Head of Technical UX Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Technical UX Design

Company: NOISY CREEK

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX/Product Design Leadership

Date Posted: 2026-08-05T19:29:44

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end User Experience (UX) and visual design strategy for all digital properties, ensuring a cohesive brand experience across multiple publications and platforms.

• Drive the design vision and establish design standards for websites, email marketing formats, and future mobile applications, balancing reader engagement with business objectives.

• Collaborate closely with engineering, editorial, membership, and advertising stakeholders to translate design concepts into implemented features and maintain high standards for accessibility and usability.

• Build and scale a design system and component library to ensure consistency and efficiency across diverse digital products and brands.

• Develop the business case for and eventually build and manage a dedicated design function as the company grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a foundational design leadership position within a growing media company. The emphasis on "Technical UX Design" suggests a need for a candidate who not only possesses strong design acumen but also understands technical constraints and can effectively partner with engineering teams. The "Head of" title, coupled with the responsibility to build a team, indicates a strategic leadership component beyond individual contribution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and own the overarching UX and visual design vision for Noisy Creek's digital portfolio, including established brands like The Stranger, Portland Mercury, and Chicago Reader, while ensuring brand integrity and distinct voice for each.

• Oversee the complete design lifecycle for all website experiences, encompassing information architecture, interaction design, visual aesthetics, and responsive/mobile-web behavior from initial concept to final deployment.

• Design, implement, and maintain a scalable system for email templates and other marketing collateral (e.g., newsletters, membership communications, promotional campaigns), ensuring brand consistency, optimal deliverability, and cross-market applicability.

• Spearhead early-stage design explorations and prototyping for prospective Noisy Creek mobile applications, including user testing and validation.

• Develop and manage a comprehensive design system and component library to enable efficient and consistent design output across multiple digital products and by a distributed team.

• Foster a collaborative partnership with the engineering team to ensure seamless translation of designs into functional products, adeptly navigating technical limitations and trade-offs.

• Align design priorities with key business objectives—such as reader acquisition, membership conversion rates, advertising revenue performance, and customer retention—by working closely with the Head of Technical Product and other departmental leaders.

• Initiate, commission, and analyze user research and usability testing to validate design hypotheses and drive iterative improvements.

• Establish and enforce rigorous standards for accessibility (WCAG compliance), usability, and brand consistency across all digital touchpoints.

• Provide immediate, hands-on design support and strategic direction to ongoing engineering and product development initiatives from the outset.

• Proactively identify opportunities for expanding the design team, building compelling business cases for new roles, and subsequently hiring, mentoring, and managing design talent.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a dual focus on strategic vision and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "technical" in the job title points to the need for a candidate who can bridge the gap between design and development, understanding implementation challenges and working collaboratively with engineers. The expectation to "build the business case for growing a design function" signifies a proactive, entrepreneurial approach required from the candidate.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for a leadership role of this nature. A strong portfolio can often substitute for formal education.

Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in UX/Product Design, with a significant portion involving end-to-end ownership of consumer-facing digital products at scale.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in UX Design, Visual Design, and Product Design principles.

• Demonstrated ability in Information Architecture and Interaction Design to create intuitive user flows.

• Proficiency in designing for responsive web and understanding of mobile-web behavior.

• Experience in designing or prototyping for mobile applications.

• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of work across web, email/marketing design, and ideally mobile app concepts.

• Experience developing, implementing, or significantly evolving a design system or component library that has been adopted across multiple products or brands.

• Proven track record of collaborating effectively with engineering teams to bring designs from concept to shipped product, with an understanding of technical constraints.

• Experience in conducting or commissioning user research and leveraging insights for design iteration.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to present and advocate for design decisions to diverse audiences, including executive leadership.

• Comfort operating autonomously in a lean, fast-paced environment, with a willingness to engage in both strategic planning and detailed execution. Preferred Skills:

• Prior design experience within the media, publishing, or membership/subscription product sectors.

• Experience designing for a multi-brand environment or managing a multi-tenant design system.

• Prior people management experience, or demonstrated ability to build a compelling case for team expansion and lead its formation.

• Experience as the first or sole design hire in an organization, responsible for establishing design processes and standards from the ground up.

• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and an understanding of email development and rendering constraints across various email clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership, hands-on execution, and cross-functional collaboration. The "7+ years" requirement, combined with the "Head of" title and responsibility to build a team, suggests a senior-level individual contributor who will act as a design leader, potentially growing into a management role. The emphasis on a portfolio covering web, email, and mobile is crucial.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 7 years of UX/product design experience, with a strong emphasis on end-to-end ownership of consumer-facing digital products.

• Demonstrable range across web design (information architecture, interaction, visual design, responsive behavior), email/marketing design (templates, newsletters, campaigns), and ideally early-stage mobile app design or prototyping.

• Detailed case studies illustrating the development, implementation, and evolution of a design system or component library used across multiple products or brands.

• Examples of direct collaboration with engineering teams, highlighting how designs were translated into shipped products, including discussions on technical constraints and trade-offs.

• Evidence of user research and usability testing, clearly showing how these insights informed design decisions and iterative improvements.

• Examples of strategic thinking, particularly how design decisions aligned with business goals (e.g., reader growth, conversion, retention). Process Documentation:

• Case studies should detail the design process from initial problem definition through to final implementation and iteration, with clear explanation of methodologies used.

• Documentation should highlight workflow design and optimization phases, emphasizing how user needs and business goals were integrated.

• Evidence of system implementation standards, particularly related to the creation and maintenance of a design system or component library.

• Clear articulation of how design work delivered measurable business impact, including ROI or key performance indicators (KPIs) where possible.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is a leadership role focused on establishing design standards, the portfolio is critical. It needs to demonstrate not just design execution but also strategic thinking, system-level design (design systems), collaboration with technical teams, and an understanding of business impact. The "process documentation" aspect emphasizes the need for candidates to articulate their approach to design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a "Head of Technical UX Design" role with 7+ years of experience in a major tech hub like Seattle, and considering the responsibilities including team building, the estimated salary range is $140,000 - $190,000 annually. This estimate accounts for the senior-level expertise, leadership expectations, and the cost of living in Seattle.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Employer-subsidized premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance, providing robust healthcare support.

• Retirement Savings: Participation in a SIMPLE IRA program with employer matching contributions, aiding in long-term financial planning.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Accrued vacation starting at two weeks annually, increasing to four weeks after five years; one week of paid sick leave annually with rollover; nine standard paid holidays, a full week off between December 24 and January 1, and two floating holidays.

• Extended Leave Options: Paid bereavement and jury duty leave, with provisions to supplement state family and medical leave benefits.

• Transit Support: Access to discounted commuter transit passes, promoting sustainable commuting.

• Career Growth & Development: An annual professional development stipend specifically allocated for training and specialized learning opportunities, supporting continuous skill enhancement.

• Wellness Support: Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering confidential resources for mental health and financial well-being.

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Pre-tax options for healthcare and dependent care expenses, offering tax advantages for eligible costs.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time role. However, given the leadership nature and the "fast-moving organization" context, some flexibility may be expected, particularly around critical project deadlines or strategic planning sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on general market data for similar roles in Seattle, WA, considering the experience level and the leadership component. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on health, time off, and professional development, which are attractive to senior-level candidates.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Media & Publishing. Noisy Creek operates a portfolio of local media properties, aiming to invigorate local journalism and civic engagement through innovative models. This industry context implies a fast-paced, content-driven environment with a focus on audience engagement and monetization strategies.

Company Size: Noisy Creek launched in mid-2024, suggesting it is a relatively new and likely growing organization. The mention of a "lean, fast-moving organization" and the need to "build the business case for growing a design function" indicates a startup or early-stage growth company environment.

Founded: Mid-2024. This recent founding means the company is in a formative stage, offering opportunities to shape processes and culture.

Team Structure:

• The design team is currently nascent, with this role acting as the foundational leader, likely working initially as an individual contributor and then building a team.

• Close collaboration is expected with executive leadership (C-suite), Head of Technical Product, editorial teams, membership departments, and advertising sales teams.

• The engineering team is existing and will be a key partner for design implementation. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: User research and usability testing are explicitly mentioned as methods for validating design decisions, indicating a data-informed approach.

• Iterative Development: The role involves working with engineering to translate designs into shipped product, implying an agile or iterative development process.

• Scalable Systems: A core responsibility is building a design system and component library, highlighting a focus on creating efficient, reusable, and scalable design solutions.

Company Website: https://noisycreek.com/ (Assumed based on domain_derived)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is likely dynamic, entrepreneurial, and focused on innovation within the local media space. As a new entity, there's an opportunity for the Head of Technical UX Design to significantly influence the design direction and team structure. The emphasis on "lean" and "fast-moving" suggests a need for adaptability and initiative.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior individual contributor and emerging leadership level. It's a "Head of" position, indicating strategic oversight and the responsibility to shape the design function. The expectation to "build the business case for growing a design function" means the candidate will be instrumental in defining the future of design at Noisy Creek.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to executive leadership (C-suite) and works closely with the Head of Technical Product. This high-level reporting line signifies the strategic importance of design within the organization and provides direct access to decision-makers.

Operations Impact: The Head of Technical UX Design will have a substantial impact on the company's success by directly influencing reader engagement, membership conversion, advertising effectiveness, and overall brand perception across all digital properties. Their work will be critical in creating a consistent, high-quality user experience that drives business growth and supports the company's mission to invigorate local media.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to grow from a senior individual contributor into a formal design leader, building and managing a team from its inception.

• Strategic Influence: Shape the design strategy and culture for a multi-brand media company, setting standards and driving innovation.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gain deep experience collaborating with diverse departments (editorial, product, engineering, sales) and understanding their needs in relation to design.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to the revitalization of local media through impactful design, with a potential to influence industry best practices.

• Skill Expansion: Opportunity to deepen expertise in areas like design systems, accessibility, and mobile app design through hands-on work and strategic planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity for a designer to establish and grow a design function within a new company. The direct access to executive leadership and the mandate to build a team provide significant growth potential beyond typical design roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job posting indicates "On-site" work, suggesting a physical office presence. The Seattle address (1101 Pike Street, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98101-1923) places it in a professional office building in a major urban center.

Office Location(s): The primary office is in Seattle, WA. The company also operates brands in Portland and Chicago, suggesting potential for remote collaboration or future expansion considerations, though the role itself is on-site in Seattle.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close partnership with engineering, product, editorial, and executive teams, indicating a highly collaborative office setting.

• Tools & Technology: While not explicitly detailed, an on-site role in a tech-forward media company would typically provide access to modern design software, hardware, and relevant communication/collaboration tools. The emphasis on design systems implies robust tooling will be necessary.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with cross-functional teams is expected, fostering a dynamic and communicative work atmosphere. The potential to build a design team means opportunities for mentorship and team-building activities.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with standard working hours expected. However, the "lean, fast-moving organization" context might imply a degree of flexibility or the need to adapt to project timelines, though an on-site role generally adheres to more structured hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Seattle suggests a traditional office-based work environment conducive to in-person collaboration. The company's multi-market presence might lead to remote collaboration needs with teams in other cities, but the Head of Technical UX Design role is anchored in Seattle.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess alignment with the core requirements, particularly experience in UX/product design, design systems, and collaboration with engineering.

• Portfolio Deep Dive: An in-depth discussion focused on your portfolio. Expect to walk through 2-3 key projects, detailing your role, process, design decisions, challenges, and outcomes. Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems, cross-functional collaboration, and user research.

• Technical & Strategic Interview: Questions will likely probe your understanding of technical constraints in design, your approach to building design systems, and your strategic thinking regarding brand consistency and business alignment. You may be asked to discuss how you would approach specific challenges at Noisy Creek.

• Cross-Functional/Leadership Interview: Interaction with key stakeholders (e.g., Head of Technical Product, senior editorial/membership leads) to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and leadership potential. Discussions may focus on how you would build and manage a design function.

• Executive Interview: A final discussion with C-suite leadership to evaluate cultural fit, strategic vision, and overall alignment with Noisy Creek's mission and goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your range across web, email, and mobile, and highlight your experience with design systems and engineering collaboration.

• Tell a Story: For each project, articulate the problem, your process, the challenges faced, your specific contributions, the solutions implemented, and the measurable impact. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

• Showcase Systems Thinking: If you've built or significantly contributed to a design system, dedicate a section to it, explaining its architecture, adoption, and benefits.

• Highlight Technical Collaboration: Emphasize instances where you worked closely with engineers, detailing how you navigated technical constraints and ensured successful implementation.

• Data & Metrics: Quantify your achievements whenever possible. Use metrics related to user engagement, conversion rates, efficiency gains, or user satisfaction.

• Accessibility & Standards: Be ready to discuss your approach to accessibility (WCAG) and how you maintain brand and usability standards.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Scenario: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to propose or expand a design system for a multi-brand publisher.

• Problem-Solving Exercise: You might be given a specific design problem related to a media website or email campaign and asked to outline your approach to solving it.

• Team Building Strategy: Prepare to discuss how you would go about building a design team from scratch, including hiring criteria, onboarding processes, and team culture development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess a candidate's technical design skills, strategic thinking, leadership potential, and ability to integrate into a lean, growing organization. A strong, well-documented portfolio is paramount, and candidates should be ready to articulate their process and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX/UI Design Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) are standard for interface design, prototyping, and asset creation. Figma is often preferred for its collaborative features.

• Prototyping Tools: InVision, Axure, or Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities for creating interactive mockups and user flows.

• Design System Management: Tools that facilitate the creation, documentation, and management of design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation platforms).

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Jira for team communication, project management, and task tracking.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics for tracking user behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates on websites.

• User Feedback Platforms: Hotjar, UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey for gathering qualitative feedback and conducting usability studies.

• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Looker (or similar) may be used by product or engineering teams, and designers might need to interpret data from these.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot (less likely for a pure design role, but awareness is beneficial for understanding user data).

• Email Marketing Platforms: Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, or similar platforms for designing and sending email campaigns, understanding their template structures and limitations.

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with CMS platforms (e.g., WordPress, custom solutions) is beneficial for understanding how designs are implemented on websites.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the role requires proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping software. The emphasis on design systems and collaboration with engineering suggests a need for tools that support component-based design and efficient handoff. Familiarity with analytics and user feedback tools is also crucial for a data-informed design approach.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Reader-Centricity: A core value likely centered around creating exceptional experiences for readers, balancing their needs with business objectives.

• Innovation & Growth: Given the company's recent launch and mission, a drive for innovation in local media and a focus on company and audience growth are paramount.

• Collaboration & Transparency: The "lean, fast-moving" environment and close cross-functional partnerships suggest a culture that values open communication, teamwork, and shared problem-solving.

• Craft & Quality: As a design leadership role, upholding high standards of design craft, visual appeal, and usability is expected.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: The emphasis on user research and analytics indicates a value placed on evidence-based design choices.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires deep integration with Product, Engineering, Editorial, and Advertising teams, fostering a collaborative approach to product development and brand management.

• Proactive Communication: Given the "lean" nature, proactive communication and clear articulation of design needs and rationale are essential for effective collaboration.

• Feedback Loops: An open culture for constructive feedback is likely, enabling continuous improvement of both designs and processes.

• Shared Ownership: While leading design, the candidate will need to foster a sense of shared ownership of the user experience across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture is likely to be dynamic, mission-driven, and focused on building something impactful. The emphasis on collaboration and transparency is key for a role that sits at the intersection of multiple departments and has strategic influence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design Standards: As the first design leader, a primary challenge will be defining and implementing design processes, standards, and a cohesive visual language across multiple distinct brands.

• Resource Constraints: Operating in a "lean" organization may mean initial resource constraints, requiring the candidate to be hands-on and build a strong business case for team expansion.

• Balancing Brand Identities: Maintaining the unique voice and identity of each publication while establishing a consistent overarching design system will require careful strategic planning and execution.

• Technical Integration: Effectively partnering with an existing engineering team to translate complex designs into functional, performant digital products, navigating technical limitations.

• Measuring Design Impact: Clearly articulating and measuring the ROI and business impact of design initiatives to secure buy-in and resources.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Opportunity to build a design team from the ground up, developing management and mentorship skills.

• Strategic Design Vision: Shape the long-term design trajectory of a growing media company.

• Multi-Brand Design Systems: Deepen expertise in creating and managing scalable design systems for diverse brand portfolios.

• Media Industry Dynamics: Gain in-depth knowledge of the challenges and opportunities within the evolving digital media and publishing landscape.

• Executive Communication: Enhance skills in presenting design strategy and business cases to C-suite executives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but offer substantial growth opportunities for a candidate who is proactive, strategic, and adept at navigating ambiguity. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in building and shaping functions within a growing company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach establishing a unified design system for a portfolio of distinct media brands, each with its own identity?" (Focus on phased rollout, core components, brand flexibility.)

• "Describe your process for collaborating with engineering to ensure design fidelity and manage technical constraints during implementation." (Highlight communication, prototyping, iterative feedback loops.)

• "How would you build a business case for hiring additional designers or researchers in a lean, fast-moving organization?" (Emphasize ROI, impact on key metrics, scalability needs.)

• "What are your strategies for conducting user research in a new company, and how would you leverage those insights to inform design decisions for our websites and email products?" (Discuss methods, prioritization, integration into design sprints.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Noisy Creek and the media industry, what do you see as the biggest UX challenges and opportunities for our brands?" (Show research, strategic thinking about audience engagement and monetization.)

• "How do you foster a collaborative design culture, especially when working with teams that may not have a design background?" (Discuss empathy, clear communication, education, shared goals.)

• "Describe a time you had to defend a design decision to stakeholders who disagreed. What was your approach and the outcome?" (Focus on data, user needs, business alignment, negotiation skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure each case study with a clear beginning (problem), middle (your process and solutions), and end (results and learnings).

• Visual Emphasis: Use high-quality visuals (mockups, wireframes, user flows, system components) to illustrate your points effectively.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your design solutions (e.g., increased conversion, reduced bounce rate, improved task completion time).

• Highlight Collaboration: Explicitly mention who you worked with and how you collaborated to achieve the final outcome.

• Design System Deep Dive: If a design system is a key part of your portfolio, be prepared to explain its structure, governance, and how it scales across different applications or brands.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, process maturity, strong collaboration skills, and a clear understanding of how design drives business value, especially within the media industry context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Head of Technical UX Design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Paylocity platform.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight experience directly relevant to UX/product design leadership, design systems, cross-functional collaboration with engineering, and experience in media/publishing if applicable. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate a strong portfolio: Select 2-3 key projects that showcase your end-to-end design process, your work on design systems, and your ability to collaborate with technical teams. Ensure it includes examples of web, email, and ideally mobile app design.

• Prepare a concise case study presentation: Be ready to walk through your chosen portfolio projects, detailing your approach, challenges, solutions, and measurable outcomes. Practice explaining your design rationale and impact clearly and concisely.

• Research Noisy Creek: Understand their brands (The Stranger, Portland Mercury, Chicago Reader, EverOut.com), their mission to invigorate local media, and their current digital presence. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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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