Remote UX Lead

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Designer

Company: Jobgether (Partner Company)

Location: Illinois, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design Leadership

Date Posted: May 4, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead end-to-end UX design for critical portal surfaces, including post-login experiences across multiple digital properties, driving the overall UX strategy.

• Lead design decisions from initial customer problem identification through high-fidelity deliverables, encompassing journey mapping and interaction design.

• Actively contribute to and evolve the company's design system by authoring reusable components and defining scalable interaction patterns.

• Foster a collaborative environment by partnering with Product Managers (PMs) for prototype reviews and leading design critique sessions to elevate team quality.

• Ensure all design executions meet stringent accessibility standards and adhere to the established design system compliance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Principal" title and the emphasis on "spearheading," "owning end-to-end," and "mentoring," this role is positioned as a senior individual contributor or a potential team lead, focusing on strategic design direction and execution within the UX domain. The mention of "partner company" via Jobgether indicates that Jobgether is acting as an intermediary, likely for a client company that is hiring for this role. The focus on portal surfaces and SMB-facing products suggests a B2B or B2B2C context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete UX design lifecycle for portal surfaces, including post-login user journeys and experiences across various digital properties.

• Drive strategic design decisions from initial customer problem definition through the delivery of high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes.

• Contribute significantly to the company's design system by creating and documenting reusable UI components and interaction patterns.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers to review low-fidelity prototypes and ensure alignment with identified customer needs and business objectives.

• Lead and facilitate design critique sessions and peer reviews to maintain and elevate the quality of design work across the entire UX team.

• Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with Engineering, Product Management, and Customer Experience (CX) Research teams to enhance overall user engagement and satisfaction.

• Ensure all designed interfaces adhere to current accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and comply with the organization's design system guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a hands-on design role with a strong emphasis on strategic ownership and team collaboration. The mention of "customer problem through hi-fi deliverable" and "journey mapping and interaction design" highlights core UX competencies expected. The contribution to the design system and leading critique sessions points to a senior-level individual contributor role with influence.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for Principal-level UX roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in User Experience (UX) or Product Design, with a proven track record of delivering impactful digital products.

Required Skills:

• 10+ years of hands-on UX/product design experience, demonstrating a strong ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive user interfaces.

• A robust portfolio showcasing end-to-end design ownership, including journey mapping, interaction design, and high-fidelity prototypes for web-based applications.

• Deep expertise in modern design system tooling and methodologies, with a demonstrated ability to contribute to and maintain design systems.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities, with the ability to design scalable and consistent interaction patterns across multiple platforms.

• Proven experience in agile delivery environments, working closely and iteratively with Product Managers and Engineering teams.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and decisions clearly to diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for web hosting, Content Management Systems (CMS), or products specifically targeted at Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).

• Familiarity with user research methodologies and the ability to integrate research insights into the design process.

• Experience mentoring junior designers or leading small design initiatives.

• Understanding of front-end development principles and how design translates into code.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 10+ years of experience requirement, coupled with "Principal" title and emphasis on systems thinking and design system contribution, positions this as a senior role. The preferred skills in web hosting, CMS, and SMB products suggest the client company operates in a relevant sector. The mention of "matrixed organization" implies a need for strong collaboration and influencing skills.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end UX design ownership for at least 2-3 significant projects, detailing the problem, your role, the process, and the impact.

• Include examples of journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping (low-fi and high-fi), and final UI deliverables.

• Demonstrate experience with modern design system tooling, including contributions to component libraries or pattern definitions.

• Highlight projects that required strong systems thinking and the creation of scalable design patterns.

Process Documentation:

• Provide case studies that clearly articulate your design process, from discovery and research to ideation, iteration, and final delivery.

• Detail how you collaborated with Product Management and Engineering teams throughout the design and development lifecycle.

• Explain your approach to user feedback and how you incorporated it into iterative design improvements.

• Showcase your ability to advocate for user needs while balancing business objectives and technical constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal-level UX role, a portfolio is paramount. The emphasis here is on demonstrating end-to-end ownership, strategic thinking, design system contribution, and measurable impact, which are critical for senior positions. The request for details on process and collaboration is standard for evaluating a candidate's working methodology.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

For a Principal UX Designer role with 10+ years of experience, remote in Illinois, the estimated salary range is between $140,000 - $190,000 annually. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior UX/Product Design roles in major US tech hubs, considering the remote flexibility and the "Principal" level designation. Factors such as specific company size, funding, and the exact scope of responsibilities within the partner company can influence the final offer.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Work-life balance support, promoting a healthy and sustainable career.

• Inclusive Diversity and Inclusion culture, fostering global connections and belonging.

• Excellent health insurance options:

  • Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

• Generous vacation policy to ensure ample time for rest and rejuvenation.

• Pet insurance, acknowledging the importance of all family members.

• 401K matching program to support long-term financial planning.

• Tuition reimbursement for continuous learning and professional development.

• Opportunities for career growth through dedicated mentorship and learning initiatives.

Working Hours: Typically, a full-time position involves approximately 40 hours per week. While the role is remote, successful candidates will be expected to align with the core working hours of the partner company's primary operational regions (likely US-based, potentially aligning with Central Time Zone given the Illinois location). Flexibility may be offered within reasonable limits, contingent on team needs and project demands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on typical compensation for Principal UX Designers in the US, considering the provided location and remote status. The benefits listed are directly from the job description, highlighting a strong package focused on employee well-being and professional development.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: The job description implies a technology-focused company, potentially in the B2B SaaS, web services, or platform space, given the mention of "portal surfaces," "web hosting," "CMS," and "SMB-facing products." The specific industry of the partner company is not explicitly stated but can be inferred from their product focus.

Company Size: The context of a "matrixed organization" and "leading design critique sessions" suggests a mid-to-large-sized company, or a rapidly growing startup that has established formal processes. The involvement of Jobgether also implies the partner company is actively seeking talent through external channels.

Founded: The founding date of the partner company is not provided. However, the need for a "Principal" UX Designer with 10+ years of experience and established design systems suggests a company that has matured beyond its early startup phase and is investing in robust design infrastructure.

Team Structure:

• The UX team likely consists of multiple designers, with this role being a senior individual contributor or a lead for a specific product area.

• The reporting structure will involve a design manager or director, with whom the Principal UX Designer will collaborate closely on strategy and team development.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is implied through the need to partner with PMs on prototypes and potentially CX research.

• Workflow optimization is central to the role, focusing on end-to-end design processes and the development of scalable design patterns.

• Automation and efficiency are likely key goals, especially through the contribution to and utilization of a design system for faster, more consistent product development.

Company Website: The primary company website is not directly linked but can be inferred to be the website of the partner company that Jobgether is representing.

📝 Enhancement Note: Inferences about company culture, size, and structure are based on the role's seniority, responsibilities, and the language used in the job description. The "matrixed organization" and "cross-functional collaboration" are key indicators of how operations and design teams interact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the Principal level, signifying a senior individual contributor with significant influence over design strategy and execution. It represents a high level of expertise and autonomy within the UX/Product Design discipline.

Reporting Structure: The Principal UX Designer will likely report to a Director or VP of Design or Product. They will work closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads, acting as a design authority within their product domain.

Operations Impact: The Principal UX Designer's impact extends to driving user engagement, improving product usability, ensuring brand consistency, and ultimately contributing to business objectives such as customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction. By owning end-to-end design and contributing to the design system, they directly influence product quality and development efficiency.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like complex interaction design, design systems architecture, or user research strategy.

• Leadership: Transition into a formal management role (e.g., Design Manager) or lead larger, more strategic design initiatives and teams.

• Mentorship: Continue to mentor junior designers, fostering talent development within the organization.

• Strategic Influence: Play a more significant role in shaping the overall product vision and design strategy.

• Skill Development: Leverage tuition reimbursement and learning initiatives for advanced training in UX, product strategy, or emerging design technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" designation inherently suggests a high level of impact and growth potential. The outlined opportunities are typical for senior individual contributors seeking to advance their careers within a design or product organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly listed as "Fully Remote." This indicates that the partner company embraces a distributed workforce, offering flexibility in where employees are based, provided they can operate effectively within the specified time zones.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the primary location derived from the job posting is "Illinois, United States." This may indicate the company's headquarters or a significant concentration of employees in that region, potentially influencing team meetings or occasional in-person gatherings (though less likely for a fully remote role).

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: Expect a highly digital and asynchronous work environment, relying heavily on collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Miro, Figma).

• Tooling: Access to modern design tools, collaboration platforms, and potentially company-provided hardware or stipends to ensure an effective remote workspace.

• Team Interaction: Regular virtual meetings, design critiques, and brainstorming sessions with distributed teams across Product, Engineering, and Research.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected. Remote work offers flexibility, but candidates must be able to commit to core working hours to ensure effective collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders, likely aligned with US Central Time (CT).

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of the role is a key aspect, emphasizing the need for self-discipline, strong communication skills, and comfort with digital collaboration tools. The Illinois location might be relevant for tax or legal purposes.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by Jobgether's AI and/or recruiters to assess basic qualifications and fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (from the partner company) to delve into your experience, design philosophy, and leadership potential. This will likely involve reviewing specific portfolio pieces.

• Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a take-home design exercise or present a detailed case study from your portfolio, focusing on problem-solving, design process, and strategic thinking.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially CX Researchers to assess collaboration style and technical understanding.

• Final Interview/Debrief: A concluding conversation with senior leadership to discuss overall fit, compensation, and logistics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate end-to-end ownership, systems thinking, and impact relevant to portal/SMB products.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role and contributions, your design process (research, ideation, iteration, testing), the challenges faced, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Design System Work: If applicable, showcase contributions to design systems, component creation, or pattern definition.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success and business value of your designs.

• Be Prepared to Discuss: Be ready to walk through your portfolio in detail and answer in-depth questions about your decisions and process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Scope: If given a take-home challenge, clarify the objectives, constraints, and expected deliverables.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate a clear, logical design process, even if you have limited time.

• Think Systems: Consider how your proposed solution fits into a larger ecosystem or design system.

• Practice Presentation: Be ready to present your work concisely and persuasively, anticipating questions about trade-offs and alternative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio review and potential design challenges is standard for senior UX roles. Jobgether's AI matching process might influence the initial screening, but the core interview stages will be with the partner company.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, given its industry prevalence and integration with design systems), Sketch, Adobe XD.

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, FigJam for ideation and workshop facilitation.

• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams for day-to-day communication.

• Video Conferencing: Zoom, Google Meet for meetings and presentations.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to core UX design responsibilities, but understanding how UX designs integrate with CRM or marketing automation platforms could be a plus, especially if designing for SMB-facing products.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is almost a de facto standard for modern UX design and design systems. A strong candidate will be proficient in at least one major design tool and have experience with collaborative platforms.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and advocating for user needs throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Collaboration: Fostering a team environment where open communication, constructive feedback, and cross-functional partnership are paramount.

• Excellence: Striving for high-quality design outcomes that are both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional, meeting business objectives.

• Innovation: Encouraging creative problem-solving and the exploration of new design approaches and technologies.

• Efficiency: Emphasizing the creation of scalable, reusable design patterns and components through design systems to streamline development.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Design: Design is not an isolated function but is deeply integrated with Product Management and Engineering from concept to launch.

• Data-Informed: Decisions are supported by user research, analytics, and A/B testing where possible.

• Iterative Process: A culture of continuous improvement, with regular feedback loops and agile development practices.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, design patterns, and learnings across the design team and with other departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values and collaboration style are inferred from the responsibilities and requirements, emphasizing a modern, collaborative, and user-focused product development culture common in tech companies.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Navigating competing priorities from Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders while championing the user experience.

• Scaling Design Systems: Ensuring the design system remains robust, scalable, and adopted across multiple product surfaces and teams.

• Fast-Paced Environment: Adapting quickly to changing requirements and market demands in a matrixed organization.

• Remote Collaboration Complexity: Maintaining strong team cohesion and effective communication in a fully remote setup.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Access to training and workshops on cutting-edge UX methodologies, interaction design patterns, and emerging technologies.

• Design Leadership: Opportunities to develop leadership skills through mentorship, leading design critiques, and potentially managing small project teams.

• Industry Exposure: Participation in industry conferences, webinars, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions to stay abreast of UX trends.

• Tuition Reimbursement: Financial support for formal education or certifications that enhance UX expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in dynamic tech environments, and the growth opportunities align with the desire for continuous learning and career advancement at a Principal level.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with differing opinions on a design direction. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your persuasion, data utilization, and compromise skills.)

• "How do you approach designing for scalability within a complex product ecosystem? Can you give an example of how you've contributed to or utilized a design system to achieve this?" (Prepare to discuss systems thinking and design system contributions.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about this role and our company, particularly given our focus on portal surfaces and SMB-facing products?" (Research the partner company and tailor your answer to their known mission or products.)

• "How do you foster collaboration with engineering and product teams, especially in a remote, matrixed environment?" (Highlight your experience with cross-functional partnerships and communication strategies.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: For each case study, use a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Impact/Results.

• Visuals: Use high-quality mockups, flow diagrams, and potentially short videos or interactive prototypes to illustrate your work.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present each case study within a defined timeframe (e.g., 10-15 minutes), leaving ample time for Q&A.

• Key Takeaways: Clearly articulate the key learnings and the value you brought to each project.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tailored questions focus on the core competencies of a Principal UX Designer: strategic thinking, systems design, collaboration, and impact measurement. Portfolio presentation advice emphasizes clarity, storytelling, and quantifiable results.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Jobgether's platform.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date and prominently features projects demonstrating end-to-end UX design ownership, systems thinking, and contributions to design systems. Tailor the highlighted projects to align with the implied needs of portal/SMB products if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 10+ years of experience, highlighting key achievements and responsibilities that align with the job description, particularly in areas like design leadership, strategy, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process and decision-making for specific portfolio projects. Prepare to discuss your experience with agile methodologies, design systems, and how you measure UX impact.

• Company Research: Conduct thorough research on the partner company (if identifiable through Jobgether's platform or by asking for clarification) to understand their products, target audience, and potential industry context. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.