Lead Designer, Marketing Communications

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Designer, Marketing Communications

Company: Exact Sciences

Location: Madison, WI (Remote Options in Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; San Diego, CA; Minneapolis, MN)

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Design & Strategy

Date Posted: 2026-05-19

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid/Remote (Site-based or Remote in designated locations)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead high-impact design initiatives across digital, product, and marketing platforms, focusing on creating scalable, human-centered customer journeys for patients and providers within the healthcare sector.

• Drive the vision, interaction patterns, and system-level design across diverse customer experiences, ensuring consistency and innovation across web, mobile, and hybrid platforms.

• Act as a hands-on, proactive, and collaborative design leader, mentoring junior designers and guiding cross-functional teams toward excellence in design execution and adherence to business OKRs.

• Champion the evolution and adoption of enterprise-wide design best practices, standards, and principles, including the integration of AI, to enhance efficiency and user experience.

• Translate complex user, business, operational, and technical requirements into clear, compelling, and compliant user experience deliverables that reduce friction and build trust.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the Customer Experience (CX) team, indicating a strong focus on operationalizing user journeys and ensuring a cohesive, data-driven approach to customer interactions. The emphasis on "Marketing Communications" suggests a need to align design strategy with broader GTM and marketing objectives, requiring an understanding of how design impacts lead generation, brand perception, and customer engagement.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Independently lead and facilitate active collaboration with strategists, researchers, product leaders, legal, regulatory, medical, labs, and Experience Design team members to produce scalable, platform-agnostic design deliverables with minimal guidance.

• Provide informal coaching, feedback, and direction to a team of designers, supporting their growth and ensuring high-quality project output.

• Research and advocate for the adoption of enterprise-wide design best practices, standards, principles, and AI applications into daily design practice.

• Develop advanced prototypes and animations, and define motion characteristics to enhance user experience and convey complex ideas effectively.

• Champion the incorporation of user research into the UX vision, providing strategic rigor throughout the product lifecycle, from conception to optimization and governance.

• Evolve and champion the company's design system, ensuring it drives efficiencies and is tailored to specific audience needs across various touchpoints.

• Serve as a subject-matter expert, guiding partners and peers on how design drives utility and inspiration, ensuring alignment with business outcomes and human impact.

• Remove impediments and ensure the delivery of the overall experience vision and results aligned with OKRs, building collaborative relationships with senior leadership and other departments.

• Research and lead the adaptation of enterprise-wide UX best practices, standards, principles, and design thinking processes for UX, Product, and Development teams.

• Create systems and strategies that empower designers, leading the use of design thinking, storytelling, and conceptual prototypes to convey product/service visions compellingly.

• Prioritize time, problems, opportunities, and solutions that contribute to the product roadmap, strategy, and vision, leveraging data, research, industry trends, and business objectives.

• Uphold company mission and values (accountability, innovation, integrity, quality, teamwork) through daily actions and decision-making.

• Work within established design systems to create bold, memorable, and consistent experiences across multiple channels, including web and email marketing.

• Effectively manage legal reviews and feedback cycles to ensure compliance and mitigate risks.

• Support and comply with the company's Quality Management System policies and procedures.

• Travel Requirements: Ability to travel 10-20% of working time, potentially including overnight/weekend travel.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual role of individual contribution and team leadership, emphasizing strategic thinking, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration—key aspects of operations-focused design leadership. The explicit mention of "legal reviews and feedback cycles" points to a need for meticulous design governance and compliance, critical in the healthcare industry.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Marketing, Business, Life Sciences, or a related field of study.

Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in UX Design.

• At least 5 years of experience in a senior or lead UX capacity.

• Extensive experience applying modern user experience design, discovery, and delivery techniques.

• Proven experience managing a design process from strategy through to the delivery of final product.

• Experience collaborating with and influencing product, engineering, design, and operational teams.

• Experience creating designs that optimize for varied ecosystems leveraging persona work, SEO, and measurement objectives.

• Advanced understanding of accessible, inclusive, and equitable design principles.

• Experience with Agile/Scrum/Kanban methodologies.

• Demonstrated ability to perform Essential Duties with or without accommodation.

• Extensive experience in translating complex user, business, operational, and technical requirements into clear, accurate, compelling user experience deliverables.

• Experience in relationship building, motivation, and fostering curiosity for collaborative solutioning.

• Extensive experience engaging constructively and collaboratively with strategists, product managers, engineers, researchers, SMEs, and company leaders.

Required Skills:

• UX Design expertise with a strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking and execution.

• Systems Thinking and ability to design for complex, interconnected ecosystems.

• Human-Centered Design principles and application.

• Interaction Design and user flow definition.

• Prototyping and animation development.

• Design Systems creation, evolution, and application.

• User Research advocacy and integration into design processes.

• Stakeholder Management and influencing skills across diverse departments.

• Agile Methodology principles and practice.

• Advanced understanding of Accessibility, Inclusive Design, and Equity principles.

• Visual Communication and storytelling through design.

• Cross-functional Leadership and team mentorship.

• Design Thinking methodologies.

• Proficiency with design/user experience platforms and tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Miro, Jira).

• Strong working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

• Strong understanding of current web and mobile technology landscapes.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, adaptable to various audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in healthcare, wellness, or digital health sectors.

• Experience with Service Design and Operations.

• Experience with both B2C and B2B products/services.

• Experience within large, complex organizations.

• Experience with Content Management Systems (Sitecore a plus).

• Experience with user testing tools.

• Experience with React and Angular frameworks.

• Experience with no-code tools to support experience delivery.

• Experience using AI to enhance experiences or create process efficiencies.

• Knowledge of best-in-class design systems (e.g., Material, Carbon, Fluent) and their application.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive list of required skills, particularly those related to "systems thinking," "design systems," "accessibility," and "Agile/Scrum," points to a role that requires a deep understanding of operationalizing design principles at scale. The preference for healthcare experience and service design indicates a strategic fit within Exact Sciences' industry.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 8+ years of UX design work, with a significant portion demonstrating leadership in senior or lead capacities.

• Include case studies that highlight the ability to simplify complex problems and translate strategy into actionable, human-centered design solutions across digital and marketing platforms.

• Demonstrate experience in managing the end-to-end design process, from initial strategy and discovery through to the final delivery and optimization of products and experiences.

• Provide examples of how you have applied user research, data, and industry trends to inform design decisions and drive business outcomes.

• Showcase work that reflects an advanced understanding of accessible, inclusive, and equitable design principles, with clear examples of implementation.

• Present examples of how you have evolved, adapted, or built design systems to drive efficiencies and meet specific audience needs.

• Include projects that demonstrate collaboration with cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, Medical) and how you influenced outcomes.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in documenting and communicating user flows, interaction patterns, and system-level design across various platforms.

• Provide examples of how you have used design thinking, storytelling, and conceptual prototypes to convey complex visions and features.

• Showcase your ability to articulate and advocate for UX best practices, standards, and principles within an organization.

• Include evidence of how you have leveraged data, research, and industry trends to contribute to product roadmaps, strategy, and vision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements emphasize not just visual design but strategic execution, process management, and cross-functional collaboration – aligning with operational excellence. The focus on "systems thinking," "design systems," and "process documentation" is crucial for an operations-oriented role.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• National Range: $124,000 - $211,000 USD per year

• California Range: $150,420 - $225,630 USD per year

• Madison, WI (Base): Salary will be based on the national range, with specific compensation determined by factors such as location, experience, and qualifications.

• Bonus Eligibility: This position is bonus eligible.

Benefits:

• Paid Time Off: Comprehensive PTO including vacation, holidays, volunteering days, and personal time.

• Paid Leave: Generous paid leave for parents and caregivers.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Support for long-term financial planning.

• Wellness Support: Resources and programs to support employee well-being.

• Health Benefits:

  • Medical Insurance
  • Prescription Drug Coverage
  • Dental Insurance

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time workweek (approximately 40 hours).

• Flexibility may be available, with remote options for designated locations and potential for hybrid work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided reflect seniority and location-specific cost of living, with California having a notably higher range. The inclusion of specific benefits like "paid leave for parents and caregivers" and "wellness support" indicates a company culture focused on employee well-being, which can be a significant factor for operations professionals balancing demanding roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Diagnostics (specifically oncology)

Company Size: Exact Sciences is a significant player in the diagnostics market, suggesting a large, established organization with complex internal processes and a broad customer base. This implies a need for scalable design solutions and robust operational frameworks.

Founded: Exact Sciences has a history of innovation and growth, particularly with its flagship products like Cologuard. This suggests a culture that values scientific advancement, patient outcomes, and market disruption.

Team Structure:

• Customer Experience (CX) Team: This team is responsible for defining, driving, and delivering customer-centric journeys across all channels. Designers work within this team, collaborating closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, Content Strategists, and other departments.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes extensive collaboration with internal stakeholders including Legal, Regulatory, Medical, and Marketing departments. This requires strong communication and alignment skills to navigate diverse priorities and ensure integrated execution.

• Design System Focus: The team actively maintains and evolves a design system, indicating a structured approach to design operations and a commitment to consistency and efficiency.

Methodology:

• Human-Centered Design: The core philosophy is to design with people at the center, focusing on reducing friction, building trust, and empowering users.

• Systems Thinking: Designers are expected to understand and design for complex experience ecosystems, ensuring holistic and integrated customer journeys.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Design strategy is informed by user research, data, industry trends, and business objectives (OKRs).

• Agile/Scrum/Kanban: Experience with these methodologies is required, suggesting iterative development processes and a focus on continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://www.exactsciences.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on cancer diagnostics implies a mission-driven environment where design plays a critical role in communicating complex health information and facilitating critical decisions for patients and providers. This context is vital for understanding the operational impact of design.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Lead Designer position, indicating a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership responsibilities. It sits above mid-level designers and often serves as a stepping stone to management or principal designer roles. The focus is on guiding strategy, mentoring others, and driving complex initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Customer Experience (CX) team, likely under a Design Director or Head of CX. The Lead Designer will work closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and other functional leaders across Marketing, Legal, and Medical.

Operations Impact: The Lead Designer's work directly impacts the operational efficiency of customer journeys, the clarity of marketing communications, and the overall user experience for patients and providers. By simplifying complex information and creating intuitive interfaces, this role contributes to better patient outcomes, improved provider adoption of diagnostic tools, and stronger brand perception—all critical for business success in the healthcare sector. The emphasis on design systems and scalable solutions directly supports operational consistency and efficiency across the organization.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in human-centered design, systems thinking, service design, and the application of AI in design.

• Leadership Development: Mentoring junior designers, leading cross-functional design initiatives, and potentially progressing into management roles or principal designer tracks.

• Industry Specialization: Gaining in-depth experience within the rapidly evolving healthcare diagnostics industry, a high-growth and impactful sector.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Developing a broad understanding of product development, marketing strategy, legal compliance, and medical affairs within a complex organization.

• Design System Ownership: Potential to take on greater ownership and strategic direction for the company's design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" title implies a significant operational scope, requiring the candidate to not only execute but also to strategize, mentor, and optimize design processes within the broader GTM and operational framework.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The position can be site-based in Madison, WI, or remote in Chicago, Boston, San Diego, or Minneapolis. This suggests a hybrid work model where collaboration can occur both in-person and virtually.

Office Location(s):

• Madison, WI (Primary HQ, site-based option)

• Chicago, IL

• Boston, MA

• San Diego, CA

• Minneapolis, MN

These locations offer access to major metropolitan areas with a strong presence of tech and biotech talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close collaboration with diverse teams (Product, Engineering, Research, Legal, Marketing, Medical), fostering a dynamic and interactive workspace.

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

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for mentorship, feedback, and knowledge sharing with other designers and cross-functional partners. The emphasis on design systems and shared practices indicates a culture of collective improvement.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours per week), with potential for flexibility depending on project needs and team agreements. The remote options suggest a focus on output and results rather than strict time-based presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid/remote flexibility across multiple major cities is a significant draw, indicating a modern work environment that values talent regardless of physical location, while still maintaining opportunities for in-person collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely involves a review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation: A key stage where you'll present a curated selection of your work, focusing on strategic thinking, problem-solving, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your process, design decisions, and the outcomes achieved.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and potentially stakeholders from Marketing, Legal, or Medical to assess collaboration skills, communication, and understanding of business operations.

• Leadership/Mentorship Discussion: Questions focused on your experience leading design initiatives, mentoring junior designers, and driving design best practices.

• Case Study/Design Challenge: May involve a practical exercise or a deeper dive into a specific problem to assess your design process, problem-solving approach, and ability to articulate solutions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Strategic Storytelling: Frame your case studies not just by what you designed, but why you designed it and the impact it had. Connect your work to business objectives and user needs.

• Highlight Leadership: Showcase instances where you led design efforts, mentored others, or influenced strategy.

• Process Over Polish: While visual quality is important, emphasize your design process, problem-solving methodology, and how you navigated constraints (e.g., legal, technical, business).

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Include projects that demonstrate your ability to design for complex systems and ensure consistency across multiple touchpoints.

• Address Complexity: Given Exact Sciences' industry, highlight projects that involved simplifying complex information or workflows.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Explain how you worked with cross-functional teams and managed stakeholder expectations.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Clearly articulate how you incorporated these principles into your designs.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Business: Research Exact Sciences, its mission, products, and target audiences (patients, providers). Understand the healthcare diagnostics landscape.

• Design Operations Focus: Be prepared to discuss how you ensure design quality, consistency, and scalability through process and systems.

• Problem-Solving: Practice articulating your approach to complex design problems, focusing on research, ideation, iteration, and validation.

• Communication: Prepare to clearly and concisely explain your design rationale and its connection to business goals and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio review and potential design challenges highlights the practical, results-oriented nature of this role. Candidates should prepare to articulate their strategic impact and operational efficiency through their design work.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely given industry trends), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects), Miro (for collaboration, journey mapping, ideation).

• Project Management & Collaboration: Jira (for Agile workflows, tracking tasks), potentially Confluence.

• User Testing: Experience with various user testing platforms and methodologies.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Content Management Systems (CMS):

Web Technologies:

• Strong working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

Design Systems:

Emerging Technologies:

• Experience or interest in using AI to enhance user experiences or create process efficiencies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Miro, and Jira, along with preferred experience in Sitecore, React, and Angular, provides a clear picture of the expected technical proficiency for this role. Understanding how these tools integrate into broader operational workflows is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Accountability: Taking ownership of design projects and their outcomes, from strategy to execution.

• Innovation: Continuously seeking new and better ways to improve customer experiences and operational efficiency through design.

• Integrity: Upholding ethical standards in design, particularly in the sensitive healthcare sector, ensuring compliance and trustworthiness.

• Quality: Committing to high standards of design craft, usability, accessibility, and consistency across all touchpoints.

• Teamwork: Fostering collaborative relationships and working effectively with diverse cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals.

• Inclusion Mindset: Actively modeling and promoting behaviors that ensure a welcoming environment for all, regardless of background.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Proactive engagement with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Medical teams to ensure design solutions are holistic and aligned with business objectives.

• Feedback Culture: Open to giving and receiving constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement in design and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share expertise, mentor junior designers, and contribute to the collective growth of the design team.

• Process-Oriented: A focus on establishing and refining design processes that enable efficiency, scalability, and quality delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Accountability," "Quality," and "Teamwork" aligns with core operational principles. The "Inclusion Mindset" is also crucial for fostering a productive and diverse team environment in a mission-driven company.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Simplifying Complexity: Designing intuitive experiences for complex diagnostic information and healthcare journeys, balancing user needs with stringent regulatory and medical requirements.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Navigating diverse priorities and perspectives from Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Medical teams to drive cohesive design solutions.

• Scalability & Consistency: Ensuring design solutions are scalable across multiple platforms and customer segments while maintaining a consistent brand experience.

• Integrating AI: Exploring and effectively integrating AI into design processes and user experiences in a responsible and impactful manner.

• Balancing Strategy and Execution: Managing high-level strategic initiatives while also contributing hands-on design work and mentoring junior team members.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Skills: Deepen expertise in service design, systems thinking, and specialized UX disciplines relevant to healthcare.

• Industry Knowledge: Gain significant experience and insight into the rapidly evolving healthcare diagnostics and digital health sectors.

• Leadership Training: Develop leadership capabilities through mentoring, project leadership, and potential formal training programs.

• Design System Evolution: Contribute to and potentially lead the strategic direction of Exact Sciences' design system.

• AI in Design: Explore cutting-edge applications of AI in user experience and design operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior design roles in complex, regulated industries, offering significant opportunities for professional growth and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex design problem you solved by applying systems thinking. How did you ensure consistency across different touchpoints and user needs?"

• "How do you approach balancing user experience best practices with strict legal, regulatory, and medical requirements in a regulated industry like healthcare?"

• "Walk me through a time you had to influence stakeholders from different departments (e.g., Marketing, Legal, Product) to adopt your design strategy. What was your approach and the outcome?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Exact Sciences' mission and the healthcare diagnostics industry?"

• "How do you ensure your design work is inclusive, accessible, and equitable for diverse audiences?"

• "Describe your experience working with design systems. How do you contribute to their evolution and adoption?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an executive summary of your role and the project's goals. Clearly articulate the problem statement, your specific contributions, the design process, key decisions, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "Increased conversion by X%", "Reduced task completion time by Y%", "Improved user satisfaction scores").

• Highlight Collaboration: Explain how you worked with cross-functional teams and managed feedback loops.

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Show your thought process, iterations, and how you overcame challenges.

• Tailor to Exact Sciences: Select projects that best demonstrate your ability to handle complexity, work within regulated environments, and drive human-centered design for critical applications.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples that highlight systems thinking, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to navigate regulatory constraints will be crucial for this role.

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📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-focused design position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature projects demonstrating leadership in UX design, systems thinking, and experience managing complex design processes from strategy to delivery. Include case studies that highlight your impact on user journeys, particularly in regulated or complex environments.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize keywords and responsibilities mentioned in the job description, such as "Lead Designer," "UX Design," "Systems Thinking," "Human-Centered Design," "Design Systems," "Agile," "Accessibility," and "Cross-functional Leadership." Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, strategic decision-making, and collaborative approach. Prepare specific examples for the types of questions likely to be asked, focusing on how you drive operational efficiency and quality through design.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Exact Sciences, its mission, products (e.g., Cologuard), target audiences, and recent news. Understand the company's commitment to innovation and patient care to articulate your alignment with their values and operational 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.