Senior UX Project/Program Manager IT 5

Top 3 Skills

Program and Project Management Leading complex UX initiatives across teams.

Cross-functional Collaboration Aligning stakeholders and driving clarity.

Process Optimization Creating scalable repeatable workflows and frameworks.

Additional Technical Skills (Required)

Program and Project Management Leading complex UX initiatives across teams.

Cross-functional Collaboration Aligning stakeholders and driving clarity.

Process Optimization Creating scalable repeatable workflows and frameworks.

Experience managing UX programs and Research integration

(Desired)

Deep understanding of human centered design

Agile and Waterfall methodologies

Job Description:

Top Skills / Manager Notes:
Looking for more operational side of candidate than Designer.
Role focus:
Majority of the role is Program & Project Management - planning tracking reporting process optimization.
Less focus on hands-on UX design - this is a Program Manager driving operational excellence not a hybrid UX designer.
Background/Industry Preferences
Open to candidates from Tech eCommerce (Google Amazon Meta/Facebook) and healthcare.
Summary of Hiring Manager Insights
Looking for a senior UX Program Manager to lead planning tracking and reporting across product teams.
Focus areas include reporting for UX onboarding training and driving operational excellence.
Most important qualities:

• High level of ownership and ability to drive execution.
• Ability to lead and manage expectations and projects independently.
• Must be able to drive the process and outcomes the team needs.

Tools:

• Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps and Aha.
• Experience with compliance and efficiency tools (internal systems).

Manager Expectations:

• Ability to manage multiple priorities with high attention to detail.

Team Structure:

• Cross-functional work with Product UX Designers Researchers and Engineering.
• Collaborates directly with Kimberly.
• Small team dedicated to UX focused on delivering outcomes.

Project Load:

• Typically managing no more than 5 projects at a time.

Experience Requirement:

• Minimum of 6 years of experience.

Top Technical Skills:

• Process optimization.
• Scalable cross-functional program and project management for UX.

Work Location:

• Initially hybrid (Chicago to Peoria) but expected to transition to full on-site (5 days/week).

Interview Process:

• 3 rounds: first with manager followed by UX Manager and/or Director.

Team Challenges:

• Repetition of processes; current friction with Product team not always following established processes.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelors degree or equivalent industry experience.

6 years of successful experience as a Producer UX Program Manager leading large projects through the full product development life cycle in a large cross-functional in a user experience or design team.

Experience with design tools (e.g. Figma Sketch) and project management tools (e.g. Azure Dev Ops Confluence Aha!).

Experience with resource planning and program delivery

Experience working with project playbooks building schedules managing issues/risks and establishing communication plans

Preferred Qualifications

Strong knowledge of project management tools and methodologies (Agile to Waterfall)

Deep understanding and knowledge of human-centered design process

Experience managing UX programs and working with Design and Research

Strong ability to effectively manage cross functional projects dependencies and bottlenecks

Experience escalating issues and anticipating and making hard trade-offs between business and customer need

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Ability to work effectively with tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment

High attention to detail and proven ability to manage multiple competing priorities simultaneously with minimal supervision

Strong sense of ownership urgency and drive

Positions Contributions to Work Group:

Manage design operations including intake processes and backlogs

Work closely with design managers on prioritization goal-tracking and resource planning

Drive review cadences status updates and timely delivery across product development lifecycles

Document and optimize frameworks standard processes and best practices for the design teams

Establish predictable repeatable processes that help Studio leaders and contributors prioritize plan and execute multiple parallel projects

Foster cross-org transparency by working closely with Design Research Product and Engineering leaders to create maintain and publish reporting and dashboards that share project information and illustrate progress against goals

Work with the Manager of Program Management and cross-functional leadership to identify and implement new programs to raise the customer-experience bar for the entire Client Digital organization

Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration across UX portfolio teams

Create seamless onboarding experiences and team-wide standards for new hires

Identify opportunities for training and support resources to enhance the teams capabilities

Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between design business and engineering teams

Provide regular updates and communicate effectively with key stakeholders

Escalate issues anticipate trade-offs and balance business needs with customer experience constraints

Interaction with team:

Lead design operations: intake backlog management and prioritization.

Collaborate with design managers on goal-tracking and resource planning.

Drive review cadences and ensure timely delivery across product lifecycles.

Document and optimize frameworks processes and best practices.

Create and maintain dashboards and reporting tools for transparency.

Facilitate onboarding training and knowledge sharing.

Escalate issues and manage trade-offs between business and user needs.

3 folks on WD team.

Working with product engineering and user Experience team (Stakeholders)

Education & Experience Required:

Bachelors degree or equivalent industry experience.

6 years of successful experience as a Producer UX Program Manager leading large projects through the full product development life cycle in a large cross-functional in a user experience or design team.

Lead design operations: intake backlog management and prioritization.

Collaborate with design managers on goal-tracking and resource planning.

Drive review cadences and ensure timely delivery across product lifecycles.

Document and optimize frameworks processes and best practices.

Create and maintain dashboards and reporting tools for transparency.

Facilitate onboarding training and knowledge sharing.

Escalate issues and manage trade-offs between business and user needs.

Soft Skills(Required)

Strong written and verbal communication.

High attention to detail.

Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.

Sense of ownership urgency and drive.

Ability to anticipate trade-offs and escalate issues effectively.

Disqualifiers/Red Flags:

Insufficient UX Program Management Experience

Less than 6 years leading large-scale UX projects across full product lifecycles.

Lack of Tool Proficiency

No hands-on experience with tools like Figma Azure DevOps Confluence or Aha!.

Weak Process and Operational Skills

Inability to demonstrate experience with scalable workflows resource planning or risk management.

Limited Methodology and Design Knowledge

No working knowledge of Agile/Waterfall or human-centered design principles.

Poor Communication and Collaboration Abilities

Inability to effectively engage stakeholders or lead cross-functional collaboration.

Low Initiative or Adaptability

Difficulty working independently managing competing priorities or navigating ambiguity.