Staff UX Designer (Dallas)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff UX Designer (Dallas)
Company: PowerSchool Group LLC
Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: UX/Product Design (with a focus on SaaS for Education)
Date Posted: January 17, 2026
Experience Level: 5-10 Years
Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is critical for enhancing the user experience and visual design of PowerSchool's core SaaS platforms, specifically within the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and talent software.
• You will be responsible for owning and expanding the company's design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across product features.
• The position requires a strong blend of UX design principles and visual design aesthetics to create intuitive and engaging software for the K-12 education sector.
• This is a hybrid role, requiring collaboration with remote colleagues across multiple time zones and a direct impact on product design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw job description focuses on UX and visual design for software products, the context of "Enterprise Resource Planning," "talent software," and "K-12 education" strongly suggests this role will involve designing complex B2B applications. The emphasis on "funding" and "student outcomes" points to a need for designers who can translate intricate business processes into user-friendly interfaces, a key aspect of operations-adjacent UX roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and iterate on the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) for core pillars of PowerSchool's Allovue and talent software platforms.
• Drive product design tasks and feature development, aligning with quarterly product goals and strategic initiatives.
• Take ownership of the existing design system, actively expanding and refining its components and guidelines.
• Create and iterate on product designs using Figma, ensuring a high standard of visual fidelity and usability.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers to solve complex design challenges and navigate technical constraints.
• Actively participate in design reviews, including reviewing Pull Requests to ensure design consistency and adherence to established standards before code is merged.
• Proactively seek feedback, critique, and assistance from team members to continuously improve design solutions.
• Translate complex educational and financial workflows into intuitive and accessible user interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility of "Reviewing Pull Requests for design consistency and accuracy" is a significant detail for a Staff-level UX Designer. This indicates a high degree of autonomy and a need for strong communication and technical understanding to bridge the gap between design and development, a common requirement in operations-focused design roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, Interaction Design, or a related field is typically expected for a Staff-level UX Designer. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.
Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience designing web applications and software, with a proven track record of delivering user-centered design solutions.

Required Skills:

• Minimum 5 years of experience designing complex web applications or software.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in both User Experience (UX) design and Visual Design, showcasing a deep understanding of design principles and problem-solving.
• Proficiency in Figma for design, prototyping, and component-based design system development.
• Experience working effectively with remote colleagues and collaborating across different time zones (Pacific, Central, Eastern).
• Proven ability to communicate design rationale clearly and effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in creating and iterating on product designs based on user feedback and business requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• Extensive experience building and expanding design systems, particularly within Figma, emphasizing component reusability and scalability.
• Experience mentoring junior designers, providing guidance on design processes, tools, and career development.
• Familiarity with AI-powered tools for generating interactive prototypes or enhancing design workflows.
• Experience within the K-12 education technology (EdTech) sector, understanding the unique user needs and operational complexities.
• Experience with UI/UX for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or financial management software.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title implies a senior or lead individual contributor role. Therefore, the preferred qualifications like mentoring experience and deep design system expertise are crucial for candidates to highlight. The emphasis on AI tools suggests a forward-thinking design team.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5 years of design work, with a clear emphasis on web applications and software.
• Demonstrations of strong UX research, wireframing, prototyping, and final UI design outputs.
• Case studies that detail the problem, your design process, the solutions you implemented, and the positive impact on users and business objectives.
• Specific examples of how your design decisions improved user workflows, efficiency, or adoption rates within complex software environments.
• Visual examples of your contributions to design systems, including component libraries, style guides, and their application in product development.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies should clearly articulate your design methodology, from initial problem definition and user research through to final implementation and iteration.
• Showcase your ability to document design decisions, user flows, and system logic in a way that is easily understood by engineering and product teams.
• Provide examples of how you've used design critique and feedback loops (e.g., reviewing Pull Requests) to refine processes and improve outcomes.
• Demonstrate understanding of the iterative design process, including how you incorporate user feedback and performance data to optimize designs over time.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior UX role like Staff Designer, the portfolio is paramount. It must not only showcase aesthetic capabilities but also a strategic understanding of user problems, a robust design process, and the ability to drive tangible results. The mention of "Pull Requests" implies a need to demonstrate collaboration with engineering and an understanding of implementation processes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $93,800 - $163,700 USD per year.
Explanation of Range: This range is based on industry benchmarks for Staff UX Designers in the United States, taking into account the specified experience level (5-10 years) and the hybrid work arrangement. The specific salary offered within this range will depend on factors such as the candidate's specific skills, experience, qualifications, and geographic location within the US, as well as internal equity and market data.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Insurance Coverage: Medical, Dental, Vision, Pharmacy benefits, Life Insurance, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D).
• Financial Wellness: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and a comprehensive 401(k) plan.
• Time Off & Well-being: Generous Parental Leave, Unrestricted Paid Time Off (Discretionary Time Off - DTO), and a robust Wellness Program including ClassPass and Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Professional Development: Tuition Reimbursement.
• Optional Benefits: Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Student Debt Repayment Program, and Prepaid Legal coverage.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are estimated to be 40 hours per week, consistent with a full-time position. The role is hybrid, requiring collaboration across different time zones, suggesting flexibility is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is explicitly stated for the US. The benefits package is extensive, with a notable emphasis on wellness and professional development, which are attractive to senior-level talent. The "Unrestricted Paid Time Off" (DTO) is a key differentiator.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Education Technology (EdTech), specifically focusing on cloud-based software for K-12 education. PowerSchool is a global leader in this sector, providing comprehensive solutions for school administration, finance, and student management. Company Size: PowerSchool is a large, established company (likely 5,000+ employees based on industry norms for a global leader). This size indicates a structured environment with opportunities for specialization and significant impact. Founded: PowerSchool has a history dating back to 1997, implying a mature organization with established processes and a significant market presence.

Team Structure:

• The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) team is described as a "tight-knit group of designers, product managers, and engineers." This implies a collaborative, cross-functional team structure.
• The Staff UX Designer will likely report into a Design Lead or Head of Product Design within the ERP division.
• Close collaboration is expected with Product Managers for feature definition and Engineers for implementation.

Methodology:

• The team aims to build "world-class software that helps school finance teams make the most of their funding to improve student outcomes." This highlights a data-driven and impact-oriented approach.
• Design work is structured around quarterly product feature goals, indicating an agile or sprint-based development cycle.
• Emphasis on creating software that "looks good and feels good to use," suggesting a commitment to both aesthetic quality and user-centric design.

Company Website: www.powerschool.com

📝 Enhancement Note: As a large EdTech company, PowerSchool likely values data integrity, security, and user adoption. The ERP team's focus on finance and student outcomes means designers must understand business logic and demonstrate ROI through their designs.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Staff UX Designer (IC4). This designation signifies a senior individual contributor role. It implies mastery of core UX and visual design skills, the ability to tackle complex problems independently, and the capacity to influence design strategy and best practices within the team. This level often involves mentoring junior staff and leading design initiatives for significant product areas. Reporting Structure: The role is within the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) team, which is composed of designers, product managers, and engineers. The Staff UX Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director, working closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads on specific features and platform components. Operations Impact: The designs created will directly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of K-12 school finance teams, enabling them to better manage budgets and allocate resources to improve student outcomes. This role bridges the gap between complex operational processes (financial management) and user-friendly software, making a tangible contribution to educational efficiency.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead UX Designer role, taking on more strategic responsibilities, managing design projects, and guiding smaller design teams.
• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas such as design systems, accessibility, or UX research within the EdTech domain.
• Mentorship: Continue to develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers, as indicated in the preferred qualifications.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Gain broader influence across product management and engineering by contributing to strategic product decisions and advocating for user-centered design principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title is key. Candidates should prepare to discuss their experience in leading design efforts, influencing product roadmaps, and mentoring others. The growth path likely involves increased strategic input and potential team leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as "Hybrid," indicating a combination of in-office work and remote work. This suggests a modern office setup designed to facilitate both focused individual work and collaborative team activities. Office Location(s): Dallas, Texas, United States. This specific location will be the primary hub for in-office work. The company also operates globally, with remote colleagues across Pacific, Central, and Eastern time zones, necessitating strong remote collaboration tools and practices.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment likely supports collaboration through shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and common areas.
• Access to necessary design tools and technology, including high-performance workstations and relevant software like Figma, will be provided.
• Opportunities for regular interaction with the design team, product managers, and engineers, fostering a dynamic and communicative work atmosphere.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected, with flexibility to accommodate collaboration across different U.S. time zones. This might involve occasional early morning or late afternoon meetings depending on team member locations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and cross-time zone collaboration requirements mean candidates must demonstrate excellent self-management, communication skills, and proficiency with remote collaboration tools. The Dallas location is the anchor for any in-office expectations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and portfolio. Be prepared to discuss your career trajectory and key projects.
• Portfolio Presentation: You will likely be asked to present a selection of your best work from your portfolio. Focus on 2-3 projects that best showcase your UX and visual design skills, problem-solving abilities, and impact.
• Design Challenge/Exercise: Expect a practical exercise, which could involve critiquing an existing design, solving a specific UX problem, or creating a small design artifact under timed conditions. This assesses your design thinking and tool proficiency.
• Team Interviews: Discussions with design team members, product managers, and engineers to assess your collaboration style, technical understanding, and cultural fit. Be ready to discuss how you work with cross-functional teams.
• Staff-Level Discussion: Interviews focused on strategic thinking, design leadership, mentorship experience, and your approach to complex design systems and challenges.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that highlight your ability to tackle complex web applications and software, especially those with operational or financial components.
• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), the final solution, and the measurable impact or outcomes. Use visuals effectively.
• Highlight Design System Contributions: If you have experience building or expanding design systems, dedicate specific sections to this. Show examples of components, style guides, and how they were implemented.
• Demonstrate Visual Design Skills: Alongside UX flows, ensure your portfolio showcases strong visual design aesthetics, typography, color theory, and UI detailing.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., "increased user adoption by X%", "reduced task completion time by Y%", "improved Net Promoter Score").

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Product: Research PowerSchool's products, particularly Allovue and their talent software, to grasp the user context and business goals.
• Practice Figma Skills: Be ready to demonstrate advanced Figma usage, including components, auto layout, prototyping, and design system integration.
• Articulate Design Rationale: Prepare to explain why you made specific design decisions, linking them back to user needs, business objectives, and design principles.
• Prepare for Cross-Time Zone Collaboration Questions: Think about strategies for effective communication and collaboration when working with distributed teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" level implies a higher bar for portfolio review and interview challenges. Candidates should be prepared to discuss strategic design thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to influence product direction, not just execute designs.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is the primary design and prototyping tool mentioned. Proficiency in creating complex designs, interactive prototypes, and managing design systems within Figma is essential.
• Design System Tools: Experience with tools and methodologies for building, managing, and scaling design systems. This includes component libraries, style guides, and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly mentioned, a Staff UX Designer should be comfortable using analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Pendo) to understand user behavior, identify pain points, and measure the impact of design changes.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools or dashboards to interpret user data and present findings.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding CRM systems (like Salesforce, which PowerSchool integrates with or competes against in certain areas) and automation platforms can provide context for the operational workflows being designed.
• Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools such as JIRA, Confluence, Slack, or Microsoft Teams, which are standard in hybrid and remote work environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the cornerstone tool. Emphasis on design system proficiency is critical. While direct experience with analytics or CRM isn't listed as a requirement, an understanding of how design impacts these areas is a significant advantage for a senior role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value likely ingrained in the design team, focusing on understanding and serving the needs of K-12 education professionals.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Essential for a hybrid team working across time zones, involving open communication, constructive feedback, and shared ownership.
• Impact-Driven: A strong focus on how design contributes to tangible improvements in school funding management and student outcomes, aligning design efforts with business goals.
• Innovation: Encouragement to leverage new tools like AI and to continuously improve design processes and product experiences.
• Quality & Craftsmanship: A commitment to creating visually appealing, intuitive, and well-executed software solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers work hand-in-hand with Product Managers to define requirements and with Engineers to ensure accurate implementation.
• Feedback-Oriented: A culture that encourages proactive seeking and providing of critique, particularly evident in the "reviewing Pull Requests" responsibility.
• Knowledge Sharing: Likely practices for sharing best practices, design patterns, and learnings across the design team and with other departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "tight-knit group" and emphasis on collaboration suggest a team that values mutual support and shared problem-solving. The focus on "funding" and "student outcomes" points to a mission-driven culture.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Complex Workflows: Translating intricate financial and administrative processes within K-12 education into simple, intuitive user interfaces.
• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Designing effective solutions within the limitations and requirements of a large-scale SaaS platform.
• Maintaining Design System Scalability: Ensuring the design system evolves effectively to support new features and product expansion while remaining manageable.
• Effective Cross-Time Zone Collaboration: Navigating communication and project execution challenges inherent in a hybrid, distributed team environment.
• Driving Design Adoption: Influencing product roadmaps and ensuring design best practices are consistently applied across the product suite.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Development: Opportunities to lead the expansion and strategic direction of PowerSchool's design system.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Develop leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading design initiatives.
• EdTech Domain Expertise: Deepen understanding of the K-12 education landscape, user needs, and operational challenges.
• Exposure to Emerging Technologies: Work with AI-powered tools and explore their application in UX design and prototyping.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Gain experience shaping product strategy and collaborating closely with engineering and product leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges listed are typical for senior roles in established SaaS companies, especially those dealing with complex business domains. The growth opportunities align with career progression for experienced designers.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you significantly improved the UX of a complex web application. What was the problem, your process, and the outcome?" (Focus on your design process, problem-solving, and quantifiable results).
• "How do you approach designing and expanding a design system? Walk us through your experience with component libraries and ensuring consistency." (Highlight your understanding of system thinking and scalability).
• "Tell us about a challenging collaboration with product managers or engineers. How did you navigate disagreements and achieve a successful outcome?" (Demonstrate your communication and teamwork skills).
• "How do you incorporate user feedback and data into your design iterations, especially when dealing with operational software?" (Showcase your iterative approach and data-informed design).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about PowerSchool and the K-12 education technology space?" (Research PowerSchool's mission and market position).
• "How do you see your role as a Staff UX Designer contributing to our team's success and PowerSchool's overall goals?" (Connect your skills to the company's objectives).
• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment and collaborating with remote teams across different time zones." (Prepare specific strategies for communication and asynchronous work).
• "What are your thoughts on the importance of visual design alongside UX in enterprise software?" (Articulate your philosophy on aesthetics and usability).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure is Key: Organize your presentation logically, typically problem -> process -> solution -> impact.
• Tell a Story: For each case study, frame it as a narrative where you are the protagonist solving a user or business problem.
• Focus on "Why": Clearly articulate the rationale behind your design decisions, not just the final output.
• Visual Appeal Matters: Ensure your presentation itself is well-designed, clean, and easy to follow. Use high-quality mockups and prototypes.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about specific design choices, your role in team projects, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Staff-level role, expect questions that probe your strategic thinking, leadership potential, and ability to mentor. The interview process will likely be rigorous, requiring a deep understanding of your portfolio and design philosophy.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the PowerSchool careers site.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your UX and visual design expertise, especially those involving complex web applications or software with operational components. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your process, the solution, and the measurable impact.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of experience in web app/software design, proficiency in Figma, design system experience, and any experience mentoring junior designers. Use keywords from the job description like "UX Design," "Visual Design," "Figma," "Design Systems," and "Web Apps."
• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio projects, focusing on articulating your design rationale, process, and the outcomes achieved. Be ready to discuss your contributions to design systems and your experience with hybrid/remote collaboration.
• Research PowerSchool: Understand PowerSchool's mission, its products (especially Allovue and talent software), and its role in the K-12 EdTech market. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

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

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