Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations - EN 762 at Export Development Canada

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations

Company: Export Development Canada | Exportation et développement Canada

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Job Type: Contract—14 months

Category: Design Operations & UX Content Strategy

Date Posted: September 15, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years

🚀 Role Summary

Drive the development, maintenance, and governance of enterprise-wide content design standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure consistency, clarity, and usability across all digital experiences.
Coordinate and operationalize user research activities, including participant recruitment, scheduling, and management of research logistics to enhance the accessibility and reuse of research insights.
Act as a key liaison for external research vendors and partners, managing timelines, deliverables, and administrative processes to ensure successful collaboration.
Support the continuous improvement of design operations, including team standards, templates, repositories, and enablement initiatives, to enhance overall design practice maturity and effectiveness.
Contribute to the evolution of the enterprise design system by integrating content standards, accessibility requirements, and plain language principles into design system components and documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a specialized blend of UX Content Design and Design Operations, focusing on establishing and scaling best practices within a large enterprise. The "Design Operations" aspect emphasizes process, governance, and enablement, aiming to improve the efficiency and consistency of design and research functions. The "EN 762" in the title likely refers to an internal job code or classification.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and govern enterprise content design standards, guidelines, patterns, and best practices, ensuring alignment with accessibility (WCAG) and plain language principles.
Conduct content reviews for digital products and experiences, providing actionable recommendations to ensure adherence to established standards and guidelines.
Support the integration of content standards into enterprise design systems, component libraries, templates, and delivery workflows.
Coordinate user research operations, including participant recruitment, screening, scheduling, and managing consent processes and operational tracking.
Assist in research synthesis, documenting findings, identifying themes, and preparing insights and recommendations for project teams and subject matter experts.
Maintain research repositories, knowledge management systems, templates, and operational processes to improve the accessibility and reuse of research insights.
Act as a primary liaison between internal teams and external research vendors/partners, coordinating activities, timelines, deliverables, and communications.
Support procurement, onboarding, invoicing, and administrative processes related to vendor engagements.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of design operations processes, governance, and ways of working within the Experience Design team.
Maintain team standards, templates, repositories, design documentation, and shared resources to facilitate consistent design practices.
Support the planning, coordination, and tracking of design initiatives and operational activities.
Assist in developing metrics and reporting to measure the adoption, effectiveness, and maturity of design practices.
Support onboarding, knowledge-sharing, training, and team enablement initiatives for design and content professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process optimization, standardization, and enablement within the design function. The role requires not only content design expertise but also a robust understanding of operational frameworks for research and design systems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational background in a related field such as Design, Communications, English, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related discipline is highly beneficial.

Experience: 7+ years of experience in Content Design, UX Writing, Design Operations, or a closely related discipline, with a proven track record in enterprise environments.

Required Skills:

Proven experience in creating, maintaining, or governing UX content standards, guidelines, design systems, or content frameworks.
Deep understanding of user-centered design (UCD) principles, inclusive design principles, digital content best practices, and information architecture concepts.
Experience conducting content reviews and applying content standards to digital products and user experiences.
Demonstrated experience supporting enterprise design systems, content systems, or component libraries.
Experience managing content repositories, taxonomy, terminology, or information architecture assets.
Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods, synthesis techniques, and insight development.
Experience coordinating user research activities, participant recruitment, or research operations.
Knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive content design practices (WCAG).
Experience facilitating workshops, training, onboarding, or practice enablement activities.
Strong organizational, planning, and project coordination skills with exceptional attention to detail.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable guidance.
Experience working within large-scale enterprise digital product environments.
Experience building strong working relationships across multidisciplinary teams, including product managers, UX designers, developers, and researchers.
Experience developing governance models, standards, or operating practices for UX content design and UX research.
Experience measuring adoption and effectiveness of standards, frameworks, or operational programs. Preferred Skills:
Direct experience working within a dedicated UX Design Operations or UX Research Operations function.
Familiarity with collaboration and research platforms such as Figma, Miro, Mural, UserTesting, Dovetail, Fable Engage, Azure DevOps, or Microsoft 365.
Fluency in both English and French, with the ability to review, evaluate, and support content design practices across both official languages.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 7+ years of experience indicates a senior-level role, demanding significant strategic input and leadership in implementing operational frameworks. The "preferred skills" highlight a strong leaning towards modern design and research tooling, and the value of bilingualism in a Canadian federal Crown corporation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Showcase examples of developed and maintained content design standards, guidelines, or style guides, detailing their impact on content consistency and quality.
Include case studies demonstrating experience with enterprise design systems, illustrating how content was integrated, governed, and scaled.
Present examples of research operations coordination, such as participant recruitment strategies, research plan templates, or methods for managing research data and insights.
Demonstrate experience in creating and managing content repositories, taxonomies, or information architecture documentation.
Provide evidence of contributions to accessibility initiatives, such as content audits for WCAG compliance or the application of plain language principles.
Highlight projects where you facilitated workshops, training, or enablement sessions for design or content teams. Process Documentation:
Documented examples of governance models or operating practices established for UX content design or UX research.
Evidence of process improvement initiatives within design operations or research operations, detailing the problem, solution, and outcomes.
Workflows or templates used for content reviews, research synthesis, or vendor management.
Metrics and reporting frameworks developed to measure the adoption and effectiveness of design standards or operational programs.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role at this level, the portfolio should not only display completed work but also demonstrate the candidate's strategic thinking, process design capabilities, and ability to scale operations. The emphasis is on how they've structured and improved design and research processes, not just individual design outputs.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: CAD $96,557 - $128,743 annually.

Benefits:

Competitive compensation package.
Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision coverage.
Generous paid vacation time (3 to 4 weeks).
Corporate closure period for extended holidays.
Summer early Fridays to promote work-life balance.
Dedicated "no meeting Fridays" to encourage focused work.
Extensive professional development opportunities, including training programs, workshops, and language training.
Inclusive and diverse workplace culture.
Comprehensive wellness programs, including mental health support and fitness programs.
Opportunities for community engagement through volunteer programs.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, with potential for flexibility. The role operates within a hybrid model requiring 3 days in the office per week. The mention of "Summer early Fridays" and "no meeting Fridays" suggests a culture that values focused work and work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is for the "Customer Experience 18" level, which is a specific internal band at EDC. This is a competitive range for a senior-level UX Content Designer/Design Operations specialist in Canada, especially considering the benefits package. The mention of hybrid work and specific work-life balance initiatives is a significant draw for operations professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services, Export Credit Agency, Government & Public Sector. EDC plays a crucial role in supporting Canadian businesses globally, operating as a financial Crown corporation.

Company Size: Large enterprise, as indicated by the extensive list of office locations and the structured compensation bands.

Founded: Export Development Canada was founded in 1944.

Team Structure:

The Experience Design team is part of EDC's broader Customer Experience Centre of Excellence.
This team is multidisciplinary, integrating expertise from UX design, content design, accessibility, user research, service design, and design operations.
The team collaborates closely with product teams, technology partners, business stakeholders, and customer-facing teams to ensure a cohesive customer experience.
The Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations role will likely report into a Design Operations Lead, UX Design Manager, or a similar leadership position within the Experience Design team. Methodology:
Focus on user-centered design (UCD) and evidence-based design practices, driven by customer needs and research insights.
Emphasis on creating simpler, more connected, accessible, and effective digital experiences.
Commitment to advancing accessibility and inclusive design as core tenets.
Growing and maintaining an enterprise design system to ensure consistency and scalability.
Collaborative approach to problem-solving and experience design.
Continuous learning and adoption of best practices to improve experience quality and delivery effectiveness.

Company Website: https://www.edc.ca

📝 Enhancement Note: EDC's mission to support Canadian businesses globally provides a unique and impactful context for the role. The culture appears to be one that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and a strong commitment to customer outcomes and employee well-being, typical of large, established government-related organizations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position, indicating a high degree of autonomy, strategic contribution, and expertise in content design and design operations. The role is expected to lead initiatives, mentor others implicitly through best practices, and significantly influence operational processes.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Experience Design team, likely within the Customer Experience Centre of Excellence. The direct manager will be responsible for setting strategic direction and performance management, but the Senior UX Content Designer is expected to drive execution and operational improvements independently.

Operations Impact: The Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations will have a direct impact on the quality, consistency, and accessibility of EDC's digital customer experiences. By establishing and enforcing standards, improving research operations, and enabling design teams, this role contributes to greater customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and ultimately, the success of Canadian businesses engaging with EDC.

Growth Opportunities:

Specialization: Deepen expertise in Design Operations, UX Content Strategy, or Accessibility by leading specific initiatives within these domains.
Leadership: Potential to move into a Design Operations Lead, Senior Content Design Lead, or Managerial role within the Experience Design team or a related function.
Skill Development: Access to continuous learning opportunities, including training programs, workshops, and language training, to expand technical and soft skills.
Cross-functional Exposure: Opportunities to work on diverse projects across different product teams and business units within EDC.
Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers and content strategists, sharing expertise and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The contract nature (14 months) might be a factor for long-term career progression discussions, but EDC's general commitment to professional development and potential for internal opportunities suggests that strong performers could be considered for permanent roles or other contract extensions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: EDC operates under a hybrid work model, requiring employees to be in the office three days per week. This model aims to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): This role can be performed from EDC’s headquarters in Ottawa or from one of their Community Hubs located in Toronto, Mississauga, Montreal, Brossard, Laval, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, or Vancouver. This provides significant geographical flexibility for candidates within Canada.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and team structure encourage collaboration, with designated office days for in-person interaction, workshops, and team meetings.
Tools & Technology: Access to modern design and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Miro) is expected, supporting both individual work and team collaboration.
Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with UX designers, researchers, product teams, and design operations specialists, fostering knowledge sharing and cross-functional alignment.
Professional Setting: As a financial Crown corporation, EDC offers a professional and stable work environment with established processes and a focus on compliance and security.

Work Schedule: While standard full-time hours are expected, the company promotes work-life balance through initiatives like summer early Fridays and no-meeting Fridays, indicating a focus on efficiency and employee well-being within the work schedule.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and multiple office hub locations are key features of the work environment, offering flexibility. The emphasis on collaboration during office days is crucial for operations roles that often benefit from direct team interaction and brainstorming.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

Initial Screening: A review of applications and resumes, with a strong emphasis on matching required experience and skills against the job description.
First Interview: Likely a behavioral and technical interview with the hiring manager and potentially a key team member. This stage will assess your experience in content design, design operations, and your understanding of relevant principles (UCD, accessibility, governance). Be prepared to discuss your approach to developing standards and managing processes.
Portfolio Review & Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present a curated selection of their work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate their experience in developing content standards, implementing design systems, managing research operations, or improving design processes. Prepare to discuss the challenges, your approach, the impact, and lessons learned.
Second/Final Interview: This may involve a broader panel, including stakeholders from product teams or other departments you would collaborate with. It could include scenario-based questions or a more in-depth discussion on how you would approach specific challenges within EDC's context. Cultural fit and collaboration style will also be assessed.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Structure: Organize your portfolio around key responsibilities of the role: content design standards, design operations, research operations, and design system integration.
Content Standards: Showcase specific examples of guidelines, standards, or frameworks you've developed. Explain the rationale, the process of development, and how adoption was measured or encouraged.
Design Operations: Highlight projects where you improved design processes, managed vendor relationships, or contributed to team enablement. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., increased efficiency, improved consistency).
Research Operations: Include examples of research plans, participant recruitment strategies, or how you've managed research insights to make them more accessible.
Design Systems: Demonstrate how you've integrated content into design systems and ensured consistency.
Storytelling: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role and approach, the solutions implemented, and the measurable outcomes or impact.
Tailoring: Explicitly connect your portfolio pieces to the requirements of this specific Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations role at EDC.

Challenge Preparation:

Be ready to discuss how you would approach developing content standards for a large, complex organization.
Prepare to outline your strategy for operationalizing user research at scale.
Think about how you would measure the success and adoption of design operations initiatives.
Consider how you would handle conflicting priorities or resistance to new standards from different teams.
For the bilingual requirement, be prepared to discuss how you would manage content design across English and French, if applicable to your experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on process, governance, and operationalization in the job description suggests that interviewers will be looking for candidates who can demonstrate strategic thinking and a proactive approach to problem-solving within an enterprise context. The portfolio should reflect this operational mindset.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

Design & Collaboration: Figma (highly probable for design systems and prototyping), Miro, Mural (for collaborative workshops, ideation, and process mapping).
Research Platforms: UserTesting.com (for remote usability testing), Dovetail (for research synthesis and repository), Fable Engage (for accessibility testing with users with disabilities).
Workflow & Project Management: Azure DevOps (common in enterprise for tracking work, managing backlogs, and CI/CD integration), Microsoft 365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint for documentation, reporting, and communication).
Content Management/Taxonomy: While not explicitly stated, familiarity with content management systems (CMS) or tools for managing taxonomy and information architecture could be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

Experience with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to understand user behavior and measure content effectiveness would be advantageous.
Proficiency in creating reports and dashboards to communicate findings and track metrics related to design operations and content adoption. CRM & Automation:
While not a primary focus, understanding how UX content and design operations integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing automation platforms could be a plus for a holistic view of the customer journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific mention of tools like Figma, Miro, UserTesting, Dovetail, Fable Engage, Azure DevOps, and Microsoft 365 in the "What will make you stand out" section indicates these are highly relevant and desired competencies. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their proficiency and experience with these or similar tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of Canadian exporters through effective and accessible digital experiences.
Excellence & Quality: Striving for high standards in content clarity, design consistency, and research rigor.
Collaboration: Working effectively across multidisciplinary teams, fostering open communication and shared ownership.
Continuous Improvement: An ongoing drive to learn, adapt, and evolve design and research practices through feedback and innovation.
Inclusion & Accessibility: A core value to ensure all digital experiences are usable and welcoming to everyone, regardless of ability or background.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research insights and performance metrics to inform design choices and operational improvements.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-functional Integration: Actively partnering with product managers, UX designers, developers, accessibility specialists, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment and integrated solutions.
Process-Oriented: A focus on establishing and refining clear processes for content design, research, and design operations to ensure efficiency and scalability.
Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, lessons learned, and insights across teams through documentation, presentations, and informal discussions.
Feedback-Driven: Openness to receiving and providing constructive feedback to improve individual work and team processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: EDC's stated commitment to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion ("nurture a culture of inclusion and belonging") is a significant cultural aspect. Operations professionals in this environment should be prepared to contribute to and uphold these values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

Scaling Best Practices: Implementing and ensuring consistent adoption of new content design standards and design operations processes across a large, diverse organization with potentially established ways of working.
Balancing Standardization and Flexibility: Finding the right balance between enterprise-wide consistency and the need for product teams to have some autonomy and flexibility in their design approach.
Vendor Management Complexity: Coordinating with multiple external research vendors, ensuring quality, managing timelines, and navigating procurement processes.
Measuring Impact: Developing robust metrics and reporting to effectively demonstrate the value and ROI of design operations initiatives and improved content standards.
Hybrid Work Coordination: Optimizing collaboration and team cohesion within a hybrid work model, ensuring all team members feel connected and supported.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Advanced Design Operations: Opportunities to lead or significantly contribute to the evolution of design operations frameworks, tools, and methodologies within EDC.
Content Strategy Specialization: Deepen expertise in enterprise content strategy, information architecture, and content governance.
Accessibility Leadership: Become a go-to expert for accessibility in content design and research operations.
Bilingualism Enhancement: If applicable, opportunities to hone French language skills and apply them in a professional content design context.
Industry Best Practices: Staying abreast of emerging trends in UX content design, design operations, and research operations through internal and external learning resources.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior roles in large organizations focused on operational improvement and standardization. The growth opportunities are substantial, allowing for deep specialization or a move towards leadership within the operations domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

"Describe your approach to developing and governing enterprise-wide content design standards. How would you ensure adoption across different product teams?" (Focus on process, stakeholder buy-in, and measurement.)
"Walk us through a time you operationalized a user research process or managed research vendors. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?" (Highlight your organizational skills and vendor management experience.)
"How would you measure the success and impact of design operations initiatives or new content guidelines?" (Prepare to discuss metrics, KPIs, and reporting strategies.)
"Imagine a scenario where a product team is resistant to adopting new content standards. How would you address this?" (Focus on communication, collaboration, and demonstrating value.) Company & Culture Questions:
"What do you know about Export Development Canada and its mission? How does that resonate with your professional goals?" (Research EDC's mission, values, and recent activities.)
"How do you foster an inclusive and accessible design environment within your work?" (Connect to EDC's stated values.)
"Describe your experience working in a hybrid or remote team environment. How do you ensure effective collaboration?" (Highlight communication strategies and proactivity.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
Highlight Operational Impact: For each case study, emphasize the process you designed or improved, the standards you implemented, and the operational efficiency or consistency gains achieved, not just the final design output.
Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use numbers and data to illustrate the impact of your work (e.g., "Reduced content review time by 20%," "Increased adoption of guidelines by 75%").
Focus on Governance & Enablement: Clearly articulate your role in establishing governance models, creating documentation, and enabling teams to adopt new practices.
Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: If relevant, show how you used tools like Figma, Miro, or research platforms to achieve your goals.
Tailor to EDC: Connect your experience directly to EDC's mission, industry, and the specific requirements of this role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, assessing not only technical skills but also strategic thinking, operational acumen, and cultural fit within a large government-related organization. Demonstrating a proactive, process-driven approach is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

Submit your application through the Workable application link provided.
Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience directly relevant to UX Content Design, Design Operations, governance, standards development, and research operations. Use keywords from the job description.
Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 key projects that best showcase your experience in developing content standards, managing design operations, or improving research processes. Be prepared to articulate the impact and your strategic approach.
Prepare for Behavioral Questions: Reflect on specific examples of how you've driven process improvements, managed stakeholders, facilitated workshops, and worked within large enterprises.
Research EDC: Understand EDC's mission, values, and the impact of their work. Consider how your contributions as a Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations specialist would align with their 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.

Senior UX Content Designer, Design Operations - EN 762