Director, UX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, UX

Company: RAPP

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Experience Strategy

Date Posted: May 29, 2026

Experience Level: 8+ Years (with 4+ years leadership)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and execution of User Experience (UX) design for complex, enterprise-level client engagements, ensuring a human-centered approach.

• Drive the creation of useful, measurable, and impactful cross-channel experiences across web, mobile, email, messaging, CRM, and service ecosystems.

• Translate intricate business objectives, customer insights, data analytics, and brand ambitions into actionable UX strategies and tangible design artifacts.

• Mentor and develop a team of UX designers, fostering a culture of high-quality craft, collaborative innovation, and continuous improvement in UX methodologies.

• Serve as a key liaison, facilitating alignment and driving decision-making among internal teams (strategy, data, creative, technology) and external client stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Director, UX" with a significant emphasis on both strategic leadership and hands-on execution. The blend of leading UX workstreams, creating core UX deliverables, and mentoring designers suggests a senior individual contributor with team leadership responsibilities, rather than a pure people management role. The "0-to-1 initiatives" and "enterprise design systems" highlight a need for foundational UX strategy and architecture skills, often associated with senior or principal-level positions in operations-adjacent fields like product development and GTM strategy.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead UX workstreams for new initiatives (0-to-1) and enterprise-wide projects, guiding them from initial problem framing and discovery through to prototyping, user testing, development handoff, and ongoing iteration.

• Translate complex client business goals, deep customer understanding, data-driven insights, brand guidelines, and technical limitations into cohesive and effective experience strategies and precise UX requirements.

• Design and facilitate impactful client and internal workshops, including but not limited to discovery sessions, customer journey mapping, service blueprinting, ideation, design critiques, and prioritization exercises.

• Develop and oversee the creation of essential UX deliverables such as detailed personas/profiles, comprehensive experience maps, actionable customer journeys, service blueprints, robust information architecture, site maps, intricate user flows, content and interaction models, detailed wireframes, annotated prototypes, and compelling presentation narratives.

• Architect, build, and maintain enterprise-level design systems and sophisticated Figma component libraries, ensuring comprehensive documentation, clear governance, robust component states, effective responsive behavior, adherence to accessibility standards, and seamless developer handoff.

• Create prototypes at varying fidelity levels to effectively test innovative ideas, achieve stakeholder alignment, support user research initiatives, and provide clear guidance for technology implementation teams.

• Collaborate closely with technology partners to define technical feasibility, identify platform constraints, plan system integrations, establish accessibility requirements, outline quality assurance (QA) expectations, and detail production implementation strategies.

• Foster strong partnerships with cross-functional teams including strategy, creative, copy, data/analytics, CRM, media, and project management to ensure UX solutions effectively support customer needs, enhance brand expression, and drive desired business outcomes.

• Present UX strategies and design recommendations persuasively to clients and senior internal stakeholders, clearly articulating the rationale, providing supporting evidence, and detailing any necessary trade-off analyses.

• Lead, mentor, and develop the skills of UX designers and other supporting resources, including offshore/nearshore partners, establishing and upholding high standards for work quality, collaborative practices, effective communication, and design craft.

• Accurately scope UX work, estimate required effort, plan project deliverables, manage complex feedback cycles, and proactively identify potential risks before they impact project delivery timelines or quality.

• Apply a rigorous, human-centered design perspective to complex industries and diverse user audiences, adeptly balancing individual customer needs with overarching brand considerations, legal/compliance requirements, operational realities, and technical constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for experience in designing complex, interconnected systems rather than standalone digital products. The emphasis on "enterprise design systems," "service ecosystems," and "regulated or complex industries" points towards a role that requires a deep understanding of how UX integrates with broader business operations and technical architecture.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Experience: 8+ years of comprehensive experience in UX, product design, information architecture, or experience strategy; agency, consultancy, or complex enterprise environments are strongly preferred.

4+ years of proven experience leading UX designers or multidisciplinary design teams, including expertise in coaching, providing constructive feedback, resource staffing, and developing design craft.

Required Skills:

• UX Strategy & Leadership: Proven ability to lead UX workstreams, define experience strategies, and mentor design teams.

• Figma Expertise: Expert-level proficiency in Figma, including advanced capabilities in building and managing design systems, component libraries, interactive prototypes, annotations, and developer handoff workflows.

• Information Architecture (IA) & Systems Thinking: Strong understanding and practical application of IA principles for complex digital ecosystems.

• Cross-Channel Design: Experience designing integrated user experiences across multiple touchpoints such as web, mobile, email, SMS/messaging, CRM, and service platforms.

• Workshop Facilitation: Demonstrated ability to lead and facilitate client and internal workshops for discovery, ideation, and decision-making.

• Deliverable Creation: Proficiency in creating core UX artifacts including personas, journey maps, service blueprints, user flows, wireframes, and prototypes.

• Client Presentation & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability to present UX strategies and design recommendations to senior stakeholders and clients.

• Human-Centered Design: Deep understanding and application of human-centered design principles throughout the entire design process.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems Management: Experience in building, maintaining, and governing enterprise-level design systems and component libraries.

• Usability Testing & Research: Experience planning, conducting, or supporting usability testing and integrating findings into design improvements.

• Accessibility Standards: Strong knowledge of web accessibility guidelines (e.g., WCAG) and their practical implementation.

• Responsive Design Principles: Expertise in designing for various screen sizes and devices.

• Content Strategy: Understanding of how content strategy informs and integrates with UX design.

• Front-End Implementation Awareness: Familiarity with front-end development considerations and how they impact design feasibility.

• Regulated Industry Experience: Experience in sectors like financial services, healthcare, automotive, government, or telecommunications.

• Distributed Team Collaboration: Experience working effectively with offshore or nearshore distributed teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "expert-level Figma skills" and "enterprise design systems" is a critical technical requirement that aligns with modern GTM and product operations best practices for maintaining brand consistency and efficiency across numerous digital touchpoints. The emphasis on regulated industries and distributed teams further refines the ideal candidate profile for complex operational environments.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Strategic Problem Solving: Showcase examples of how you have taken ambiguous business problems and translated them into clear, effective UX strategies and solutions.

• Complex System Design: Demonstrate experience designing intricate, cross-channel experiences or enterprise-level systems (e.g., design systems, strategic insight platforms).

• Deliverable Showcase: Include a range of core UX deliverables such as journey maps, service blueprints, information architecture diagrams, user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.

• Impact & Rationale: Clearly articulate the business goals, user needs, and data that informed your design decisions, and present the measurable impact of your work.

Process Documentation:

• Discovery & Framing: Provide examples of how you initiate projects, frame problems, and conduct user research or stakeholder interviews to gather foundational insights.

• Workflow & Iteration: Illustrate your process for mapping user journeys, defining information architecture, creating user flows, and iterating on designs based on feedback and testing.

• System Design & Governance: Detail your approach to building and maintaining design systems, including component libraries, documentation, and governance models.

• Collaboration & Handoff: Showcase how you collaborate with cross-functional teams (strategy, creative, tech) and ensure effective developer handoff, including annotations and clear specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX Director role, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about showcasing finished products, but demonstrating the strategic thinking, process rigor, and collaborative approach used to arrive at those solutions. The emphasis on "systems thinking" and "enterprise design systems" implies a need for portfolio pieces that illustrate the ability to create scalable and consistent experiences across a large organization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $180,000 USD per year (This range is specific to NYC)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance.

• 401(k) retirement plan.

• Stock Options.

• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA).

• Dependent Flexible Spending Account (FSA).

• Generous Paid Time Off: Vacation days, Sick days, and Personal days.

• Positive Activism Days.

• Paid Parental Leave.

• Disability Benefits.

• Access to Omnicom benefits portal for additional details.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week (Exempt position).

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $150,000-$180,000 for a Director, UX in New York City aligns with industry benchmarks for senior-level design leadership roles in major metropolitan areas. The detailed list of benefits is comprehensive and competitive, reflecting standard offerings for professional roles within large organizations like Omnicom. The "Exempt" status indicates the role is not eligible for overtime pay.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Precision Marketing / Advertising Technology. RAPP operates as a global, next-generation precision marketing agency, leveraging data, creativity, and technology to drive client growth. They specialize in activating growth through personalized customer experiences.

Company Size: 2,000+ employees globally. This indicates a large, established organization with a significant global footprint and likely complex internal processes and a diverse range of clients.

Founded: Part of Omnicom's Precision Marketing Group. While RAPP's founding date isn't specified, its affiliation with Omnicom (founded in 1986) suggests a stable, well-resourced corporate environment with established operational frameworks.

Team Structure:

• The UX team is part of the broader "Experience Strategy" function, working closely with Data Analysts, Strategists, Creatives, Copywriters, Technologists, Project Managers, and Client Stakeholders.

• This role will likely involve collaboration with both internal RAPP teams and distributed delivery teams, potentially including offshore/nearshore partners.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Experience: A core methodology involves leveraging data, customer insights, and technology to inform and create personalized brand experiences.

• Precision Marketing Focus: Emphasis on understanding individuals' needs, behaviors, and aspirations to deliver tailored marketing solutions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: RAPP emphasizes a "superconnector" approach, fostering collaboration across data, content, and decisioning functions to create value from personal brand experiences.

• Empathy & Individuality: The company champions individuality and fights for solutions that adapt to individual needs, suggesting a focus on user empathy and personalized design.

Company Website: https://www.rapp.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: RAPP's positioning as a "precision marketing agency" and its affiliation with Omnicom suggest a highly structured, data-centric, and client-focused operational environment. The emphasis on "individuality" and "empathy" within this data-driven framework indicates a nuanced approach to user experience design, requiring designers to balance analytical rigor with human-centered insights.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Director, UX. This signifies a senior leadership position responsible for driving UX strategy, quality, and execution across significant client projects. It involves both strategic oversight and hands-on contribution, requiring a deep understanding of user-centered design principles applied within a complex agency or enterprise context.

Reporting Structure: The role reports within the "Experience Strategy" team and collaborates extensively with various departments including strategy, data, creative, and technology. Direct reports may include other UX designers and potentially offshore/nearshore resources.

Operations Impact: The UX Director's work directly influences client satisfaction, brand perception, customer engagement, and ultimately, client business outcomes. By translating business goals into effective user experiences, this role plays a critical part in the agency's ability to deliver measurable growth and value for its clients. The focus on "precision marketing" means UX decisions have a direct impact on the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and customer relationship management.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into VP-level roles within Experience Strategy or broader Design leadership, overseeing larger teams and more strategic accounts.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like enterprise design systems, service design, or advanced UX research methodologies within complex industries.

• Client Relationship Management: Develop stronger client-facing skills and become a trusted advisor on UX strategy for key accounts.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain deeper insights into data science, AI in marketing, and creative strategy through close collaboration with other RAPP teams.

• Mentorship & Team Building: Play a key role in shaping the UX practice at RAPP by mentoring junior talent and contributing to hiring and team development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Director" title, combined with responsibilities for leading workstreams and mentoring designers, points to a role that is critical for developing and scaling the UX practice within RAPP. The growth opportunities are tied to both deepening expertise in UX and expanding leadership influence within the agency and client engagements.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid Work Model. Employees have the option to work from home two days per week, with three days expected in the office to foster in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): New York, NY. Specific office details are not provided, but it's implied to be a modern, collaborative workspace designed to support hybrid work and team interaction.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment is designed to facilitate core in-person connections and collaborative work, essential for brainstorming, workshops, and team alignment.

• Technology Integration: Assumed to be equipped with standard office technology and potentially specialized design tools and resources to support UX design activities.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model encourages frequent interaction with colleagues across UX, Strategy, Creative, Data, and Technology teams, fostering knowledge sharing and cross-pollination of ideas.

Work Schedule: Standard professional working hours (approximately 40 hours/week), with flexibility implied by the hybrid model, but a strong emphasis on in-office presence for core collaboration days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with specific in-office days highlights a company culture that values both flexibility and the tangible benefits of in-person collaboration, a common balancing act for agencies and larger organizations. This structure is designed to support the dynamic workflows of UX and strategy teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A key stage will involve presenting a curated portfolio of work, focusing on strategic thinking, problem-solving, and execution across complex projects. Be prepared to discuss your process, rationale, and impact.

• Skills Assessment: Potential for a design exercise or case study (individual or workshop-based) to evaluate strategic thinking, problem-solving capabilities, and ability to translate business needs into UX solutions.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with potential peers, cross-functional leads (e.g., Strategy, Technology), and potentially senior leadership to assess collaboration style, leadership potential, and fit within the RAPP culture.

• Final Round: Discussions with hiring manager and/or senior leadership to finalize the decision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 projects that best showcase your experience in leading UX strategy, complex problem-solving, enterprise design systems, and cross-channel experience design. Prioritize work relevant to RAPP's precision marketing context.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the business challenge, your role, the process you followed (discovery, IA, flows, prototyping, testing), your design decisions and rationale, and the measurable outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Emphasize any experience with design systems, component libraries, or designing for interconnected ecosystems.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples where you led or mentored other designers, facilitated workshops, or managed stakeholder expectations.

• Figma Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your advanced Figma skills, particularly regarding design systems and collaborative workflows.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand RAPP's Business: Research RAPP's clients, their approach to precision marketing, and their focus on data, creativity, and empathy.

• Anticipate UX Strategy Questions: Prepare to discuss how you would approach designing for specific client scenarios, balancing user needs with business objectives and technical constraints.

• Practice Articulating Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss difficult design decisions, compromises made, and how you navigated trade-offs between user experience, business goals, and technical feasibility.

• Prepare for "Why RAPP?": Articulate your interest in RAPP's specific industry, client base, and culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes portfolio review and strategic thinking, which is standard for senior UX roles. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just design skills, but also strategic acumen and leadership capabilities. The mention of "distributed delivery teams" suggests that communication and collaboration skills across different work models will be assessed.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, design systems, component libraries, collaborative workflows, and developer handoff. Expert-level proficiency is required.

• Prototyping Tools: Likely includes advanced Figma prototyping capabilities, and potentially others like InVision, Axure, or similar for specific project needs.

• Workshop Facilitation Tools: Digital whiteboarding tools such as Miro or Mural for remote and hybrid collaboration, ideation, journey mapping, and service blueprinting.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar for understanding user behavior and measuring UX impact.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, SurveyMonkey).

• Data Visualization Tools: Familiarity with tools like Tableau or Power BI may be beneficial for interpreting data insights to inform UX strategy.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Experience designing for or integrating with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Adobe Experience Cloud) is highly relevant given the "precision marketing" and "CRM ecosystems" focus.

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Understanding of how UX integrates with marketing automation tools and workflows.

• Project Management Software: Tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for managing project tasks, timelines, and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for "expert-level Figma skills" is a critical technical competency. Beyond Figma, the role requires proficiency in tools that support the entire UX lifecycle, from research and ideation through to prototyping, testing, and collaboration with development teams. Understanding how UX integrates with CRM and marketing automation platforms is crucial for this precision marketing agency context.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centered Design: A fundamental value placed on understanding and advocating for the end-user's needs, ensuring empathy is at the core of all design decisions.

• Data-Informed Creativity: A blend of analytical rigor and creative thinking, using data and insights to fuel innovative and effective marketing experiences.

• Precision & Personalization: A commitment to delivering tailored, individual experiences at scale, driven by deep understanding of customer data and behavior.

• Collaboration & Connection: Emphasis on "superconnectors" and fostering strong, cross-functional relationships to create holistic value for clients.

• Well-being & Individuality: A stated commitment to an inclusive workplace that emphasizes personal well-being and champions individual expression.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Highly collaborative, working closely with strategy, data, creative, and technology teams to ensure cohesive solutions. The role requires bridging gaps between these disciplines.

• Workshop-Centric: A culture that embraces facilitated workshops as a key method for alignment, ideation, and decision-making across diverse teams and stakeholders.

• Feedback & Iteration: An environment that encourages open feedback, constructive critiques, and iterative design processes to refine solutions.

• Client Partnership: A strong focus on building trusted relationships with clients, presenting work clearly, and collaboratively shaping strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: RAPP's stated values of "precision and empathy," "individuality," and "well-being" within a data-driven marketing context suggest a culture that strives for both analytical excellence and human connection. The collaboration style is expected to be highly integrated, requiring the UX Director to be a skilled facilitator and communicator across diverse teams and client engagements.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Diverse Needs: Navigating the complex requirements of multiple stakeholders (clients, end-users, internal teams) while balancing business objectives, technical constraints, and brand requirements.

• Ambiguity & Scale: Translating ambiguous business problems into clear UX strategies and scalable solutions for enterprise-level initiatives.

• Cross-Channel Complexity: Designing cohesive and consistent user experiences across a wide array of digital touchpoints (web, mobile, email, CRM, service).

• Data Integration: Effectively integrating and leveraging diverse data sources and customer insights to inform highly personalized experiences.

• Mentoring Distributed Teams: Managing and mentoring UX designers, including potential offshore/nearshore partners, ensuring consistent quality and communication.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Systems: Deepening expertise in building and scaling enterprise-grade design systems and component libraries.

• Precision Marketing Technologies: Gaining in-depth knowledge of emerging technologies and platforms used in precision marketing and data-driven customer engagement.

• Client Strategy Acumen: Developing stronger strategic advisory skills and becoming a key partner in client growth initiatives.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to refine leadership, mentorship, and team-building capabilities.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of evolving UX best practices, AI in marketing, and customer experience trends within the advertising and marketing technology sectors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are characteristic of senior roles in a client-service agency, requiring adaptability, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage complex projects and relationships. The growth opportunities are tied to deepening specialized UX skills and expanding leadership influence within a dynamic industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the UX strategy for a complex, enterprise-level initiative. What was the business challenge, your approach, and the outcome?" (Focus on problem framing, strategy, and impact).

• "How would you approach designing a new customer journey for a client in the [specific industry, e.g., financial services] sector, considering data privacy and regulatory constraints?" (Assess ability to balance user needs with operational realities).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about RAPP's approach to precision marketing and experience strategy?" (Demonstrate research and alignment with company philosophy).

• "How do you foster collaboration between UX designers and other disciplines like data science, creative, and technology?" (Assess cross-functional collaboration skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the user/business goals, your process, key decisions, and the measurable results. Use a consistent framework.

• Emphasize Strategic Thinking: Go beyond aesthetics; explain the why behind your design choices, linking them directly to business objectives and user needs.

• Showcase Figma Mastery: Be prepared to demonstrate advanced Figma usage, particularly related to design systems, component states, and interactive prototyping.

• Highlight Collaboration: Discuss how you worked with stakeholders, managed feedback, and facilitated alignment.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design rationale, trade-offs, and how you would handle specific challenges mentioned in the job description.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic leadership, deep UX process knowledge, and the ability to integrate user experience into broader business and marketing operations. Candidates should be ready to articulate their thought process and the impact of their work, rather than just presenting finished designs.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Director, UX position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights experience relevant to UX strategy, enterprise design systems, cross-channel design, and team leadership, using keywords from the job description. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest projects that demonstrate strategic thinking, complex problem-solving, and hands-on Figma expertise. Prepare a clear narrative for each piece, focusing on process, rationale, and impact.

• Research RAPP: Familiarize yourself with RAPP's work, their clients, their approach to precision marketing, and their stated values. Understand how your skills align with their mission.

• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice presenting your selected portfolio pieces concisely and persuasively, anticipating questions about your process, decisions, and leadership approach.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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