Sr ux/ui designer

Summary:

The Senior UX Designer plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing the user experience strategy for our digital products. This position requires a harmonious fusion of aesthetic sensibility and technical proficiency, aiming to deliver intuitive and engaging solutions to complex design challenges. The ideal candidate is a forward-thinker, who has fully integrated AI-powered tools into their day-to-day design practice, using them to accelerate research synthesis, ideation, prototyping, and iteration, while maintaining a strong commitment to creating user-focused, accessible, and compelling digital interactions for Xpanse's mortgage and financial services platform.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage design system components, including evolving our design system by collaborating with design leadership and engineering teams to ensure consistency, accessibility, and efficiency across digital products.
• Drive the end-to-end UX design process, executing Xpanse's strategic vision for user experiences across all digital channels, leveraging AI-powered design tools (e.g., AI-assisted wireframing, generative layout exploration, and rapid prototyping features within Figma, Claude and similar platforms) to compress research-to-prototype timelines without sacrificing quality.
• Foster collaborative design initiatives, partnering with the design team and cross-functional departments to craft designs that resonate with our audience while aligning with our brand ethos and objectives.
• Leverage user research, analytics, and feedback, including AI-assisted synthesis of qualitative research and behavioral data, to guide design improvements, aiming for perpetual enhancement of our user interfaces.
• Apply AI-powered design workflows across the design of Xpanse's AI-driven platforms, ensuring that designs for underwriter, processor, and loan officer personas clearly and responsibly surface AI-generated recommendations, confidence levels, and explainability where the platform incorporates AI decisioning.
• Contribute to the evolution of our design methodologies and workflows, advocating for best practices in design collaboration, efficiency, and responsible use of AI tooling throughout the design process.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures.
• Maintain regular and punctual attendance.

Other Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position is an individual contributor.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Outstanding ability to articulate design concepts visually, verbally, and in writing, with proficiency in defending and negotiating design decisions.
• Proficiency in analyzing user research and A/B testing/behavioral analytics to swiftly produce wireframes for various workflows, demonstrating adaptability and efficiency in a fast-paced work environment.
• Familiarity with the Lean UX approach, demonstrating the ability to rapidly prototype, iterate, and implement user-centered design solutions in a collaborative and efficient manner.
• Expertise in FIGMA, along with familiarity with user research platforms such as usertesting.com, Agile project management tools like Jira, and documentation tools such as Confluence. Familiarity with Smartsheets is a plus.
• Proven track record of solving complex design problems, with acute attention to detail and a capacity to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Excellent autonomous work habits, paired with the capacity to engage effectively in a team environment.
• Proficiency in working with Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI-powered development tools.
• Experience in prompt engineering and effectively communicating with AI systems.
• Understanding of Vibe Coding principles - an approach that combines traditional coding practices with AI assistance.
• Ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity while maintaining quality and security.
• Knowledge of best practices for AI integration in design and development workflow.
• Demonstrated ability to stay current with evolving AI technologies and their applications in UX/UI design.
• End to end UX process – setting up research, testing, information architecture, wireframing, prototypes, etc.

Education and/or Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or related field, plus a portfolio that demonstrates a broad skill set in UX design. Four (4) to six (6) years of relevant experience in a design role. A portfolio or work samples that demonstrate use of AI-assisted tools within the design process (e.g., research synthesis, rapid prototyping, or generative ideation) is strongly preferred. Exceptional ability to communicate visually, verbally, and in writing, with expertise in presenting, supporting choices and negotiating design concepts. Proficiency in Figma, usertesting.com, Jira, and Confluence, with a solid understanding of the web and mobile ecosystems. Demonstrated problem-solving skills, with a meticulous attention to detail and the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines efficiently. Strong independent work ethic, complemented by the ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Certifications from NN/g and IxDF are certainly a bonus. This particular role leans towards analytical capabilities, requiring a strong background in user research and behavioral analytics testing. Experience with tools like UserTesting.com is highly desirable. The focus here is on methodology, mapping out user flows, and crafting exceptional user-centric digital interactions. As we strive for specialization within the team, we're considering separating roles to maximize each individual's strengths. While typically these aspects are intertwined, we recognize the need to address gaps in visual design.

Work Complexity:

Problems and issues faced are difficult and complex, and may require understanding of broader set of issues. Problems typically involve consideration of multiple issues and understanding of the financial/mortgage industry. Problems are typically solved through drawing from prior experience and analysis of issues.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Work is normally performed in a typical interior office work environment which does not subject the employee to any hazardous or unpleasant elements. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Americans with Disabilities Act:

Applicants as well as employees who are or become disabled must be able to satisfactorily perform the essential job functions of the position either with or without reasonable accommodation. Applicants as well as employees are encouraged to meet with Human Resources as the organization shall review reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.

Job Responsibilities:

The statements reflect the general duties and responsibilities considered necessary to perform the essential functions of the job and should not be considered as an all-inclusive list of all the work requirements of the position. The company may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.