Lead User Experience Designer – Mobile

The Corporate; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Project Charlie seeks a Lead UX Designer – Mobile & Platforms to drive end-to-end experience design for a new customer-facing mobile platform. The role starts hands-on and grows into leading a small UX function, shaping the design vision in collaboration with Product and Engineering.

The candidate will own research, document journeys, and translate insights into cohesive designs, systems, and guidelines across mobile experiences while ensuring accessibility and privacy standards.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of UX/UI or product design experience.
• Strong background in user research, interaction design, and mobile design.
• Experience across the end-to-end product design lifecycle.
• Ability to simplify complex systems into intuitive experiences.
• Experience with journey maps and design systems.
• Proficiency with tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.

Responsibilities

• Lead user research and discovery to understand customer behaviors and pain points.
• Conduct interviews, usability testing, surveys, and behavioral analysis.
• Capture and document current-state journeys and experiences.
• Translate insights into design strategies and requirements.
• Design user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI.
• Own and drive the overall look and feel of the platform.
• Define and evolve design systems and guidelines.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to ensure feasibility.
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder alignment.
• Lead usability testing and iterative improvements.
• Mentor designers and oversee external partners.
• Ensure accessibility, privacy, and compliance standards.

Skills

User research

Interaction design

Mobile design

Design systems

Figma

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

Figma

Sketch

Adobe XD

Job description

Role Overview

Project Charlie is seeking a Lead User Experience (UX) Designer – Mobile & Platforms to provide leadership in understanding customer needs, defining product experiences, and shaping the overall design vision for a new customer‑facing mobile platform. This role begins as a hands‑on design leader and evolves into leading a small UX function.

The Lead UX Designer owns end‑to‑end experience design—researching user behaviors, identifying unmet needs, documenting current‑state journeys, and driving future‑state improvements while partnering closely with Product and Engineering.

Location & Logistics

Location: Oakland, CA
Duration: 1 year
Notes: LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY. The role is hybrid, 2 days a month in the office.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead user research and discovery to understand customer behaviors and pain points.
• Conduct interviews, usability testing, surveys, and behavioral analysis.
• Capture and document current-state journeys and experiences.
• Translate insights into design strategies and requirements.
• Design user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI.
• Own and drive the overall look and feel of the platform.
• Define and evolve design systems and guidelines.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to ensure feasibility.
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder alignment.
• Lead usability testing and iterative improvements.
• Mentor designers and oversee external partners.
• Ensure accessibility, privacy, and compliance standards.

Minimum Experience

• 8–10 years of UX/UI or product design experience.
• Strong background in user research, interaction design, and mobile design.
• Experience across the end-to-end product design lifecycle.
• Ability to simplify complex systems into intuitive experiences.
• Experience with journey maps and design systems.
• Proficiency with tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Product and Engineering.
• Ability to lead and influence without authority.

Desired Experience

• Experience designing customer-facing products at scale.
• Experience in regulated industries.
• Familiarity with data-rich or IoT ecosystems.
• Experience supporting launch and iteration.
• Experience working with external agencies.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong advocate for user-centered design.
• Systems thinker for end-to-end experiences.
• Clear communicator of design rationale.
• Collaborative and cross-functional leader.
• Balances user, technical, and business needs.
• Comfortable with ambiguity.

What Success Looks Like

• Customer insights drive product decisions.
• Platform delivers intuitive and cohesive experiences.
• Design influences product strategy.
• Teams align around a clear experience vision.
• Continuous improvements based on user feedback.