Product Design Manager

COVID-19 skewed the way that many people think about digital learning. Set up a video conference and toss some slides onto a cookie-cutter site and BAM! you’ve created an online learning platform. The problem? These types of solutions are boring and usually don’t actually help users learn. 

As our first Manager of Product Design, you’ll lead a talented team who are changing the way people think about online learning. You’ll be at the frontier, creating a style recognized by industry experts. You’ll demonstrate that online learning is not just about pixels on the screen or getting someone to click on the right button. Understanding the technical possibilities and limitations, you’ll push the team to create something different. Working closely with Product Managers, you’ll dive deep and invent design solutions that affect learning. Collaborating with Engineers and QA, you’ll bring those desired solutions to life. You’ll change people’s minds. Changes their world view and future possibilities. 

What you’ll do:

• Set the bar of excellence for UI and UX design at EE; establishing design best practices to be used by all of EE’s Designers.
• Manage (including performance reviews, professional development, etc.) and coach UI Designers and UX Designers, supporting their work and overall growth and development.
• Create impactful UX, UI, and interaction designs that effectively engage learners and follow accessibility guidelines.
• Participate in the end-to-end product design lifecycle including user journeys, user flows, information architecture, and digital interfaces.
• Work autonomously and collaboratively in a cross-functional, agile product group with Product Managers, Scrum Masters, Engineers, and Learning Experience Designers to prioritize and build new features.
• Create prototypes and perform usability tests and studies. 
• Translate client’s brand guidelines into modern learning system interfaces.
• Clearly explain design trade-offs and decisions to team members and clients to create the best possible learning experience. 
• Create and modify existing component design libraries to make our design and development process efficient and sustainable.

Who you are:

• 7+ years of product design experience for web and mobile applications with an impressive portfolio.
• At least 2 years of experience mentoring, supervising, or managing designers 
• A strong portfolio highlighting experience in both visual and interactive design.
• Knowledge of current and emerging mobile and web best practices and trends.
• Ability to simultaneously see the big picture while being able to dive into the details and deliver high quality, consistent UI and interaction design.
• Experience creating and designing within a reusable component framework.
• Champion of accessibility and inclusion principles and guidelines, and practical application of those guidelines.
• Experience working on an agile scrum team.
• Solid understanding of web technologies including HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
• Extensive experience with Adobe creative suite.
• A team first mentality, committed to nurturing a positive, “always be learning” work culture.
• Articulate and tactful with excellent communication skills.
• Passion for developing and coaching people to be their best.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment and adeptly manages competing priorities and organizational changes to match the evolving online education market.
• Our ideal candidate would prefer a flexible hybrid work environment.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require accommodations during the interview process.

What we offer:

• Extension Engine’s guiding principle is to “Do the Right Thing.” This means for our team members and our clients. 
• Our connections---our relationships---are our most valuable assets and at Extension Engine, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with a group of curious, humble, transparent, and quirky people who are laser focused on outcomes. 
• At the end of the day, we know that people don’t live to work, they work to live. That’s why we support each other’s personal priorities. Our current team members are mom and dads, woodworkers, apple sauce canners, marathon runners, international trekkers, and accomplished musicians---just to name a few. 
• We also offer a competitive salary, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, 401k with a generous match, gym cost sharing, and flexible paid time off.  
• We have a diverse and inclusive workplace where we learn from each other’s unique perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities, and we are committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard for race, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. 

Who we are:

Extension Engine is a boutique services firm that helps higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and learning businesses create Custom Learning Experiences — online learning as unique as their vision and brand. We deliver by working closely with our clients to imagine the best solutions for their learners and business. We urge our clients to rethink every aspect of the learning landscape in order to help them design a unique vision. We then build innovative educational solutions to meet their vision while being agnostic about technology. We help our clients grow by building internal knowledge and capacity — through launching the program, co-operating, and then transferring — thereby enabling them to expand on what we’ve created together, with or without us.