User Experience Director

SUMMARY

The User Experience Director will own the vision and responsibility of providing best-in-class platform experiences for Savvas Realize, Savvas Admin, SuccessMaker and all other digital platforms in the Savvas ecosystem. S/he will bring the user to the forefront and create an undeniable platform vision in alignment with market trends, user expectations, and forward-facing vision in an ever-changing learning environment. The UX Director is part of the Learning Experience Design Leadership team and is a part of the Platform Product Management umbrella.

S/he is responsible for delivering experience solutions that work seamlessly and intuitively for educators and learners. S/he is a master collaborator, communicating effectively with key business leaders across product management, technology, editorial, and others (including external vendors) to develop a platform that supports large growth businesses. The Director leads the implementation of a holistic framework to deliver an innovative user experience for the Savvas K-12 product family. They will lead a team of UX and CX experts and also provide mentorship and thought leadership to cultivate a cross-discipline design team including Artists, Multimedia Designer/Producers, Researchers, Content Specialists and Developers. S/he will foster the use of and further development of our Design System, to manage the scale of our operations with efficiency and consistency. The UX Director plays a key and critical role in setting strategic vision for the ethical use of AI in K-12 products.

The key to success in this role is a demonstrated use of Human-Centered Design process and methodologies as well as an ability to lead Modern Product Discovery, in addition to a passion for and demonstrated excellence in leading large teams through change.

As a director at Savvas, s/he is expected to lead with compassion and empathy, to guide the career development of staff, and to create a space of psychological safety where growth is fostered and inspiration abounds.

SCOPE AND IMPACT OF JOB

Supervisory responsibilities:

• Inspire staff to become lifelong learners through modeling, setting learning benchmarks and fostering culture.
• Guide the team in alignment with the Learning Experience Design Guiding Principles to be visionary, empathetic, undeniable innovators.
• Lead the team to increase the pace of digital transformation in response to quickly shifting market needs.
• Develop a staff focused on equity and inclusion.
• Lead the financial direction of UX through planning, resource allocation, budgeting for external vendors and staff as needed, managing operating expenses, and recommending and implementing process or method change to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Be a strategic partner to other Directors in Learning Experience Design as well as to the VP, LXD. Success in this role isn't individual success, but recognizing that we only move forward together.
  
  

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Main Responsibilities:

• Conduct the orchestra of UX design strategy by aligning research findings with product opportunities through heavy use of human centered design methodologies.
• Set the standard for compassionate collaboration by fostering trusting relationships across the organization.
• Drive the UX strategy in alignment with user expectations and market trends and in partnership with Platform Product Management, Technical Product Management, Business Analysts and Engineers.
• Guide the cross-functional team to the art and science of prioritizing feature development based on user research, the strategic vision, and the timeline available to position Savvas toward revenue-generating software solutions.
• Drive the research calendar from gathering research on early concepts through usability testing using working software while being the voice of user research across the Platform Product Management and ProdTech teams.
• Set the vision for success on the platform, driving towards evidence-based solutions.
• Seek opportunities for continuous improvement and growth towards operational excellence and innovative product solutions.
• Establish strategic partnerships with Platform Product Management to immerse the entire team in the customer experience which will drive product opportunities and innovation.
• Lead the prioritization of the ongoing development of the Creative Experience Library (our Design System) and own the vision and guide the implementation of the CEL at scale.
• Maintain a calm and approachable demeanor in all interactions while keeping the teams on time and on budget amidst constantly competing priorities.
• Proudly represent the work of LXD seeking out areas to collaborate and share best practices in striving to define and support a "Savvas Experience."
• Enthusiastically lead and participate in UX reviews and lead feedback discussions while sharing the UX strategy and research as a thought leader and expert.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of software capabilities and ultimately Savvas platforms that will guide teams in what's possible in driving forward.
• Model and embrace facing challenges as opportunities and create a psychologically safe space where teams can create, test, and iterate as a path towards product strategy and team growth.
• Partner closely with the Design Operations Manager to bring new ideas around streamlining and operational excellence in any area of repeated work across disciplines.
• Demonstrate excellence in Human Centered Design and act as the "go to" with in-depth knowledge of UX best practices, standards, and methodologies.
• Ensure open & clear lines of communication of design process and ideas.
• Manage a group of talented UX and CX professionals to deliver high quality, on-time design deliverables, accounting for on-the-fly software needs and changes as they occur.
• Facilitate success of direct reports in meeting their (and their team's) goals by supporting them in turning their strengths into higher performance, and by helping them improve on their growth areas.
• Lead the team in setting SMART goals, giving mentorship, consistent feedback, and thoughtful reviews to ensure growth and ongoing success for the product design team.

Skills:

• 10+ years experience in UX Management in large scale/enterprise level software, web and mobile environments.
• Experience managing a team of multi-disciplinary professionals, strategic outsourcing, and delivering projects in a large scale, complex enterprise environment.
• Experience working in UX methodologies such as Lean and Agile.
• Human Centered Design expert with demonstrated experience in leading efforts with Design Thinking and Continuous Discovery frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex problems and developing holistic solutions for product and UX ecosystems.
• Must be a vibrant and engaging communicator who can present concepts and ideas to all levels of the company.
• Knowledge and experience with various prototyping, data collection, and design tools, such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Pendo, etc.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and an ability to prioritize and organize to meet tasks and deadlines.
• Experience leading the creation of sketches, concepts, IA diagrams, wireframes and user flows, and formulating into clickable prototypes for research.
• Knowledge about trends and innovations in experience design, technology, development, anticipatory design, AI, and product design.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially as they relate to presenting, articulating research and design decisions.
• Ability to balance business requirements, market needs and analytics with high quality design aesthetic.