Head of Design

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Lead the global User Experience and Design organization at Blackboard.

• Take ownership of and advance the design vision and strategy for Blackboard products, including Blackboard LMS, Blackboard Illuminate, Ally, and institutional effectiveness solutions.

• Inspire, grow, and manage a diverse UXD organization spread across multiple countries and time zones.

• Collaborate with Product Management and Product Development leadership during planning, prioritization, and execution phases.

• Advocate for users by conducting research, customer feedback sessions, and usability testing.

• Drive the adoption of generative AI within the design practice and establish standards for responsible usage.

• Oversee design operations, including design systems, tools, workflows, and quality assurance standards.

• Ensure accessibility and inclusive design across all delivered experiences.

• Foster an agile culture that emphasizes rapid iteration, data-driven decisions, user insights, and collaboration.

• Define the roles, responsibilities, and workflows among design, product management, and development teams.

• Present design strategies, research findings, and solutions to executives, customers, and industry audiences.

• Manage budget, resources, and project priorities.

• Adjust working hours to accommodate distributed teams and business needs.

• Travel up to 20% as required.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

• A minimum of 10 years in user experience, product design, or a related field.

• Extensive experience in leading design leaders and individual contributors.

• Proven experience in building and scaling design organizations comprising 10 or more professionals across Product Design, research, documentation, and accessibility.

• Experience managing diverse, geographically dispersed teams across various countries, regions, and time zones.

• Executive-level experience in design strategy that aligns design with quantifiable user and business outcomes.

• Practical, everyday proficiency with generative AI design technologies such as Figma Make, Claude Design, Claude Code, and other LLM-based tools.

• In-depth expertise in Figma, prototyping, and design systems.

• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, usability, and accessibility principles.

• Expertise in design research, testing, and iterative feedback processes.

• Experience in delivering straightforward, elegant solutions to complex challenges in highly agile environments.

• Strong leadership capabilities and the ability to cultivate a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.

• Willingness to work outside of standard hours as necessary.

• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.

• Experience with WCAG accessibility standards.

• Proficiency in written and spoken English.

• Preferred: experience in education technology or enterprise SaaS.

🏝️ Benefits

• Company bonus.

• Comprehensive benefits package.

• Flexible working hours as required.

• Travel support for teams, customers, and corporate events.

• Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer.