Manager - UX Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Manager - UX Design

Company: ZS

Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX/UI Design Management

Date Posted: 2026-08-24

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end user experience (UX) strategy and design for a critical product area within the ZAIDYN platform, driving measurable outcomes in usability, adoption, and quality.

• Act as a player-coach, combining hands-on UX/UI design leadership with people management responsibilities to build and develop a high-performing design team.

• Foster a culture of design excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring alignment with platform-wide standards, design systems, and accessibility guidelines.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Product, Engineering, Data, and Customer Success, to influence strategic decisions and ensure the successful delivery of complex enterprise-grade products.

• Champion the integration of AI-driven design practices and the development of agentic experiences within the ZAIDYN platform, pushing the boundaries of user-centered innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Manager - UX Design" within the ZAIDYN platform at ZS, a management consulting and technology firm. The description emphasizes a "player-coach" model, indicating a need for both strategic leadership and hands-on design contributions. The focus on complex, data-dense B2B enterprise software, AI integration, and agentic experiences suggests a sophisticated operations environment requiring strong analytical and design thinking skills.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end UX outcomes for a designated ZAIDYN product area, establishing explicit success metrics and baselines for initiatives related to usability, adoption, quality, and feasibility.

• Contribute directly to strategic initiatives, problem framing, complex workflow design, and the creation of data-dense UIs, stepping in personally for ambiguous or high-risk design challenges.

• Recruit, coach, and develop a team of UX designers and Leads, including conducting performance reviews, managing development plans, and fostering a high-performing critique culture.

• Establish team operating rhythms, ensure appropriate resourcing and prioritization, proactively remove roadblocks, and continuously improve team productivity and delivery predictability.

• Cultivate strong cross-functional alignment with Product, Engineering, Data Science, and Customer Success teams, managing scope, tradeoffs, and ensuring documented decisions are made from disagreements.

• Advocate for UX best practices and user-centered design principles with clear, evidence-based rationale to influence stakeholders and drive product strategy.

• Connect product-level UX work to broader ZAIDYN platform initiatives, collaborating with peer UX Managers on shared standards, and upholding design system governance and accessibility as non-negotiable requirements.

• Contribute to cross-platform UX initiatives, including the development of an AI Pattern library, design system enhancements, UX metric collection frameworks, and process improvements to elevate the team's impact and delivery of successful product experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic oversight, team development, and hands-on design execution. The emphasis on "owning the experience" with explicit success metrics and "leading hands-on" by contributing to complex workflows and ambiguous challenges points to a senior role requiring deep domain expertise and problem-solving capabilities. The inclusion of "contribute to cross-platform UX initiatives" suggests involvement in larger strategic efforts beyond a single product area.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, Psychology, or a related discipline.

Experience: 10+ years of experience in UX Design, with a minimum of 3 years in a UX Design leadership or management capacity.

Required Skills:

• Proven people leadership experience, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and team development for UX designers.

• Demonstrated success in delivering UX for complex, enterprise-grade B2B products, operating at both strategic and execution levels.

• Experience in complex domains such as finance, banking, insurance, or healthcare, with a strong understanding of data-heavy workflows and logic-based systems.

• Active and advanced use of AI design tools in daily work, with the ability to articulate how AI accelerates workflows and improves quality, speed, or decision-making beyond basic concept generation.

• Experience designing interfaces for agentic systems, ensuring clarity, safety, and trustworthiness in intent, autonomy, transparency, and control.

• Strong portfolio showcasing impactful, best-practice-based UX and UI design, demonstrating problem-solving capabilities in ambiguous, cross-functional initiatives.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and advocate for user needs with evidence-based rationale. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with modern UX leadership principles and practices for digital product teams.

• Familiarity with design systems governance, accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), and their implementation in enterprise software.

• Understanding of key UX metrics (e.g., CSAT, SUS) and their application in measuring product success and driving improvements.

• Experience in management consulting or a similar client-facing advisory role.

• Knowledge of agile development methodologies and experience working within cross-functional agile teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements clearly distinguish between foundational UX/UI craft and leadership/management competencies. The emphasis on "AI-driven design" and "agentic experiences" points to a forward-looking role requiring advanced technical and conceptual understanding. The need for a strong portfolio with "impactful, best-practice based UX and UI design" is critical, especially for demonstrating experience with complex domains and strategic initiatives.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end UX design process for complex, enterprise-grade B2B products, detailing problem framing, user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and final UI design.

• Include case studies demonstrating experience with data-dense UIs, complex workflows, and logic-based systems, highlighting how user needs were met within technical constraints.

• Provide examples of designing for agentic systems, illustrating how clarity, control, and trust were established for users interacting with autonomous features.

• Demonstrate proficiency in leveraging AI design tools to enhance workflows, improve design quality, or accelerate decision-making, with specific examples of impact.

• Highlight contributions to or experience with design systems, including adherence to standards, contributions to component libraries, and ensuring accessibility compliance. Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to user research, including methodologies for understanding complex user needs in enterprise environments and translating insights into actionable design strategies.

• Illustrate your workflow for collaborating with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Scientists, emphasizing how you drive alignment, manage tradeoffs, and ensure successful product delivery.

• Present how you establish and track UX success metrics (e.g., CSAT, SUS, adoption rates) for initiatives, demonstrating a data-driven approach to design validation and iteration.

• Showcase your methods for coaching and developing other designers, including providing constructive feedback, managing performance, and fostering a collaborative design critique environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's emphasis on leadership and complex enterprise products, the portfolio is expected to go beyond individual design contributions. It should demonstrate a strategic understanding of the product development lifecycle, team management capabilities, and a data-driven approach to UX. The inclusion of AI and agentic systems in the portfolio requirements is a key differentiator.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Manager-level UX Design role in Pune, India, with 10+ years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is ₹2,500,000 to ₹4,500,000 (approximately $30,000 - $54,000 USD, subject to exchange rate fluctuations). This estimate considers the experience level, the specialized nature of enterprise UX design, and the typical compensation structures in the Indian IT and consulting sectors.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage for employees and dependents.

• Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and public holidays.

• Retirement savings plan or provident fund contributions.

• Opportunities for professional development, including training, workshops, and conference attendance.

• Performance-based bonuses and annual increments.

• Access to ZS's global network of resources and expertise.

• Employee assistance programs for well-being and support.

• Potential for flexible work arrangements within the on-site framework, subject to team and project needs.

Working Hours: Standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, with potential for flexibility based on project demands and team collaboration needs. The role requires availability to collaborate with teams across different time zones, particularly with US-based counterparts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for experienced UX Design Managers in India, considering the role's seniority and ZS's standing as a consulting firm. Benefits are typical for professional roles in multinational corporations and are tailored to support the well-being and professional growth of employees in the operations and technology sector.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Management Consulting & Technology, with a strong focus on global healthcare and beyond. ZS leverages data, science, technology, and human ingenuity to solve complex business challenges for leading organizations.

Company Size: ZS is a large organization, with thousands of employees globally. This size indicates a robust infrastructure, diverse career paths, and opportunities for significant cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: ZS was founded in 1983. With decades of experience, the company has established a strong reputation and deep expertise in its core markets, particularly in healthcare analytics and consulting.

Team Structure:

• The ZAIDYN UX team is described as diverse, collaborative, and talented, with members located in both India and the United States.

• The UX team within ZAIDYN owns user-centered strategy, research, and design for commercial, clinical, and medical products.

• The UX Manager will lead a team of UX designers and Leads, operating within a matrixed structure that involves close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Data Science. Methodology:

• ZS emphasizes a data-driven, science-led approach to solving complex business problems, applying advanced analytics, AI, and digital transformation.

• The UX team focuses on user-centered strategy and design, aiming to create impactful and measurable solutions.

• The role involves working with complex, enterprise-grade, data-dense B2B platforms, requiring a systematic and rigorous approach to design and development.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: ZS's positioning as a data-science and technology-driven consulting firm suggests a culture that values analytical rigor, innovation, and client impact. The global presence and focus on healthcare imply a dynamic and challenging work environment. The ZAIDYN platform, being a core product area, suggests that the UX team plays a pivotal role in the company's strategic direction and technological advancement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior leadership position within the UX Design function, specifically managing a team and product area for the ZAIDYN platform. It sits at the intersection of individual contribution (hands-on design) and people/team management, requiring a blend of strategic thinking, technical expertise, and leadership acumen.

Reporting Structure: The UX Manager will report to a higher-level design or product leader within the ZAIDYN organization. They will also manage a team of UX Designers and Leads, providing direct mentorship and guidance. Collaboration with peer UX Managers and cross-functional leaders (Product, Engineering) is integral to the role.

Operations Impact: The UX Manager's impact is directly tied to the success of the ZAIDYN platform's product areas. By ensuring exceptional user experiences, they will drive product adoption, user satisfaction, retention, and ultimately contribute to the platform's commercial success and ZS's overall business objectives. Their leadership in design quality and process improvement will elevate the entire UX function.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into Director-level roles overseeing larger product portfolios or multiple UX teams within ZAIDYN or other ZS product initiatives.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the future of the ZAIDYN platform's UX strategy, contribute to cross-platform initiatives like AI pattern libraries, and influence broader design standards and processes.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in complex enterprise domains, AI-driven design, agentic systems, and advanced UX methodologies through hands-on work and continuous learning.

• Mentorship & Development: Develop strong people management and coaching skills by guiding and growing a team of talented designers.

• Industry Exposure: Gain extensive experience in the healthcare and life sciences sectors through ZS's client work and product development, potentially leading to specialized domain expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth from a senior individual contributor or a junior management role. The "player-coach" aspect means that while managing, the individual will continue to refine their craft, making them valuable for future senior individual contributor roles or expanded management responsibilities. The focus on AI and complex enterprise systems positions candidates for high-demand roles in the future of UX.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The position is based in ZS's Pune office, located at the World Trade Center, Tower 3, Kharadi. This suggests a modern, professional office setting designed to foster collaboration and productivity.

Office Location(s): Pune, Maharashtra, India. This location is a major hub for technology and consulting in India, offering good connectivity and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• The office environment is expected to be collaborative, facilitating interaction with design colleagues, product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders.

• Access to necessary tools, technology, and resources for UX design and team management will be provided.

• The presence of international teams (US-based) implies a need for effective remote collaboration tools and practices, even within an on-site role.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with standard working hours generally from Monday to Friday. However, given the global nature of ZS and the ZAIDYN platform, flexibility may be required to attend meetings or collaborate with teams in different time zones, particularly with US-based colleagues.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is on-site, the mention of collaborating with US-based teams suggests that the work environment will necessitate proficiency in remote collaboration tools and practices. This is typical for global organizations and requires adaptability in scheduling and communication.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess basic qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on your leadership experience, strategic thinking, approach to team management, and hands-on design philosophy, likely including portfolio walkthroughs of key projects.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a design exercise or present a detailed case study from your portfolio, focusing on problem-solving, process, and impact in a complex, data-dense environment. This will likely assess your ability to handle ambiguous problems and articulate your design decisions.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with potential peers in Product Management, Engineering, and Data Science to evaluate collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to influence across disciplines.

• Team/Leadership Interview: A final interview with a senior leader to assess cultural fit, leadership potential, and overall alignment with ZS's values and the ZAIDYN platform's goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your leadership, hands-on UX/UI skills, and experience with complex enterprise products, data-dense UIs, and AI-driven design.

• Structure for Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and responsibilities, the design process followed, key challenges and how you overcame them, your specific contributions (especially as a leader), and the measurable outcomes or business impact.

• Highlight Leadership: Explicitly showcase instances where you led teams, mentored designers, influenced stakeholders, or drove strategic design decisions.

• Demonstrate Process: Detail your methodology for user research, problem framing, ideation, and iteration. For AI-driven work, explain how you used AI tools and the resulting benefits.

• Quantify Results: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to illustrate the success of your designs (e.g., improvements in adoption, satisfaction, efficiency).

• Showcase Domain Expertise: If applicable, emphasize projects within finance, banking, insurance, or healthcare to align with ZS's industry focus.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Complex Problems: Prepare to tackle scenarios involving data-heavy interfaces, intricate workflows, or designing for systems that act on behalf of users (agentic systems).

• Articulate Your Process: Be ready to walk through your problem-solving methodology, from understanding requirements to delivering a final solution, emphasizing your strategic thinking and decision-making rationale.

• Focus on Collaboration: Think about how you would engage with Product, Engineering, and other stakeholders to gather input, manage expectations, and gain buy-in for your design solutions.

• Consider AI Integration: Be prepared to discuss how AI could be integrated into solutions or how you would leverage AI tools in your design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess both individual design craft and leadership capabilities. A strong, well-articulated portfolio that showcases leadership and experience with complex, AI-integrated enterprise systems is paramount. The emphasis on cross-functional collaboration suggests that interviewers will probe how candidates navigate team dynamics and influence decisions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), InVision, Axure RP, or similar industry-standard tools for wireframing, UI design, and interactive prototyping.

• User Research & Testing: Tools for user interviews, surveys, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback), and persona development.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, or similar platforms for agile workflow management and documentation.

• AI Design Tools: Proficiency in leveraging AI-powered design assistants or platforms for tasks such as idea generation, content creation, code generation, or workflow optimization.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Experience with product analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to understand user behavior and measure UX impact.

• Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) for reporting on UX metrics and insights. CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how UX design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms is beneficial for a holistic view of the customer journey.

• Familiarity with design system management tools and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The toolset emphasizes modern UX design and collaboration platforms. The explicit mention of "AI Design Tools" indicates a requirement to be at the forefront of technological adoption in the design field. Proficiency in enterprise-grade tools and a data-driven approach to design measurement are key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong emphasis on using data and evidence to inform design decisions, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement.

• Innovation & Ingenuity: Encouraging creative problem-solving and the application of new technologies, such as AI, to deliver transformative solutions.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Fostering strong working relationships across product, engineering, data, and client-facing teams to achieve shared goals.

• Client Impact: A core focus on delivering measurable value and solving complex business challenges for clients, particularly within the healthcare sector.

• Excellence & Accountability: Upholding high standards for quality in design and delivery, with a clear sense of ownership and responsibility for outcomes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely and seamlessly with Product Managers, Engineers, and Data Scientists, participating actively in agile ceremonies and strategic planning.

• Constructive Critique: A culture of open and honest feedback through design critiques, where ideas are shared, debated, and refined collaboratively.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings, and insights across the UX team and broader organization to foster collective growth and elevate design maturity.

• User-Centricity: The user's needs and experience are paramount, guiding all design decisions and cross-functional discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at ZS, as reflected in this role, likely values a blend of analytical rigor, innovative thinking, and collaborative execution. The emphasis on client impact and data-driven approaches aligns with typical consulting firm values, while the specific focus on UX within the ZAIDYN platform highlights the importance of user-centricity and design excellence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Enterprise Data: Designing intuitive and effective user experiences for data-dense, complex enterprise platforms like ZAIDYN requires deep analytical skills and a systematic approach.

• Balancing Strategic Leadership and Hands-on Design: Effectively managing a team while remaining actively involved in hands-on design for critical or ambiguous challenges requires strong time management and prioritization skills.

• Integrating AI Fluently: Moving beyond basic AI tool usage to truly integrate AI into design workflows and create innovative, agentic experiences that are safe and trustworthy presents a significant, evolving challenge.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent vision and execution across multiple departments (Product, Engineering, Data) on complex initiatives requires strong negotiation, communication, and influence skills.

• Maintaining Design Standards: Upholding design system governance, accessibility, and overall design quality across a growing platform with multiple contributors is an ongoing challenge.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Methodologies: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like complex workflow design, data visualization for B2B applications, and designing for AI-driven systems.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal training programs focused on people management, strategic leadership, and executive communication.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Support for attending relevant UX conferences, workshops, and pursuing certifications to stay abreast of industry trends and best practices.

• Mentorship Programs: Access to senior leaders within ZS for mentorship, guidance, and career development advice.

• Exposure to Diverse Domains: Working on the ZAIDYN platform provides exposure to commercial, clinical, and medical products, offering broad industry experience within healthcare and life sciences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the complexity of the role and the product. They offer significant growth potential for individuals who can navigate these complexities effectively. The learning opportunities are geared towards both deepening UX expertise and developing robust leadership capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to defining and measuring UX success metrics for enterprise software. Can you provide an example where your metrics led to significant product improvements?" (Focus on data-driven approach, impact measurement, and linking UX to business outcomes).

• "How do you balance your role as a people manager with hands-on design leadership, especially when tackling ambiguous or high-risk design problems?" (Highlight your "player-coach" philosophy, prioritization strategies, and delegation skills).

• "Walk me through a complex workflow you designed. What were the key challenges, how did you simplify it for users, and what was the outcome?" (Showcase your process for deconstructing complexity, user empathy, and delivering clear solutions).

• "How do you foster a culture of constructive critique and continuous improvement within a design team?" (Emphasize psychological safety, feedback mechanisms, and your role in facilitating productive critiques). Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of ZS and the ZAIDYN platform, what do you see as the biggest UX challenges and opportunities?" (Demonstrate your research into the company, industry, and product; connect challenges to your experience).

• "How would you integrate AI design tools into your team's daily workflow to enhance efficiency and quality, beyond basic concept generation?" (Discuss specific AI applications relevant to enterprise design and your strategy for adoption and ethical use).

• "Describe a time you had to influence cross-functional stakeholders (Product, Engineering) who had different priorities or perspectives on a design decision. How did you navigate that situation?" (Focus on your communication, negotiation, and evidence-based advocacy skills). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Lead with Leadership: Begin by framing your projects through the lens of your leadership role – what was your team's objective, what was your strategic contribution, and how did you empower your designers?

• Structure for Clarity: Use a consistent framework for each case study: Problem, Your Role/Team, Process, Solution, and Impact/Results. Keep it concise and visually appealing.

• Highlight Complex Domains & Data: Specifically call out projects involving data-dense UIs, complex logic, or enterprise-specific challenges to align with the ZAIDYN platform's nature.

• Showcase AI/Agentic Design: If you have relevant examples, clearly articulate your experience with AI tools or designing for agentic systems, explaining your approach and the outcomes.

• Quantify Impact: Be prepared to discuss the measurable results of your work. Use metrics like user adoption, task completion rates, satisfaction scores (CSAT, SUS), or business impact (revenue, cost savings).

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs made, user research insights, and how you collaborated with engineering and product.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a dual capability: strong UX design craft applied to complex, data-driven enterprise products, and effective people and team leadership. The ability to articulate strategy, process, and measurable impact, especially concerning AI and cross-functional collaboration, will be key differentiators.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the ZS careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your most relevant projects that highlight your leadership experience, hands-on UX/UI skills for complex enterprise products, and any experience with data-dense UIs, AI-driven design, or agentic systems. Ensure each case study clearly outlines the problem, your role, process, solution, and measurable impact.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 10+ years of UX experience, specifically highlighting leadership accomplishments, experience in complex domains (finance, healthcare, etc.), and proficiency with relevant tools and methodologies. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Case Study Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio projects, focusing on clear storytelling, strategic rationale, and demonstrating how you lead teams and collaborate cross-functionally. Be ready to discuss your process and the impact of your design decisions.

• Research ZS & ZAIDYN: Understand ZS's mission, its focus areas (healthcare, data science, AI), and the ZAIDYN platform's purpose. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit during interviews.

⚠️ 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.