Lead UX Designer

Grainger Businesses • Lake Forest, IL

1d • $123,000 - $205,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

At Grainger, we are the destination for “the ones that get it done.” We are looking for a Lead User Experience Designer to shape the future of Search and Guidance across Grainger.com. This highly visible role is responsible for leading experience strategy and design for one of the most critical parts of our digital customer journey - helping customers discover products, navigate a complex assortment, and make confident purchasing decisions. The ideal candidate will combine human-centered analytical skills, exceptional UX, UI, visual design expertise and strategic systems thinking to translate complex business and customer needs into simple, intuitive experiences. This role will be aligned to Search and Guidance for Grainger.com. You will report to the Director, UX Design. This is a hybrid position that is based in Lake Forest or Chicago 2 days a week.

Requirements

• Formal education in User Experience Design, Human Centered Design, Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Product Design, or a related discipline
• 5+ years of UX experience working with an agile product team; corporate B2B and search-focused experience preferred
• Experience leading complex, ambiguous product initiatives from discovery through delivery
• A deep understanding of UX design, interaction design, information architecture, usability, and product design best practices
• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including prototyping, components, variables, design systems, and developer handoff
• Demonstrated systems thinking with the ability to design cohesive experiences across multiple products, features, and customer journeys
• Experience working in fast-paced, lean product environments with continuous delivery practices
• Experience creating responsive web designs
• Experience contributing to and working within an established design system
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) and inclusive design principles
• Passion for learning and adopting emerging AI tools to improve both design workflows and customer experiences
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and storytelling skills with the ability to influence cross-functional partners
• Strong facilitation, collaboration, and relationship-building skills
• A proactive mindset with the ability to independently identify opportunities, prioritize work, and drive initiatives forward
• A portfolio demonstrating exceptional craft, strategic thinking, and the ability to simplify complex customer problems while balancing user, business, and technical needs

Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive UX strategy and design execution for Search and Guidance experiences on Grainger.com, working across teams to design elegant, intuitive customer journeys that improve discoverability, decision-making, and job completion
• Work with cross-functional partners in Product Management, Engineering, ML, Analytics, and Merchandising to align on experience objectives and deliver solutions
• Translate complex customer, business, and technical requirements into elegant, scalable user experiences
• Apply systems thinking to design connected experiences that span search, guidance, and an array of customer touchpoints
• Conduct and incorporate customer research, behavioral analytics, session replay insights, and usability testing into design decisions and iterative improvements where appropriate
• Deliver high-fidelity designs, prototypes, user flows, and detailed design specifications that enable efficient implementation and high-quality execution
• Balance customer needs with technical and business constraints, designing solutions that support continuous delivery while maintaining a high-quality user experience
• Contribute to and evolve Grainger’s design system while ensuring experiences delight user expectations and remain scalable, accessible, and predictable
• Clearly communicate design rationale, influence stakeholders, and facilitate productive design discussions and critiques

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment
• 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing
• 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date)
• 6 company holidays per year
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required
• Employee discounts
• Tuition reimbursement
• Student loan refinancing
• Free access to financial counseling, education, and tools
• Maternity support programs
• Nursing benefits
• Up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents
• Up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed