Lead UX Designer

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority • Boston, MA

6d

About The Position

The Lead UX Designer delivers UX design and research on complex, ambiguous problems spanning rider journeys, user types, or operational scenarios. The role brings clarity to complicated scopes, makes independent design decisions, and drives work from problem definition through shipped outcomes. The designer advocates for riders and staff while accounting for agency priorities and constraints, and designs accessible information architectures, content systems, reusable patterns, and interactions. The role partners with stakeholders and cross-functional teams, provides design leadership and coaching, and leads accessibility practices. It also follows and improves design and research processes and protects data security, compliance, and privacy in accordance with industry and MBTA policies. The position has no direct reports. Additional duties or department- or location-specific responsibilities may be assigned.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and six years of relevant professional experience, subject to the listed education and experience substitutions. Candidates may be asked to complete job-related technical assessments, such as presenting a UX case study or completing a timed whiteboarding exercise. The position requires the ability to commute to assigned locations in the Boston, Massachusetts metro area and to work shifts or locations as assigned. MBTA employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship and must pass applicable screening requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or a listed substitution: a high school diploma or GED plus seven additional years of directly related experience; an associate’s degree plus three additional years of directly related experience; or a related master’s degree substituting for two years of general experience.
• Six years of relevant professional experience in UX design, product design, and/or interaction design, including experience designing complex digital products that integrate operational systems, real-time data, or customer-facing experiences.
• Experience conducting or leading UX research and applying findings to product, service, or design decisions.
• Experience designing end-to-end experiences spanning multiple touchpoints or systems.
• Working knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive design practices for digital products or services.
• Experience on cross-functional teams that include product management, engineering, and business, operational, or stakeholder partners.
• Experience providing design leadership through mentoring, coaching, establishing best practices, or influencing product and organizational decisions.
• A nationally recognized or statewide/professional certification in a related field may substitute for one year of experience.
• Ability to read, comprehend, communicate, and respond to instructions and other communications in English.
• At least 18 years of age, except for participants in an approved high school internship or co-op program.
• Ability to commute to assigned work locations in the Boston, Massachusetts metro area as required.
• Ability to provide courteous and professional experiences to internal and external customers; work effectively independently and as part of a diverse workforce; and uphold MBTA interests while maintaining effective workplace relationships.
• Ability to adhere to MBTA rules, regulations, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and policies, including EEO, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-retaliation policies.
• Satisfactory work record for the two years immediately before the posting’s closing date, subject to the stated exception for current students or recent graduates.
• Ability to pass applicable CORI, background, medical clinic, and other screenings, which may include a physical examination and drug and alcohol screenings.
• Ability to work shifts and locations as assigned, directed, or necessary for the position.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States on an unrestricted basis; the MBTA does not provide employer work sponsorship. A U.S. Social Security Number and completion of Form I-9 are required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing complex digital products that integrate customer-facing experiences, operational workflows, business rules, payments, eligibility requirements, or real-time information.
• Experience with service design methods, including journey mapping, ecosystem mapping, and cross-channel experience design.
• Experience designing for complex, constraint-heavy contexts, such as government, healthcare, financial services, or other regulated industries.
• Experience in public sector, mobility, or civic technology.
• Experience using qualitative research, analytics, operational data, or performance metrics to inform design decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver UX work on complex problems across journeys, user types, and operational contexts, ensuring work is coherent and complete.
• Define UX research scope during planning, determine when and why research is needed, identify knowledge gaps, and help teams act on research findings.
• Shape product direction by advocating for riders and staff while understanding agency priorities and constraints.
• Design intuitive, accessible information architectures, content systems, reusable patterns, and interactions; determine when to extend existing systems or create new patterns and structures.
• Understand and design for users’ full contexts across journeys and touchpoints, frame problems around real needs, and champion end-to-end experiences.
• Partner strategically with stakeholders to frame problems and align teams around user-centered approaches.
• Lead design efforts by sharing expertise through design reviews, critique, and pairing, and contribute to a collaborative team environment.
• Lead accessibility work by anticipating risks, ensuring inclusive design, and coaching others in accessible design practices.
• Follow and improve design practices, including alignment frameworks, design system use, file organization, design reviews, research documentation, usability testing, and accessibility reviews.
• Protect data security, compliance, and privacy by following best practices and established industry and MBTA policies, standards, and procedures for research, design, documentation, and data handling.
• Perform other assigned duties and projects; additional responsibilities may focus on one or more departments or locations.

Benefits

• Internship and co-op employees are eligible for accrued paid sick leave and a monthly transportation pass at no cost, based on their commuting city; no additional intern or co-op benefits are currently offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior