Senior User Experience Designer-Software

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

3d•$118,900 - $178,500•Remote

About The Position

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Technical 408 Pay Range: $118,900.00 - $178,500.00 The Senior User Experience Designer-Software is a key member of the design team and may work on both desktop and mobile platforms (native Android and iOS) and works not only on certain projects but possibly a domain or domains. This is a position of product leadership and partners with Product Managers, PMs, and Engineers, providing insight and solutions to structuring and delivering work. As a Senior User Experience Designer at Western Governors University (WGU), you will help shape the next generation of our student experience. You will play a key role on the team behind our Next Generation Learning Experience (NGLX) student portal, designing intuitive, data‑informed experiences that make online learning smoother, clearer, and more empowering for working adult learners. You will think strategically about complex problems across the student journey, then translate those insights into practical short‑ and long‑term UX solutions. In this role, you will collaborate closely with product, engineering, research, and stakeholders across the university to shape the experience for both learner and mentor. About the team You will join a team of product managers, engineers, and other UX designers who are problem solvers with opportunities in helping learners stay on pace, accessing important learning resources, and in some cases making progress toward their work base learning and field experience. You will also help in building an online structure where the learner feels supported and has a structure to accomplish their ultimate goal of getting a degree. This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Requirements

In‑depth understanding of modern User Experience (UX) design principles and how to apply them to complex, multi‑system experiences.
Proven ability to think strategically: you can zoom out to a three‑year vision, understand industry and UX trends, and then translate that vision into practical, phased design work.
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to explain design decisions and technical concepts clearly to non‑design audiences, large groups, and senior stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to balance student and business needs, representing both perspectives in discussions and outcomes.
Mastery of core UX deliverables (user flows, wireframes, prototypes, design specs, etc.), including when to use each, their dependencies, and their tradeoffs.
Experience working in cross‑functional teams (product, engineering, research, and business stakeholders) and building strong relationships to move work forward.
A data‑informed mindset: you are comfortable interpreting product data and research insights to understand what is working, what is not, and where to experiment next.
High attention to detail, with a strong sense of ownership over the quality, accessibility, and consistency of the experiences you ship.
Expertise with industry tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, and proficiency with Microsoft 365.
Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communications, Graphic Design, or a related field
6 years of experience as a UX designer, interaction designer, information architect, UX researcher, or other relevant role
Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in an Agile development process
Experience using user research throughout the product life cycle, incorporating data from multiple sources into decision-making
Higher Education experience
Agency experience

Responsibilities

Lead UX design for high‑impact, multi‑phase initiatives.
Think strategically about ambiguous problems, framing them in terms of student and business outcomes, and proposing clear short‑ and long‑term UX solutions.
Collaborate with product managers, engineers, UX researchers, and business stakeholders to define problems, run workshops, explore concepts, and drive alignment on user‑centered solutions.
Create and evolve holistic design artifacts for product lines (not just single features), including flows, wireframes, prototypes, and annotations that help teams implement with clarity and confidence.
Use qualitative and quantitative data, including design performance metrics and tools such as Pendo, to evaluate experiences, guide design decisions, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Proactively surface risks and dependencies, manage expectations with partners, and take ownership of end goals across organizational boundaries.
Mentor and influence other designers and non‑design partners by explaining the “why” behind UX decisions, modeling best practices, and contributing to shared standards and patterns.