Manager User Experience

Ascend Learning; United States; Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Learning is seeking an experienced UX Manager to lead designers across its digital product portfolio. This role blends people leadership with UX strategy, shaping product direction in partnership with product managers, engineers, and senior stakeholders.

You'll mentor a high-performing design team, stay hands-on with user flows, wireframes, and prototypes, and oversee end-to-end design processes from discovery to handoff. The position supports hybrid or remote work in the US.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in design, HCI, or a related field.
• 6+ years of experience in UX design, with demonstrated growth into a leadership role.
• Proficiency in Figma; experience with AI-powered design and ideation tools strongly preferred.
• Portfolio showcasing a range of UX design projects and demonstrating your design process.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of UX designers, providing coaching, feedback, and formal performance evaluations.
• Oversee the end-to-end UX design process from discovery through prototyping, usability testing, and handoff.
• Manage and prioritize the team's workload across multiple concurrent projects.
• Ensure all UX work meets a high bar for quality, accessibility, and user value.

Skills

UX leadership

Figma

AI tools

User research

Portfolio

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Design or HCI

Tools

Figma

Job description

Ascend Learning is seeking an experienced and strategic UX Manager to lead designers in delivering intuitive, user-centered experiences across its digital product portfolio. This role sits at the intersection of people leadership and UX strategy.

The manager will mentor high-performing designers while serving as a key voice in shaping how UX influences product direction across the organization, partnering closely with product managers, engineers, and senior stakeholders.

This position can work hybrid from the Burlington, MA or Leawood, KS office, or fully remote.

People Leadership

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of UX designers, providing coaching, feedback, and formal performance evaluations
• Set clear expectations, delegate work aligned to individual skill levels, and ensure the team operates with focus and accountability

AI-Augmented Leadership

• Model and champion responsible, high-leverage use of AI tools, including Claude and generative design platforms
• Establish team norms and best practices for AI-assisted design

Design Delivery & Execution

• Stay hands-on as a practitioner, contributing directly to user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes
• Oversee the end-to-end UX design process from discovery through prototyping, usability testing, and handoff
• Manage and prioritize the team's workload across multiple concurrent projects
• Ensure all UX work meets a high bar for quality, accessibility, and user value

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, and stakeholders to align UX efforts with roadmap priorities
• Facilitate design reviews, critiques, and workshops to drive alignment across teams

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's or master's degree in design, HCI, or a related field
• 6+ years of experience in UX design, with demonstrated growth into a leadership role
• Proficiency in Figma; experience with AI-powered design and ideation tools strongly preferred
• Portfolio showcasing a range of UX design projects and demonstrating your design process

The current full-time annualized hiring range for this role is $138,000.00-$197,340.00, and does not include discretionary bonus or sales incentives. Most regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in an Ascend incentive bonus or sales plan.