Manager, User Experience and Design

Position Description

The Manager, User Experience and Design leads the strategic direction and execution of human-centered design initiatives that advance UNOS' mission and organizational objectives. This role bridges high-level design thinking with hands-on design execution, guiding teams in creating transformative products and services. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader with deep expertise in service design, design strategy, and systems thinking, particularly in healthcare or mission-driven contexts. This position reports to senior leadership and plays a critical role in shaping innovation and fostering a design culture across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead UX strategy, strategic design efforts, and design execution on complex digital products to define and evolve service offerings, digital experiences, and organizational initiatives.
• Facilitate workshops, design sprints, and co-creation sessions with cross-functional stakeholders and users.
• Plan, conduct, and synthesize user research to deeply understand the needs, behaviors, and pain points of diverse users.
• Translate research insights into wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity design artifacts that align with usability best practices and government accessibility standards.
• Mentor and manage a team of designers, providing guidance, feedback, and professional development.
• Drive alignment between business goals, user needs, and technical feasibility through systems-level thinking.
• Advocate for and implement human-centered design practices with multi-disciplinary teams and government partners.
• Collaborate with product, research, data, and engineering teams to ensure human-centered solutions are feasible and impactful.
• Develop and communicate vision artifacts such as journey maps, personas, and experience frameworks.
• Champion design thinking practices and cultivate a culture of innovation and user empathy across the organization.

Minimum Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in design strategy, service design, or experience design,
• At least 2 years in a leadership or management role.
• Experience leading human-centered design projects from discovery through implementation

Critical Skills

• Proven experience developing and implementing user-centered design strategies for complex systems or services.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic design leadership, service design, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Expertise in design thinking, systems thinking, and human-centered methodologies.
• Ability to synthesize research insights into actionable strategies and compelling narratives.
• Exceptional facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Deep understanding of accessibility, equity-centered design, and inclusive practices.
• Proficiency with tools such as Figma, Miro, Adobe Creative Suite, and journey mapping software.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working within healthcare, public sector, or nonprofit organizations.
• Familiarity with data-informed design, qualitative and quantitative research, and implementation strategies.
• Exposure to agile and lean development methodologies.
• Background in organizational change, innovation strategy, or design operations is a plus.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Service Design, Human-Centered Design, or related field or equivalent work experience
• Master's degree or equivalent experience in Design Strategy, Business, Public Health, or related discipline preferred.

Physical Requirements

• General office demands
  
  
  
  • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
  • Frequent reaching, handling, and fine manipulation for using office equipment, filing, and managing paperwork.
  • Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, mouse, and other office tools.
  • Occasional standing, walking, and bending.
  • Ability to lift up to 10-20 pounds occasionally.
  • Vision abilities required include close vision for computer work and reading documents.
  • Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.