Lead UX Designer

The Lead UX Designer is a strategic individual contributor who partners with engineering, product, and business leaders to translate research insights and technical requirements into design solutions across the IT digital portfolio. This role leads end-to-end user experience for the most complex and high-visibility initiatives while defining the practices, standards, and culture that will guide a future UX team. The ideal candidate brings strong hands‑on design expertise and is prepared to help build and lead the function as it scales.

The ideal location for this role is in Appleton, WI. We may consider candidates within a drivable distance within the Midwest based on relevancy of experience (up to 25% travel would be required if the candidate is not in Appleton).

Essential

Job Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end user experience design for key product areas and high-impact initiatives.

• Partner with engineering, product management, and business stakeholders to translate requirements and research into scalable design solutions.

• Establish and evolve design standards, practices, and governance to prepare for future growth.

• Drive user research facilitation in partnership with Product Management, including interviews, field studies, usability testing, and data analysis.

• Collaborate with cross-functional leadership to ensure design vision aligns with product goals and technical feasibility.

• Partner with engineering leadership to architect and maintain a shared, code‑aligned component library that bridges design assets and reusable development components, reducing design‑related technical debt and accelerating development velocity.

• Identify and prioritize UX opportunities to drive measurable business and user impact.

Additional

Job Responsibilities:

• Lay the groundwork for future UX onboarding, including defining role expectations and skill criteria.

• Mentor cross-functional partners on design thinking and UX best practices

• Stay current with emerging design methodologies and tools to inform evolving best practices.

• Advocate for accessibility, inclusivity, and discovery driven-product culture.

• Live our values of High Performance, Caring Relationships, Strategic Foresight, and Entrepreneurial Spirit

• Find A Better Way by championing continuous improvement and quality control efforts to identify opportunities to innovate and improve efficiency, accuracy, and standardization

• Continuously learn and develop self professionally

• Support corporate efforts for safety, government compliance, and all other company policies & procedures

• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

Required:

• 7+ years of UX design experience with a strong portfolio demonstrating both individual craft and strategic, cross‑functional impact.

• Demonstrated ownership of end‑to‑end design for a major product or initiative.

• Advanced proficiency with modern design and prototyping tools (i.e. Figma, Adobe XD, Claude Design)

• Demonstrated experience owning user research, design/product thinking workshops, persona development, and journey mapping.

• Experience partnering directly with engineering to translate design assets into reusable, code‑aligned components.

• Strong communication and influence skills, with experience presenting to senior stakeholders and driving alignment across teams.

Preferred:

• Experience, readiness, or interest in building foundational UX team practices.

• Familiarity with design system governance, component library architecture, and scalable design operations at an organizational level

• Experience collaborating with product and engineering leadership at a strategic level.

Corporate

U.S. Venture will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H-1B, TN,…