User Experience Designer

Role Overview

This opportunity is for a seasoned User Experience Designer to join a remote contract role lasting at least five months. The position initially requires onsite presence for the first week, preferably in locations such as New York City and nearby areas, Charlotte, San Antonio, Washington DC, or Irvine. Following this, remote work is permitted.

Main Responsibilities

• Evaluate the current user experience by auditing existing designs to identify pain points and ensure alignment with product objectives and technical limitations.
• Champion user needs throughout the design lifecycle to create intuitive and seamless experiences.
• Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams including product managers, developers, compliance, and accessibility specialists to ensure designs meet business and regulatory standards.
• Develop and polish wireframes, prototypes, and visual assets to effectively communicate design concepts to stakeholders.
• Incorporate user research findings into design decisions, validate ideas, and iterate based on stakeholder and user feedback.
• Maintain consistency and enhance usability through the use of established design systems, research on design patterns, and accessibility considerations.
• Facilitate feedback collection from peers, stakeholders, and users to refine design quality and usability.
• Prepare comprehensive design documentation and annotations for smooth development handoff, emphasizing accessibility where relevant.
• Support development teams by addressing design questions, updating designs as required, and participating in design reviews.
• Monitor post-launch design performance with data and feedback to drive ongoing improvements.
• Independently manage design tasks for moderately complex projects balancing user requirements with business and technical constraints, requiring minimal oversight.
• Contribute actively to UX department initiatives that enhance design practices and offerings.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration to influence product strategy toward user-centered, business-impactful solutions.
• Drive improvements in design quality and act as a lead contributor within the UX team.
• Utilize AI-assisted design tools to boost efficiency and foster innovation in design processes.
• Lead design efforts across multiple platforms including mobile, web, and voice interfaces ensuring consistent usability.
• Align design decisions with measurable business outcomes and product strategy.
• Create effective, accessible design concepts, interactions, and visuals with great attention to detail.
• Ensure designs conform to and enhance existing design systems, promoting their growth and adoption.
• Facilitate design sprints and iterative design work collaboratively with product management, UX, and developers.
• Provide constructive critique and guidance to fellow designers, setting a positive example for design reviews.
• Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among design peers within and outside product teams on patterns and methodologies.
• Lead design strategy activities using methods such as design thinking, service blueprinting, journey mapping, and user flow mapping, producing related deliverables.
• Collaborate closely with product owners and managers to advocate for user interests influencing product direction and roadmaps.
• Coordinate with the core design team on design system enhancements and product implementation.
• Implement and advocate UX best practices and processes within product teams, acting as an ambassador for UX values.
• Work with UX professionals across divisions to deliver top-quality user experiences aligned with strategic objectives.

Qualifications & Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in UX design.
• Mastery of an extensive range of UX design techniques and tools, including user journey mapping, service design, design thinking, information architecture, low- and high-fidelity design, design systems, accessibility, and prototyping.
• Proven experience delivering responsive design solutions suitable for multiple device types and screen sizes.
• Strong competencies in front-end development and close collaboration with development teams.
• Experience integrating third-party and proprietary applications into coherent user experiences.
• Excellent communication skills capable of effectively engaging diverse audiences ranging from team members to senior leaders and external partners.
• Ability to build and sustain productive relationships across various departments, business units, and vendors.
• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and motivational abilities.
• Exceptional organizational skills and self-management capabilities.
• Commitment to continuous self-development and staying updated with evolving UX design methods, tools, and best practices.
• Strong presentation skills, able to persuasively convey ideas and information.