Principal UX Designer

Cengage Group; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 102,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total Rewards program

Bonus program

Job summary

Cengage Group is seeking a Principal UX Designer to shape and elevate our web and digital experiences. You will drive web strategy across complex systems, translate business needs into intuitive, scalable solutions, and partner with Marketing, Product and Engineering to deliver meaningful value.

You will lead end-to-end design, employ data and experimentation, and apply AI tools to innovate. Strong collaboration and cross-functional influence are essential in this role.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UX, Web Strategy, web design and research.
• Strong portfolio showing end-to-end web design with measurable impact.
• Ability to influence cross-functional partners and shape roadmaps.
• Proficient in data, analytics, and user research to inform decisions.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Experience with front-end development and collaboration with engineering teams.
• Experience using AI and modern workflows to design and build efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive Web experience strategy across key product areas, shaping direction and guiding high-impact decisions
• Translate complex business, marketing and product requirements into scalable user experiences
• Use data, research, and experimentation to inform decisions and continuously improve experiences
• Apply AI and modern tools to accelerate design and build processes
• Lead end-to-end design work from discovery through delivery with cohesive quality
• Contribute hands-on design while guiding broader direction across teams
• Influence cross-functional partners and leadership through clear rationale and tradeoffs
• Build and scale experimentation programs with clear hypotheses and success metrics

Skills

UX Design

Web Strategy

UI Design

Research

Cross-functional Influence

Data Analytics

Communication

Frontend Collaboration

AI Tools

Tools

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

Job description

United States

Full time

R2026-566

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students 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.

Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well‑being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/ .

Position Summary

Cengage is seeking a Principal UX Designer to shape and elevate our web and digital experience through strong product thinking, design craft, and a focus on systems thinking and future-oriented experiences.

In this role, you will define Web experience and strategy across complex systems, bringing clarity to ambiguity and translating business and product needs into intuitive, scalable solutions. You will operate across strategy and execution, helping teams move from vision to high-quality outcomes.

You will partner closely with Marketing, Product and Engineering to influence priorities, guide decisions, and ensure what we build delivers meaningful value to our users and the business.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive Web experience strategy across key product areas, shaping direction and guiding high-impact decisions

• Translate complex business, marketing and product requirements into clear, scalable, and forward-thinking user experiences

• Use data, research, and experimentation to inform decisions and continuously innovate and improve experiences

• Apply modern tools, including AI, to accelerate and reimagine how we design and build

• Lead end-to-end design work, from discovery through delivery, ensuring quality and cohesion across the experience

• Operate at both strategic and executional levels, contributing hands‑on design while guiding broader direction

• Influence cross-functional partners and leadership through clear communication, strong rationale, and thoughtful tradeoffs

• Experience building and scaling experimentation programs, including hypothesis development, success metrics definition, and A/B or multivariate testing frameworks

What You Bring

• 8+ years of experience in UX, Web Strategy, web and product design with deep expertise across UX, UI, and research

• Consistent track record of driving ground-breaking change in web or platform experiences

• Strong ability to influence cross‑functional partners and shape marketing, product, engineering, and business roadmaps through design leadership

• Strong portfolio demonstrating end‑to‑end web design work and measurable business impact

• Proficiency in demonstrating data, analytics, and user research to inform decisions and optimize outcomes

• Excellent communication and collaborator management skills, capable of influencing cross‑functional teams

• Experience with front‑end development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and strong collaboration with engineering teams

• Experience using innovative tools and workflows, including AI, to design, prototype, and build more efficiently

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. Click here (https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/perspectives/2024/cengage-group-total-rewards-philosophy/) to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

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 participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program. This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.

15% Annual: Individual Target

$101,900.00 - $132,450.00 USD

Cengage, a global edtech company, supports learners, educators and institutions across more than 100 countries. With products serving nearly 16 million digital users across the Higher Education, School, Work and English Language Learning markets, we’ve built a learning ecosystem that connects education to employment. We combine trusted content, AI-powered insights and scalable digital platforms to power learning for every future and drive meaningful outcomes at every stage of the learning journey.