User Experience Designer II-Software

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 406 Pay Range: $95,900.00 - $143,800.00 Job Description The User Experience Designer II-Software is a step on the journey toward senior designer leadership and interfaces with product managers, business leaders, internal clients, developers, and students, to deliver an engaging user experience for public, employee, and student-facing products. This designer is transitioning from a junior role of following direction from senior designers and starting to be given more leadership opportunities. Innovation, discovery, and functionality are key components to the success of this role. The designer's role is also to create a user experience that fits into the WGU brand and ultimately leads to student success. Job Duties Creates designs for web desktop, responsive, and mobile applications. Moves from a mindset of 'what' (What needs to be designed? What design artifacts and deliverables are needed?) to 'how' (How are we approaching this problem?). Owns design for several features and mid-sized projects with a domain or domains. Follows direction from senior designers/UX domain leads but may be given the opportunity to lead other designers on other projects. Understands the user-base who will be working on the application and designs the UX accordingly. Participates, and on occasion leads, in exercises of discovery, research, and testing with stakeholders and product team members to identify problems to solve and business requirements. Can synthesize the data to provide recommendations of work that should be done. Rapidly produces prototypes, mockups, and wireframes that reflect the business needs to gain quick insight and make design decisions. Builds finished screens using the developed prototypes that can be re-used across multiple lines of business. Maintains an appropriate balance between performance and content delivery. Collaborates with developers to ensure technical feasibility of designs. Mentors UX Designers, whether working together on complex projects or helping them with their own design decisions. Optimizes graphics for multiple platforms, as needed by various team members. Acts as a role model for excellence in UX design, encompassing branding strategies and best practices. Handles more complex and high-exposure UX projects and initiatives. Influences some product metrics. Performs other job-related duties as assigned. KSAs In-depth understanding of User Experience (UX) design principles Understanding of HTML and CSS as it applies across different browsers and screen solutions Knowledge of color theory, typography, layout/composition, grid systems, and animation/transitions Knowledge and experience implementing discovery and research techniques. Deepening understanding of data visualization and data representation. Ability to conduct research and validation on their own. Takes on a bigger role of identifying and suggesting research and validation that should take place. Proven ability to conceptualize a multi-product UX framework Ability to be a contributor with some meetings but is driving most meetings on projects they are leading Solid communication skills, including the ability to initiate and run meetings and is comfortable working with different teams within the organization. Beginning to have a solid understanding of the why and how of solving the problem at hand and communicating this. Asks for specific feedback and focuses on areas of greater importance to the goal of the design. Strong attention to detail and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of our product Proficiency in design tools such as, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, etc. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communications, Graphic Design, or a related field 4 years of experience Strong portfolio work showing excellence in design and functionality Experience in design for web and mobile applications Experience in designing for Enterprise scale products 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. Preferred Qualifications Broad knowledge of project management 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 Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require. 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. Position & Application Details Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave. How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday. Additional Information Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive. Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu. Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law. In 1997, a coalition of 19 U.S. governors founded Western Governors University with a singular vision: to make higher education more accessible by offering full degree programs online. Starting small, we quickly expanded. Today, we're one of the largest accredited online universities in the U.S. Click on the links below to learn more: Enrollment Counselor Evaluator Field Experience Roles (Part-time & Intermittent) Program Mentor Service Desk Technician Mexico Team