Lead, UX Designer
6 days ago
Madrid
ppReports to: Product Officer, English Language Learning /p pPart of: Product Leadership Team /p pScope: Global UX organisation, 3-4 teams /p pLocation: Hybrid, 2 days per week in the Madrid office /p h3Description /h3 pThis is a group-level leadership role, equivalent in scope and seniority to a Head of role. The Lead, UX Designer is a senior leadership role accountable for the user experience of Pearson's English Language Learning (ELL) products globally. The role leads the ELL UX organisation, setting design direction across the portfolio of digital learner and teacher experiences and ensuring that customer insight, design craft, and operational excellence translate into measurable outcomes for the ELL business. The role sits within the ELL Product organisation, reports to the Product Officer, English Language Learning, and is a member of the ELL Product Leadership Team. It partners closely with Product Management, Engineering, Content, Marketing, Sales, and Pearson's central design community to ensure design strategy and execution are aligned to ELL priorities and the wider Pearson design system. The role leads a global UX organisation of approximately 15–20 colleagues, including design managers and individual contributors, across Product UX for assessment, learner and teacher digital experiences; service and content design; user research; and design systems and UX operations. /p h3Key Responsibilities /h3 h3Design Leadership Direction /h3 ul liSet the UX direction for ELL, translating product strategy into design strategy and clear team-level execution priorities. /li liDrive customer experience outcomes across multiple squads, journeys, and surfaces so that learners and teachers experience ELL as one connected system. /li liOwn product‑area UX quality, consistency, and cohesion; raise UX maturity across teams so quality is stable and not dependent on individuals. /li liRole‑model holistic ecosystem mapping and service‑design thinking when shaping multi‑product, multi‑touchpoint experiences. /li /ul h3Customer Insight Design Strategy /h3 ul liLead user research and customer‑discovery practice across ELL, ensuring deep, repeatable insight into learner and teacher needs informs product decisions. /li liDefine design strategies and value propositions grounded in research, behavioural data, and pedagogy. /li liPartner with regional and segment leaders to localise experiences for institutional, enterprise, and consumer learners while protecting global coherence. /li /ul h3Design Systems, Craft Operations /h3 ul liOwn ELL's design system and UX operations, scaling frictionless delivery of interaction, usability, and accessibility patterns across teams. /li liCreate and maintain a UX playbook covering best‑in‑class workflows, UX/AI design, and content strategy. /li liOperationalise scalable, rule‑based product design systems that raise the floor of craft and accelerate delivery. /li /ul h3Cross‑Functional Partnership Operating Model /h3 ul liOperate as a peer to Product, Engineering, and Program leaders; act as a strategic product and thought partner to the ELL Product Leadership Team. /li liBuild product‑area roadmap alignment with cross‑functional leadership and use clear RACI, escalation, and decision‑making frameworks so teams align without constant escalation. /li liCoach cross‑functional teams on prioritisation, trade‑offs, and decisions, balancing time‑boxed delivery pressure with long‑term experience quality. /li /ul h3Leadership Team Development /h3 ul liLead, coach, and develop a high‑performing global team of design managers and senior ICs; scale impact through leaders rather than direct execution. /li liOwn team hiring, calibration, learning and development, and succession planning for the ELL UX organisation. /li liFoster collaboration, inclusion and accountability across geographies and disciplines, and contribute actively to Pearson's design and leadership communities. /li /ul h3Expected Results /h3 ul liConsistent, measurable UX quality across ELL's product area, with clear evidence of cross‑team design coherence. /li liCustomer outcomes—engagement, satisfaction, learning effectiveness, accessibility—improving as a result of design strategy and craft, not isolated effort. /li liPredictable design delivery: managers and senior ICs make strong decisions without escalation, and trade‑offs are clear and intentional. /li liA mature, well‑adopted ELL design system and research practice that reduce duplication and accelerate teams. /li liTeam capability growth, engagement and retention; a strong leadership bench across managers and senior ICs. /li /ul h3Experience /h3 ul li12+ years' experience in UX, product design, or design leadership, including 5+ years leading multi‑team design organisations or managing managers. /li liProven success setting design direction across complex, multi‑product portfolios and shipping experiences at scale. /li liTrack record of building and operating mature design systems, research practices, and UX operating models. /li liExperience partnering with senior Product and Engineering leaders in matrixed, global organisations. /li liFamiliarity with English language learning, EdTech, or adjacent education markets strongly preferred. /li libEssential — /b Bachelor's degree in Design, Human‑Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience). /li libPreferred — /b Master's degree in Design, HCI, UX, or a related discipline. /li /ul h3Skills /h3 h3Pearson Power Skills /h3 ul liAdaptability (Effective); Artificial Intelligence (Intermediate); Learning to Learn (Effective). /li /ul h3Core Job Family Skills /h3 ul liCustomer Discovery (Experienced); Data Analysis (Effective); Design Thinking (Intermediate); Product Development (Intermediate); Storytelling (Effective); Strategic Thinking (Experienced); Technology Roadmap (Experienced). /li /ul h3Role‑Based Skills — Today /h3 ul liDesign Leadership (Experienced); Design Strategies (Experienced); Product Design (Experienced); User Experience Design (UX) (Experienced); Wireframing (Experienced). /li /ul h3Role‑Based Skills — Future / Emerging /h3 ul liApplications of Artificial Intelligence (Intermediate); Artificial Intelligence (Intermediate); Business Acumen (Intermediate); Prompt Engineering (Capable). /li /ul h3Leadership Attributes /h3 ul liCustomer‑obsessed and insight‑driven; keeps learners and teachers at the centre of design decisions. /li liStrategic thinker who connects portfolio vision to team‑level execution. /li liPlayer‑coach and leader of leaders; scales impact through people, systems, and craft. /li liInclusive, empowering communicator who creates clarity in ambiguity. /li liCommitted to delivering measurable impact for learners, customers and Pearson. /li /ul h3Behavioural Expectations /h3 ul liPuts customer needs at the centre of all design decisions, removing obstacles and championing experiences that exceed expectations. /li liWorks across Product, Engineering, Content and Marketing to align around shared outcomes, breaking down silos to maximise value for customers and Pearson. /li liSets and upholds high standards of craft, quality and pace, encouraging continuous learning and measurable improvement across the UX organisation. /li liLeads with clarity, energy and integrity. Motivates teams through purpose and accountability, and role‑models the behaviours expected across Pearson. /li /ul /p #J-18808-Ljbffr