Senior UX Research and Design Specialist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Research and Design Specialist

Company: Cambium Learning Group

Location: Remote (United States)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UX Research & Design / EdTech Product Development

Date Posted: August 20, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years Professional Experience

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end qualitative and quantitative UX research initiatives within K-12 educational data and assessment platforms, focusing on user advocacy and actionable insights.

• Translate complex research findings and educator feedback into tangible, high-fidelity UI prototypes and intuitive web designs, bridging the gap between user needs and production-ready interfaces.

• Apply deep understanding of K-12 grading architectures, standards-based reporting, and classroom data usage to design accessible and effective teacher dashboards.

• Champion data visualization best practices and digital accessibility standards (WCAG) to ensure inclusive and user-friendly interfaces for non-technical users.

• Collaborate closely with front-end web designers and engineering teams, delivering clear design specifications and functional understanding of front-end development frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a unique hybrid, requiring a strong foundation in traditional UX research methodologies coupled with a practical, hands-on ability to design and prototype web interfaces. The emphasis on K-12 educational data and assessment platforms, along with a need for understanding front-end development realities, positions this as a specialized and impactful role within the EdTech sector. The integration of AI tooling suggests a forward-thinking approach to design and research efficiency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic UX Research Execution: Design, conduct, and lead comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research studies (e.g., user interviews, focus groups, surveys, usability testing) with K-12 educators (teachers, instructional coaches, administrators) to uncover needs, pain points, and workflows.

• Market and Competitive Intelligence: Perform in-depth market analysis and competitive benchmarking of EdTech solutions, identifying trends, user expectations, and strategic opportunities for platform differentiation and feature enhancement.

• Insight Synthesis and Translation: Facilitate educator panels and synthesize diverse feedback into actionable product design opportunities, clearly articulating user needs and translating them into user personas, journey maps, and insight decks.

• Iterative Design and Prototyping: Convert research findings and user pain points into high-fidelity web designs, intuitive screen flows, interactive layouts, and detailed UI specifications using tools like Figma.

• UI/UX Design Refinement: Evaluate and iterate on interface hierarchy, visual design elements, UI text labeling, navigation structures, and overall user experience to optimize usability and engagement.

• Data Visualization Design: Develop clear, visually appealing, and accessible data visualizations (e.g., progress bars, color-coded matrices, grouping indicators) tailored for non-technical users and educators.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with front-end developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure design specifications are understood, feasible, and effectively implemented, providing clear guidance for web structure realities.

• K-12 Data Literacy Application: Apply domain expertise in K-12 grading architectures, standards-based reporting, and formative assessment patterns to design dashboards that meet the immediate data needs of time-constrained educators.

• Accessibility and Compliance Enforcement: Ensure all designs and visualizations adhere to digital accessibility guidelines (WCAG) and relevant compliance standards for K-12 web ecosystems (e.g., FERPA).

• Feedback Loop Management: Establish and manage systematic, iterative research loops to track shifts in user perception, measure long-term platform adoption, and inform ongoing product improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on deep user understanding through research and practical, tangible design output. The specific mention of K-12 assessment and data literacy, along with the need to translate insights directly into production-ready web designs, indicates that candidates must possess a blend of research strategy and practical UI/UX design skills, with a strong emphasis on delivering actionable design artifacts.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Human Factors, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, or a closely related behavioral or technology-focused discipline. Experience:

• Minimum of 7+ years of dedicated professional experience in UX research, interface design, or digital analytics architectures. Required Skills:

• Advanced UX Research: Proven expertise in designing and executing end-to-end qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including user interviews, focus groups, surveys, and usability testing.

• UI/UX Design & Prototyping: Mastery of contemporary UI wireframing and interactive prototyping tools, with a strong portfolio demonstrating high-fidelity mockups and screen flows. Proficiency in Figma is essential.

• Data Visualization: Demonstrated ability to design clear, effective, and accessible data visualizations tailored for user comprehension and decision-making.

• Cross-Functional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to present complex research artifacts (personas, journey maps, insight decks) and design rationale to technical teams and leadership.

• User Advocacy: A strong commitment to understanding and representing the user's needs and perspective throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Web Usability Principles: Deep understanding of web usability, interface hierarchy, and user experience best practices.

Preferred Skills:

• K-12 Educational Domain Expertise: Prior experience as a K-12 classroom teacher, instructional coach, or school-level educator, providing firsthand empathy for educator workflows, administrative burdens, and classroom data usage. Direct familiarity with standards-based grading metrics and formative assessment patterns.

• Front-End Development Literacy: Functional technical understanding of front-end development, specifically the ability to interpret and potentially contribute to HTML5 and CSS3 code to facilitate seamless developer handoffs and understand technical constraints.

• AI Tooling Proficiency: Demonstrated experience leveraging AI productivity systems and predictive tools for tasks such as generating user scripts, synthesizing large datasets, or building rapid prototypes.

• Accessibility Standards: Working familiarity with compliance rules governing K-12 web ecosystems, including WCAG accessibility benchmarks.

• Market & Competitive Analysis: Experience conducting thorough market research and competitive analysis within the EdTech sector.

• Instructional Design Principles: Understanding of instructional design principles and how they apply to educational technology platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The distinction between required and preferred skills emphasizes the need for a strong research and design foundation, but also highly values practical experience within the K-12 education sector and a technical understanding of front-end development. This indicates the company is looking for a candidate who can not only research and design but also effectively communicate and collaborate with engineering teams, bringing a practical perspective to the design process.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Research Case Studies: Comprehensive case studies detailing the research process, methodology, key findings, and the impact of research insights on product decisions and user experience improvements.

• Design Deliverables: Examples of high-fidelity UI mockups, interactive prototypes, and detailed wireframes for web applications, showcasing intuitive screen flows and effective interface hierarchy.

• Data Visualization Examples: Demonstrations of how complex data has been visualized clearly and accessibly for non-technical users, with explanations of the design choices and their intended impact.

• Process Documentation Samples: Evidence of ability to document research plans, user flows, and design specifications in a clear, organized manner suitable for cross-functional team consumption.

• Impact Metrics: Quantifiable results or demonstrated impact of your UX research and design work, such as improvements in user satisfaction, task completion rates, or platform adoption.

Process Documentation:

• Research Methodology Documentation: Clear articulation of research plans, participant recruitment strategies, data collection methods, and synthesis techniques used in past projects.

• Design Specification Documentation: Detailed documentation for UI elements, interaction patterns, visual styles, and accessibility considerations to guide development teams.

• Workflow Optimization Examples: Documentation illustrating how your research and design work has led to the optimization of user workflows and overall system efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "tangible" portfolio that translates research into "clean, interactive, and tangible UI prototypes" suggests that candidates should showcase not just the research process but also the concrete design outputs. The ability to demonstrate how research directly informed design decisions and led to measurable improvements will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

The salary for a Senior UX Research and Design Specialist in the United States, with 7+ years of experience and specialized skills in EdTech and front-end interpretation, typically ranges from $110,000 to $150,000 annually. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for senior UX roles, the demand for hybrid research/design capabilities, and the specific requirements of working within the EdTech sector. Factors such as specific location within the US (though remote), depth of experience, and candidate qualifications can influence the final offer.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Retirement Savings Plan: 401(k) with potential company match.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning, training, conferences, and certifications relevant to UX, design, and EdTech.

• Remote Work Stipend: Potential for a stipend to support home office setup and ongoing remote work expenses.

• Life and Disability Insurance: Standard insurance benefits.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support services for personal and professional well-being.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time role, typically 40 hours per week.

• Flexibility may be offered, with the expectation of availability during core business hours for collaboration with US-based teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary ranges are estimates based on typical market rates for senior-level UX roles in the US, adjusted for the specialized nature of EdTech and the hybrid research/design skill set. The inclusion of professional development and remote work stipends are common benefits for such roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Educational Technology (EdTech)

Company Size: Cambium Learning Group is part of a larger organization, likely employing over 1,000 employees, which indicates a well-established company with structured processes and a broad reach in the education market.

Founded: Information not directly provided but the company operates multiple established brands (Learning A-Z, ExploreLearning, Voyager Sopris Learning), suggesting a history of growth and acquisition in the EdTech space.

Team Structure:

• Product Development Focus: The Senior UX Research and Design Specialist will likely be part of a product development team, collaborating closely with product managers, front-end developers, and potentially other UX/UI designers or researchers.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Expect significant interaction with various departments, including engineering, product management, curriculum development, and potentially marketing, to ensure user-centricity across all product initiatives.

• Reporting: Likely reports to a Director or VP of Product, UX, or Design, overseeing the user experience strategy for specific platforms.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Cambium Learning Group emphasizes a "research-based, personalized approach" and the importance of "data, instruction, and practice." This suggests that data analysis and evidence-based decision-making are core to their operations.

• User-Centric Design: The role's focus on "user advocacy" and translating "educator insights" points to a strong commitment to user-centered design principles.

• Agile Development: While not explicitly stated, EdTech companies often operate using agile methodologies, implying iterative development cycles, continuous feedback, and collaboration.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to help "all students reach their potential" and its multi-brand structure suggest a company deeply invested in educational outcomes. The emphasis on data and research indicates that a candidate who can leverage data effectively and ground their design decisions in evidence will thrive.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role, requiring significant expertise and the ability to lead projects independently. It sits at a critical juncture, translating strategic research into tactical design execution.

Reporting Structure: Typically reports to a senior leader within the Product or Design organization (e.g., Director of UX/Product Design). May have indirect influence over junior team members or external research participants.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the usability, effectiveness, and adoption of critical K-12 educational platforms. By ensuring these tools are intuitive and meet the needs of educators, this role directly contributes to improved student learning outcomes and teacher efficiency, thus impacting the company's mission and revenue.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in UX Strategy: Potential to grow into a UX Lead or Manager role, overseeing a team of researchers and designers, and shaping the overall UX strategy for product lines.

• Specialization in EdTech UX: Deepen expertise within the K-12 EdTech domain, becoming a subject matter expert in educational data, assessment platforms, and learning technologies.

• Cross-Disciplinary Skill Development: Opportunity to further develop skills in areas like product management, technical architecture understanding, or advanced AI applications in design.

• Influence on Product Roadmap: Contribute significantly to product strategy and roadmap prioritization based on user insights and design innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: This senior role offers a clear path for impact and growth within the EdTech space. The hybrid nature of the role (research + design) provides a broad skill set that is highly valuable. The opportunity to influence product direction based on user needs is a significant draw for experienced UX professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This offers flexibility and autonomy, requiring strong self-management and communication skills.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the company has a significant presence in the US, with headquarters likely in Texas (based on typical EdTech hubs and historical data for these brands). The remote nature means employees can be located anywhere within the US, potentially with timezone considerations for collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Home Office Setup: Employees are expected to maintain a productive and professional home office environment.

• Digital Collaboration Tools: Reliance on digital collaboration platforms (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, project management tools) for communication, meetings, and workflow management.

• Asynchronous Communication: Emphasis on clear written communication and documentation to facilitate effective collaboration across different schedules and locations.

Work Schedule:

• Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility in daily hours provided core collaboration times are met. The role requires availability for user interviews and team meetings, which may sometimes fall outside typical 9-5 depending on participant availability or team needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of the role necessitates a candidate who is highly self-motivated, organized, and proficient in digital communication tools. The company's established presence suggests a structured approach to remote work, with support for remote employees.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

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

• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into experience, research methodology, design philosophy, and problem-solving approaches.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A crucial stage where candidates present a curated portfolio of their work, focusing on case studies that demonstrate both research rigor and tangible design outcomes. This may be followed by a practical design exercise or problem-solving scenario related to K-12 data visualization or assessment interfaces.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key team members (e.g., product managers, lead developers) to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and fit within the broader product team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase the Hybrid Skillset: Present projects that clearly demonstrate both your UX research process (from discovery to synthesis) and your tangible design output (wireframes, prototypes, final designs).

• Focus on K-12 Relevance: Highlight projects within the education sector, or demonstrate how you've applied research and design principles to complex data, reporting, or assessment tools.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrates the positive impact of your work on users and business goals.

• Explain Your "Why": For each project, articulate the problem, your approach, the decisions you made (and why), and the outcomes.

• Demonstrate Design-to-Development Handoff: If possible, show how you've prepared design specifications or collaborated with developers to ensure successful implementation.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the EdTech Context: Research Cambium Learning Group's products and mission. Familiarize yourself with common challenges in K-12 EdTech, such as data privacy, accessibility, teacher workload, and diverse student needs.

• Practice Data Visualization: Be prepared to discuss or design visualizations for educational data (e.g., student progress, assessment results, teacher performance metrics).

• Articulate Design Rationale: For any design task, be ready to explain your thought process, the user needs you are addressing, and the trade-offs you considered.

• Prepare for Technical Discussions: Brush up on HTML/CSS basics and be ready to discuss how your designs would be implemented on the web.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and potential design challenge underscores the practical, hands-on nature of this role. Candidates should prepare to not only discuss their experience but also demonstrate their skills with concrete examples and problem-solving exercises relevant to the EdTech domain.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX/UI Design & Prototyping: Figma (essential), Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision.

• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey.

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Workspace.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello, Monday.com.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics.

• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI (understanding principles is key, direct tool mastery may vary).

• Reporting Dashboards: Proficiency in interpreting and contributing to dashboards that track user engagement and platform performance.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how user data is managed and how automation might impact user workflows is beneficial.

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with how web content is managed can be helpful.

Development-Related:

• HTML5 & CSS3: Functional understanding for interpreting and communicating design specifications to developers.

• Developer Tools: Browser developer consoles for inspecting UI elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is highlighted as essential. The inclusion of front-end development understanding (HTML/CSS) is a key differentiator for this role, suggesting a need for a candidate who can bridge the gap between design and engineering more effectively than a traditional UX researcher.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of K-12 educators and students.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilizing research data and analytics to guide product strategy and design choices.

• Innovation and Continuous Improvement: A drive to explore new approaches, leverage technology (including AI), and constantly refine products based on feedback and evolving user needs.

• Collaboration and Transparency: Working effectively across teams, sharing insights openly, and fostering a supportive environment for idea exchange.

• Impact and Mission Alignment: A shared passion for improving educational outcomes and supporting educators.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Actively partners with product management, engineering, and other stakeholders to ensure a unified approach to product development.

• Iterative Feedback Loops: Encourages ongoing feedback from users and internal teams to drive continuous refinement of designs and research approaches.

• Knowledge Sharing: Promotes sharing of research findings, design best practices, and lessons learned across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission-driven nature in EdTech suggests a culture that values impact and collaboration. The emphasis on data and research indicates a preference for evidence-based approaches, which should be reflected in how candidates present their work and interact with teams.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Research Rigor with Design Velocity: Effectively managing the demands of in-depth research while producing timely, high-fidelity designs and prototypes for agile development cycles.

• Translating Complex Data for Diverse Users: Simplifying intricate K-12 assessment data and reporting standards into intuitive and actionable interfaces for educators with varying technical proficiencies and time constraints.

• Bridging the Gap Between Design and Engineering: Ensuring seamless handoffs and clear communication with front-end developers, especially with the requirement for understanding HTML/CSS.

• Navigating the EdTech Landscape: Adapting to evolving educational technologies, pedagogical approaches, and compliance regulations within the K-12 sector.

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

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deepen EdTech Expertise: Gain specialized knowledge in K-12 assessment, learning analytics, and educational technology trends.

• Enhance Technical Design Skills: Further develop proficiency in advanced prototyping techniques, front-end development interpretation, and potentially AI-assisted design tools.

• Strategic UX Leadership: Grow into roles that involve shaping product strategy, leading UX initiatives, and mentoring junior team members.

• Industry Conferences and Certifications: Opportunities to attend relevant UX, design, and EdTech conferences or pursue certifications to stay current with industry best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: Recognizing these challenges and framing them as opportunities for growth and skill development will be crucial for candidates. The company's focus on innovation suggests a supportive environment for tackling complex problems.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to translate complex user feedback into a tangible product design. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your hybrid research-to-design process and impact.)

• "How do you approach designing dashboards for educators who are time-constrained and may not be highly technical? Walk us through your considerations for data visualization and usability." (Test your K-12 data literacy and design thinking.)

• "Imagine you've identified a key usability issue in a K-12 assessment platform. How would you research this, design a solution, and collaborate with developers to implement it, considering HTML/CSS constraints?" (Assess your end-to-end process and collaboration skills.)

• "Describe your experience using AI tools to enhance your UX research or design workflow. What are the benefits and limitations you've encountered?" (Evaluate your familiarity with AI tooling.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Cambium Learning Group's mission and its role in the K-12 EdTech space?" (Show your alignment with the company's purpose.)

• "How do you ensure user advocacy is maintained throughout the product development lifecycle, especially when working remotely?" (Assess your understanding of user-centricity and remote collaboration.)

• "How do you stay current with WCAG accessibility standards and FERPA privacy regulations relevant to educational technology?" (Verify your knowledge of compliance.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your research methodology, your design process, key challenges, your solutions, and the measurable impact.

• Emphasize the "Why": Explain the rationale behind your research questions and design decisions.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals (screenshots, prototypes, flow diagrams) to illustrate your work.

• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, present metrics demonstrating the success of your designs or research findings.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific tools, methodologies, and your decision-making process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating the unique blend of research and design skills required for this role, along with a strong understanding of the K-12 EdTech context and the ability to communicate technical concepts effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Cambium Learning Group careers page.

• Craft a Targeted Cover Letter: Highlight your specific experience in UX research, UI design, and your passion for the EdTech sector. Explicitly address how your skills align with translating educator insights into tangible web designs and your understanding of K-12 assessment data.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 strong case studies that showcase your end-to-end UX research process, your high-fidelity design deliverables (especially for web interfaces), and any experience with data visualization or educational platforms. Ensure it demonstrates your ability to work with tools like Figma and your understanding of front-end principles.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 7+ years of experience, focusing on keywords such as UX Research, UI Design, Figma, Prototyping, Data Visualization, Accessibility, K-12 Education, EdTech, and any front-end development familiarity. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare for a Design Challenge: Be ready to discuss your approach to a hypothetical design problem related to educational data or assessment, and prepare to present your portfolio effectively during interviews.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.