Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: Alertus Technologies

Location: Baltimore, MD

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX/UI Design & Product Experience

Date Posted: 2026-10-01

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Serve as a principal architect for the end-to-end product experience, bridging brand strategy, product vision, and technical feasibility to ensure cohesive and intuitive digital solutions.

• Own and evolve a scalable design system, acting as the single source of truth for web and mobile interfaces, meticulously documented with design tokens, Figma variables, and clear component-to-code mappings.

• Integrate and maintain brand identity techniques across all digital touchpoints, ensuring perfect synchronization in typography, color theory, tone, and interaction patterns.

• Translate high-level product requirements and technical constraints into functional wireframes and high-fidelity designs, prioritizing user-centricity, usability, and accessibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant ownership over the "Whole Product" experience and brand integrity within the software. The emphasis on a scalable design system, AI tooling integration, and direct collaboration with engineering and product management indicates a strategic, hands-on role that requires deep understanding of both design principles and their practical application in a software development lifecycle.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Development, Engineering, and Marketing teams to map out and refine the entire "Whole Product" user journey, ensuring seamless transitions between complex back-end systems and user-facing web and mobile interfaces.

• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust, scalable design system that serves as the definitive guide for all web and mobile UI elements, including comprehensive documentation for design tokens, component behavior, and mappings to underlying code.

• Champion and enforce brand consistency across all digital platforms by meticulously applying typography, color theory, tone of voice, and interaction patterns, ensuring every user touchpoint aligns with Alertus' established brand identity.

• Translate abstract product requirements and intricate technical limitations into detailed, functional wireframes and high-fidelity mockups, focusing on creating intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly interfaces.

• Leverage AI tooling to rapidly explore a wider array of design options, critically evaluate these options based on user needs and technical constraints, and articulate the rationale behind design decisions to stakeholders.

• Conduct rigorous user research and usability testing to gather actionable insights, ensuring that design choices enhance, rather than impede, the usability and accessibility of the Alertus platform, particularly for life-safety applications.

• Proactively identify and address opportunities for design improvements and process optimizations within the product development lifecycle.

• Contribute to the continuous evolution of design best practices and standards within the organization.

• Perform other duties as assigned, contributing to the overall success of the product and design teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design leadership and hands-on execution. The emphasis on a "scalable design system" and "AI tooling" suggests a forward-thinking approach to design operations and efficiency. The explicit mention of "Whole Product" journey mapping and "brand integrity across web and mobile" underscores the senior nature of the role and its impact on the entire user experience ecosystem.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a closely related field.

• Equivalent professional experience and a robust portfolio demonstrating advanced UX design capabilities will be considered in lieu of a formal degree. Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of dedicated product-focused UX design experience is required.

• Proven track record of successfully owning and managing a design system that has been actively adopted and utilized by a full engineering team. Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A comprehensive portfolio showcasing interactive wireframes, end-to-end user flows, and demonstrated brand implementation within a real software environment. Candidates must be prepared to articulate the strategic reasoning behind their design decisions.

• Ecosystem Thinking: Demonstrated ability to understand and manage how design changes impact an entire product ecosystem, with a strong track record of preserving brand integrity across both web and mobile platforms.

• Design System Development: Extensive experience in building and maintaining a design system or component library, including the successful implementation of design tokens, standardized naming conventions, and clear documentation that facilitated engineering adoption.

• Modern Design Tools: Mastery of contemporary design and prototyping software such as Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch, coupled with practical experience in creating and managing brand-centric component libraries.

• AI Tooling Proficiency: Practical, hands-on experience integrating AI tools into personal design workflows, with specific, quantifiable examples of how these tools led to faster delivery or improved design outcomes. The focus is on demonstrated results and critical judgment in tool application, not just familiarity.

• Accessibility Standards: Deep understanding and practical experience designing for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, recognizing the critical importance of accessibility in life-safety software.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven experience working closely and effectively with engineers and product managers, capable of defending design decisions with a balanced perspective on technical feasibility and user experience.

• Communication & Rationale: Exceptional ability to clearly articulate the "why" behind all design decisions, a skill that will be assessed throughout the interview process.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing AI-assisted features within a production product, especially in scenarios where incorrect outputs carry significant risks.

• Prior experience in industries such as emergency management, public safety, healthcare, or education, where users may operate software under high-stress conditions.

• Hands-on experience conducting user studies and interviews, and a demonstrated ability to translate feedback into measurable product improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize practical, demonstrable skills over theoretical knowledge, particularly concerning design systems and AI tooling. The explicit need for candidates to "walk through the decisions, not just the artifacts" in their portfolio underscores the importance of strategic thinking and communication. The high bar for accessibility compliance reflects the critical nature of Alertus' products.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Flows: Showcase complete user journeys from initial interaction to task completion, illustrating problem-solving across complex scenarios.

• Design System Artifacts: Include examples of your design system's components, tokens, documentation, and evidence of its adoption and impact on development efficiency.

• Brand Integration Case Studies: Present specific examples where you successfully translated and maintained brand identity across multiple digital interfaces and platforms.

• AI Tooling Impact: Clearly demonstrate through case studies how AI tools were utilized in your workflow, highlighting tangible benefits such as accelerated prototyping, iterative improvements, or enhanced design exploration.

• Usability & Accessibility: Provide evidence of user research findings and usability testing results, along with how this data informed design iterations and ensured WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Demonstrate your approach to mapping out user flows, identifying pain points, and designing optimized workflows that enhance user efficiency and satisfaction.

• Design System Implementation: Detail your process for creating, documenting, and socializing a design system to ensure consistent adoption by engineering and product teams.

• AI Integration Strategy: Outline your methodology for evaluating and integrating AI tools into the design process, including criteria for selection and implementation strategies.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Protocols: Document your preferred methods for collaborating with engineering and product management, ensuring alignment on design feasibility and user experience goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are highly specific, focusing on demonstrating practical application of design systems, AI integration, and accessibility principles. Candidates are expected to present not just finished work, but the strategic thinking and process behind it, with a clear emphasis on measurable impact and adoption.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $95,000 - $131,000 per year

Benefits:

• Unlimited Paid Time Off: Empowers employees to manage their personal time effectively, promoting work-life balance and preventing burnout.

• Paid Holidays: Standard observance of national holidays to ensure time for rest and celebration.

• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Offers a structured way for employees to save for retirement with potential company matching.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Includes Medical, Dental, and Vision plans to ensure employee well-being.

• Specialized Insurance: Short-term Disability, Accident, Hospital, and Cancer Insurance provide additional layers of financial protection against unforeseen events.

• Live Near Your Work HomeBuying Incentive: A unique benefit designed to support employees in purchasing homes within proximity to their work, potentially reducing commute times and fostering community integration.

• Employee Referral Bonuses: Incentivizes current employees to help attract top talent to the company.

• Flex Scheduling: Provides employees with the flexibility to adjust their work hours to better accommodate personal needs and optimize productivity, supporting a hybrid work model.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with the flexibility afforded by the "Flex Scheduling" benefit.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a Senior UX Designer role in a major metropolitan area like Baltimore, considering the experience level and the specialized nature of the required skills (design systems, AI tooling, accessibility). The benefits package is robust, with a notable "Live Near Your Work HomeBuying Incentive" and "Flex Scheduling" supporting a hybrid work environment and employee well-being.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, Software, Public Safety & Emergency Management Solutions

Company Size: Alertus Technologies is a growing mid-sized company, likely employing between 100-500 individuals based on typical Lever.co company profiles for established tech firms. This size suggests a balance between the agility of a smaller organization and the structure of a larger one, allowing for cross-functional collaboration while maintaining clear processes.

Founded: Alertus Technologies was founded in 2002. This history indicates a mature company with established product lines and a stable market presence, while also suggesting a culture that has evolved with technological advancements.

Team Structure:

• The Senior UX Designer will likely be part of a dedicated Product Development team, working closely with Product Managers, Software Engineers (front-end and back-end), and potentially other designers.

• The reporting structure will likely involve a Design Lead, Head of Product, or CTO, depending on the specific organizational hierarchy.

• Collaboration is expected to be highly cross-functional, emphasizing a unified approach to product development where design, product strategy, and technical implementation are tightly integrated. Methodology:

• Alertus emphasizes a mission-driven culture focused on protecting people from harm, which likely translates into a design philosophy centered on reliability, usability under stress, and clear communication.

• The explicit mention of AI tooling in the job description suggests a willingness to adopt and integrate cutting-edge technologies to improve design efficiency and product capabilities.

• A strong emphasis on user-centric design, validated through user research and usability testing, is a core component, especially given the life-safety nature of their products.

Company Website: alertus.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Alertus operates in the critical field of mass notification and emergency management. This context implies a company culture that values precision, reliability, and a deep sense of purpose. The "Whole Product" and design system focus for this role suggests a commitment to mature product development practices. The company's founding date indicates stability and experience in the market.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is designated as "Senior," indicating a position with significant autonomy, responsibility, and influence. A Senior UX Designer at Alertus is expected to be a key contributor, capable of architecting complex user experiences, leading design system initiatives, and mentoring junior team members. The role transcends typical feature design, focusing on the holistic product experience and its alignment with brand strategy and technical feasibility.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will report into a leadership role within the Product Development or Design team, likely a Design Manager, Director of Product, or potentially the CTO. This structure allows for direct interaction with product strategy and engineering leadership, ensuring design decisions are aligned with business objectives and technical capabilities.

Operations Impact: The UX Designer's impact is directly tied to the usability, adoption, and effectiveness of Alertus' mass notification software. By ensuring intuitive interfaces and a consistent brand experience, they contribute to:

• Increased user adoption and satisfaction.

• Reduced training and support costs due to enhanced usability.

• Improved user performance during critical emergency situations.

• Strengthened brand perception and trust in the reliability of Alertus' solutions.

• Accelerated product development cycles through a well-maintained design system and efficient AI-assisted workflows. Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead UX Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing a team and setting the strategic direction for design at Alertus.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven design, advanced accessibility, or specific product domains (e.g., emergency management UX).

• Cross-functional Advancement: Opportunities to move into Product Management roles by leveraging a deep understanding of user needs, product strategy, and technical execution.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers, developing leadership and coaching skills.

• Technical Acumen: Further develop understanding of front-end development principles and how design systems directly impact engineering efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior UX Designer role is positioned as a critical, high-impact position within Alertus. Growth opportunities are geared towards leadership within design, product strategy, and technical collaboration, reflecting a company that values and invests in its senior talent. The emphasis on "Whole Product" experience and design systems points towards a mature product organization with clear career paths.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Alertus Technologies operates a hybrid work model. This means employees will have a mix of in-office and remote work days. The office environment is likely designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and team cohesion, while remote days offer flexibility and focus.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Baltimore, MD. This suggests a central hub for team meetings, collaborative sessions, and access to company resources. Specific details about office amenities and accessibility would typically be available during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office space is designed to facilitate teamwork, with areas for brainstorming, design reviews, and cross-functional meetings. This is crucial for a role that requires close interaction with Product Managers and Engineers.

• Technology-Enabled: Expect a modern tech stack and tools readily available to support design workflows, including high-performance workstations, access to design software (Figma, etc.), and potentially AI-powered design tools.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model ensures opportunities for regular face-to-face interaction with colleagues, fostering stronger working relationships and facilitating spontaneous collaboration, while also allowing for focused individual work remotely.

Work Schedule:

• A standard full-time schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected.

• The "Flex Scheduling" benefit indicates that while core hours may be required for team collaboration, there is latitude in start and end times to accommodate personal needs, supporting the hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment at Alertus, coupled with "Flex Scheduling," aims to provide a balance between structured collaboration and individual flexibility. The Baltimore office serves as the physical anchor for this hybrid model, facilitating essential in-person interactions for a role deeply embedded in product development teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on experience level, key skills, and portfolio relevance. Be prepared to clearly articulate your most impactful projects.

2. Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: This is a critical stage where you will present your portfolio. Expect to deep-dive into 2-3 key projects, walking through your design process, decision-making, rationale for using specific tools (including AI), and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss design system development, brand integration, and accessibility compliance in detail.

3. Cross-functional Interviews: You will likely meet with Product Managers and Software Engineers. These interviews will assess your ability to collaborate, communicate technical and design constraints, and defend your design decisions from both a user and a technical perspective.

4. Final Interview: This may involve meeting with senior leadership (e.g., CTO, Head of Product) to discuss strategic alignment, cultural fit, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 projects that best showcase your experience with end-to-end flows, design systems, brand consistency, and AI tooling. Prioritize projects with measurable outcomes.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed (including research and iterations), the solutions you designed, and the impact/results achieved. Emphasize your strategic thinking.

• Highlight Design System Work: Dedicate a section or specific examples to your experience building and maintaining design systems, detailing the components, tokens, documentation, and adoption success.

• Showcase AI Integration: Be explicit about how you used AI tools, the specific problems they solved, and the tangible benefits (e.g., time saved, scope expanded). Be prepared to discuss your judgment on when not to use AI.

• Emphasize Accessibility: Clearly articulate your commitment to WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and provide examples of how you incorporated accessibility into your designs.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design philosophy, how you handle feedback, your collaboration style, and your rationale for specific design choices.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: You may be given a take-home design challenge or an in-interview exercise. This could involve wireframing a user flow, critiquing an existing design, or proposing solutions for a given problem. Focus on demonstrating your systematic approach, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate your thought process.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Be ready to answer questions about how you would handle specific design challenges, such as conflicting stakeholder requirements, technical limitations, or integrating AI into a sensitive workflow.

• Communication Practice: Practice explaining complex design concepts and decisions clearly and concisely, as you'll need to communicate effectively with both design and non-design audiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is rigorous, with a strong emphasis on portfolio presentation and the ability to articulate the "why" behind design decisions. Candidates are expected to demonstrate deep practical experience in design systems, AI tooling, and accessibility, not just theoretical knowledge. The portfolio is the central artifact for evaluation.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expected to be the primary tool for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and design system management due to its collaborative features and robust capabilities for component libraries and variables.

• Adobe XD / Sketch: While Figma is likely preferred, experience with these tools may also be relevant for understanding existing workflows or legacy projects.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes within Figma or other specialized tools to simulate user flows and test interactions.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, SurveyMonkey).

• Analytics Dashboards: Familiarity with understanding product usage data and user behavior analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) to inform design decisions, though direct management may not be required.

CRM & Automation:

• Design System Management Tools: Beyond Figma, tools or platforms that support version control, documentation, and distribution of design system assets.

• AI Design Tools: Experience with AI-powered tools for ideation, content generation, image creation, or workflow automation within the design process (specific tools may vary, focus is on practical application).

• Project Management Software: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking design tasks, sprints, and collaborating with engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack heavily favors modern, collaborative design tools, with Figma being the likely centerpiece. The inclusion of AI tools and a strong emphasis on user research platforms underscores Alertus' commitment to data-driven design and efficient workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven Excellence: A core value focused on the company's mission to protect people from harm, translating into a design ethos of reliability, clarity, and effectiveness, especially in high-stakes situations.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Emphasis on working together across departments (Design, Product, Engineering) with open communication and shared understanding of goals and challenges.

• Innovation & Adaptability: A proactive approach to embracing new technologies like AI and continuously improving design processes and product offerings.

• User-Centricity & Accessibility: Deep commitment to understanding and serving user needs, with a non-negotiable focus on ensuring all products are usable and accessible to everyone, regardless of ability.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for design outcomes, from concept through implementation and adoption, with a focus on delivering measurable impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Design is not a silo; expect to work as an integrated member of product development teams, participating in sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: A culture that values constructive feedback, with regular design reviews and opportunities for iterative improvement based on input from peers, product managers, and engineers.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement to share learnings, best practices, and insights, particularly regarding design systems, AI tooling, and accessibility, fostering a continuous learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: Alertus' values are clearly tied to its mission, emphasizing not just functional design but also the ethical responsibility that comes with creating life-safety technology. The collaborative and innovative spirit, coupled with a strong focus on user needs and accessibility, defines the expected work environment for a Senior UX Designer.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing "Whole Product" Vision with Feature Development: Ensuring that individual feature designs contribute to a cohesive overall user experience and brand identity, rather than creating fragmented interactions.

• Integrating AI Thoughtfully: Effectively leveraging AI tools for efficiency and innovation while maintaining human oversight, ethical considerations, and avoiding potential pitfalls in critical applications.

• Scaling Design Systems: Continuously evolving and maintaining a design system that supports a growing product suite and diverse technical implementations, ensuring adoption and reducing technical debt.

• Designing for High-Stress Environments: Creating intuitive and accessible interfaces that users can operate effectively under extreme pressure and in critical emergency situations.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Navigating differing priorities and perspectives between product management, engineering, and marketing to achieve optimal design outcomes.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Design Techniques: Opportunities to explore and implement cutting-edge AI applications within UX design, potentially leading to new workflows or product features.

• Deep Dive into Accessibility: Becoming a subject matter expert in accessibility standards and best practices for life-safety software, contributing to industry standards.

• Product Strategy Influence: Growing influence on product strategy through a deep understanding of user needs and the impact of design on business outcomes.

• Design System Leadership: Taking on greater responsibility for the strategic direction and evolution of Alertus' design system.

• Industry Engagement: Potential to attend relevant conferences or workshops related to UX, accessibility, or emergency management technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to a senior role in a mission-critical tech company, requiring strategic thinking, technical acumen, and strong interpersonal skills. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering paths for specialization, leadership, and strategic influence within a purpose-driven organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to reconcile a complex technical constraint with a user-centric design requirement. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your problem-solving process, negotiation skills, and ability to find balanced solutions.)

• "Walk us through your process for building or evolving a design system from scratch. What were the key challenges, how did you ensure adoption by engineering, and what metrics did you use to measure success?" (Highlight your system thinking, documentation skills, and understanding of developer workflows.)

• "How do you approach integrating AI tools into your design workflow? Provide a specific example of a project where AI enhanced your process or outcome, and explain why you chose to use it (or not use it) in that context." (Demonstrate practical application, critical judgment, and an understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding of Alertus' mission, how would you ensure your designs for our mass notification system are both intuitive and reliable, especially under duress?" (Connect your design philosophy to the company's mission and the specific needs of their users.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration model with product managers and engineers. How do you foster effective communication and ensure alignment on design goals?" (Showcase your teamwork, communication skills, and understanding of cross-functional dynamics.)

• "How do you measure the success of your UX designs? What key performance indicators (KPIs) are most important to you, and how do you track them?" (Emphasize your data-driven approach and focus on tangible impact.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin each case study with a clear problem statement and your role. Then, detail your process, key decisions (especially those involving AI or design systems), and conclude with the measurable results and learnings.

• Highlight Design System & AI: Dedicate specific slides or sections to showcase your design system contributions and your practical application of AI tools. Be ready to explain the 'how' and 'why' in detail.

• Emphasize Accessibility: Integrate discussions of WCAG 2.1 AA compliance throughout your project walkthroughs, demonstrating its importance in your process.

• Engage and Explain: Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your design choices. Treat it as a collaborative discussion rather than a monologue. Explain the trade-offs you considered and why you made certain decisions.

• Showcase Brand Consistency: If applicable, highlight projects where you were responsible for maintaining or establishing brand identity across digital products.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating your strategic thinking, practical application of core skills (design systems, AI, accessibility), and your collaborative approach. The portfolio presentation is paramount, requiring a narrative that clearly demonstrates problem-solving, process, and impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever.co link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your experience with design systems, AI tooling integration, end-to-end user flows, and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Ensure your portfolio clearly articulates the problem, your process, your specific contributions, and the measurable impact of your work.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to prominently feature keywords relevant to this role, such as "UX Design," "Design Systems," "Figma," "AI Tooling," "WCAG 2.1 AA," "Product Design," and "Brand Strategy." Quantify your achievements with metrics wherever possible.

• Interview Practice: Prepare to walk through your portfolio projects in detail, focusing on explaining your design rationale, decision-making process, and how you collaborated with cross-functional teams. Practice articulating the "why" behind your design choices, especially concerning AI integration and accessibility.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Alertus Technologies' mission, products, and values. Understand their commitment to protecting people and how UX design contributes to that mission, particularly in the context of emergency management. Research their approach to AI and design systems.

⚠️ 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.