Senior UX/UI Designer & Design System Lead

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior UX/UI Designer & Design System Lead. The selected individual will lead user experience strategy, information architecture, responsive design, design system development, and user-centered digital transformation activities that support the University's goals for recruitment, engagement, communication, and conversion.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct stakeholder workshops, discovery sessions, and user experience assessments.
• Analyze audience needs and user behaviors to develop intuitive and audience-centered digital experiences.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, mockups, and visual design concepts for website templates and page layouts.
• Design responsive website experiences that function effectively across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Develop information architecture and navigation structures that improve usability and reduce cognitive load.
• Design and document a reusable design system including standard UI components, flexible layout modules, and usage guidelines.
• Improve visual hierarchy, typography, branding consistency, and overall user experience.
• Design page templates that support engagement, conversion-focused content, calls-to-action, and dynamic storytelling.
• Collaborate with development teams to ensure design specifications are accurately implemented.
• Support content governance initiatives by establishing design standards and user-friendly editing experiences.
• Ensure all design recommendations and deliverables support WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility requirements.
• Participate in project reviews, stakeholder presentations, demonstrations, and design validation activities.
• Contribute to design system documentation, component usage guidelines, and governance recommendations.
• Support implementation, testing, launch, and post-launch optimization activities.

Technical Requirements

• Experience designing responsive websites and digital user experiences.
• Experience developing wireframes, prototypes, visual design concepts, and user interface specifications.
• Experience creating reusable design systems, style guides, or component libraries.
• Knowledge of information architecture, user-centered design principles, and usability best practices.
• Experience designing mobile-first user experiences.
• Experience collaborating with web development teams and content stakeholders.
• Understanding of accessibility principles and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Sketch, or similar platforms.
• Ability to translate business and user requirements into effective digital experiences.

Preferred Technical Experience

• Higher education website environments.
• Content Management Systems (CMS).
• TerminalFour CMS or comparable enterprise CMS platforms.
• Slate CRM integrations.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
• Google Tag Manager (GTM).
• Accessibility-focused website modernization initiatives.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in User Experience Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Media, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Architecture, or a related discipline.
• Equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing responsive websites, digital user experiences, and enterprise web solutions.
• Experience supporting website redesign, modernization, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience developing design systems, reusable templates, or component libraries.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including developers, content owners, marketing teams, and business stakeholders.
• Experience designing solutions that support accessibility, usability, content governance, and user engagement objectives.
• Higher education, public sector, or large enterprise website experience preferred.

Deliverables & Performance Expectations

• User-centered website designs that support audience engagement and conversion goals.
• Responsive page templates and layout recommendations.
• Website navigation and information architecture improvements.
• Reusable design system and component library.
• Accessible user interface designs aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
• Design specifications, wireframes, prototypes, and visual assets.
• Design system documentation and component usage guidelines.
• Governance recommendations supporting long-term consistency and maintainability.
• Timely completion of assigned project deliverables and milestone activities.
• Effective collaboration with project stakeholders and technical teams.