Lead UX Designer

Lead UX DesignerContract: 6 months initiallyHybrid: Chicago, IL (3 days a week on-site)Responsibilities:Improve user experiences in collaboration with technology and business teams.Guide design to meet objectives and outcomes, influencing business and technology decisions with user needs in mind.Foster an open culture that promotes employee development through constructive feedback, diverse perspectives, and a sense of curiosity and optimism.Create user experiences from low-fidelity sketches to high-fidelity mockups and prototypes, applying the Digital Design System.Provide creative direction and conduct design reviews, balancing design decisions between research, technology, and business objectives.Solve experience problems and offer new perspectives on existing solutions.Exercise judgment based on the analysis of multiple sources of information.Collaborate in an agile environment or ad hoc on emerging experience projects.Guide designers and researchers on current projects or digital products.Required Skills:Proficiency in Human-Centered Design and UI/UX best practices, demonstrated through a professional portfolio.Expertise in various design methods and concepts, including low-fidelity sketching, information architecture, wireframe development, usability testing, research planning, and competitive analysis.Strong design skills in multiple competency areas (visual, interaction, information architecture, product).Effective presentation and storytelling skills.Ability to recognize, predict, and incorporate use cases and user interactions into design.Flexibility, adaptability to change, and comfort with ambiguity and critique.Proficient use of collaborative and communication tools.Growth mindset with a proactive approach to learning and challenges.Experience:7+ years of demonstrated work experience delivering digital experiences.Education in design or a related field, either formally or through comparable training.Experience with design thinking and UI/UX best practices, as shown in a professional portfolio.Experience working with cross-functional teams or in large-scale software development lifecycles, preferably in an agile environment.