Teamlead UX, Design & Research (d/m/w)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Teamlead UX, Design & Research (d/m/w)

Company: Haufe Group

Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UX/Design/Research Leadership

Date Posted: April 23, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and develop a 14-person interdisciplinary team of UX concept, design, and research experts, fostering a user-centric mindset across the organization.

• Drive advancements in product discovery methodologies and data-driven decision-making, integrating quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

• Champion the evolution of design systems and ensure seamless, collaborative partnerships between product management, technology, and UX teams.

• Synchronize efforts and foster strong collaboration with the Barcelona office to enhance cross-functional synergy and knowledge sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a leadership position within the UX, Design, and Research disciplines. While not a traditional Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM role, the emphasis on user-centricity, product discovery, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration directly impacts GTM strategies and revenue enablement through superior product experiences. The leadership aspect involves managing operational workflows within the UX team to ensure efficient delivery and continuous improvement.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Provide disciplinary and technical leadership for a team of 14 UX specialists in concept, design, and research, ensuring high-quality output and team development.

• Drive the professional and methodological advancement of the UX team through coaching, training, and mentorship, aligning individual growth with organizational objectives.

• Foster strong interdisciplinary collaboration between the UX team, product management, and technology departments to ensure cohesive product development and strategy execution.

• Cultivate and strengthen a user-centric mindset throughout the entire organization, advocating for user needs in all product-related decisions.

• Establish and maintain clear responsibilities, transparent goals, and effective collaboration frameworks within the UX team and with cross-functional partners.

• Oversee the continuous development and refinement of design systems in close coordination with various product and development teams.

• Promote and implement product discovery methods and data-driven work practices to inform design decisions and enhance product effectiveness.

• Ensure transparent communication of team goals, progress, and challenges to stakeholders across the organization.

• Facilitate synchronization and collaboration with the Barcelona office to strengthen international teamwork and leverage global expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on team development, process enhancement, and strategic alignment. For operations professionals, this translates to managing and optimizing workflows, ensuring data integrity in decision-making, and facilitating cross-functional operational efficiency. The emphasis on design systems and user-centricity impacts the operational aspects of product deployment and customer onboarding.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Several years of leadership experience, or demonstrable experience in the technical management of teams.

• Proven track record in developing and coaching teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.

• Extensive experience in product discovery methods, integrating quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research to drive user insights.

Required Skills:

• Team Leadership & Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop a team of UX professionals.

• UX Design & Research Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of UX design principles, user research methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods), and product discovery techniques.

• Design Systems: Strong understanding and experience in creating, maintaining, and evolving design systems.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in leveraging user data and analytics to inform design strategies and product roadmaps.

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Excellent ability to foster strong working relationships and collaborate effectively with product management, engineering, and other cross-functional teams.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity and experience working within agile development frameworks.

• Strategic Planning & Communication: Ability to set clear goals, communicate effectively, and articulate strategic vision.

• Coaching & Mentorship: Passion for developing team members and fostering their professional growth.

• Empathy & People Skills: High level of empathy and strong interpersonal skills for effective team and stakeholder management.

• German Language Proficiency: C1 level.

• English Language Proficiency: B2 level.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working with international teams and coordinating efforts across different locations (e.g., Freiburg and Barcelona).

• Familiarity with current trends and tools in the UX discipline to introduce new ideas and innovations.

• Experience in strengthening a user-centric mindset across a broader organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize a blend of leadership, technical UX expertise, and strategic thinking. For operations roles, this translates to managing teams responsible for operationalizing user feedback, ensuring data flows for analysis, and aligning product operations with user needs. The language requirements are specific and critical for effective communication in this international role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Team Leadership Case Studies: Demonstrate successful leadership of UX teams, highlighting team growth, process improvements, and successful project delivery.

• Product Discovery Frameworks: Showcase experience in designing and implementing product discovery processes, including user research, ideation, and validation techniques.

• Design System Implementation: Provide examples of design systems you have helped develop or evolve, illustrating their impact on consistency, efficiency, and user experience.

• Data-Driven Process Examples: Illustrate how you've used quantitative and qualitative data to drive design decisions and optimize user flows, demonstrating measurable impact.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Optimization: Document examples of how you have optimized UX team workflows for efficiency, collaboration, and timely delivery.

• Cross-Functional Process Integration: Showcase how you have integrated UX processes with product management and technology development lifecycles.

• Performance Measurement: Outline methods used to measure the effectiveness of UX initiatives, team performance, and the impact of design on user engagement and business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is not directly in operations, the expectations for demonstrating process optimization, data-driven approaches, and system (design system) management are highly relevant to operations professionals. Candidates should prepare to discuss how their leadership style and methodological approach contribute to efficient and effective operational outcomes within the UX domain.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Hybrid Work Model: A combination of office presence and home office, offering flexibility and work-life balance.

• Flexible Working Hours: Adaptable work schedules to accommodate personal needs and team coordination.

• Professional Development Opportunities: Access to training, workshops, and resources for continuous learning and career advancement.

• Great Place to Work® Certified: Recognition for a positive and supportive work environment.

• International Collaboration: Opportunity to work with teams in Freiburg and Barcelona, broadening professional horizons.

• Innovative Environment: Exposure to cutting-edge AI technologies and intelligent solutions within the Haufe Group.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible arrangements as part of the hybrid and flexible working hours policy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation for a Team Lead role in Germany, considering the specified experience level and responsibilities. Actual compensation will be determined by the company based on individual qualifications and market conditions. The benefits reflect a modern work environment that values employee well-being and professional growth, which are key considerations for operations professionals seeking a sustainable career.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software and Knowledge Solutions, specializing in intelligent solutions that make knowledge intuitively applicable, leveraging AI technologies.

Company Size: The Haufe Group is a significant player, with its UX team comprising 14 experts and international collaboration with Barcelona, suggesting a medium to large organizational structure.

Founded: The Haufe Group has a history of providing reliable expertise, indicating a stable and established company culture that values deep knowledge and innovation.

Team Structure:

• The UX team is a core part of the Product division, comprising 14 specialists in concept, design, and research.

• The Team Lead reports into a higher management level within the Product division, likely a Head of Product or similar role.

Methodology:

• User-Centricity: A fundamental principle guiding all UX activities.

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Emphasis on seamless teamwork across different functional areas.

• Agile Principles: Application of agile methodologies in product development and team operations.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategies and product enhancements.

• Modern Tooling: Use of contemporary tools to support design, research, and collaboration.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Haufe Group's focus on intelligent solutions and AI aligns with a forward-thinking operational approach. The company culture values expertise, innovation, and a structured yet agile working environment. For operations professionals, this suggests a data-informed, process-oriented organization that embraces technological advancements.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a senior leadership position within UX, Design, and Research. It involves strategic oversight and team development, equating to a management or senior lead level. For operations professionals, this level often involves managing operational budgets, optimizing team capacity, and contributing to strategic GTM planning through enhanced product user experience.

Reporting Structure: The Team Lead reports to a higher-level manager within the Product organization. This structure allows for strategic alignment and provides a pathway for career progression into more senior management roles, such as Head of UX, Director of Product Design, or VP of Product.

Operations Impact: While this role is UX-focused, its impact on revenue and business decisions is significant. By leading the creation of superior customer experiences, the Team Lead directly influences customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction, all of which are critical drivers of revenue. Optimizing product discovery and user-centric design operationalizes customer feedback into actionable product improvements, thereby enhancing market competitiveness and revenue potential.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to progress into Head of UX, Director of Design, or similar senior leadership roles within the Haufe Group, overseeing larger teams or multiple disciplines.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the product strategy and user experience vision for the entire organization, impacting key business decisions.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven design, advanced product discovery techniques, or scaling design systems across large organizations.

• International Exposure: Further develop skills in managing and collaborating with geographically dispersed teams, enhancing international leadership capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career path for a UX Team Lead emphasizes strategic leadership and operational excellence in user experience. For operations professionals, understanding this path highlights the importance of user-centricity in driving business outcomes and the career opportunities in roles that bridge product development with operational efficiency.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The Haufe Group offers a hybrid work model, combining office presence with remote work. This suggests a modern office environment designed for collaboration, innovation, and focused work.

Office Location(s): The primary location for this role is Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, with established collaboration with a Barcelona office. This provides opportunities for international exposure and diverse team interactions.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office likely features spaces conducive to teamwork, brainstorming, and cross-functional meetings essential for UX, Product Management, and Technology alignment.

• Technology & Tools: Access to up-to-date UX research tools, design software, and collaboration platforms necessary for effective team operations.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with the UX team, product managers, developers, and other stakeholders, fostering a dynamic and integrated work environment.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are offered, allowing team members to structure their days effectively. This flexibility is crucial for managing diverse workloads, accommodating different time zones if necessary for international collaboration, and ensuring optimal productivity in UX research and design tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and flexible work environment is a key aspect for operations professionals, indicating a focus on productivity and employee well-being. The office setup is likely optimized for collaborative work, which is critical for efficient operational processes and interdepartmental alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application and CV to assess alignment with the core requirements, focusing on leadership experience and UX expertise.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion to delve deeper into your leadership philosophy, team management style, and strategic approach to UX, design, and research. This stage will likely explore your experience with product discovery and design systems.

• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key team members and cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Product Management, Technology leads) to evaluate collaboration skills, cultural fit, and alignment with the company's user-centric and agile principles.

• Portfolio Presentation/Case Study: A session where you present relevant case studies from your portfolio, showcasing your leadership impact, process improvements, and data-driven decision-making.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss strategic fit and long-term vision for the UX team and its contribution to the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Leadership Impact: Clearly articulate your role in leading and developing teams. Quantify achievements in team growth, skill enhancement, and project success rates.

• Process Optimization: Showcase specific examples of how you've improved UX workflows, integrated research into development cycles, and fostered data-driven practices. Use diagrams if helpful.

• Design System Contribution: Detail your involvement in design system development or evolution, highlighting its impact on consistency, efficiency, and user experience across products.

• Data-Driven Case Studies: Present concrete examples of how you've used quantitative and qualitative data to inform design decisions, solve user problems, and drive measurable business outcomes. Focus on the "why" and the "so what."

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate your ability to work effectively with Product Management and Technology teams, demonstrating how you've bridged gaps and ensured alignment.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss hypothetical scenarios related to team challenges, cross-functional conflicts, or strategic shifts in product direction.

• Think about how you would approach implementing new product discovery methods or evolving design systems within a large organization.

• Consider how you would measure the success of your team and its impact on product and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical demonstration of leadership and UX expertise. For operations professionals, this means highlighting transferable skills in process management, data analysis, stakeholder communication, and strategic planning within the context of UX leadership.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) - essential for design execution and prototyping.

• Prototyping Tools: InVision, Figma, Axure RP - for creating interactive prototypes to test user flows and gather feedback.

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Jira - for team communication, project management, and documentation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics - for tracking user behavior on digital platforms.

• User Feedback Tools: Hotjar, SurveyMonkey, Typeform - for collecting qualitative feedback and conducting user surveys.

• A/B Testing Tools: Optimizely, Google Optimize - for conducting experiments to test design variations and optimize user experience.

CRM & Automation:

Research Tools:

• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Lookback - for conducting remote usability testing and interviews.

• Persona & Journey Mapping Tools: Miro, Smaply - for visualizing user insights and mapping customer journeys.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in modern UX tools is critical. For operations professionals, understanding this stack highlights the data sources and tools that inform user experience, which in turn impacts customer onboarding, support, and retention strategies. Familiarity with how UX insights feed into operational processes is valuable.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A core value that drives all decisions, ensuring products are designed with the end-user in mind.

• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork and open communication to achieve shared goals.

• Data-Driven: A commitment to using data and insights to inform strategies and measure impact.

• Continuous Improvement: A drive to constantly learn, adapt, and optimize processes and outcomes.

• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and embracing modern technologies like AI to create cutting-edge solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively working with Product Management and Technology to ensure seamless product development and delivery.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing an iterative approach to design and development, with regular feedback loops.

• Knowledge Sharing: Fostering an environment where team members share insights, best practices, and support each other's growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values emphasize a structured, data-informed, and collaborative approach, which aligns well with the principles of effective operations management. The focus on user-centricity is a key driver for customer success and revenue generation.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Systems: Effectively managing and evolving design systems as the product suite and organization grow.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Navigating diverse requirements from Product Management, Technology, and business stakeholders while maintaining a strong user focus.

• Integrating AI in UX: Exploring and integrating cutting-edge AI technologies into user experiences responsibly and effectively.

• International Team Synchronization: Ensuring seamless collaboration and consistent quality across geographically dispersed teams (Freiburg and Barcelona).

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to hone leadership skills through coaching, mentorship, and managing a growing team.

• Industry Trends: Staying ahead of the curve with advancements in UX, AI, and product discovery methodologies through conferences, training, and internal knowledge sharing.

• Strategic Impact: Gaining exposure to broader business strategy and contributing to the company's overall product vision and direction.

• Cross-Cultural Management: Developing expertise in managing and motivating international teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: These challenges and opportunities highlight the dynamic nature of the role, requiring adaptability and continuous learning – traits highly valued in operations. Overcoming these challenges often involves strong operational planning and process refinement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you foster a user-centric mindset across a non-UX team?" (Focus on education, advocacy, and embedding user feedback loops into their processes.)

• "Describe your approach to developing and scaling a design system. What are the key operational considerations?" (Highlight governance, documentation, adoption strategies, and integration with development workflows.)

• "How do you balance the need for rigorous product discovery with the pressure for rapid delivery in an agile environment?" (Discuss iterative discovery, lean UX methods, and building feedback into sprints.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Haufe Group's mission and how do you see UX contributing to it?" (Research their focus on intelligent solutions and AI.)

• "How would you ensure effective collaboration between our Freiburg and Barcelona UX teams?" (Discuss communication tools, shared processes, and cultural sensitivity.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio around key themes: Leadership, Product Discovery, Design Systems, and Data-Driven Impact.

• Storytelling: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role, the process you followed (highlighting operational aspects), the solutions implemented, and the measurable results (quantify where possible).

• Process Focus: Emphasize the "how" – the methodologies, tools, and collaborative processes you utilized. This is crucial for demonstrating operational understanding.

• Data Visualization: If presenting data, use clear and concise visuals. Explain how data informed your decisions and impacted outcomes.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present your most impactful projects efficiently, respecting the interviewers' time.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for these questions requires candidates to think about their experience through an operational lens, demonstrating how they manage processes, utilize data, and drive efficiency within their teams.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Teamlead UX, Design & Research position:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the online application form via the provided link.

• Tailor Your CV: Ensure your resume highlights leadership experience, UX/Design/Research expertise, and any experience with product discovery, design systems, or data-driven methodologies. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio that showcases your leadership achievements, process improvements, and impactful UX projects. Focus on case studies that demonstrate your ability to manage teams, drive user-centricity, and leverage data.

• Research Haufe Group: Familiarize yourself with Haufe Group's products, mission, and values. Understand their market position and how UX contributes to their strategic goals.

• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation and prepare to articulate your leadership philosophy and strategic approach to UX challenges.

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

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