Director Of User Experience (UX)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director Of User Experience (UX) Company: Informa Group Plc. (Curinos) Location: New York, New York, United States Job Type: Full-time Category: User Experience Design Leadership Date Posted: 2025-11-03T17:55:40.781 Experience Level: 10+ years Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and expand the User Experience (UX) chapter within the Product & Technology organization, setting the strategic vision for UX across the company's product portfolio.
• Directly manage and mentor a team of UX designers embedded within empowered product teams, fostering their professional development and ensuring high-quality, user-centered design output.
• Uphold and define UX standards, design systems, and best practices to deliver consistent, intuitive, accessible, and client-delighting experiences across the end-to-end UX process.
• Champion user-centered design principles throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring user needs and feedback are foundational to product strategy and roadmap decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on execution, managing both people and projects within a product pod. The emphasis on "empowered product teams" and Marty Cagan's model suggests a focus on autonomy, cross-functional collaboration, and data-informed decision-making, typical in modern product development environments. The mention of B2B/SaaS and data-driven platforms indicates a need for experience in complex enterprise software.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and Grow the UX Chapter: Manage, mentor, and develop UX designers, supporting career paths, performance evaluations, and professional growth, ensuring synergistic collaboration within the design team and empowerment within product teams.
• Define and Uphold UX Standards: Establish and maintain UX standards, design systems, and best practices for discovery, research, ideation, prototyping, testing, iteration, and engineering handoff to ensure consistent and high-quality user experiences.
• Champion User-Centered Design: Integrate user needs, behaviors, and feedback into the product development process, guiding teams in design validation and iteration through testing and user research.
• Strategic Product Influence: Contribute to product vision and strategy by advocating for UX perspectives and insights, shaping the product roadmap and long-term investments.
• Resource and Talent Management: Oversee UX team talent and workload distribution across business needs, taking ownership of UX responsibilities for a specific product pod as required, and establishing a long-term vision for the UX chapter.
• Hands-on Contribution: Act as both a manager and an individual contributor, directly executing UX discovery and design work for a designated product pod while leading the broader UX team.
• Drive Innovation: Stay abreast of emerging technologies and UX trends to foster innovation and enhance the competitiveness of digital experiences.
• Build a Culture of Excellence: Cultivate a creative, inclusive, and experimental design culture that balances scalability, speed, and quality in product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility of directly owning and executing UX work for one product pod, in addition to managing the entire UX chapter, signifies a senior individual contributor role within a leadership capacity. This dual role requires strong personal design skills alongside management expertise.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree required.

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in User Experience (UX) design.
• Minimum of 5 years in leadership roles, managing and mentoring design teams.
• Proven track record in leading UX for complex B2B or SaaS products, ideally with data-driven or analytics-focused platforms.

Required Skills:

• UX Design Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and grow a team of UX designers.
• Full Product Lifecycle Experience: Strong portfolio showcasing leadership across research, interaction design, and data analysis.
• Design Systems Management: Experience owning or evolving design systems, pattern libraries, and ensuring consistency and accessibility at scale.
• User-Centered Design Principles: Deep understanding and application of user research, validation, and iteration processes.
• Strategic Influence & Execution: Ability to articulate design vision, influence roadmaps, and execute hands-on design work.
• Technical Familiarity: Fluency with market-standard UX tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) and prototyping/research tools. Familiarity with development constraints (HTML/CSS/JavaScript awareness preferred).
• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent ability to influence executives and inspire teams through clear communication and compelling narratives.
• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of how design decisions connect to client outcomes, business goals, and product analytics metrics.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the financial industry.
• Familiarity with data analysis and analytics-focused platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "strong portfolio demonstrating design leadership across the full product lifecycle—including research, interaction design, and data analysis" is critical. Candidates should prepare to showcase not just individual contributions but also their impact on team performance and strategic product direction. Proficiency in Figma is highly relevant given its market prevalence.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate leadership in UX design across the entire product lifecycle, from initial discovery and research to final iteration and successful product launch.
• Showcase experience in managing and mentoring design teams, including examples of fostering growth and improving team performance.
• Highlight expertise in developing and implementing design systems, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and scalability across complex product suites.
• Include case studies that articulate how UX strategies directly contributed to client outcomes, business objectives, and key product analytics metrics.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to defining and upholding UX standards, design systems, and best practices for the end-to-end UX process (discovery, research, ideation, prototyping, testing, iteration, handoff).
• Provide examples of how you have integrated user-centered design practices into product development workflows, including methods for testing, validation, and iteration.
• Illustrate your experience in using data and analytics to inform design decisions and measure the impact of UX initiatives on business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should clearly articulate the candidate's ability to bridge strategy and execution. Specific examples of how UX research and design decisions influenced product roadmaps and business outcomes will be highly valued. The mention of "data analysis" and "product analytics metrics" implies a need for a data-driven approach to UX.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $180,000 per year (with bonus potential)

Benefits:

• Competitive financial benefits.
• Comprehensive health benefits.
• Lifestyle benefits.
• Flexible working options, including hybrid/remote arrangements and flexible hours (subject to role requirements).
• Competitive annual leave allowance.
• Floating holidays.
• Volunteering days.
• A paid day off for your birthday.
• Access to learning and development tools to support career advancement.
• Opportunities to work with industry-leading Subject Matter Experts and specialist products.
• Regular social events and networking opportunities.
• A collaborative and supportive company culture with an active DE&I program.
• Employee Assistance Program providing expert advice on wellbeing, legal, and financial matters, along with access to counseling services.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week (standard full-time). The company offers flexible working options, which may apply to scheduling within this framework.

📝 Enhancement Note: The stated salary of $180,000 is a strong anchor, likely indicating a senior-level position. The "with bonus" indicates potential for additional compensation tied to performance, which is common for leadership roles. The comprehensive benefits package highlights a commitment to employee wellbeing and professional development, which is attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services Technology (FinTech) / Data and Analytics for Financial Institutions. Company Size: Informa Group Plc is a large, global organization. Curinos, as a part of Informa, likely operates as a significant division or subsidiary with its own distinct culture, but benefits from the resources of a larger parent company. Specific company size for Curinos is not detailed but is implied to be substantial enough to warrant a dedicated UX chapter. Founded: Curinos's expertise is described as "decades-long," suggesting a deep history in financial services, though a specific founding date for Curinos itself isn't provided. Informa Group Plc. was founded in 1998.

Team Structure:

• The UX team operates as a "chapter" within the Product & Technology organization, indicating a matrixed structure where designers report to a UX leader but are embedded within cross-functional "empowered product teams."
• This role reports to senior Product leadership, highlighting a close partnership between Product and UX.
• Collaboration is expected with Product Managers and Engineers, following the "empowered product team model."

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Curinos leverages "industry-leading proprietary data, technologies and insights" to empower financial institutions. This suggests a strong emphasis on data analysis and insights in all aspects of product development.
• User-Centered Design: The role explicitly mandates user-centered design practices, focusing on user needs, behaviors, and feedback.
• Agile/Empowered Product Team Model: The reference to Marty Cagan's model implies an agile development environment with autonomous, cross-functional teams focused on delivering value.
• Innovation and Trends: A commitment to staying updated on emerging technologies and UX trends to drive innovation.

Company Website: Informa Group Plc (company) | Curinos (specific division/product)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company operates in a specialized niche, providing data and insights to financial institutions. This implies a need for understanding complex financial products, regulatory environments, and the data-intensive nature of client operations. The "hybrid/remote model" with specific location requirements (NYC or Chicago) is crucial for candidates to note.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Director of User Experience (UX) - This is a senior leadership position, responsible for both strategic direction of UX and management of a design team. It signifies a move beyond individual contribution into shaping departmental strategy and talent development.

Reporting Structure: The Director of UX reports to senior Product leadership. This close reporting line to Product emphasizes the strategic integration of UX into the core product development process, rather than a purely support function. The UX designers report directly to this Director.

Operations Impact: The UX leader's impact is measured by their ability to:

• Ensure user-centered design is core to product development, leading to more intuitive, accessible, and client-delighting experiences.
• Shape product vision and strategy through UX insights, influencing the product roadmap and long-term investments for Curinos.
• Elevate the quality and consistency of user experiences across the entire product portfolio.
• Drive innovation and create competitive digital experiences by staying ahead of industry trends.
• Contribute to business outcomes by ensuring designs align with client needs and business objectives, supported by product analytics.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow the UX chapter further, potentially expanding scope to other product areas or even across Informa's broader portfolio.
• Strategic Influence: Deeper involvement in executive-level product strategy and company-wide innovation initiatives.
• Industry Expertise: Deepen knowledge in the financial services industry and data analytics platforms, becoming a recognized expert in UX for FinTech.
• Talent Development: Build a world-class UX team, setting new design standards and best practices that can be adopted more broadly.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant opportunity to build and shape a UX function within a specialized, data-driven environment. The ability to influence product strategy and demonstrate tangible business impact through design will be key to career progression.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company operates on a hybrid/remote model. Specific office locations are in New York City and Chicago. This suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility.

Office Location(s):

• New York City, NY (485 Lexington Avenue, 10017)
• Chicago, IL (specific address not provided, but implied as a key location)

Workspace Context:

• Hybrid Collaboration: Expect a mix of in-person meetings, team huddles, and remote collaboration tools. The "empowered product team model" suggests a dynamic, cross-functional environment.
• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard UX design, prototyping, and research tools is implied, along with the necessary infrastructure for data analysis and collaboration.
• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with Product Managers, Engineers, and other UX designers is expected, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing atmosphere.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week. The company emphasizes flexible working options, including flexible hours, which can be beneficial for managing both demanding projects and personal life.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model requires self-discipline and strong communication skills to maintain team cohesion and productivity. Candidates should be prepared to articulate how they manage distributed teams and foster collaboration in a hybrid setting.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a conversation with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into leadership experience, strategic thinking, and understanding of UX principles in a B2B/SaaS context.
• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present their portfolio, showcasing leadership, design process, and impact. Be prepared to discuss specific case studies in detail.
• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineers to assess collaboration style, technical awareness, and ability to work within empowered product teams.
• Executive/Senior Leadership Interview: Final discussion with senior Product leadership to evaluate strategic alignment, business acumen, and overall fit for the Director role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Leadership: Showcase examples of leading design initiatives, mentoring designers, and influencing product strategy, not just individual design work.
• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your approach, your role, the solutions, and—most importantly—the measurable outcomes (business metrics, client impact, user satisfaction).
• Demonstrate Process: Walk through your UX process from discovery and research to iteration and implementation, highlighting how you ensure user-centered design and consistency.
• Highlight B2B/SaaS Experience: If applicable, emphasize experience with complex enterprise software, data-driven products, or financial services.
• Present the "Why": Be ready to explain the rationale behind your design decisions and how they align with business goals and user needs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Thinking: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building, evolving, or maintaining a design system for a complex B2B/SaaS product.
• Strategic Problem-Solving: Anticipate questions about how you would address specific UX challenges within the FinTech industry or Curinos's product landscape.
• Team Management Scenarios: Prepare for questions about managing performance, fostering growth, resolving conflicts, and empowering design teams.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Think about how you would partner with Product Management and Engineering to achieve shared goals within an empowered team model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is paramount. Candidates should select 3-5 strong case studies that best represent their leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and ability to drive tangible results through UX. Quantifiable results are key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly preferred), Sketch, Adobe XD. Proficiency in at least one is essential.
• Collaboration & Workflow: Tools for team management, project tracking, and communication (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Slack, Asana) are implied.
• Research & Testing: Tools for user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and analytics (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Qualtrics, Hotjar) are expected.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with product analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) to connect design decisions with user behavior and business outcomes.
• Experience with data visualization tools for reporting and presentation might be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how UX integrates with sales and customer success processes within a B2B context is valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools beyond design software are not explicitly listed, a strong understanding of the broader product development technology stack, including analytics and collaboration tools, is crucial for a Director-level role. Awareness of how UX integrates with engineering workflows is also important.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for the user in all product decisions.
• Data-Driven Excellence: Utilizing data and insights to inform design, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaboration & Inclusion: Fostering a supportive, diverse, and inclusive environment where all team members can contribute and thrive.
• Innovation & Experimentation: Encouraging creativity, exploring new technologies, and embracing a culture of learning and experimentation.
• Quality & Scalability: Balancing the need for speed and agility with the delivery of high-quality, scalable, and accessible solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Working closely with Product Management and Engineering in empowered product teams, fostering a shared sense of ownership and responsibility.
• Open Communication: Encouraging transparent feedback, constructive critique, and knowledge sharing amongst the design team and with other departments.
• Partnership Approach: Building strong relationships with stakeholders across the organization, including product, engineering, sales, and client success, to ensure UX is integrated holistically.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and a collaborative, supportive culture suggests that candidates will be evaluated not only on their technical and leadership skills but also on their ability to contribute positively to the team's dynamics and values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Strategy and Execution: Effectively managing time and resources to provide high-level strategic direction while also contributing hands-on design work for a product pod.
• Scaling UX in a Growing Organization: Evolving UX processes, standards, and team capabilities to keep pace with business growth and increasing product complexity.
• Data Complexity in FinTech: Navigating the intricate data landscapes and regulatory requirements inherent in the financial services industry to create user-friendly solutions.
• Hybrid Team Management: Maintaining team cohesion, productivity, and a strong design culture across a hybrid and potentially distributed team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen FinTech UX Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in designing for financial data, analytics, and enterprise platforms.
• Strategic Leadership Development: Enhance skills in executive communication, influencing stakeholders, and shaping long-term product strategy.
• Team Building and Mentorship: Develop advanced capabilities in talent management, coaching, and building high-performing design teams.
• Industry Engagement: Participate in industry conferences and forums related to UX, FinTech, and data analytics to stay at the forefront of trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they approach these challenges and how they leverage learning opportunities to grow their own skills and those of their team.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you define and evolve UX standards and a design system for Curinos's product portfolio to ensure consistency and scalability?" (Focus on process, methodology, and stakeholder buy-in).
• "Describe a time you influenced a product roadmap or strategic investment using user insights and data. What was the outcome?" (Showcase strategic thinking, data analysis, and communication skills).
• "How do you balance leading a team, mentoring designers, and contributing hands-on UX work for a specific product pod? Provide an example." (Address the dual role and prioritization skills).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What are your thoughts on the 'empowered product team' model, and how would you foster effective UX within such teams?" (Assess understanding of modern product development and collaboration).
• "How would you contribute to building an inclusive and experimental UX culture at Curinos?" (Gauge alignment with company values and ability to foster positive team dynamics).
• "Given Curinos operates in the financial data space, what UX challenges do you anticipate, and how would you address them?" (Test industry awareness and problem-solving skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with an executive summary of your leadership philosophy and key achievements. Then, dive into 2-3 detailed case studies that highlight your strategic impact, process, and results.
• Quantify Everything: For each case study, present clear metrics on user engagement, conversion rates, client satisfaction, or business revenue impact.
• Explain Your Role: Be explicit about your leadership responsibilities, your contribution to the team's success, and your individual contributions where relevant.
• Interactive Elements: Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your design decisions, trade-offs you made, and how you navigated challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate their leadership philosophy, their approach to building and mentoring design teams, and their strategic vision for UX within a data-driven B2B/SaaS company. Demonstrating a strong understanding of business outcomes and how UX contributes to them will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Director Of User Experience (UX) position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your leadership experience, B2B/SaaS UX expertise, and any financial industry background. Ensure your portfolio is readily accessible and showcases relevant leadership case studies.
• Resume Optimization: Clearly articulate your 10+ years of UX experience, with a minimum of 5 years in leadership positions. Use keywords from the job description, such as "UX design," "leadership," "mentoring," "design systems," "B2B," "SaaS," and "user-centered design."
• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on your leadership impact and ability to drive business outcomes. Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewers about the team, strategy, and company culture.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Curinos, Informa Group Plc., and the FinTech industry. Understand their products, client base, and market position to demonstrate genuine interest and strategic alignment.

⚠️ 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.