UX Designer - UW Medicine Strategic Brand and Marketing

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Designer - UW Medicine Strategic Brand and Marketing

Company: University of Washington

Location: Seattle, WA, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Digital Strategy

Date Posted: February 27, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on enhancing the digital user experience for UW Medicine's strategic brand and marketing initiatives, particularly improving online access-to-care journeys.

• The UX Designer will be instrumental in translating complex user needs, business objectives, and technical limitations into intuitive, accessible, and engaging digital interfaces.

• A key aspect involves collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, content strategists, and stakeholders, to drive design solutions from ideation through implementation.

• The position requires a strong understanding of design systems, user research methodologies, and the ability to leverage data and emerging technologies, such as AI, to inform and optimize design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "UX Designer," the context of "Strategic Brand and Marketing" and the focus on "online access-to-care experiences" indicate a strong alignment with Go-To-Market (GTM) operations, especially in how digital touchpoints influence patient acquisition and engagement. The emphasis on data-driven solutions and collaboration with business owners suggests a role that bridges creative design with operational effectiveness.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design Strategy & Implementation: Partner with product, engineering, content strategists, and stakeholders to define user problems and design data-driven solutions that enhance online access to care.

• User-Centric Design: Create wireframes, prototypes, user flows, and information architecture at varying fidelity levels to communicate design intent and inform development-ready designs.

• Research & Iteration: Participate in and apply insights from user research activities, including interviews, journey mapping, usability testing, A/B testing, and analytics, to iteratively refine and improve designs.

• Design System Management: Contribute to and evolve UW Medicine’s design systems, patterns, accessibility standards, and UX best practices to ensure consistency and efficiency across digital platforms.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Clearly communicate design rationale, tradeoffs, and recommendations to cross-functional partners throughout the development lifecycle, fostering strong collaborative relationships.

• Content & Brand Alignment: Collaborate with business owners to define user stories and acceptance criteria, and partner with the Creative team to ensure brand compliance and consistent interaction patterns.

• Technology Exploration: Proactively explore and identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, including AI-driven tools and solutions, to enhance design workflows and user experiences.

• Digital Style Guide Maintenance: Maintain the digital style guide to ensure consistent user experiences across UW Medicine websites and applications, aligning language, tone, and structure with interface design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong operational component by emphasizing the translation of business goals (patient acquisition) into design solutions, the iterative improvement of digital platforms through data and research, and the management of design systems which are critical for operational efficiency and brand consistency. This role directly impacts GTM effectiveness by shaping how potential patients interact with UW Medicine online.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in UX design, information architecture, and interaction design.

• Experience creating wireframes, prototypes, and user flows.

• Proven experience conducting user research and usability testing.

Required Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of building, maintaining, and evolving design systems.

• Strong understanding of usability heuristics and accessibility best practices.

• Excellent presentation and public speaking skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex concepts visually and verbally.

• Proven ability to develop and advocate for UX strategy recommendations aligned with organizational goals.

• Experience collaborating with content strategists, marketers, and other stakeholders to ensure clear, consistent, and effective user messaging.

• Advanced proficiency in design tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Suite.

• Working knowledge of HTML and CSS, with experience partnering closely with development teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Five years of experience performing UX Design in a healthcare system, educational institution, or large nonprofit.

• Experience using analytics software and accessibility tools such as Google Analytics, SiteImprove, and DubBot.

• Demonstrated curiosity in applying AI-assisted design, research, or analytics tools to improve delivery and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "translating business goals" and "advocating for UX strategy recommendations in alignment with organizational goals" strongly suggests that candidates with a background in understanding Go-To-Market (GTM) objectives and how digital experiences contribute to them will be highly valued. The inclusion of analytics tools and AI further points to a data-driven operations mindset.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies that demonstrate your end-to-end UX design process, from initial problem definition and user research to final design solutions and, ideally, measurable outcomes.

• Process Documentation: Clearly articulate your design methodology, including how you approach user research, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing for each project.

• Design System Contributions: Include examples of your involvement in building, maintaining, or contributing to design systems, highlighting your understanding of pattern libraries, component-based design, and scalability.

• Accessibility Focus: Demonstrate your commitment to accessibility by showcasing projects where you applied WCAG guidelines or other accessibility standards, explaining your approach and rationale.

• Problem-Solving: Highlight projects where you successfully translated complex business requirements or user needs into effective and intuitive design solutions, explaining the challenges and your problem-solving approach.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Provide examples of how you have mapped out user journeys, created user flows, and designed information architecture to optimize user navigation and task completion.

• Iterative Improvement: Detail how you have used user feedback, analytics data, or A/B testing results to iterate on designs and drive measurable improvements in user experience metrics.

• Collaboration & Handoff: Illustrate your process for collaborating with developers, content strategists, and stakeholders, and how you prepare design specifications for smooth development handoff.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX role within a strategic marketing and brand context, the portfolio should not only showcase design aesthetics but also demonstrate a robust process for understanding business objectives and user needs. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how their designs directly contribute to organizational goals like patient acquisition and engagement, making it a critical component for assessing GTM operational alignment.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Minimum: $87,096 annually

• Maximum: $98,340 annually

• Explanation: This range is based on the provided salary information for a UX Designer role at the University of Washington. It reflects a mid-level position within a large, public academic institution, considering the Seattle, WA, location and the specialized nature of the UX design field within healthcare marketing.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance plans (medical, dental, vision).

• Retirement savings plans (e.g., contributing to a 403(b) or 401(a) plan).

• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Professional development opportunities and tuition assistance.

• Life insurance and disability coverage.

• Access to University of Washington employee discounts and wellness programs.

Working Hours:

• Standard 40 hours per week, typically aligning with a First Shift schedule.

• The role is designated as regular (not temporary) and 100% FTE.

• While a standard schedule is expected, the hybrid work arrangement may offer some flexibility in terms of daily start/end times, subject to team and operational needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to the role and location. The benefits listed are typical for a large public university and are crucial for attracting and retaining talent in specialized roles like UX design, contributing to the overall operational stability of the team.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare, Higher Education, Marketing, Brand Strategy

Company Size: The University of Washington is a large public research university system, employing tens of thousands of individuals across its campuses. UW Medicine itself is a significant entity within this system, comprising multiple hospitals, clinics, and research centers.

Founded: The University of Washington was founded in 1861. UW Medicine's roots trace back to the establishment of the School of Medicine in 1946.

Team Structure:

• The Strategic Brand and Marketing (SBM) team is part of UW Medicine and supports both the health system and the UW School of Medicine.

• It comprises over 50 professionals specializing in brand and marketing strategy, web and digital experience, content and design, and sponsorships.

• The UX Designer will be part of the digital experience team, collaborating with web developers, content strategists, and other designers.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using user research, analytics, and A/B testing to inform and validate design decisions.

• Agile Scrum: Collaboration within an Agile Scrum framework for iterative design and development cycles.

• User-Centricity: A core value is empathy and curiosity towards people, ensuring designs meet user needs.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to leveraging emerging technologies and innovations to enhance workflows and user experiences.

• Inclusivity & Respect: These are stated core values that shape how the team works and its deliverables.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, and a user-centric approach, which are vital for effective GTM operations in a complex organization like UW Medicine. The scale of the organization means that operational processes and cross-functional alignment are paramount.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level UX Designer. It requires a solid foundation of 3+ years of experience and the ability to work independently on design tasks while also collaborating within a team structure. It's a foundational role within the digital experience team, critical for executing the organization's digital strategy.

Reporting Structure: The UX Designer will report to a manager or lead within the Strategic Brand and Marketing team, likely overseeing digital experience or web strategy. They will collaborate closely with product managers, developers, content strategists, and various business stakeholders across UW Medicine.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's work directly impacts UW Medicine's Go-To-Market effectiveness by shaping the primary digital access points for patients. Well-designed user experiences on uwmedicine.org and MyChart can lead to increased patient acquisition, improved patient satisfaction, better engagement with services, and ultimately, achievement of key business goals for the health system. The role contributes to operational efficiency by ensuring digital platforms are intuitive and accessible, reducing support needs and improving conversion rates.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Develop deeper expertise in specific areas of UX, such as user research, interaction design, accessibility, or design systems.

• Leadership: Progress into Senior UX Designer roles, taking on more complex projects, mentoring junior designers, and contributing more significantly to design strategy.

• Cross-Functional Roles: Transition into related roles like Product Management, Content Strategy, or Digital Marketing specialization within UW Medicine, leveraging UX expertise.

• Skill Development: Opportunities to learn and apply emerging technologies like AI in design, explore advanced analytics, and gain experience with healthcare-specific UX challenges.

• Certifications: Pursue industry certifications in UX, accessibility, or Agile methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for a UX Designer in this context is tied to both deepening design expertise and understanding how that expertise drives operational outcomes for a large healthcare institution. The ability to demonstrate impact on patient acquisition and engagement will be key for career advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as Hybrid. This suggests a blend of on-site work at UW Medicine facilities in Seattle and remote workdays. The specific on-site requirements (e.g., number of days per week) would typically be defined by the team and manager.

Office Location(s): Seattle, WA, United States. UW Medicine has multiple campuses and facilities throughout the Seattle area.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The team culture emphasizes teamwork, respect, and creativity. Expect to work in a dynamic environment where collaboration with diverse teams (marketing, content, development, research, clinical) is routine.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), collaboration tools, and potentially specialized healthcare analytics and accessibility platforms.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for in-person brainstorming, design critiques, and strategic planning sessions, balanced with remote work flexibility. The hybrid model aims to balance the benefits of face-to-face interaction with the flexibility of remote work.

Work Schedule:

• Typically 40 hours per week, First Shift.

• The hybrid nature allows for a blend of structured workdays in the office and remote flexibility, supporting work-life balance while ensuring operational needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is a key operational consideration for the team, balancing the need for in-person collaboration and serendipitous interactions with the flexibility that can improve employee satisfaction and productivity. This requires effective communication and project management to ensure seamless workflows regardless of location.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: An HR or recruiter screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and interest in the role and UW Medicine.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager focusing on your background, experience, design philosophy, and alignment with the team's needs and culture.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: This is a critical stage. You will likely present your portfolio, discussing selected case studies in detail. A design challenge may be given, either take-home or live, to assess your problem-solving skills, design process, and ability to articulate your rationale.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: You may meet with other team members (e.g., developers, content strategists, other designers) or key stakeholders to evaluate your collaborative skills and how you approach cross-functional partnerships.

• Final Interview/Offer: A final discussion, potentially with a senior leader, before an offer is extended.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your skills relevant to this role: complex problem-solving, user research, design systems, accessibility, and translating business needs into digital experiences.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, walk through the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, the solutions you designed, and any measurable outcomes or learnings. Focus on the "why" behind your decisions.

• Highlight Process: Clearly articulate your methodology. Show wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and research findings. Explain how data and user feedback informed your iterations.

• Emphasize Impact: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your designs. For this role, focus on how your UX improvements contributed to user engagement, task completion, or organizational goals (e.g., patient acquisition).

• Accessibility & Design Systems: Be prepared to discuss your experience with design systems and accessibility standards in detail, as these are explicitly mentioned as requirements.

Challenge Preparation:

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

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate your structured approach. Even if you can't complete a full design, show how you would break down the problem, what research you would conduct, and what design artifacts you would create.

• Articulate Rationale: Be ready to explain every decision you make, justifying your choices based on user needs, business goals, or best practices.

• Consider Constraints: Acknowledge technical or business constraints and discuss how you would navigate them.

• AI Integration: Given the prompt's mention of AI, consider how AI tools could be leveraged in your problem-solving approach or design process if applicable.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for this role will heavily weigh your ability to demonstrate a structured, data-informed UX process that directly supports business and GTM objectives. Your portfolio and any design challenges should explicitly link your design decisions to tangible outcomes for UW Medicine.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency required for wireframing, prototyping, and UI design. Essential for collaborative design workflows and creating interactive prototypes.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Proficiency expected for various design tasks, including image editing (Photoshop), vector graphics (Illustrator), and potentially other applications as needed for asset creation.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, experience with other prototyping tools for specific use cases or fidelity levels may be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Google Analytics: Desired, for understanding user behavior on the website, tracking traffic, and measuring engagement metrics.

• SiteImprove: Desired, a platform for website quality assurance, including accessibility, SEO, and content management, which is highly relevant for a healthcare institution.

• DubBot: Desired, another accessibility and content governance tool, indicating a strong institutional focus on compliance and usability.

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

CRM & Automation:

Development Collaboration:

• HTML/CSS: Working knowledge is required to effectively collaborate with web developers, understand implementation constraints, and communicate design specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on analytics, accessibility tools (SiteImprove, DubBot), and collaboration with developers highlights the operational aspect of this UX role. The tools listed are critical for ensuring digital platforms are not only user-friendly but also compliant, measurable, and efficiently managed, supporting the broader GTM strategy.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User Empathy & Curiosity: A foundational value driving the design process, ensuring that user needs and experiences are at the forefront of all decisions. This translates to operational efficiency by creating intuitive pathways that reduce user friction.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging research, analytics, and testing to inform design choices, ensuring that improvements are based on evidence rather than assumptions, a key tenet of effective operations.

• Continuous Improvement: A proactive approach to seeking out and implementing innovations, including emerging technologies like AI, to enhance user experiences and optimize design workflows. This fosters an agile and efficient operational environment.

• Inclusivity & Respect: A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both the design process and team interactions, ensuring that digital experiences are accessible to all and that the team environment is supportive and collaborative.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Working effectively across diverse teams (product, engineering, content, marketing, clinical) to achieve shared goals, emphasizing shared ownership and open communication for seamless operational execution.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The team operates within an Agile Scrum framework, promoting close collaboration between UX, product, engineering, and content strategists. Regular stand-ups, sprint reviews, and planning sessions are likely.

• Design Critiques & Feedback: An open culture for sharing work in progress, providing constructive feedback, and iterating based on input from peers and stakeholders.

• Partnership with Business Owners: Working closely with business owners to understand their objectives, translate them into user stories, and ensure digital solutions align with organizational priorities, particularly patient acquisition.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings from research, and insights into new technologies to elevate the entire team's capabilities and operational effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: The strong emphasis on values like data-driven decision-making, continuous improvement, and collaboration underscores the operational rigor expected from this role. These values directly contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the digital marketing and brand strategy functions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs with Business/Technical Constraints: Navigating the inherent tension between ideal user experiences and the realities of budgets, timelines, and existing technical infrastructure within a large healthcare system.

• Driving Adoption of UX Best Practices: Educating and influencing stakeholders across different departments to prioritize user-centered design and accessibility in their digital initiatives.

• Measuring UX Impact: Quantifying the direct impact of UX design improvements on UW Medicine's key performance indicators (e.g., patient acquisition, conversion rates, patient satisfaction) can be complex.

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Technology: Integrating emerging technologies like AI ethically and effectively into design processes while maintaining a focus on core user needs and organizational goals.

• Navigating a Large, Complex Organization: Understanding and adapting to the organizational structure, decision-making processes, and diverse stakeholder needs of a major academic medical center.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like healthcare UX, user research methodologies, interaction design patterns, or accessibility compliance.

• AI in Design: Explore and experiment with AI-powered design tools, research assistants, and analytics platforms to enhance efficiency and user insights.

• Healthcare Industry Insights: Gain in-depth knowledge of the healthcare landscape, patient journeys, and the unique challenges and opportunities in digital health.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance understanding of content strategy, marketing analytics, SEO, and Agile development methodologies.

• Leadership & Mentorship: Opportunities to mentor junior designers, lead design initiatives, and contribute to strategic planning as experience grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities highlight the role's operational complexity and the need for continuous learning. Successfully navigating these challenges requires strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to process improvement, essential for any operations professional.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance conflicting user needs with business requirements. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, compromise, and ability to advocate for user-centric solutions that still meet business goals.)

• "How do you incorporate user research and data into your design process? Provide an example of how data influenced a significant design decision." (Highlight your use of analytics, usability testing, and research findings to drive iterative improvements.)

• "Walk me through your experience with design systems. What are the key components, and how have you contributed to maintaining or evolving them?" (Be prepared to discuss the operational benefits of design systems for consistency and efficiency.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in UX design specifically within a healthcare and academic environment like UW Medicine?" (Research UW Medicine's mission, values, and recent initiatives. Connect your passion for UX to improving healthcare access.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with developers, content strategists, and product managers? Describe a successful cross-functional project." (Emphasize your communication skills and ability to work within an Agile framework.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, begin with the problem statement and business objective, then detail your research and ideation process, followed by your design solutions, and finally, the results or learnings.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced bounce rates, improved task completion times).

• Showcase Your Process: Don't just show final screens; reveal your wireframes, user flows, prototypes, and research artifacts to illustrate your thinking.

• Highlight Collaboration: Mention who you worked with and how you incorporated their feedback or collaborated to achieve the final outcome.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate specific questions about your design choices, technical feasibility, and how your work aligns with UW Medicine's strategic goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate how their UX design process contributes to operational efficiency and effectiveness, particularly in the context of patient acquisition and engagement for a large healthcare institution. Demonstrating an understanding of GTM objectives will be highly beneficial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned UX position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete and submit your application through the provided UW Hires portal link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your UX design experience, specific skills (Figma, Adobe Suite, HTML/CSS), experience with user research, design systems, and accessibility standards. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your portfolio to showcase 2-3 impactful case studies that demonstrate your process, problem-solving abilities, and contributions to achieving business objectives. Focus on projects relevant to user journeys, information architecture, and digital accessibility.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio, focusing on clearly articulating your design decisions, process, and the impact of your work, especially in the context of healthcare or large organizations. Be ready to discuss challenges and how you navigated them.

• Research UW Medicine: Understand UW Medicine's mission, values, target audiences (patients, researchers, students), and their digital presence (uwmedicine.org, MyChart). Consider how your UX skills can support their strategic brand and marketing goals.

⚠️ 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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