leadership across the organization and contributing to enterprise-wide design maturity.
  

Influence Through Insight & Storytelling

• Translate complex ideas, data, and strategy into clear, compelling stories for executive audiences, including C-suite and board-level communication.
  
• Guide the creation of sophisticated experience maps, prototypes, and data visualizations that uncover opportunities and shape direction.
  
• Drive a culture of learning and experimentation by connecting prototyping with product strategy, customer risk, and go-to-market planning.
  

What We’re Looking For

Core Expertise

• Strategic Design Leadership: Experience defining and delivering design strategy at the organizational level across complex systems.
  
• End-to-End Experience Architecture: Ability to orchestrate cohesive experiences across journeys, platforms, and teams.
  
• Advanced Facilitation: Confident designing and leading executive workshops that shape product direction and resolve ambiguity.
  
• Systems Thinking & Problem Definition: Expert in framing and solving large-scale, ambiguous, and high-stakes challenges.
  
• Design for AI & Data: Ability to lead teams in designing intelligent, adaptive experiences that leverage data at scale.
  
• Executive Storytelling: Comfortable influencing at the highest levels with data-informed narratives that inspire action.
  
• Cross-Functional Influence: Proven ability to collaborate with product, engineering, operations, and strategy teams at scale.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years in experience design, service design, or UX—spanning enterprise platforms or ecosystems
  
• 5+ years in a design leadership role with experience leading senior designers and influencing executive stakeholders
  
• Experience in benefits, HR tech, healthcare, or financial services a strong plus
  
• Deep understanding of accessibility standards and inclusive design practices (e.g., WCAG, ADA)
  

Why WEX

• A mission-driven culture focused on improving people’s lives through better design
  
• A design-led organization with influence across business strategy, technology, and customer experience
  
• The opportunity to lead with vision and drive outcomes that scale to millions of employees and employers

The base pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual pay rates will vary and will be based on various factors, such as your qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. Base pay is one component of WEX's total compensation package. Most sales positions are eligible for commission under the terms of an applicable plan. Non-sales roles are typically eligible for a quarterly or annual bonus based on their role and applicable plan. WEX's comprehensive and market competitive benefits are designed to support your personal and professional well-being. Benefits include health, dental and vision insurances, retirement savings plan, paid time off, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more. For more information, check out the "About Us" section. Pay Range: $158,000.00 - $210,000.00