Principal UX Designer

Vanderbilt University•Nashville, TN

About The Position

The Principal UX Designer owns the university’s web design system and is accountable for the design work that shapes how audiences experience the university online, directing a small team of two freelance designers to deliver it. Reporting to the Web Engineering and Ops Lead, the Principal UX Designer maintains and evolves the design system currently built in Figma, advancing it toward a tokenized, scalable foundation that the web development team can build against efficiently. This role partners closely with web development to resolve existing usability issues and to keep the design system and the live product in sync as both continue to mature. Beyond the design system, the Principal UX Designer plans usability testing, contributes to journey mapping and conversion rate optimization, and brings AI-assisted design tools into the team’s workflow to expand capacity and speed. Design work runs in agile sprints alongside the web development team, and the Principal UX Designer directs freelance designers, setting priorities, delegating production, and reviewing output to ensure consistency and quality. The role calls for steady, iterative delivery: making sound design decisions with incomplete information, working within the established design system, brand, and technical constraints, and moving work through short sprint cycles.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in UX design, human-computer interaction, interaction design, or a related field, or commensurate experience, is necessary.
A minimum of 7 years of experience in UX or product design, including hands-on ownership of a design system.
Demonstrated experience building and maintaining design systems in Figma, including component libraries and tokenization.
Experience planning and running usability testing using tools such as Userlytics.
Working knowledge of journey mapping and conversion rate optimization.
Strong understanding of web accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA/Section 508.
Experience adopting AI-assisted design tools and other technologies to improve efficiency and output.
Experience collaborating closely with web development teams to move designs into production.
Experience directing and delegating to freelance or contract designers, with accountability for team output.
Experience working in agile sprints in close partnership with development teams.
Strong communication and collaboration skills across design, development, and marketing partners.
Comfortable making sound design decisions with incomplete information and shipping iteratively.
Thrives working within an established design system, brand, and technical constraints, and moving work forward at a steady, dependable pace.
Ability to balance hands-on design execution with system-level thinking and prioritization.

Responsibilities

Own the university’s web design system in Figma, including components, patterns, usage guidelines, and documentation.
Lead the tokenization of the design system to create a scalable, consistent foundation across products and platforms.
Partner with the web development team to continuously evolve the design system and keep design and production in sync.
Identify and resolve existing usability issues across the university’s web properties.
Ensure the design system and all web experiences meet accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA/Section 508 requirements.
Plan, run, and synthesize usability testing using tools such as Userlytics.
Translate research findings into clear, prioritized design recommendations.
Establish lightweight, repeatable testing practices that inform ongoing design decisions.
Contribute to audience journey mapping in partnership with marketing teams.
Support conversion rate optimization efforts through design, testing, and iteration.
Help translate audience needs and behavior into improved digital experiences.
Evaluate and introduce AI-assisted design tools and other technologies that increase the team’s capacity and speed.
Build efficient, repeatable design workflows that expand the team’s capacity and speed.
Champion practical adoption of new tools and approaches across the web team.
Direct and remain accountable for the work of freelance designers, including delegation, prioritization, and quality review.
Plan and manage design work in agile sprints in coordination with the web development team.
Collaborate closely with web development, marketing, and content partners to deliver cohesive experiences.
Maintain design consistency and quality across all contributors and channels.