Director, UX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, UX
Company: Liferaft
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Hybrid) or Fully Remote (Ontario)
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: User Experience (UX) Design Leadership
Date Posted: January 13, 2026
Experience Level: 10+ Years Professional Experience
Remote Status: Hybrid / Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and execution of User Experience (UX) design for Liferaft's threat intelligence and investigations platform.
• Establish and scale UX as a core, outcome-driven capability, ensuring end-to-end usability and a coherent user journey across a complex SaaS product.
• Drive the definition and governance of interaction patterns, workflows, and design standards to maintain consistency and quality as the platform evolves.
• Foster a culture of UX excellence by coaching and mentoring designers, product managers, and engineers in UX principles and best practices.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to translate customer problems into technically feasible and efficiently delivered UX solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the provided data focuses on UX, this role has significant operational implications for a SaaS product. The Director, UX will be responsible for operationalizing UX processes, ensuring UX work is integrated into the product development lifecycle (e.g., quarterly planning, backlog refinement), and managing UX debt, which are critical operational functions within a GTM or Product organization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and champion a clear UX vision and guiding principles, directly aligning with Liferaft’s overarching product strategy and business objectives.
• Take ownership of the end-to-end usability and user experience outcomes for the entire product, independent of individual feature teams or pods.
• Establish, govern, and maintain a robust set of interaction patterns, user workflows, and comprehensive design standards to ensure product consistency and scalability.
• Proactively manage the UX delivery pipeline, ensuring UX design work consistently stays ahead of engineering timelines to prevent development bottlenecks and maintain project velocity.
• Forge strong, collaborative partnerships with Product Management to effectively translate complex customer problems and desired business outcomes into intuitive and effective user solutions.
• Cultivate deep collaboration with Engineering leadership to ensure all UX designs are not only user-centric but also technically feasible, efficient for implementation, and delivered on schedule.
• Strategically prioritize UX initiatives and tasks across multiple development pods, aligning with quarterly planning cycles and ensuring optimal delivery sequencing for maximum impact.
• Proactively identify, meticulously track, and systematically reduce UX debt, ensuring the long-term maintainability and scalability of the user experience.
• Actively coach, mentor, and elevate the UX capabilities of designers, Product Managers, and Engineers through best practice sharing, feedback, and fostering a shared understanding of UX principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operational Responsibilities" section in the original description highlights the critical operational aspects of this UX leadership role. These include participating in quarterly planning, coordinating UX with Program Management, reviewing designs for consistency, and balancing short-term needs with long-term UX coherence. These responsibilities are key to ensuring the smooth functioning of the product development lifecycle and a scalable UX strategy.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, or a related field is highly beneficial. Equivalent practical experience will be considered.
Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in UX design, interaction design, or product design.
• At least 5 years of experience in a senior or leadership capacity, demonstrating the ability to manage teams, set strategic direction, and influence organizational change.
• Proven track record of owning and delivering end-to-end usability for complex, multi-workflow Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products.
• Demonstrated success in defining, operationalizing, and scaling a coherent UX vision across multiple teams and over extended periods.

Required Skills:

• Strategic UX Vision: Ability to define and articulate a compelling UX vision that aligns with business goals and product strategy.
• End-to-End Usability Ownership: Proven experience managing the complete user journey and usability outcomes for complex products.
• Interaction Design & Workflow Modeling: Strong hands-on skills in designing intuitive interactions and mapping complex workflows.
• Design Systems & Standards Governance: Experience establishing and enforcing design systems, interaction patterns, and UX standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Deep expertise in partnering with Product Management and Engineering to deliver integrated solutions.
• Agile & Scaled Agile Environments: Proficient in working within agile frameworks, including quarterly planning and dependency management.
• Prioritization & Balancing Needs: Skilled in prioritizing UX work across multiple initiatives, balancing immediate needs with long-term coherence.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional ability to communicate complex ideas, influence without direct authority, and align diverse stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Adept at identifying user pain points and developing effective, user-centered solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• Data-Rich/Analytics-Heavy Product Experience: Experience designing for products with complex data visualization, analytics, or investigation-driven features.
• UX Debt Management: Familiarity with identifying, tracking, and systematically reducing UX debt.
• B2B/Enterprise SaaS Expertise: Experience with complex user roles, workflows, and enterprise-level SaaS environments.
• User Research & Discovery: Background in user research, usability testing, and customer discovery methodologies to inform design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "10+ years" and "5 years in a senior or leadership capacity" indicates this is a senior leadership role, requiring strategic thinking, team management, and significant influence. The preferred skills suggest the platform deals with complex data and investigative workflows, common in GTM and security intelligence operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of End-to-End Ownership: Showcase at least 2-3 comprehensive case studies demonstrating ownership of the entire UX lifecycle for a complex SaaS product, from initial problem definition to final implementation and iteration.
• Workflow Design & Optimization Examples: Include detailed examples of how you've mapped, analyzed, and optimized complex user workflows, highlighting efficiency gains or usability improvements achieved.
• Design System Implementation: Provide evidence of your experience in establishing, governing, or significantly contributing to a design system, including examples of how it ensured consistency and scalability across a product.
• Collaboration & Problem-Solving Artifacts: Present examples of how you've partnered with Product Management and Engineering, including artifacts like user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and documentation that illustrate your problem-solving approach and ability to translate requirements into functional designs.
• Impact Metrics & ROI Demonstration: For each case study, clearly articulate the UX challenges, your strategic approach, the solutions implemented, and quantifiable outcomes or business impact (e.g., reduction in task completion time, increase in feature adoption, decrease in support tickets related to usability).

Process Documentation:

• UX Vision & Strategy Documentation: Examples of UX vision statements, strategic roadmaps, and guiding principles you have developed.
• Design Governance Frameworks: Documentation outlining how you establish and maintain design standards, interaction patterns, and ensure adherence across teams.
• Process Integration Artifacts: Evidence of how you've integrated UX processes into Agile/Scaled Agile workflows, such as participation in quarterly planning, backlog refinement, and cross-team dependency management.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this senior UX role, the portfolio is crucial for demonstrating not just design skills but also strategic thinking, operational process management, and the ability to drive tangible business outcomes. The emphasis on "end-to-end ownership," "workflow optimization," and "impact metrics" aligns with the operational demands of a Director-level position.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Director-level UX role in Canada, with considerations for hybrid and remote work flexibility, and the niche SaaS industry, the estimated annual salary range is CAD $150,000 - $200,000. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, qualifications, and location within the specified remote-eligible provinces.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation Plan: A comprehensive salary package designed to attract and retain top talent.
• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO): Minimum of 15 days per year with no cap, promoting work-life balance.
• Health & Dental Benefits: Comprehensive coverage through Medavie Blue Cross, including:
  • 100% employer-paid dental coverage for employees and dependents.
  • Orthodontic coverage for minor dependents.
  • Up to $3,000/month in comprehensive mental health coverage for employees and dependents.
  • Free access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Greenshield, and a variety of physical and mental wellness services via a dedicated wellness platform.
• Remote-First Workplace: Option for a fully remote setup or access to office space, with flexible working hours to accommodate different time zones and personal schedules.
• Professional Development Investment: Commitment to personal and professional growth through learning opportunities.
• Lifestyle Subsidy: Annual $750 subsidy to support employee well-being and lifestyle choices.
• Monthly Reimbursements:
  • Cell phone reimbursement.
  • Parking reimbursement (for those opting for office-based work or occasional office visits).
• Company-Sponsored Social Events: Regular team-building activities and social events to foster camaraderie and a positive company culture.

Working Hours: Liferaft operates with a flexible work hour policy, supporting a remote-first environment. While the standard is approximately 40 hours per week, the focus is on output and achieving objectives, allowing for flexibility in daily schedules.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is derived from research on Director of UX roles in major Canadian tech hubs (e.g., Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax) and considering the specific requirements of a leadership position in a specialized SaaS company. The benefits package is extensive, with a strong emphasis on mental health and wellness, which is a significant draw for senior professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (SaaS), specifically Threat Intelligence and Investigations Platforms. Liferaft operates in a critical sector, providing essential security solutions to protect corporate entities from evolving open-source data threats. This industry demands innovation, accuracy, and a proactive approach to security.
Company Size: Liferaft is a growing company, likely in the startup to scale-up phase (implied by the need to establish UX as a first-class capability). This size often means a dynamic environment where individuals can have a significant impact and contribute to shaping processes and culture.
Founded: The founding date is not explicitly stated, but the company's mission to address the complexities of open-source data security suggests a relatively modern, technology-forward origin.

Team Structure:

• UX Leadership: The Director, UX reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), indicating a high level of visibility and strategic importance for the UX function within the technology department.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes close partnerships with Product Management and Engineering leadership, suggesting a highly collaborative, integrated product development model. UX will likely work within or alongside agile pods.
• Mentorship Focus: The Director is expected to coach and mentor designers, PMs, and engineers, indicating a desire to embed UX thinking throughout the organization, not just within a dedicated UX team.

Methodology:

• Outcome-Driven UX: The role emphasizes UX as an "outcome-driven capability," meaning the focus is on achieving measurable business results through user experience improvements.
• Agile & Scaled Agile Practices: The responsibilities clearly indicate experience working within agile frameworks, including quarterly planning, backlog refinement, and managing dependencies across teams.
• Proactive Design & Engineering Alignment: A key methodology is ensuring UX work is ahead of engineering delivery, requiring strong process management and communication.

Company Website: https://liferaft.co/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on threat intelligence and investigations implies a need for meticulous design, data security awareness, and a deep understanding of user workflows for security professionals. The reporting structure to the CTO underscores the strategic importance of UX in Liferaft's product development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the Director level, signifying senior leadership. It's a strategic position responsible for establishing and scaling a critical function (UX) within the organization. The scope extends beyond individual contribution to encompass team development, process definition, and influencing product strategy. This is a key role in the GTM and product operations ecosystem, ensuring the product is not only functional but also highly usable and aligned with market needs.
Reporting Structure: The Director, UX reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This direct line of reporting to a key executive indicates that UX is considered a strategic imperative and will have significant visibility and influence within the company's leadership.
Operations Impact: The impact of this role is substantial. By owning end-to-end usability and scaling UX as a capability, the Director will directly influence:

• Product Adoption & Retention: A superior user experience leads to higher user satisfaction and retention rates.
• Operational Efficiency: Intuitive workflows reduce training needs and support costs.
• Revenue Growth: A user-friendly product can be a key differentiator in the competitive SaaS market, driving customer acquisition and expansion.
• Engineering Velocity: Proactive UX planning prevents bottlenecks, enabling smoother and faster engineering delivery.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow into a VP-level role overseeing broader product design or user experience functions as the company scales.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Opportunity to influence product strategy more broadly and potentially lead initiatives that span UX, Product, and Engineering.
• Team Building & Development: The chance to build and shape a world-class UX function from the ground up, attracting and developing top talent.
• Industry Expertise Deepening: Gaining deep knowledge in the specialized field of threat intelligence and investigations platforms, becoming a recognized expert.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is pivotal for building a scalable product. The "Director, UX" title, reporting to the CTO, and emphasis on scaling a capability position this as a high-impact, strategic leadership role within the broader product and GTM operations structure.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Liferaft offers a remote-first workplace with the optional access to office space. This provides flexibility for employees, allowing them to work from their preferred location while still offering a physical space for collaboration, meetings, and team engagement when desired or necessary.
Office Location(s): While the role can be fully remote within Ontario, the hybrid option is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This offers employees a choice depending on their location and preference for in-office interaction.

Workspace Context:

• Flexible Work Arrangements: The remote-first and flexible working hours policy cater to modern work preferences, promoting autonomy and work-life balance for operations professionals who often manage complex schedules.
• Collaborative Tooling: As a modern tech company, Liferaft likely utilizes a suite of digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Miro, Figma) to facilitate seamless communication and co-creation, especially for remote and hybrid teams.
• Impactful Contributions: The dynamic, scaling nature of Liferaft suggests an environment where individual contributions, particularly in establishing core functions like UX, are highly visible and impactful.

Work Schedule: The company promotes flexible working hours. While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, the emphasis is on achieving objectives and delivering results, rather than strict adherence to a clock. This flexibility is beneficial for operations roles that may require adapting to different time zones or responding to urgent needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote-first with optional office access" model is a key differentiator, appealing to operations professionals who value flexibility and autonomy. The focus on output over hours aligns well with the results-oriented nature of operations roles.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process: The interview process is designed to assess strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, hands-on design skills, and cultural fit. Expect multiple stages:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with HR or a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural alignment.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the CTO to delve into strategic vision, leadership philosophy, and high-level experience.
• Skills Assessment & Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where candidates present their portfolio, discussing specific case studies demonstrating their end-to-end UX ownership, process optimization, and impact. This may involve a practical design exercise or a deep dive into their problem-solving methodologies.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Management and Engineering to evaluate collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to influence.
• Final Interview / Executive Review: Potentially a final discussion with other senior leaders to confirm fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around key case studies. For each, clearly define the problem, your role and approach, the solutions you designed, the process you followed (especially collaboration with PM/Eng), and the quantifiable results or impact.
• Highlight Operational Rigor: Emphasize how you operationalized UX, managed dependencies, defined standards, and integrated with agile processes. Showcase examples of workflow mapping and optimization.
• Quantify Achievements: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the business impact of your UX work (e.g., improved conversion rates, reduced task completion times, increased user satisfaction scores).
• Tell a Story: Narrate your projects, explaining your thought process and decision-making at each stage. Connect your work back to business objectives.
• Tailor to Liferaft: Research Liferaft's product and target users. Be prepared to discuss how your experience is relevant to their specific challenges in threat intelligence and investigations.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario-Based Questions: Be ready for questions that present hypothetical UX challenges related to complex SaaS platforms or data-intensive applications. Practice articulating your problem-solving approach, considering user needs, technical constraints, and business goals.
• Leadership & Mentorship Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you would mentor designers, influence product strategy, and raise the UX bar across an organization.
• Process Improvement Focus: Anticipate discussions around how you would establish and scale UX processes. Think about designing systems, managing UX debt, and integrating UX into product development lifecycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and specific interview stages suggests Liferaft values demonstrable skills and strategic thinking. Preparing detailed case studies that highlight operational aspects of UX leadership will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX/UI Design Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (Proficiency in at least one is expected for interaction design, wireframing, and prototyping).
• Prototyping Tools: InVision, Axure RP (For creating interactive prototypes and user flows).
• Collaboration Platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams (For daily communication and team coordination).
• Project Management & Workflow Tools: Jira, Asana, Trello (Essential for managing UX tasks within agile development cycles, backlog refinement, and dependency tracking).
• Design System Management: Tools for documenting and managing design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation platforms).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics Tools: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics (For understanding user behavior, tracking feature adoption, and measuring UX impact).
• User Feedback & Survey Tools: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Hotjar (For gathering qualitative user feedback and insights).
• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI (Potentially used for presenting UX performance metrics and insights to stakeholders).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot (While not directly managed by UX, understanding CRM data can inform user segmentation and product strategy).
• Workflow Automation: Experience with how UX design can enable or be enhanced by workflow automation within SaaS products.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is UX-focused, proficiency with project management tools like Jira and understanding product analytics platforms are crucial for demonstrating operational awareness and the ability to drive measurable impact in a GTM context.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Outcome-Driven Innovation: A strong emphasis on driving tangible business results through user-centered design and continuous improvement.
• Collaboration & Partnership: A commitment to working closely with Product Management, Engineering, and other GTM functions to achieve shared goals.
• Continuous Learning & Improvement: An environment that values staying current with UX best practices, emerging technologies, and industry trends, particularly in cybersecurity.
• User-Centricity: A fundamental belief in understanding and advocating for the user, ensuring their needs are at the forefront of product development.
• Quality & Craftsmanship: A dedication to delivering high-quality design solutions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, with an eye for detail and consistency.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Liferaft likely fosters an integrated approach where UX is not a siloed function but a collaborative partner within product development teams.
• Feedback-Rich Environment: Expect a culture where constructive feedback is regularly exchanged between UX, Product, and Engineering to refine designs and ensure alignment.
• Data-Informed Decision Making: Collaboration is expected to be informed by user research, product analytics, and business metrics to guide design decisions.
• Proactive Communication: A culture that encourages open and proactive communication to manage dependencies, share insights, and ensure smooth project execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values highlight a blend of strategic business focus (outcome-driven) and strong execution principles (collaboration, quality). For a Director of UX, demonstrating how these values translate into operational processes and team management will be key.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing UX as a Core Capability: As the role is about establishing UX, a key challenge will be embedding UX practices and influence across the organization, especially in a growing company.
• Balancing Strategic Vision with Execution: The Director must effectively set a long-term UX vision while also ensuring immediate delivery needs are met and UX debt is managed.
• Scaling UX Across Teams: Ensuring design consistency, coherence, and quality as the product and engineering teams grow will be a significant operational challenge.
• Navigating Complex SaaS Workflows: Designing for a data-rich, investigation-driven platform requires a deep understanding of user needs and intricate workflows, which can be complex to map and optimize.
• Influencing Without Direct Authority: Effectively championing UX principles and driving change across teams that may not have direct reporting lines to the Director.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Building a UX Function: The opportunity to define the structure, processes, and culture of a UX team from its foundational stages.
• Specialized Industry Knowledge: Deepening expertise in the threat intelligence and cybersecurity domain, a high-demand area.
• Leadership Skill Enhancement: Developing strategic leadership skills by reporting to a CTO and influencing executive-level decisions.
• Mentorship and Coaching: Honing leadership and communication skills through coaching designers, PMs, and engineers.
• Exposure to Cutting-Edge Technology: Working with a platform that addresses complex, evolving security challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a Director-level role focused on establishing and scaling a function. Addressing these proactively with clear strategies will be crucial for success and will demonstrate operational maturity.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you define and operationalize a world-class UX vision for Liferaft's threat intelligence platform, aligning it with our product strategy?" (Focus on strategic planning, stakeholder alignment, and process integration).
• "Describe your approach to owning end-to-end usability outcomes across a complex SaaS product. What metrics would you track, and how would you reduce UX debt?" (Highlight experience with ownership, metrics, and proactive management).
• "Walk us through a time you had to influence Product Management and Engineering leadership to adopt a particular UX direction. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a strong STAR method story emphasizing collaboration and influence).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Liferaft and the threat intelligence space, what do you see as the biggest UX challenges and opportunities for our platform?" (Demonstrate company research and domain understanding).
• "How would you foster a culture of UX excellence and embed UX thinking across non-design teams like Product and Engineering?" (Focus on coaching, mentoring, and collaborative strategies).
• "Describe your experience working in agile or scaled agile environments. How do you ensure UX work stays ahead of engineering delivery and aligns with quarterly planning?" (Showcase operational integration and process management).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize Impactful Case Studies: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your leadership, strategic thinking, end-to-end ownership, and ability to drive measurable business outcomes.
• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study: Problem -> Your Role & Strategy -> Process & Collaboration -> Solution -> Outcome & Impact. Be specific about your contributions.
• Demonstrate Operational Acumen: Clearly articulate how you managed workflows, defined standards, integrated with development cycles, and collaborated with stakeholders. Use diagrams or artifacts to illustrate processes.
• Quantify Everything Possible: Be ready to discuss the metrics that demonstrate the success of your UX initiatives. If exact numbers aren't available, discuss the qualitative impact and how you would measure it.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, process choices, and how you handled specific challenges within your projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic vision, operational process management, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive measurable business results through UX. Quantifying impact and showcasing process integration will be key differentiators.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Director, UX position at Liferaft:

• Submit your application through the Workable application link provided.
• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 10+ years of experience, specifically emphasizing leadership roles, end-to-end UX ownership, SaaS product experience, and achievements in operationalizing UX processes and driving business impact. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your portfolio to include detailed case studies that showcase your strategic approach, collaboration with Product and Engineering, process management, and quantifiable UX outcomes. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your ability to lead and scale a UX function.
• Research Liferaft: Thoroughly understand Liferaft's threat intelligence platform, its market, and its mission. Prepare to discuss how your UX leadership experience can specifically benefit their product and users.
• Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough and prepare to answer strategic and behavioral questions, focusing on demonstrating your leadership, problem-solving skills, and operational approach to UX.

⚠️ 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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