UX Design Lead
Posted Updated 3
views
Summary
Leads end-to-end UX/visual design for Rotary International's member-facing products in Evanston, IL (hybrid), from research through polished, accessible execution. Focus areas include maturing the visual design system, Figma design tokens, global-scale accessibility, and mentoring other designers.
Job Title: UX Design Lead
Area: UX Design
Reports to: Manager of Product Design
Classification: Exempt
Location: Evanston, IL
This position is designated as Hybrid - Fully Flexible and expected to work from our world headquarters office once per month to several times a week. The specific days in the office are determined by managers based on business requirements. Rotary is under the jurisdiction of Illinois employment laws; we require all employees to live within reasonable daily commuting distance to Evanston.
Organization Overview
Rotary is a membership organization that unites people from all continents and cultures who take action to deliver real, long-term solutions to pressing issues facing our communities and the world. Each year, Rotary members expand their networks, build lasting relationships, and invest more than $300 million and 16 million volunteer hours to improve lives and create positive change in the world. In exchange for hard work and dedication in support of Rotary’s clubs, members and other participants, and their humanitarian service projects, our employees receive competitive salaries, flexible schedules, comprehensive benefits, and job enrichment. To learn more, visit .
Rotary’s Commitment to Belonging
At Rotary, we foster a welcoming environment where all employees are valued and empowered. We are dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities and supporting the growth and well-being of our team. Join us in building a world where everyone can unite, take action, and create lasting change.
Position Overview
The UX Design Lead is responsible for playing a leading role in shaping the experiences of one or more of Rotary’s suite of products. Their responsibility is to deeply understand Rotary’s users, and to use that understanding to improve existing products and design new ones. They will guide the general usability, accessibility, and efficacy of the product(s) they support. To be successful in this role, they will need to have an entrepreneurial mindset, be a proactive problem-solver, and have an eye for innovation – both in the products they design and the ways they work with our team.
You are a self-starting visual designer with true mastery of your craft who will elevate Rotary products' aesthetics and usability. You will help to set the bar for visual and interaction design across our digital products. You have an exceptional eye for color, type, layout, iconography, and motion, and a clear point of view on what "good" looks like in modern digital product design. You know that great visual design is grounded in real user understanding, so you work end-to-end — from research and concept through final, polished execution. You know that the best design can be used by everyone, so you design for global audiences with accessibility built in from the start. You see patterns in seemingly disparate situations and turn them into elegant, scalable visual systems. You collaborate closely with end-users and cross-functional teams, and you know how to bring others along with your vision through critique, collaboration, and strong design storytelling.
You Will Have
- 6–8+ years of professional experience in visual or product design for consumer or SaaS applications, with a portfolio that demonstrates both end-to-end design process (research, journeys, wireframes, prototypes) and mastery of visual craft — composition, typographic hierarchy, color systems, iconography, and a distinctly modern aesthetic. Your application will not be considered without a portfolio.
- B.S./M.S./B.F.A. in Communication Design, Graphic Design, Visual Design, Interaction Design, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- Deep, demonstrable expertise in color theory, typography, layout/grid systems, iconography, and motion design.
- Experience conducting and synthesizing user research, and validating design decisions through usability and A/B testing.
- Advanced fluency in Figma, including component architecture, variables, styles, and design tokens; experience with prototyping tools (e.g., Figma prototyping, Framer, Protopie, or After Effects) for high-fidelity motion and interaction design.
- Proven experience designing and scaling a visual design system — hands-on work defining token structures (primitive, semantic, and component-level: color, typography, spacing, elevation, motion) and maintaining component/pattern libraries.
- Experience designing UI at a global scale, with a strong grasp of accessibility (WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA+) as a visual design discipline (contrast, legibility, scalable type, motion-reduction) and localization (RTL layouts, variable text expansion).
- Working knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, sufficient to understand implementation constraints and collaborate fluently with engineers on design-to-code visual fidelity.
- An eye for emerging visual and interaction trends, and familiarity with AI-assisted design/generative tools for exploration and rapid visual iteration.
You Are Good At
- Demonstrating expertise through exceptional visual craft and design storytelling — your work should speak for itself.
- Setting and enforcing a high visual quality bar: typography, color, spacing, iconography, and motion that feel intentional, not templated.
- Translating research insights and user needs into a cohesive, beautiful visual language across surfaces.
- Leading and prioritizing design work — from research through final visuals — across multiple teams and projects at once.
- Collaborating cross-functionally with product, engineering, research, and brand to deliver visually polished, well-implemented work.
- Mentoring other designers on visual craft and giving constructive critique.
- Presenting design rationale — grounded in both research and visual/brand principles — persuasively to stakeholders at all levels.
You Will Be Responsible For
- Helping to mature Rotary's visual design system: token architecture (primitive, semantic, component-level), and a library of reusable, on-brand components and patterns for web and mobile.
- Championing a high aesthetic bar across the design org, and helping others sharpen their visual craft through feedback and example.
- Staying current on visual and motion design trends and bringing fresh, modern points of view into the product. This includes considerations about the use of AI across the ux life cycle.
- Balancing Rotary's brand identity with product UI needs to deliver a consistent, beautiful, usable, and accessible experience at scale.
- Leading end-to-end design work — research, personas, journeys, wireframes, prototypes — through to high-fidelity, polished visual execution.
- Conducting research such as usability and A/B testing to validate design solutions and drive data-informed visual and interaction refinement.
- Pairing with UX engineers and product managers to transform Rotary's visual language into working, pixel-faithful artifacts.
- Partnering with engineering to ensure design tokens and visual details are implemented and adopted consistently across product surfaces.
Leadership Attributes
- Engagement: Foster relationships by hearing, recognizing, and valuing others.
- Communication: Be open to receiving ideas from diverse viewpoints and able to communicate messages so that they are universally understood.
- Collaboration: Builds partnerships and works jointly with others to meet shared objectives.
- Global Perspective: Anticipates trends in the global humanitarian market to make decisions on where to focus Rotary’s efforts.
- Presence: Demonstrate composure and confidence.
- Productivity: Able to generate results that moves Rotary toward achieving its goals.
- Accountability: Have a clear sense of ownership and take personal responsibility for actions.
- Innovation: Move Rotary beyond traditional ways of thinking
- Strategy: Identify Rotary’s opportunities and design approaches that align with our strategic goals.
- Adaptability: Respond to changes willingly and recognize when to adjust based on the situation.
Salary Range
- $117,000 - $130,000
Why Work For Rotary?
- Generous medical, dental, and vision benefits package
- Progressive 401k matching contributions
- Above market and generous paid time off package
- Tuition reimbursement
- Professional development opportunities
- On-site cafeteria and coffee bar with special pricing for Rotary employees
- Flextime-several different work schedules to choose from
- Close to CTA, Metra, a variety of stores, and many food options
Please note:
- Rotary does not provide VISA sponsorship or relocation assistance