Senior Manager, Digital User Experience

Compensation Range:

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, User Experience (UX/UI) leads a team of internal and contract designers and researchers responsible for creating intuitive, data-informed digital experiences for students and staff. This role plays a critical part in enhancing student engagement, enrollment conversion, and service excellence by driving the development of user-centered designs and evolving NU’s design systems. Acting as a creative director, the Senior Manager ensures all interactive experiences align with NU’s brand strategy and meet accessibility standards, while overseeing usability research to validate and optimize digital touchpoints.

This role is a key partner in the product development lifecycle; from discovery and ideation to prototyping and launch. The Senior Manager collaborates closely with product managers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate user needs into strategic design solutions.

Essential Functions:  

• Develops innovative, user-centered web and mobile interface designs and interactions.
• Establishes consistent and reusable design patterns informed by best practices, user testing, and brand guidelines.
• Creates wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs.
• Initiates user research, usability testing, and analysis to validate design solutions and identify user needs.
• Leads customer discovery and design thinking sessions to understand needs and rapidly assess design solutions.
• Collaborates closely with product managers, developers, and analysts to align design with business goals and technical constraints.
• Select, onboard, and manage UX design and research contractors to ensure quality deliverables.
• Partners with development teams to ensure implementation maintains visual integrity, responsiveness, WCAG compliance, and usability.
• Acts as both a design leader and practitioner, guiding the end-to-end design process from discovery through delivery.
• Conducts user testing and research to identify pain points, inform design strategy, and improve the overall digital experience.
• Uses analytics and user behavior data to identify optimization opportunities and shape roadmap priorities.
• Leads UX design reviews and usability sessions to identify areas for improvement and validate enhancements.
• Ensures a unified visual identity and consistent branding across multiple digital platforms and experiences.
• Facilitate collaborative design workshops to uncover challenges, define objectives, and drive actionable product solutions.
• Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position will lead direct and indirect reports. 

Requirements: 

Education & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Science, User Experience, Product Design, Instructional Design, Interaction Design, Visual Design, or a related digital/design discipline required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in a UX leadership role, with a proven track record of defining and executing UX strategies and practices required.
• 5+ years of experience in web or mobile UI/UX design strongly preferred.
• Experience with Salesforce is a plus.
• Extensive background in human-centered design methodologies required.
• Proven ability to balance large-scale strategic design initiatives with short-term execution needs.
• Strong design sensibility with the ability to advocate for user-centered solutions required.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate design strategies and influence stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success working collaboratively in cross-functional, team-oriented environments.
• Experience in higher education preferred. 
• All skills, abilities and education will be considered for minimum qualifications. 

Competencies and other Technical / Functional Skills 

• Expert in Figma and other design tools such as Sketch, InVision, Adobe XD, Illustrator, Photoshop, DSM, and the Adobe Creative Suite; advanced proficiency in visual design, wireframing, prototyping, and interaction design.
• Strong experience in usability testing—including test design, facilitation, analysis—and applying insights to inform UX decisions.
• Experience in UX-focused copywriting and content strategy that enhances digital experiences.
• Familiarity with Design Thinking methodology; able to lead user discovery and problem-framing workshops.
• Strong analytical, critical, strategic, and systems thinking skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Skilled at working in complex, cross-functional environments that require alignment across multiple disciplines.
• Strong communication and storytelling abilities—both written and verbal—with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale and facilitate productive design reviews.
• Comfortable advocating for design decisions while remaining flexible and collaborative in an agile, iterative environment.
• Demonstrated experience using data and analytics to shape UX strategy, measure performance, and improve user outcomes.
• Ability to develop clear UX strategies that inspire teams, influence stakeholders, and drive meaningful change.
• High level of organization, commercial awareness, and results orientation, with an agile mindset.
• Proven ability to influence across functions and levels, support change management initiatives, and champion user-centered thinking throughout the product lifecycle.
• Solid understanding of product strategy, color theory, animation, and accessibility best practices.
• Advanced user of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and collaboration tools.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and conducting usability testing and translating findings into actionable insights for designers, product managers, and developers required.

Location: Remote, USA

Travel: up to 10% travel

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Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part-time benefits, please click here.

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 4,500 faculty and staff and serves over 45,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our student population, including adult learners and working professionals.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University.