Lead, UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead, UX Designer

Company: EdReports

Location: Remote (United States)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: October 14, 2025

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the user experience strategy and execution for EdReports' digital platforms, including the main website, educational reports, and internal tools.

• Lead the end-to-end design process, from conceptualization and wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping and final asset delivery, ensuring a user-centered approach.

• Champion accessibility and inclusive design principles, ensuring all digital products meet WCAG standards and are usable by a diverse audience.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including engineers, product managers, and subject matter experts, to translate user needs and business objectives into effective design solutions.

• Utilize data analytics, user feedback, and research findings to continuously iterate and improve the digital user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Lead" UX Designer, indicating a need for strong ownership, strategic thinking, and potentially mentorship capabilities, even if not explicitly stated as a people management role. The emphasis on shaping the experience and championing accessibility suggests a high degree of autonomy and influence.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on user-centered website features and UI components to enhance usability, accessibility, relevance, and clarity of information for educators and stakeholders.

• Actively participate in product discovery by creating detailed wireframes and interactive prototypes, and by conducting user research such as interviews, usability testing, and surveys in close partnership with product managers.

• Foster strong collaborative relationships with engineers, product managers, project managers, subject-matter experts, and other internal stakeholders to ensure design feasibility and alignment with organizational goals.

• Produce high-fidelity design assets and comprehensive style guides for website implementation and collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure accurate and high-quality execution of designs.

• Advocate for and implement accessibility best practices (WCAG) and inclusive design principles across all digital touchpoints, ensuring compliance and a positive experience for all users.

• Support rigorous testing and quality assurance processes to verify accurate implementation of designs, mobile-friendliness, and adherence to accessibility standards.

• Leverage website analytics, user feedback mechanisms, and data insights to conduct ongoing evaluation and refinement of the digital user experience.

• Contribute to the design of effective marketing and funder-facing materials, ensuring clear communication of EdReports' mission and impact.

• Adapt to evolving responsibilities and contribute to broader organizational strategic goals, demonstrating flexibility and a proactive approach to problem-solving within a mission-driven environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a full-cycle UX design role with a significant emphasis on user research, accessibility, and cross-functional collaboration. The mention of "supporting the design of effective marketing artifacts" suggests a need for versatility beyond core product UX.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience and proficiency in UX/UI design principles and methodologies is expected.

Experience: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in UX/UI website design is required. This should include a proven track record of designing user-centered digital experiences and a deep understanding of the full design lifecycle.

Required Skills:

• UX/UI Design Expertise: Demonstrated ability to create user-centered website features, UI components, wireframes, prototypes, and mockups that enhance usability and clarity.

• User Research Methodologies: Proven experience applying user research methods such as usability testing, user interviews, and surveys, and translating findings into actionable design decisions.

• Accessibility Standards: Strong understanding of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and experience designing inclusive digital experiences that meet these standards.

• Responsive and Interaction Design: Familiarity with UI/UX best practices, including responsive design principles and interaction design to create seamless experiences across devices.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with demonstrated experience working effectively in cross-functional teams and presenting design rationale to diverse stakeholders.

• Mobile Optimization: Experience optimizing designs for various devices and screen sizes, with a particular focus on mobile-first approaches.

• Mission Alignment: A genuine passion for EdReports’ mission, vision, core values, and commitment to Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity.

Preferred Skills:

• Technical Familiarity: Familiarity with HTML/CSS and experience partnering effectively with engineers during the implementation phase.

• Design Tool Proficiency: Proficiency with collaborative design and prototyping tools such as Figma.

• Complex Information Design: Experience designing interfaces that effectively communicate complex information clearly and concisely, particularly relevant to educational content.

• Sector Experience: Background in the nonprofit or education sectors, especially within technology-driven equity initiatives.

• Startup/Fast-Paced Environment: Experience in a startup or fast-paced environment, demonstrating adaptability, resourcefulness, and innovative problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Preferred Skills" section highlights a strong desire for candidates who can hit the ground running with established tools like Figma and understand the nuances of communicating complex educational data. Experience in the nonprofit/education sector is a significant plus, suggesting a need for understanding the unique user base and mission-driven context.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase a minimum of 3-5 comprehensive case studies detailing your UX/UI design process from problem identification to solution implementation and outcomes.

• User-Centered Design: Clearly articulate your approach to understanding user needs, conducting research, and how those insights directly informed your design decisions.

• Accessibility Integration: Provide specific examples of how you've incorporated accessibility standards (WCAG) into your designs and the rationale behind those choices.

• Prototyping & Iteration: Demonstrate your ability to create interactive prototypes and showcase how you've iterated on designs based on feedback and testing.

• Visual Design & UI Components: Include examples of high-fidelity mockups and UI components, highlighting your aesthetic sensibility and attention to detail.

Process Documentation:

• Design Thinking Methodology: Detail your workflow, illustrating how you move from initial concepts through wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and final design handoff.

• Collaboration and Handoff: Provide examples of how you document and communicate design specifications to engineering teams, ensuring a smooth implementation process.

• Metrics and Impact: Where possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback demonstrating the impact of your design solutions on user engagement, task completion, or accessibility improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their process, highlighting their problem-solving skills, user empathy, and ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive designs. Focusing on accessibility and impact metrics will be key.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $99,443 - $134,540 annually.

Benefits:

• Unlimited Discretionary Time Off (DTO) & Sick Time: Offers flexibility for personal well-being and recovery.

• 21 Paid Holidays: Includes significant time off for rest and personal pursuits.

• Monthly Communications Reimbursement: Supports remote work connectivity and professional development.

• Home Office & Technology Stipend: Provides resources for setting up an effective remote workspace.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: EdReports covers 90% of health care costs for employees and their immediate families, ensuring robust medical support.

• 401k Retirement Plan: New hires are eligible after six months, with safe harbor and employer match contributions to support long-term financial planning.

Working Hours: While not explicitly stated, a standard 40-hour work week is generally assumed for full-time roles. The "Unlimited Discretionary Time Off" suggests flexibility in how work hours are managed, provided deliverables are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Lead UX Designer role, especially in a fully remote capacity. The benefits package is generous, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance and employee well-being, which is attractive for remote positions. The company's approach of offering salaries at or below the midpoint of the range for equity reasons should be noted.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: EdReports operates within the Education and Non-Profit sectors, focusing on curriculum reform and ensuring high-quality instructional materials for students. This mission-driven context is central to the company's operations and culture.

Company Size: EdReports is likely a mid-sized organization, given the need for specialized roles like a Lead UX Designer and the structured approach to benefits and compensation. This size often allows for a balance between established processes and a dynamic, adaptable environment.

Founded: Founded with the mission to provide educators with reliable, evidence-rich reviews of instructional materials, EdReports aims to disrupt the educational market by increasing the demand for high-quality curriculum.

Team Structure:

• The UX Designer will likely be part of a Product or Technology team, reporting to a Product Manager or Head of Product/Technology.

• Collaboration is expected across engineering, product management, project management, content experts, and potentially marketing/communications.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role emphasizes using analytics, user feedback, and research to inform design choices, reflecting a data-driven approach.

• Agile/Iterative Development: The focus on designing, testing, and iterating suggests an agile or iterative development methodology is likely in place.

• User-Centricity: A core tenet is a strong commitment to understanding and serving the needs of educators and students.

Company Website: https://www.edreports.org/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission is a significant cultural driver. Candidates should demonstrate an alignment with this mission and possess the ability to work within a collaborative, data-informed, and user-focused environment, typical of mission-driven tech-adjacent non-profits.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Lead" position, signifying an experienced individual contributor role. It requires a high degree of autonomy, strategic input, and the ability to guide design efforts. While not explicitly a management role, it implies leadership in design thinking and execution.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UX Designer will likely report to a Product Manager, Director of Product, or a similar lead within the technology or product development function. They will collaborate extensively with engineering and other cross-functional teams.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's work directly impacts the usability, accessibility, and effectiveness of EdReports' digital platforms. This influences how educators access critical curriculum information, which in turn supports the organization's broader mission of improving educational outcomes and transforming the market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of UX, such as complex data visualization, advanced accessibility consulting, or user research leadership.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Take on more responsibility in leading design initiatives for new product features or platform enhancements.

• Mentorship: Potentially mentor junior designers or contribute to building out design processes within the organization.

• Industry Contribution: Contribute to the broader education technology or nonprofit UX community through sharing best practices or case studies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title suggests a path for growth into senior individual contributor roles or potentially into management if the organization expands its design team. The emphasis on complex information design and accessibility offers clear avenues for specialized skill development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, offering flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere within the United States.

Office Location(s): Remote (United States).

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The primary mode of interaction will be digital, utilizing tools for communication, project management, and design collaboration.

• Technology & Tools: Access to necessary design software (like Figma), communication platforms, and potentially a home office stipend to ensure an effective and comfortable remote setup.

• Team Interaction: Regular virtual meetings, design critiques, and collaborative sessions are expected to maintain team cohesion and drive project progress.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, implying a standard work week. However, the "Unlimited Discretionary Time Off" suggests a focus on results and flexibility in scheduling, allowing designers to manage their time effectively to meet project deadlines while maintaining work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Remote work is a key feature. Candidates should be comfortable with asynchronous communication and proactive engagement in a virtual team environment. The benefits package supports establishing a productive home office.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess basic qualifications and design experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on your experience, approach to UX design, understanding of EdReports' mission, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation/Design Challenge: A session where you present your portfolio, walking through key case studies and demonstrating your design process. You may also be given a small design challenge or asked to critique an existing design element.

• Cross-Functional Team Interview: Meetings with potential collaborators (e.g., Product Manager, Engineer) to assess teamwork, communication skills, and technical collaboration capabilities.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic fit and overall impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Thoughtfully: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant case studies that showcase your end-to-end UX process, problem-solving skills, and impact.

• Highlight Process: Clearly articulate the problem, your role, the research conducted, design decisions made, iterations, and the final outcome. Use visuals effectively to support your narrative.

• Emphasize Impact: Quantify results where possible (e.g., improved task completion rates, increased user satisfaction, adherence to accessibility standards). If quantitative data isn't available, use qualitative feedback to demonstrate success.

• Showcase Collaboration: Mention how you worked with stakeholders, engineers, and product managers, and how you incorporated their feedback.

• Address Accessibility: Explicitly demonstrate how you've integrated accessibility principles into your designs.

• Tailor to EdReports: If possible, briefly touch on how your skills and experience align with EdReports' mission and the specific challenges of designing for their audience.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, ensure you fully grasp the user problem and business goals.

• Outline Your Approach: Before diving into solutions, articulate your strategy – what research would you do, what assumptions would you make, what key questions would you ask?

• Focus on Process: Even if time is limited, demonstrate your systematic thinking and how you would approach the problem if you had more time.

• Communicate Clearly: Be prepared to explain your design rationale and trade-offs concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not just design skills but also alignment with the company's mission and collaborative abilities. A strong, well-articulated portfolio presentation is crucial for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma is explicitly mentioned as a preferred tool, suggesting it's the primary platform for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity design. Other collaborative design tools may also be relevant.

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

• Analytics & Reporting: Platforms like Google Analytics or similar web analytics tools to track user behavior and website performance.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Proficiency in analyzing website traffic, user flows, conversion rates, and engagement metrics to inform design decisions.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret and present data insights clearly, potentially using basic charting features within analytics tools or spreadsheets.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how user data is managed and how design impacts user journeys within broader systems is beneficial. Familiarity with how design integrates with content management systems (CMS) or other web platforms is also relevant.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a strong preference. Candidates should be comfortable using modern design and collaboration tools and have a solid understanding of how to leverage analytics to drive design improvements.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Commitment to Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity (DBIE): This is a foundational value, expecting employees to actively welcome diverse perspectives, center equity in decisions, foster inclusion, and build knowledge of systemic inequities.

• Accountability: Taking ownership of projects, proactively addressing challenges, and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.

• Communication: Engaging stakeholders effectively, active listening, conveying information clearly, and adapting communication style to build trust.

• Continuous Improvement: Reflecting on work, seeking feedback, applying new insights, and identifying solutions to enhance performance.

• Core Expertise: Possessing and maintaining relevant skills and knowledge, utilizing diverse viewpoints, and serving as a subject matter resource.

• Organizational Stewardship: Cultivating external relationships, upholding policies, learning from history, and adapting to organizational needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expected to work seamlessly with engineers, product managers, and subject matter experts, integrating design into broader project workflows.

• Feedback Exchange: A culture that encourages seeking and providing constructive feedback on designs and processes.

• Mission-Driven Alignment: Collaboration is often unified by the shared goal of improving educational materials and student outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on DBIE is paramount. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they embody these values in their work and collaborations. The core values reflect a professional, mission-oriented, and growth-minded work environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Communicating Complex Information: Designing interfaces to clearly present detailed educational curriculum reviews to educators requires translating complex data into easily digestible formats.

• Balancing User Needs and Technical Constraints: Collaborating with engineers to find design solutions that are both user-friendly and technically feasible within project timelines.

• Ensuring Universal Accessibility: Consistently applying and maintaining WCAG standards across a dynamic website and various digital assets, especially in a remote setting.

• Driving Adoption of New Features: Designing intuitive user experiences that encourage educators and stakeholders to adopt and effectively use new website features or tools.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX/UI Techniques: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specialized areas of UX design, such as advanced prototyping, interaction design, or user research methodologies.

• Accessibility Certifications: Pursuing formal certifications or advanced training in web accessibility to become a subject matter expert.

• Product Strategy Involvement: Contributing to the strategic direction of EdReports' digital products through design input and user advocacy.

• Nonprofit/Education Sector Insights: Gaining deeper understanding of the educational landscape and the needs of educators, which can inform future design work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are centered around the unique nature of EdReports' work – complex educational data, accessibility, and mission-driven impact. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening UX expertise and contributing strategically to the organization's goals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process & Problem Solving: "Walk me through a complex UX project from start to finish, highlighting a significant challenge you faced and how you overcame it." Focus on your structured approach, user research, iteration, and the impact of your solution.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: "How do you ensure accessibility is integrated into your design process from the outset, and can you provide an example of a design decision you made specifically to improve inclusivity?" Be ready to discuss WCAG principles and practical application.

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: "Describe a time you had to balance conflicting feedback from different stakeholders (e.g., product, engineering, users). How did you reach a consensus or make a decision?" Emphasize your communication and negotiation skills.

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "What about EdReports' mission resonates with you, and how do you see your UX design skills contributing to our goals?" Prepare to connect your passion for education, equity, or clear information delivery to the role.

• DBIE Values: "How do you incorporate Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity into your design practice?" Be ready to provide concrete examples of how you've championed these principles.

• Remote Work Philosophy: "How do you stay productive, engaged, and collaborative in a fully remote environment?" Discuss your strategies for communication, time management, and team connection.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each case study as a narrative: the problem, your journey to the solution, and the impact.

• Visual Clarity: Use high-quality visuals (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) to illustrate your points. Annotate key design decisions.

• Concise Explanations: Be prepared to articulate your process and rationale clearly and concisely, avoiding jargon where possible. Tailor your language to the interviewer's likely background.

• Highlight Key Contributions: Clearly state your specific role and contributions within each project, especially if it was a team effort.

• Focus on Impact & Learning: Conclude each case study by summarizing the outcomes and what you learned, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should thoroughly research EdReports, understand their mission, and be prepared to articulate how their skills and values align. The portfolio presentation is a critical component, so practice walking through case studies effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead, UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the EdReports careers portal (via the provided Greenhouse link).

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies demonstrating your UX/UI design process, user research, accessibility integration, and measurable impact. Tailor your selection to highlight experience relevant to educational content and complex information design.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 5+ years of experience, highlighting key skills in UX design, prototyping, user research, and accessibility (WCAG). Quantify achievements where possible and align keywords with the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design philosophy, discussing your experience with user research and accessibility, and preparing to present your portfolio with a focus on storytelling and demonstrating impact. Research EdReports' mission and values thoroughly.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with EdReports' website, their curriculum reviews, and their stated commitment to Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity. Understand their target audience and the challenges they aim to solve.

⚠️ 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.

---