UX Studio Lead
(UX Manager)

Overview

Our major energy client in Houston is looking for an experienced UX Manager to lead their Tech Center UX Studio as the Studio Lead.  This is a key role within their Digital Technology commercial software organization, leading a team of UX designers and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure that the digital products and services are designed with the user in mind.

The Studio Lead will provide leadership to designers who are working in an array of projects.  Responsible for managing resourcing, representing UX in the Center, establishing and innovating on user-centered design processes, and ensuring that the team delivers exceptional user experiences that meet business goals.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in UX design, process and management, with a passion for creating innovative user experiences that meet business objectives and exceed user expectations.

This could be the job for you if:

• You are a seasoned Enterprise UX Manager (minimum of 5 years) – this role may not be a good fit for someone with no experience in people or UX project management
• You have a proven record as a design practitioner on a variety of complex, enterprise scale projects
• You are a passionate leader who can motivate, inspire, and guide their team towards success – able to provide clear direction and guidance while also being open to feedback and collaboration
• You are a strategic thinker who is able to see the big picture and align UX goals with overall business objectives – able to identify areas for improvement and develop plans to achieve them
• You are a strong communicator who is able to articulate design decisions, UX strategy, and team goals clearly and effectively to team members, executives, and clients

You’re good at:

• Leading a UX team and managing their activities, including project planning, design reviews, and mentoring
• Leading the creation of experiences that go beyond good design into delighting users
• Consultatively engaging with product teams to understand user needs and translate those into actionable outcomes
• Scheduling and coordinating expert resources across a number of projects, and assuring outstanding results
• Leading and contributing to the design of complex projects from Discovery to Delivery, including everything in between & beyond (Evolution)
• Reviewing requirements gathered from client stakeholders and subject matter experts, and exploring how these can be translated into compelling design concepts and solutions
• Helping non-UX professionals to understand the value of UX and adopt UX practices – we believe the user’s experience is a shared responsibility and want to take everyone involved on the journey

Bonus points:

While this is predominantly a management role it’s our experience that design leads often like to keep their skills fresh by getting hands-on from time to time.  If that’s you these skills could set you apart from the pack!

• Planning and facilitating workshops to help you, your team, and customers discover needs, set project direction, and ideate solutions
• Participating in and sometimes leading research to help you and your team generate understanding and empathy for your users and their needs
• Communicating your design ideas to team members and stakeholders using sketches, storyboards, and mockups

To enable us to consider you for this role you must be able to send us a portfolio or narrated selection of work examples.  We very much want to be able to see how you consider, approach and resolve real-world UX challenges.