Responsibilities

- 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 general 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

- 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.
- Bachelor's degree in Design.
- Bachelor's degree in Human‑Computer Interaction.
- Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science.
- Master's degree in Design.
- Master's degree in HCI.
- Master's degree in UX.

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📌 Lead, UX Designer (Madrid)
🏢 Jobtailor
📍 Madrid