Lead UX Designer - Craft Education

Western Governors University; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 144,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Medical, dental, vision

Telehealth and mental healthcare

Wellbeing program

Discounted tuition

Flexible PTO

Retirement plan

Job summary

Western Governors University is seeking a Lead UX Designer to shape the user experience across our products, with autonomy to influence strategy, roadmaps, and design processes. You will help build a design culture, ensure accessibility, and develop scalable design systems.

They will collaborate with researchers, engineers, and product managers to translate user needs into intuitive experiences, lead workshops, and drive innovation across digital touchpoints while staying aligned with business

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required.
• 6 years of UX/UI design experience in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Strong portfolio showing user-centered design and translating insights into solutions.
• Equivalent experience may substitute for degree requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead design efforts across product lines and align with roadmaps.
• Develop and maintain design systems that scale with company growth.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to define and execute roadmaps.
• Prototype and iterate on designs based on research, user testing and feedback.
• Advocate for user-centered design at all stages of development.

Skills

Front-end knowledge

UX research collaboration

Wireframes & prototypes

Figma

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership in meetings

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Equivalent relevant experience

Tools

Figma

Dovetail

Miro

Job description

If youre passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and youre committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider Craft Education as the next step in your career. Craft Education is on a mission to solve skilled labor shortages by powering work-based learning pathways for all. At Craft, were revolutionizing the apprenticeship degree, combining on-the-job learning with accredited instruction to create innovative educational pathways that accommodate working professionals and meet employer needs. Our flagship product - Craft Connect - helps organizations administer apprentice degree programs and address mission-critical data and reporting needs. Through the same platform, Craft is also transforming how on-the-job learning converts into academic credits. Our team of technology, education and workforce professionals also provides technical assistance to organizations looking to launch and manage apprenticeship degree programs. We are working tirelessly to accelerate the expansion of these programs along with the data infrastructure that underpins them. If youre looking to join the work-based learning revolution, wed love to talk with you. At Craft, youll have the opportunity to solve hard problems in a high-growth startup environment and make a lasting impact on the future of education and workforce development. We couldnt be more excited to advance this work as a team of innovative, collaborative and mission-oriented professionals - we hope youll consider joining us.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Technical 410 Pay Range: $143,700.00 - $222,700.00

Job Description

The Lead UX Designer is a key member of the design team and works closely with the UX research and the product team to shape the user experience of our products. They will have significant autonomy and influence in strategic decisions, road mapping, and design processes from the ground up. The Lead UX Designer plays a key role in building a design culture, advocating for user-centered design, and driving innovation in our digital experiences. Leads the design efforts across product lines, collaborating with the Lead UX Researcher to integrate research insights into the design process. Translates user needs, business goals, and research findings into intuitive and innovative user experiences. Develops and maintains design systems that scale as the company grows, ensuring consistency across all digital touchpoints. Collaborates with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to define product roadmaps and ensure alignment between design vision and business strategy. Prototypes and iterates on design solutions based on feedback from research, user testing, and cross-functional teams. Advocates for the user at every stage of the design process, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly product experience. Leads workshops and brainstorming sessions to foster collaboration and creativity across teams. Creates and communicates design strategies and UX roadmaps that align with the company’s goals, metrics, and objectives. Build and manage a comprehensive design repository to organize and share design assets, guidelines, and best practices especially regarding responsive design. Provide feedback and guidance to other designers, fostering a collaborative and growth-focused environment as the team grows. Stay up to date with the latest design trends, tools, and technologies to ensure our products are at the forefront of innovation. Ensure accessibility and inclusive design principles are integrated into all design work. Performs other job-related duties as assigned. This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Understanding of front-end development component building and ability to troubleshoot UI issues. Experience working closely with UX research teams to incorporate user insights into design processes using tools like Dovetail. Expertise in creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs using tools like Figma.. Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and influence stakeholders using collaborative tools like Miro for white boarding and diagramming. Ability to take command of meetings with teammates, executive team, or external stakeholders with confidence. Self-starter mentality with the ability to identify design opportunities independently. Comfort with wearing multiple hats and jumping in to help wherever and whenever needed. Collaborative spirit, working cross-functionally with researchers, engineers, and product managers. Commitment to transparency, feedback, and continuous improvement. Education Bachelor’s Degree. Experience 6 years of experience in UX/UI design or relevant field, preferably in a fast-paced start-up environment. Strong portfolio demonstrating a deep understanding of user-centered design principles and the ability to translate insights into design solutions Experience in lieu of education Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager. Preferred Qualifications Government agency experience (especially Department of Labor or Workforce Development) is a plus. Experience working in an Agile development process. Experience using user research throughout the product life cycle, incorporating data from multiple sources into decision-making. Higher Education and Agency experience This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.

In 1997, a coalition of 19 U.S. governors founded Western Governors University with a singular vision: to make higher education more accessible by offering full degree programs online. Starting small, we quickly expanded. Today, were one of the largest accredited online universities in the U.S.