Lead, UX Designer

Pearson VUE

Lead UX Designer shaping user experiences for Pearson's English Language Learning products globally. Accountable for design direction and quality across teams and product portfolios.

Posted 6/22/2026full-timeMadrid • 🇪🇸 SpainSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set the UX direction for ELL, translating product strategy into design strategy and clear team-level execution priorities.
Drive customer experience outcomes across multiple squads, journeys, and surfaces so that learners and teachers experience ELL as one connected system.
Own product-area UX quality, consistency, and cohesion; raise UX maturity across teams so quality is stable and not dependent on individuals.
Role-model holistic ecosystem mapping and service-design thinking when shaping multi-product, multi-touchpoint experiences.
Lead user research and customer-discovery practice across ELL, ensuring deep, repeatable insight into learner and teacher needs informs product decisions.
Define design strategies and value propositions grounded in research, behavioural data, and pedagogy.
Partner with regional and segment leaders to localise experiences for institutional, enterprise, and consumer learners while protecting global coherence.
Own ELL's design system and UX operations, scaling frictionless delivery of interaction, usability, and accessibility patterns across teams.
Create and maintain a UX playbook covering best-in-class workflows, UX/AI design, and content strategy.
Operationalise scalable, rule-based product design systems that raise the floor of craft and accelerate delivery.
Operate as a peer to Product, Engineering, and Program leaders; act as a strategic product and thought partner to the ELL Product Leadership Team.
Build product-area roadmap alignment with cross-functional leadership and use clear RACI, escalation, and decision-making frameworks so teams align without constant escalation.
Coach cross-functional teams on prioritisation, tradeoffs, and decisions, balancing time-boxed delivery pressure with long-term experience quality.
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing global team of design managers and senior ICs; scale impact through leaders rather than direct execution.
Own team hiring, calibration, learning and development, and succession planning for the ELL UX organisation.
Foster collaboration, inclusion, and accountability across geographies and disciplines, and contribute actively to Pearson's design and leadership communities.

Requirements

What you’ll need

12+ years' experience in UX, product design, or design leadership, including 5+ years leading multi-team design organisations or managing managers.
Proven success setting design direction across complex, multi-product portfolios and shipping experiences at scale.
Track record of building and operating mature design systems, research practices, and UX operating models.
Experience partnering with senior Product and Engineering leaders in matrixed, global organisations.
Familiarity with English language learning, EdTech, or adjacent education markets strongly preferred.
Essential — Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
Preferred — Master's degree in Design, HCI, UX, or a related discipline.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible work arrangements
Professional development opportunities

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

UX designproduct designdesign leadershipuser researchservice designdesign systemsinteraction designusabilityaccessibilitycontent strategy

Soft Skills

collaborationcoachingstrategic thinkingprioritizationdecision-makinginclusionaccountabilityleadershipcommunicationteam development

Certifications

Bachelor's degree in DesignBachelor's degree in Human-Computer InteractionBachelor's degree in Cognitive ScienceMaster's degree in DesignMaster's degree in HCIMaster's degree in UX