Lead, UX Designer

Responsibilities

• Set the UX direction for ELL, translating product strategy into design strategy and clear team-level execution priorities.
• Drive customer experience outcomes across multiple squads, journeys, and surfaces so that learners and teachers experience ELL as one connected system.
• Own product-area UX quality, consistency, and cohesion; raise UX maturity across teams so quality is stable and not dependent on individuals.
• Role‑model holistic ecosystem mapping and service‑design thinking when shaping multi‑product, multi‑touchpoint experiences.
• Lead user research and customer‑discovery practice across ELL, ensuring deep, repeatable insight into learner and teacher needs informs product decisions.
• Define design strategies and value propositions grounded in research, behavioural data, and pedagogy.
• Partner with regional and segment leaders to localise experiences for institutional, enterprise, and consumer learners while protecting global coherence.
• Own ELL's design system and UX operations, scaling frictionless delivery of interaction, usability, and accessibility patterns across teams.
• Create and maintain a UX playbook covering best‑in‑class workflows, UX/AI design, and content strategy.
• Operationalise scalable, rule‑based product design systems that raise the floor of craft and accelerate delivery.
• Operate as a peer to Product, Engineering, and Program leaders; act as a strategic product and thought partner to the ELL Product Leadership Team.
• Build product‑area roadmap alignment with cross‑functional leadership and use clear RACI, escalation, and decision‑making frameworks so teams align without constant escalation.
• Coach cross‑functional teams on prioritisation, tradeoffs, and decisions, balancing time‑boxed delivery pressure with long‑term experience quality.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing global team of design managers and senior ICs; scale impact through leaders rather than direct execution.
• Own team hiring, calibration, learning and development, and succession planning for the ELL UX organisation.
• Foster collaboration, inclusion, and accountability across geographies and disciplines, and contribute actively to Pearson's design and leadership communities.

Requirements

• 12+ years' experience in UX, product design, or design leadership, including 5+ years leading multi‑team design organisations or managing managers.
• Proven success setting design direction across complex, multi‑product portfolios and shipping experiences at scale.
• Track record of building and operating mature design systems, research practices, and UX operating models.
• Experience partnering with senior Product and Engineering leaders in matrixed, global organisations.
• Familiarity with English language learning, EdTech, or adjacent education markets strongly preferred.
• Essential—Bachelor's degree in Design, Human‑Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
• Preferred—Master's degree in Design, HCI, UX, or a related discipline.
• Bachelor's degree in Design.
• Bachelor's degree in Human‑Computer Interaction.
• Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science.
• Master's degree in Design.
• Master's degree in HCI.
• Master's degree in UX.

#J-18808-Ljbffr