Lead UX/UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead UX/UI Designer

Company: Assembly Software

Location: Remote (United States)

Job Type: Full-Time, Salaried

Category: Product Design & User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-08-11

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the definition and execution of product experience vision, driving strategic design decisions at all levels.

• Collaborate directly with executive leadership to shape the company's product strategy and design direction.

• Engage deeply with product development and engineering teams to influence and guide the creation of new features and products.

• Conduct direct user research and customer interviews to gather insights and validate design concepts, treating feedback as a clue, not a spec.

• Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the product experience, forming strong opinions on its application and user impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned as Assembly's first senior UX hire, indicating a significant opportunity to build and lead the design function's point of view and future direction. This implies a high degree of autonomy and influence, requiring a candidate who can both strategize and execute.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate a compelling product experience vision, aligning with executive strategy and market opportunities.

• Lead user research initiatives, including interviews, usability testing, and competitive analysis, to uncover user needs and pain points.

• Develop high-fidelity prototypes and detailed user flows to effectively communicate design concepts and interactions.

• Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering to ensure design integrity throughout the development lifecycle, from ideation to launch.

• Champion a data-informed design process, using user feedback and analytics to iterate and improve product experiences.

• Actively explore and advocate for the strategic integration of AI technologies within the product to enhance user value and drive innovation.

• Mentor and guide junior designers (as the team grows) and foster a culture of design excellence and continuous learning.

• Contribute to the broader company strategy by providing insights on user needs and market trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "operating at every altitude" suggests responsibilities ranging from high-level strategic planning with executives to hands-on prototyping and detailed design work, requiring a versatile and adaptable designer.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While specific educational requirements are not detailed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in HCI, Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for senior design roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX/UI design, with a proven track record of leading design initiatives and impacting product strategy.

Required Skills:

• UX/UI Design Expertise: Mastery of user-centered design principles, interaction design, information architecture, and visual design.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in industry-standard tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) for creating detailed wireframes, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups.

• User Research & Analysis: Demonstrated ability to plan, conduct, and synthesize user research (interviews, surveys, usability tests) to inform design decisions.

• Strategic Thinking: Capacity to develop a strong design vision and articulate how it aligns with business objectives and customer needs.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively present design concepts and influence stakeholders across product, engineering, and executive teams.

• AI Integration Awareness: A strong understanding of AI capabilities and a visionary approach to integrating AI into product experiences.

• SaaS Product Experience: Experience designing for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, understanding the nuances of web-based application design.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the Legal Tech industry or with case management software.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.

• Experience building and leading design teams or functions.

• Knowledge of design systems and their implementation.

• Experience with AI-driven design tools and workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description explicitly seeks a candidate who can "form a real opinion" and "defend it," highlighting the need for strong conviction, persuasive communication, and a clear design philosophy, beyond just executing tasks.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of UX/UI design projects, demonstrating end-to-end design thinking from concept to completion.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Examples of how you've incorporated user research and feedback to drive design iterations and improvements.

• Demonstrations of your ability to create intuitive and engaging user interfaces for complex applications.

• Evidence of strategic thinking and how your designs have contributed to business goals. Process Documentation:

• Showcase your process for user research, including methodologies used and how insights were translated into actionable design recommendations.

• Detail your approach to wireframing, prototyping, and visual design, highlighting the tools and techniques employed.

• Include examples of how you've collaborated with product managers and engineers, illustrating your integration into cross-functional workflows.

• Provide examples of how you've considered and integrated emerging technologies like AI into product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is the first senior UX hire, the portfolio should strongly emphasize leadership potential, strategic vision, and the ability to establish design best practices and processes, rather than just individual contribution.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As a Lead UX/UI Designer role in the United States, with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is between $130,000 - $180,000 USD. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in remote US-based SaaS companies, considering the seniority and leadership expectations of the position.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.

• Supplemental insurance options.

• 401(k) retirement savings plan.

• Flexible paid time off (PTO).

• Paid parental leave.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for support services.

Working Hours: This is a full-time salaried position. While standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, the role may require flexibility to work beyond standard hours, especially during critical project phases or when engaging with customers across different time zones. The remote nature allows for some flexibility in scheduling, provided responsibilities are met and collaboration is maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on general market data for Lead UX/UI Designer roles in the US. Specific compensation may vary based on the candidate's exact experience, demonstrated impact, and negotiation. The company's focus on "rewarding top performers" suggests potential for bonuses or performance-based incentives, though not explicitly stated.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Assembly Software operates within the Technology sector, specifically focusing on SaaS solutions for the Legal Tech industry. They are a leading provider of case management solutions for personal injury and legal firms, serving over 2,500 law firms and 40,000+ users through their brands: Neos, Needles, and TrialWorks.

Company Size: Assembly Software is a fast-growing SaaS company. While an exact headcount isn't provided, their description as "fast growing" and having a significant user base suggests a mid-sized company, likely ranging from 100-500 employees. This size often offers a balance between the agility of a startup and the structure of a larger organization.

Founded: Backed by Ridge Road Partners since 2017, Assembly Software combines decades of legal tech expertise with an entrepreneurial energy. This indicates a company with established industry knowledge but a dynamic, forward-thinking approach.

Team Structure:

• As the first senior UX hire, the Lead UX/UI Designer will likely operate with significant autonomy, reporting directly to a Product leader or executive.

• The role involves close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Sales and Customer Success teams.

• The future growth plan suggests building out a design team, so this role will evolve into a leadership position. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The company emphasizes treating customer feedback as a "clue," indicating a commitment to using qualitative and quantitative data to inform product decisions.

• Agile & Iterative Development: The description implies a fast-paced environment where design is integrated early and often into the product development cycle, supporting an agile and iterative approach.

• Customer-Centricity: A core tenet is spending "real time with customers" to understand their needs and shape product development accordingly.

Company Website: assemblysoftware.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on combining "decades of legal tech expertise with a scrappy, entrepreneurial energy" suggests a culture that values both deep industry knowledge and a proactive, innovative mindset. This is crucial for a design leader who needs to establish a vision.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Lead level position, signifying a senior individual contributor role with significant influence and potential for future team leadership. It requires strategic thinking, independent decision-making, and the ability to set design direction.

Reporting Structure: The Lead UX/UI Designer will likely report into a Head of Product, VP of Product, or a similar executive-level role. This direct line to leadership allows for substantial input into product strategy.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on the company's success by shaping the user experience of their SaaS products. A strong product experience is critical for customer acquisition, retention, and overall market competitiveness in the SaaS landscape. The Lead UX/UI Designer will be instrumental in defining how Assembly Software's products are perceived and used by their target audience.

Growth Opportunities:

• Establish and Lead Design Function: Opportunity to build the UX/UI design team and establish design processes, standards, and a design system from the ground up.

• Strategic Influence: Direct involvement in executive-level strategy discussions, influencing the future direction of the product suite and the company.

• Skill Expansion: Deepen expertise in AI integration, legal tech, and SaaS product strategy through hands-on experience and strategic involvement.

• Leadership Development: Transition from a senior individual contributor to a people manager and design leader as the team expands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on this being the "first senior UX hire" is a key indicator of significant growth potential. Candidates should expect to shape not just the product, but the design discipline within the company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Assembly Software is a fully remote company. This means employees can work from their preferred location, whether it's a home office, co-working space, or any other suitable environment.

Office Location(s): While the company is remote, all employees are based within the United States. This is important for tax, employment law, and potentially team collaboration considerations.

Workspace Context:

• Flexibility & Autonomy: The remote setup provides significant flexibility in managing one's workday, allowing individuals to optimize their productivity based on their personal work style and time zone.

• Digital Collaboration: The team relies on digital tools like Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration, necessitating strong virtual communication skills.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: While remote, the role demands proactive engagement with Product, Engineering, and Executive teams, requiring deliberate efforts to foster strong working relationships virtually.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours are expected, but the remote nature allows for some flexibility in how those hours are structured. However, given the need for collaboration across time zones and with customers, maintaining consistent availability during core business hours for key stakeholders will be important.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote aspect, coupled with a US-wide employee base, means the candidate must be self-motivated and adept at virtual collaboration. The company's use of "Teams" suggests a structured approach to remote communication and project management.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, design skills, and alignment with the role's strategic and leadership requirements.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: A discussion focused on your design philosophy, experience with complex problem-solving, and ability to articulate a design vision. Expect questions about your approach to user research, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: A practical exercise where you'll be asked to present a past project in detail, or tackle a hypothetical design problem. This will assess your process, strategic thinking, and communication skills. Emphasis will be placed on your ability to form and defend opinions.

• Executive/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with senior leadership to discuss your strategic vision, leadership potential, and how you would shape the design function at Assembly Software. This stage will gauge your executive presence and alignment with company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Strategic Impact: Focus on case studies that demonstrate how your design decisions led to tangible business outcomes or significant user improvements.

• Showcase Your Vision: Clearly articulate your design philosophy and how you approach forming and defending strong product opinions. Use examples that illustrate this.

• Detail Your Process: Walk through your end-to-end design process, emphasizing user research, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and iteration.

• Integrate AI: Include examples of how you've considered or implemented AI in your designs, or how you envision its role in product experiences.

• Tailor to Assembly: Research Assembly Software's existing products and target market to demonstrate an understanding of their business and user base.

Challenge Preparation:

• Articulate a Strong Opinion: Prepare to present a clear point of view on a design topic relevant to SaaS or AI integration.

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Be ready to break down complex problems, outline potential solutions, and justify your recommended approach.

• Practice Executive Communication: Rehearse explaining technical/design concepts clearly and concisely to a non-design audience.

• Focus on Collaboration: Prepare examples of how you've worked effectively with product and engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The job description's opening paragraph sets a high bar for the interview process, emphasizing a candidate's ability to form and defend opinions. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate conviction and strategic leadership throughout all interview stages.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD is essential for creating wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes.

• Collaboration & Communication: Experience with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, or similar platforms for virtual team collaboration, meetings, and communication.

• Project Management: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, or Monday.com for managing design tasks, sprints, and project timelines.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Pendo to track user behavior, measure product adoption, and identify areas for improvement.

• Data Visualization: Ability to interpret data and present findings clearly, potentially using dashboarding tools if available.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a design tool, an understanding of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can provide context for how user data is managed and how product features integrate with sales and marketing efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "use AI as part of how you work" suggests familiarity with AI-powered design tools, AI assistants for research or content generation, or an understanding of how AI capabilities can be integrated into the design workflow itself.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Visionary Leadership: A drive to define and champion a clear, forward-thinking product experience vision.

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving customer needs, using feedback as a crucial input.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking full responsibility for design outcomes and being willing to defend design decisions.

• Collaboration & Influence: Working effectively with cross-functional teams to shape product development and drive consensus.

• Innovation: Embracing new technologies like AI and finding creative ways to integrate them into the product experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive & Integrated: The role demands early and continuous engagement with Product and Engineering, moving beyond a review-only function.

• Opinionated & Persuasive: Encouraging the formation and articulation of strong design opinions, backed by research and strategic rationale.

• Remote-First Communication: Relying on clear, concise digital communication and active participation in virtual meetings.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Building strong relationships across departments to ensure design is a core driver of product strategy and execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value individuals who are not afraid to take a stance and drive change, particularly in the product experience. This is a key differentiator from roles that are purely execution-focused.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing Design Authority: As the first senior UX hire, a key challenge will be establishing the design function's credibility and influence within the organization.

• Balancing Strategy and Execution: Effectively managing time between high-level strategic visioning and hands-on design work.

• Navigating a Fast-Paced Environment: Keeping pace with a "fast growing" SaaS company and adapting to evolving priorities.

• AI Integration Strategy: Developing and implementing a coherent strategy for AI within the product experience that delivers real user value.

• Remote Team Cohesion: Fostering a strong design culture and collaborative spirit within a distributed team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Shaping a Design Org: Opportunity to define the future of UX/UI design at Assembly Software, including processes, tools, and team structure.

• Deep Dive into Legal Tech: Gaining specialized knowledge in the legal technology sector and its unique user needs.

• AI Product Innovation: Becoming an expert in leveraging AI to create cutting-edge product experiences.

• Executive Mentorship: Learning from and influencing senior leadership, gaining insights into broader business strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly linked to the growth opportunities. Overcoming the initial challenge of establishing design leadership will pave the way for significant impact and career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about a time you had a strong opinion about a product direction that differed from the majority. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on conviction, data, and influence).

• "How do you see AI impacting the future of case management software? Where are the key opportunities for integration?" (Demonstrate forward-thinking and strategic application of AI).

• "Describe your process for defining and evolving a product experience vision for a SaaS product." (Highlight strategic thinking and long-term planning). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Assembly Software, our brands (Neos, Needles, TrialWorks), and the legal tech industry?" (Show research and industry interest).

• "How do you approach building a design culture and establishing best practices in a growing, remote-first company?" (Address leadership and team-building potential).

• "Describe your approach to collaborating with product management and engineering. How do you ensure alignment and effective handoffs?" (Focus on cross-functional partnership). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Lead with the 'Why': Start your case studies by clearly stating the business problem or user need you addressed and your strategic intent.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals to demonstrate your design process, from early sketches and wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes and final UI.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to show the results of your design work (e.g., increased conversion, improved task completion rates, reduced support tickets).

• Articulate Your Role Clearly: For team projects, be specific about your contributions and responsibilities.

• Explain Your Opinions: For this role, be prepared to explain why you made certain design decisions and how they align with your overall vision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to test not just design skills, but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to articulate and defend design decisions. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate these qualities extensively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Lead UX/UI Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Rippling ATS.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience relevant to SaaS, product strategy, user research, AI integration, and leadership. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that demonstrate your ability to lead, strategize, and execute on complex UX/UI challenges. Ensure case studies clearly articulate your process and outcomes.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to discuss your design philosophy, your approach to forming and defending opinions, and your vision for UX/UI at Assembly Software. Practice presenting your portfolio with a focus on strategic impact.

• Research Assembly Software: Understand their brands, target market, and current product offerings to articulate how your skills align with their business 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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