Principal UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Designer - Design Operations

Company: Relias LLC (Bertelsmann-Jobs)

Location: Morrisville, North Carolina (NC), United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design Operations / Product Operations

Date Posted: September 18, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Approx. 2 days/week in office, 30 days/quarter)

🚀 Role Summary

• This Principal UX Designer role is pivotal in scaling and optimizing product operations, specifically within the User Experience Design domain.

• Focuses on standardizing UX processes, templates, and operating models to ensure consistent and efficient execution across Relias' product portfolio.

• Drives data-driven decision-making by enhancing data accessibility and transparency for UX, Product Management, and Engineering teams.

• Leads process innovation, strategic initiatives, and operational excellence, with a strong emphasis on integrating User Experience Design into the entire product development lifecycle.

• Owns the User Experience Design System and Design Patterns, scaling best practices to designers and product managers.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Principal" level, indicating a high degree of autonomy, strategic influence, and responsibility for driving significant operational improvements within the UX and broader product organization. The emphasis on "Design Operations" signifies a specialized focus on the processes, tools, and workflows that enable design teams to operate more effectively and efficiently at scale.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and standardize UX processes, templates, and operating models to enable consistent, efficient execution at scale.

• Scale and operationalize UX practices across the product development lifecycle, ensuring UX is consistently integrated into discovery, planning, and delivery workflows.

• Identify and remove process bottlenecks to enhance team productivity and streamline workflows.

• Enable and support research operations, including coordination of research activities, artifact standardization, and improved insight reuse across teams.

• Utilize data-driven methodologies to evaluate user experience design success, identify improvement areas, and provide actionable recommendations for product enhancements.

• Drive strong cross-functional alignment across UX, Product, and Engineering, ensuring UX work is effectively integrated into product planning and execution.

• Ensure data accessibility and transparency for decision-making by collaborating with User Experience, Product Management, and Engineering teams.

• Own the definition, tracking, and reporting of key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics across product and product operations initiatives.

• Lead the adoption and optimization of product tools, dashboards, and documentation to drive efficiency and alignment, with a primary focus on User Experience Design tools like Figma.

• Own the User Experience Design System and Design Patterns, and scale best practices to designers and product managers.

• Execute vendor and budget coordination for User Experience, including tools and external partners, in alignment with Product Operations leadership.

• Embed AI into core UX workflows in ways that measurably improve speed and decision quality by partnering with Product and UX teams.

• Serve as a subject matter expert in accessibility, ensuring UX practices, processes, and deliverables align with accessibility standards and are consistently applied across teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic process ownership, hands-on operational improvement, and cross-functional leadership. The emphasis on scaling, standardization, and data-driven insights points to a need for someone who can not only define processes but also ensure their successful adoption and continuous improvement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Experience: 10+ years of experience in user experience design, product operations, or operational roles supporting product and engineering teams, with primary experience in design.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience working cross-functionally with user experience, product, engineering, and customer teams to drive operational improvements.

• Advanced knowledge of modern user experience design methodologies.

• Advanced knowledge of accessibility in modern products.

• Strong operational and analytical skills, with experience improving complex workflows.

• Proven ability to drive efficiency improvements and implement scalable processes.

• Experience with OKRs, KPI tracking, and strategic planning in a product-led environment.

• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence cross-functional teams.

• Excellent problem-solving, organization, and communication skills.

• Applied AI literacy: ability to identify where AI can improve product workflows, define guardrails, and scale usage responsibly without centralizing creativity.

• Wireframing: Proficient in using wireframes to solve complex design challenges and communicate intricate design ideas, such as wireframing complex user journeys.

• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, or similar.

• Strong understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies.

• Systemic Thinking: The ability to understand and analyze the interconnectedness and interdependencies within a whole system, recognizing how individual components and their interactions impact the entire system.

• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively and harmoniously with others towards a common goal or objective, utilizing the skills and attitudes necessary to engage, communicate, and cooperate with individuals or groups, fostering an inclusive and productive work environment.

• Change Management: The ability to effectively plan, implement, and navigate organizational or individual transitions and changes.

• Data Literacy: The ability to read, write and communicate data in context, including an understanding of data sources and constructs, analytical methods and techniques, and the ability to describe the use case, application and resulting value.

• The role owns KPI definition, reporting, operational metrics, and UX effectiveness measures, requiring the ability to translate data into meaningful business and product insights.

• Innovation: The ability to generate, champion, and implement creative ideas, approaches, and solutions that improve processes, enhance outcomes, and drive organizational effectiveness. This includes continuously reevaluating existing practices, encouraging experimentation, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

• UX Operations & Design Systems: The ability to establish, govern, and scale UX operational practices, design systems, research operations, standards, tools, and workflows to ensure consistency, efficiency, accessibility, and high-quality user experiences across the product portfolio. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in a product operations-focused role within a SaaS or healthcare technology company.

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and their integration with UX processes.

• Experience managing design systems at scale for large product portfolios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive list of required skills, particularly those emphasizing systemic thinking, data literacy, innovation, and UX operations, underscores the strategic and operational depth expected from a Principal-level role. The "Applied AI literacy" is a forward-thinking requirement, indicating the company's interest in leveraging AI for operational efficiency within UX.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of standardized UX processes, templates, or operating models that have been implemented and scaled.

• Case studies showcasing how complex workflows were analyzed, bottlenecks identified, and efficiency improvements achieved through process optimization.

• Examples of how UX practices were integrated into the broader product development lifecycle (discovery, planning, delivery).

• Evidence of leading or contributing to the definition, tracking, and reporting of KPIs and operational metrics for product or UX initiatives.

• Documentation or examples related to the management and scaling of a Design System or Design Patterns. Process Documentation:

• Workflows or diagrams illustrating the standardization of UX processes, from initial concept to final delivery.

• Methodologies for enabling and supporting research operations, including how insights were standardized and reused.

• Examples of data-driven approaches used to evaluate UX success and identify areas for improvement, potentially including dashboards or reports.

• Documentation outlining strategies for driving cross-functional alignment between UX, Product, and Engineering.

• Examples of how AI was integrated into UX workflows to improve speed or decision quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Principal" title and focus on "Design Operations," a portfolio is crucial. It should not just showcase design work but, more importantly, the candidate's ability to architect, standardize, and scale operational processes within a design context. The emphasis should be on impact, efficiency gains, and successful implementation across teams.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $110,000 - $156,000 USD per year

Benefits:

• Fantastic health and wellness benefits package.

• Outstanding 401k match.

• Flexible PTO program.

• Generous and inclusive parental leave policy.

• Relias pays for the employee portion of the monthly healthcare premium.

• Multiple development program options, including leadership development, professional development curriculums, and Nanodegree options in technology and data science.

• Professional development gained from conference attendance and participation in organizations like NC Tech.

• Onsite 321 Coffee Shop providing free coffee and pastries to employees.

Working Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week. The role requires the candidate to live within commuting distance of the Morrisville, NC headquarters and work from the office approximately 30 days per quarter, suggesting a flexible hybrid schedule.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Principal UX Designer role in the Morrisville, NC area, especially considering the 10+ years of experience requirement. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a notable perk of Relias covering the employee's portion of healthcare premiums, which is a significant financial advantage. The hybrid work arrangement provides flexibility while ensuring in-person collaboration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / SaaS (Software as a Service). Relias provides learning and credentialing solutions for healthcare organizations to improve clinical and financial outcomes.

Company Size: Relias LLC is part of Bertelsmann, a large global media, services, and education company. While the specific size of Relias LLC isn't directly stated, Bertelsmann is a massive organization. Relias itself serves over 11,000 healthcare organizations and has a significant employee base.

Founded: Relias was founded in 2000. The company has grown significantly, focusing on elevating team performance in healthcare.

Team Structure:

• The Principal UX Designer will likely be part of a Product organization, working closely with Product Managers, other UX Designers, Researchers, and Engineering teams.

• This role operates within a "Design Operations" capacity, suggesting it may sit within a central UX team, a dedicated Design Operations function, or be a hybrid role embedded within a product group but with a mandate to standardize processes across multiple teams.

• Collaboration with Product Operations leadership is explicitly mentioned for vendor and budget coordination. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is a core operational principle, emphasized by the need for KPI tracking and analysis.

• Process optimization and scaling are central to the Design Operations function.

• User-centered design principles guide the UX approach, with a focus on improving clinical and financial outcomes for healthcare clients.

• AI integration into workflows is a strategic initiative.

Company Website: https://www.relias.com/ (implied by company description and domain)

📝 Enhancement Note: Relias operates in the critical healthcare sector, providing solutions that directly impact patient care and organizational efficiency. This mission-driven aspect is likely a strong component of their company culture. The integration into Bertelsmann suggests a stable, well-resourced organization with potential for global reach and diverse career opportunities.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Principal-level role, indicating a senior individual contributor position with significant influence and responsibility. It's a leadership role focused on operational strategy and execution within the design domain, rather than people management.

Reporting Structure: The role is expected to align with "Product Operations leadership" for vendor and budget coordination. The direct reporting line is not specified but would likely be to a Director or VP of Product, Design, or Operations. The role is expected to drive cross-functional alignment, suggesting it operates with a high degree of autonomy.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant:

• Efficiency: By standardizing processes and optimizing workflows, the role aims to make UX teams more productive and efficient.

• Quality: Ensuring consistent UX practices, adherence to accessibility standards, and leveraging design systems contributes to higher quality product experiences.

• Scalability: The focus on scaling operations enables the company to grow its product portfolio and user base without a proportional increase in operational friction.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Enhancing data accessibility and reporting empowers better strategic decisions for product development.

• AI Integration: Proactively embedding AI into workflows positions the company at the forefront of technological adoption for operational gains.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in Design Operations, UX strategy, and AI integration within design.

• Leadership: Transition into formal leadership roles (e.g., leading a Design Ops team, becoming a Director of UX/Product Operations) or continue as a principal individual contributor with broader strategic scope.

• Cross-functional Expansion: Gain exposure and influence across Product Management, Engineering, and potentially other operational functions within Relias or Bertelsmann.

• Industry Influence: Contribute to best practices in Design Operations, potentially through speaking engagements or industry publications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title signifies that this is not an entry-level or mid-level role. Candidates are expected to bring a high level of strategic thinking and operational expertise. Growth opportunities are likely to involve expanding the scope of influence, leading larger initiatives, or moving into management if desired.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role requires working from the Morrisville, NC Headquarters approximately 30 days per quarter, indicating a hybrid work environment. This suggests a modern office space designed for collaboration, with facilities to support in-person work.

Office Location(s): Morrisville, North Carolina (NC), United States (1010 Sync St, Suite 100, Morrisville, NC 27560). This location is within the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area, known for its tech and life sciences companies.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model implies a need for effective collaboration both in-person and remotely. Office days are likely dedicated to team meetings, workshops, and focused collaboration sessions.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to and proficiency with design tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD), project management software, and potentially specialized Design Ops platforms will be essential. The company also emphasizes AI integration.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with UX designers, product managers, engineers, and leadership. The company also highlights active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for broader community engagement.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with approximately 40 working hours per week. The hybrid arrangement provides flexibility, with the expectation of being in the office roughly 2 days per week on average over a quarter.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key feature, offering flexibility while maintaining in-person collaboration essential for design operations and strategic alignment. Living within commuting distance of Morrisville is a firm requirement. The company’s location in RTP suggests a dynamic and innovative work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into experience, operational philosophy, and alignment with role responsibilities.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A critical stage where candidates present their work, focusing on operational improvements, process standardization, and impact. This will likely involve case studies demonstrating systemic thinking, data literacy, and efficiency gains.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from UX, Product Management, and Engineering to assess collaboration skills and ability to influence.

• Leadership Interview: Final interview with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision and long-term impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Operations: Beyond showcasing design output, emphasize the processes you implemented, standardized, or optimized. Highlight how you improved efficiency, scalability, or quality.

• Case Study Structure: For each relevant project, structure your presentation: Problem (operational bottleneck/challenge), Solution (your process/system implementation), Results (quantifiable impact – e.g., time saved, increased adoption, improved consistency).

• Metrics & Data: Clearly articulate the KPIs and metrics used to measure success. Demonstrate your data literacy by showing how you translated data into actionable insights and improvements.

• Systemic Thinking: Use examples to illustrate how you understood and improved interconnected components within the product development system.

• AI Integration: If applicable, showcase instances where you identified and implemented AI solutions to enhance design workflows.

• Accessibility Expertise: Be prepared to discuss your approach to ensuring accessibility standards are met and integrated into operational processes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for hypothetical scenarios: "How would you standardize UX research across three different product teams?" or "How would you measure the effectiveness of a new design system component?".

• Prepare to discuss your experience with change management and influencing stakeholders who may be resistant to new processes.

• Understand Relias' mission and how UX operations contributes to their goal of improving healthcare outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review will be heavily weighted towards operational impact and strategic thinking rather than just visual design skills. Candidates must be prepared to articulate their contributions in terms of process improvement, efficiency gains, and scalable solutions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (explicitly mentioned), Sketch, Adobe XD (proficient in at least one).

• Wireframing Tools: Used in conjunction with design tools for complex user journeys.

• Design Systems: Experience in establishing, governing, and scaling design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• KPI Tracking & OKRs: Experience in defining, tracking, and reporting on key performance indicators and objectives and key results.

• Data Literacy Tools: Proficiency in interpreting and communicating data from various sources to drive insights and product improvements. While specific BI tools aren't listed, familiarity with common analytics platforms is assumed.

CRM & Automation:

• Product Operations Tools: While not explicitly listed, the role will likely interact with tools used for product lifecycle management, project tracking (e.g., Jira, Asana), and potentially collaboration suites (e.g., Confluence, Microsoft Teams).

• AI Integration: Experience with identifying and implementing AI solutions within product development workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with Figma is a core requirement. The role also demands a strong understanding of the principles behind design systems and how to operationalize them. Familiarity with data analysis and reporting tools, and an aptitude for AI integration, are critical for success.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Data-Driven: Decisions are informed by data and measurable outcomes. The role is responsible for defining and tracking operational metrics.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A constant drive to improve processes, remove bottlenecks, and ensure solutions can scale with company growth.

• Collaboration: Emphasis on working harmoniously across UX, Product, and Engineering to achieve common goals.

• Innovation: Encouraging creative solutions and continuous improvement, including exploring new technologies like AI.

• User-Centricity: All design and operational efforts ultimately aim to improve the experience for healthcare professionals and organizations.

• Accessibility: A commitment to inclusive design practices that meet accessibility standards.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Actively fostering alignment and seamless integration between UX, Product Management, and Engineering teams.

• Process Review & Feedback: Open to continuous evaluation of existing practices and incorporating feedback to refine workflows.

• Knowledge Sharing: Promoting the sharing of best practices, insights, and learnings across teams, particularly concerning design systems and operational standards.

• Influence & Partnership: Working collaboratively to influence decisions and drive adoption of new processes and tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: Relias emphasizes a culture of collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement, all within the context of a mission to improve healthcare. The Design Operations role is central to embedding these values into the product development lifecycle.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Operations: Establishing and scaling consistent UX processes, tools, and standards across a growing product portfolio can be complex.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Gaining buy-in and ensuring consistent adoption of new processes from diverse teams (UX, Product, Engineering) with potentially different priorities.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the precise impact of operational changes on UX quality, team efficiency, and business outcomes.

• AI Integration: Safely and effectively embedding AI into UX workflows while maintaining creativity and avoiding over-centralization.

• Change Management: Navigating organizational change and encouraging adoption of new methodologies and tools.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen UX Operations Expertise: Become a thought leader in scaling design operations for SaaS products in the healthcare industry.

• AI & Future of Design: Explore cutting-edge AI applications for design and operations, potentially leading to new initiatives.

• Strategic Influence: Grow in ability to influence product strategy and operational roadmaps at a higher organizational level.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and operations professionals.

• Industry Engagement: Participate in industry events and contribute to the broader Design Operations community.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents opportunities to tackle significant operational challenges at a principal level, offering substantial professional growth. The company's commitment to professional development, including Nanodegrees and conference attendance, provides clear pathways for skill enhancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you standardized a complex UX process. What was the challenge, your approach, and the measurable outcome?"

• "How would you measure the success of a Design System implementation and ensure its adoption across multiple product teams?"

• "How do you approach identifying and removing bottlenecks in a product development workflow, particularly those impacting UX?"

• "Where do you see the biggest opportunities for AI to enhance UX workflows, and what are the potential risks or guardrails needed?"

• "How do you ensure accessibility is integrated into design operations and not just treated as an add-on?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Relias and our mission to improve healthcare outcomes?"

• "How do you see your role contributing to our company values of data-driven decision-making and collaboration?"

• "Describe your experience working with cross-functional teams. How do you build consensus and influence stakeholders with differing priorities?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation by key operational achievements. For each, clearly define the problem, your solution (process/system), and the quantifiable results (KPIs, efficiency gains).

• Data & Metrics: Be ready to deeply discuss the metrics you used, how you collected them, and what insights they provided.

• Systemic View: Explain how your operational improvements fit into the larger product development ecosystem.

• Tools & Technologies: Highlight your proficiency with relevant tools like Figma and your experience with design systems.

• AI Application: If you have examples of AI integration, present them clearly, detailing the problem AI solved and the impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers will be looking for evidence of strategic thinking, operational expertise, strong analytical skills, and the ability to drive change. Your ability to articulate your process, demonstrate impact with data, and showcase systemic thinking will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided job portal link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your experience in standardizing UX processes, improving operational efficiency, implementing design systems, or leveraging data for UX improvements. Focus on showcasing the operational aspects and measurable outcomes, not just the final designs.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description such as "Design Operations," "Product Operations," "UX Processes," "Scalability," "KPI Tracking," "Figma," "Design Systems," "Accessibility," and "Cross-functional Collaboration." Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio case studies, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and impact. Be ready to answer detailed questions about your methodologies, challenges, and results.

• Research Relias: Understand their mission, products, and the healthcare technology space. Identify how your role in Design Operations directly supports their business objectives.

⚠️ 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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