UX/UI Designer at San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX/UI Designer

Company: San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Location: Highland, CA

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UI/UX Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-11T00:00:00

Experience Level: Mid-Level (4+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Drive the user interface and user experience design vision for custom-developed software solutions, ensuring alignment with best practices and diverse user needs.
Collaborate closely with Product Management, Software Engineering, and enterprise stakeholders to define and deliver best-in-class UX models for multiple unique custom solutions.
Translate complex requirements into intuitive and easily understood designs, creating interaction models, wireframes, and prototypes for both mobile and web platforms.
Actively participate in the product development lifecycle, from backlog grooming to ensuring development meets UI/UX specifications, and championing continuous enhancement based on the latest design approaches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role emphasizes the design of custom in-house solutions for a diverse internal user base within a large organization. This suggests a focus on enterprise design, workflow optimization, and potentially specialized user groups with unique needs, differing from consumer-facing product design. The mention of "multiple unique custom solutions" indicates a varied project landscape requiring adaptability.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Produce robust product designs and articulate a compelling user experience vision specifically for in-house custom development projects, working in close partnership with Product Management, Software Engineering, enterprise stakeholders, and the intended end-users.
Develop detailed interaction models, comprehensive wireframes, and functional prototypes for proposed software solutions or enhancements, covering both mobile and web client applications across various product development initiatives.
Effectively communicate and justify user experience designs to internal business units, clearly articulating the rationale behind design elements and their impact on user goals and business objectives.
Engage actively in backlog grooming sessions with the Development Studio and Product Management teams to ensure that design and user experience requirements are thoroughly understood, and subsequently verify that development outputs adhere to the specified UI and UX elements.
Provide timely clarification and guidance to development teams throughout sprint cycles, maintaining a proficient and up-to-date understanding of solution designs as the development effort progresses for each release.
Continuously research and maintain current knowledge of the latest design best practices, emerging UI/UX trends, and innovative approaches to user experience, applying this knowledge to enhance existing products and inform new designs.
Participate in focus groups and user research activities with stakeholders and customers to gather insights, validate design concepts, and ensure designs are aligned with user needs and expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on collaboration within a structured product development environment (likely Agile/Scrum). The need to "effectively articulates user experience designs to internal business units that justify design elements" implies a requirement for strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills beyond just design execution. The participation in backlog grooming and sprint clarification points towards integration within a technical development workflow.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Software Design, or a closely related field is required. Equivalent related, relevant, and/or direct experience may be considered in lieu of the minimum educational requirements.

Experience: A minimum of four (4) years of progressive experience in software design is required. Preference is given to candidates with at least one (1) year of specific experience in designing for Mobile Applications, Web Interfaces, or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Dashboards, demonstrating experience with complex data visualization and workflow design.

Required Skills:

Solid understanding and practical application of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design best practices, principles, and methodologies.
Proven ability to create detailed interaction models, wireframes, and interactive prototypes using industry-standard design tools.
Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to effectively communicate complex design concepts and rationale to diverse audiences, including technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience in deconstructing complex business and user requirements into actionable, easily understood design specifications and user stories.

Preferred Skills:

Experience designing for enterprise-level software solutions and custom internal tools.
Familiarity with working within an Agile or Scrum development methodology.
Experience conducting user research activities such as focus groups, interviews, or usability testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The preference for experience in Mobile Application, Web Interface, or CRM Dashboard design suggests that the custom solutions likely fall into these categories. This indicates a need for proficiency in designing responsive interfaces, complex data-rich dashboards, and potentially mobile-first experiences. The required experience level (4+ years) positions this as a mid-level design role expecting a degree of autonomy and proven ability to deliver.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Your portfolio should showcase a strong understanding of the end-to-end design process, demonstrating how you move from problem definition and research through ideation, prototyping, testing, and final implementation.
Include detailed case studies for several projects, ideally custom software solutions, enterprise applications, or complex web/mobile interfaces. Each case study should clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role and responsibilities, your design decisions and rationale, and the impact of your work.
Visually present your work clearly and professionally, ensuring high-fidelity mockups and prototypes accurately reflect the final design intent.
If applicable, demonstrate experience with technical handoff processes and collaboration with software engineers to ensure design specifications are accurately translated into functional products.

Process Documentation:

Document your approach to user research and discovery, showing how you gather insights, analyze user needs, and define user flows and information architecture.
Illustrate your methods for ideation and iteration, including sketching, wireframing, prototyping, and incorporating feedback into your designs.
Explain your strategies for design validation and testing, such as usability testing, A/B testing, or gathering feedback from stakeholders and users.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the focus on custom internal solutions, the portfolio should ideally feature examples of enterprise design, complex workflows, or data-heavy interfaces rather than purely marketing websites or consumer apps, unless those demonstrate relevant problem-solving skills. Highlighting the process of handling complex requirements and collaborating with development teams will be particularly valuable.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on market data for UX/UI Designer roles with 4+ years of experience in the Inland Empire region (specifically Highland, CA), a typical salary range could be estimated between $85,000 and $115,000 annually. This estimate is based on general salary benchmarks for similar roles in the Southern California area, adjusted for the specific location and the nature of the organization (large tribal government entity with significant operations). The actual salary offered may vary based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and fit for the role. Candidates should research current market rates and be prepared to discuss their salary expectations during the interview process.

Benefits: Specific benefits are not detailed in the provided description, but typical full-time employee benefits for a large organization in California may include: comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement savings plan (e.g., 401k) with potential employer match, paid time off (vacation, sick days, holidays), life insurance, and disability insurance. Additional benefits could include professional development opportunities relevant to design skills.

Working Hours: This is a full-time position, typically involving standard business hours. The description mentions incumbents may be required to work evening, weekend, and holiday shifts, which could apply depending on project deadlines or operational needs within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is an inference based on typical compensation for mid-level UX/UI Designers in the Southern California market, acknowledging the specific location (Highland, CA) and the organization's size and type. Candidates are strongly encouraged to research current, location-specific salary data and verify benefits directly with the employer.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Government Administration, specifically a federally recognized American Indian tribe with diverse governmental operations and significant enterprises (including gaming). The design work likely focuses on internal tools and systems supporting these operations.

Company Size: Large organization, employing over 6000 people. This size suggests established processes, potentially specialized teams, and opportunities for impact across various departments.

Founded: The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891, highlighting a long history and established community. This background may influence the organizational culture and values.

Team Structure: The role reports to the Manager, Product & Design and works within the Product Development team. Collaboration is essential, working closely with Product Management, Software Engineering, enterprise stakeholders, and end-users. This suggests a matrixed or cross-functional team structure where design is integrated into product development. The mention of multiple product development initiatives implies the design team supports various projects concurrently.

Methodology: The mention of "backlog grooming with the Development Studio and Product Management teams" and providing clarification "during sprints" strongly suggests an Agile or Scrum development methodology is used within the Product Development team. Design is likely integrated into these iterative processes.

Company Website: http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's background as a tribal government entity with diverse operations is a key factor. Design work will be focused on supporting internal governmental and enterprise functions, requiring an understanding of complex internal workflows and potentially sensitive data handling. The large size and established history suggest a more structured environment than a startup. The use of Agile/Scrum methodologies is a crucial piece of the workflow context.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This position is described as a UX/UI Designer with a minimum of four years of experience, placing it firmly in a mid-level role. At this level, the designer is expected to independently lead design efforts on specific projects, mentor junior designers (if applicable, though not explicitly mentioned), and significantly contribute to the design strategy and execution for assigned products.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Manager, Product & Design. This indicates that design has dedicated leadership within the organizational structure, suggesting a recognized importance of design within the product development function.

Design Impact: The role is responsible for the user interface and user experience vision for custom solutions used across the enterprise. This means the design work directly impacts the productivity, efficiency, and satisfaction of internal users (employees, potentially tribal members or other stakeholders). The influence extends to defining "best in class UX models" for critical internal systems.

Growth Opportunities:

Deepening Specialization: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in designing for specific enterprise domains or complex internal workflows relevant to the organization's operations (e.g., government services, administration, specific enterprise systems).
Increased Responsibility: Potential for growth into senior designer roles, leading larger or more complex design initiatives, or taking on mentorship responsibilities.
Leadership Path: Depending on organizational structure and future needs, there could be opportunities to move into design management or product leadership roles, leveraging a deep understanding of the product landscape and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mid-level classification implies expectations of independent work and contribution. Growth paths would likely involve taking on more complex projects, potentially mentoring, and deepening expertise in enterprise design within the organization's specific context. The reporting structure suggests a dedicated design function with potential for advancement within that structure.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: The primary work environment is described as a climate-controlled office setting, suggesting a traditional corporate office setup rather than a dedicated design studio space. While not explicitly a "studio," the environment likely supports collaborative work.

Office Location(s): San Manuel Commons - 674 Brier, Highland, CA. This is an on-site role requiring presence at this specific location.

Design Workspace Context:

The office environment is expected to facilitate collaboration with team members within the Product Development team (Product Management, Software Engineering) and various enterprise stakeholders.
The setup likely includes standard office amenities and may have dedicated meeting rooms or collaborative spaces for design reviews, focus groups, and team discussions.
Access to necessary hardware and software for design work (computers, monitors, design tools) is implied for a climate-controlled office setting.

Work Schedule: Full-time, typically standard business hours. However, the requirement for potential evening, weekend, and holiday shifts indicates a need for flexibility based on project phase or operational demands. This should be clarified during the interview process regarding frequency and necessity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of a "climate-controlled office setting" suggests a standard workplace environment. While it may not be a dedicated creative studio, the emphasis on collaboration implies spaces and tools should be available to support design activities like whiteboarding, sketching, and digital collaboration. Candidates should inquire about the specific team workspace setup.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial Screening: Likely an HR phone screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.
Portfolio Review & Design Discussion: An interview focused on reviewing your portfolio. Be prepared to walk through selected case studies in detail, explaining your design process, rationale, challenges faced, and outcomes. This is where you demonstrate your strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
Technical/Team Interview: Interviews with members of the Product Development team, including Product Managers and Software Engineers. This step will assess your collaboration skills, ability to articulate design specifications to technical teams, and understanding of development constraints.
Design Challenge or Whiteboarding Session: You may be asked to complete a design exercise or participate in a whiteboarding session to assess your on-the-spot problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills. This could involve designing a solution for a hypothetical problem relevant to the organization's domain.
Stakeholder/Manager Interview: Final interviews with the hiring manager and potentially key stakeholders from the enterprise that you would support. This assesses your ability to interact with stakeholders, understand business needs, and articulate the value of design.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Tailor your portfolio presentation to highlight case studies most relevant to enterprise software design, complex workflows, or data-heavy interfaces, if you have them.
For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, testing), key design decisions, and the measurable impact of your design work.
Focus on demonstrating your design process and critical thinking, not just the final visuals. Show sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and iterations.
Be prepared to discuss how you gather and incorporate feedback, handle technical constraints, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Challenge Preparation:

If a design challenge is assigned, understand the scope and time constraints. Focus on demonstrating your process and rationale, even if the final output isn't perfect.
For whiteboarding sessions, practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely while sketching or diagramming.
Be prepared to ask clarifying questions and consider different user perspectives and potential technical limitations.

ATS Keywords: UX Design, UI Design, User Experience, User Interface, Product Design, Interaction Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, User Research, Design Systems, Information Architecture, Visual Design, Mobile Design, Web Design, Enterprise Software, Custom Solutions, Agile, Scrum, Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Communication, Problem Solving, Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure, Product Development, Backlog Grooming, Sprint, Case Study, Portfolio, Design Thinking, User-Centered Design, Data Visualization, Workflow Design, CRM Design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process is likely to involve multiple stages, including a detailed review of the candidate's design portfolio and potentially a design exercise or whiteboarding session to evaluate practical skills. Emphasizing case studies that demonstrate experience with complex systems, enterprise design, and collaboration within a development team will be highly beneficial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

While specific tools are not mentioned, industry-standard tools for UI/UX design are likely used. Proficiency in tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar platforms is highly probable and expected for this level of experience. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their expertise with their preferred tool and how they use it in their workflow (e.g., for prototyping, component libraries, collaboration).
Usage context would include creating high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and potentially contributing to or utilizing a design system.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Tools for collaboration and handoff to developers are essential. This could include platforms like InVision, Zeplin, or integrated features within primary design tools (e.g., Figma's developer handoff).
Documentation tools (like Confluence or similar) might be used to maintain design specifications, style guides, or design system documentation.

Research & Testing:

Tools supporting user research and testing activities may be utilized, such as survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms), usability testing tools (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze), or analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, product-specific analytics) to measure design performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The absence of specific tool requirements implies flexibility, but candidates should be proficient in at least one leading design tool (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) and comfortable with collaboration and handoff workflows. Mentioning experience with tools relevant to prototyping, design systems, and developer handoff will be advantageous.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

User-Centered Focus: A strong emphasis on understanding and designing for the needs of the diverse internal user base across the enterprise. Designs must be intuitive and enhance user productivity.
Collaboration: Valuing close collaboration with Product Management, Software Engineering, and various enterprise stakeholders throughout the design process. Design is seen as an integral part of the product development team.
Continuous Improvement: Commitment to maintaining up-to-date knowledge of design best practices and continuously enhancing existing solutions based on the latest approaches to design and user experience.
Impact-Oriented: Focusing on creating designs that have a tangible positive impact on internal operations, efficiency, and user satisfaction.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-Functional Integration: Working directly alongside product managers and engineers within the Product Development team.
Iterative Feedback: Engaging in backlog grooming and providing clarification during sprints suggests an iterative process with regular feedback loops between design and development.
Stakeholder Engagement: Participating in focus groups and articulating design rationale to business units indicates a collaborative style that involves gathering input from and presenting to non-design stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on working with diverse users and enterprise stakeholders, coupled with integration into an Agile development team, suggests a culture that values collaborative problem-solving and understands the importance of design in achieving operational goals. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience working in such environments.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Designing for Diverse Internal Users: Understanding and catering to the unique needs, workflows, and technical proficiencies of a wide range of internal users across different departments within a large organization.
Translating Complex Requirements: Deconstructing intricate business and operational requirements into intuitive and user-friendly design solutions for custom software.
Maintaining Design Consistency: Ensuring consistency and a cohesive user experience across multiple unique custom solutions that may have been developed over time.
Integrating into Agile Processes: Effectively embedding design activities within fast-paced Agile sprints and ensuring timely delivery of design specifications and assets to development teams.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Enterprise Design Expertise: Opportunity to gain deep experience in designing complex systems and workflows specifically for a large enterprise environment.
Domain Knowledge: Developing specialized knowledge of the unique operations and business processes of a tribal government entity and its various enterprises.
Collaboration Skills: Enhancing skills in collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including technical teams, business units, and end-users in a complex organizational structure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The key challenges likely revolve around the complexity of the internal systems, the diversity of the user base within a large organization, and the need to integrate design seamlessly into an established Agile development process. Growth opportunities lie in becoming an expert in enterprise design within this specific organizational context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

"Walk me through your design process for a recent project, particularly one involving a complex workflow or enterprise system." Prepare by selecting a relevant case study from your portfolio and detailing each stage: problem definition, research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation.
"Describe a time you had to deconstruct complex requirements and translate them into a design solution. How did you ensure the design met the underlying needs?" Use the STAR method to explain the situation, task, action, and result.
"How do you collaborate with product managers and engineers throughout the design and development lifecycle?" Be ready to discuss your experience with Agile methodologies, handoff processes, and resolving design implementation challenges.

Company Culture Questions:

"Based on your understanding of our organization, how do you see your design skills contributing to our mission and supporting our internal users?" Research the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' history, values, and operational areas.
"Describe your experience working with diverse stakeholders, including non-designers. How do you build consensus and advocate for user needs?" Share examples of successful stakeholder collaborations and communication strategies.
"How do you stay updated on the latest UI/UX design trends and best practices, and how would you apply that knowledge to our custom solutions?" Discuss your methods for continuous learning and how you would propose incorporating new approaches.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Select 2-3 case studies that best demonstrate your ability to design for complex systems, enterprise users, or data-rich interfaces.
For each case study, clearly state the problem you were solving for the user and the business.
Walk through your design process chronologically, highlighting key decisions and iterations. Use visuals (sketches, wireframes, mockups, prototypes) to illustrate your points.
Explain your rationale behind your design choices, linking them back to user needs and project goals.
Detail the impact of your design work, if possible using metrics or qualitative feedback.
Be prepared to answer questions about challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating experience with enterprise design challenges, collaborative workflows within development teams, and the ability to articulate design decisions effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences. Researching the specific organization and its operations is crucial for tailoring responses.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link on the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Workday career portal.
Carefully review the job description and tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant experience in UX/UI design, particularly any experience with enterprise software, custom solutions, or complex interfaces. Use keywords found in the job description and the ATS Keywords list.
Prepare your online portfolio. Ensure it is easily accessible and showcases your best work, with detailed case studies that demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, and impact. Prioritize case studies relevant to the type of work described in the job posting.
Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on clearly articulating your process, rationale, and results within a time limit. Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced and how you addressed them.
Research the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, understanding their history, values, governmental functions, and enterprises. This will help you tailor your application and prepare for interviews, demonstrating genuine interest and understanding of the organization's context.

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

UX/UI Designer