Senior User Experience Manager

Senior User Experience Manager

Location: Central London/North London/Cambridge - Must be able to commute on a regular basis

Salary: £70,000 - £75,000 Per Annum

Working Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Start Date: Immediate

Have you got what it takes to be our new…. Senior User Experience Manager at IELTS?

As the IELTS UK Senior User Experience Manager, you will play a pivotal role in navigating the rapidly changing landscape of the English testing market. With increasing competition from both traditional and new entrants, coupled with the rapid advancement of technology in assessment, the UX Designer ensures that IELTS remains innovative and customer centric.

The role will be responsible for deeply understanding user needs, behaviours, and pain points through a range of research methods and empathy-building exercises. They work closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to translate insights into tangible design solutions that address user problems effectively. Their expertise in user experience design, prototyping, and testing ensures that the team iteratively validates and refines product concepts to align with user expectations and business goals. By advocating for the user's perspective and fostering a user-centred approach within the team, UX Designers play a critical role in driving product success and innovation.

We are looking for a someone to pioneer UX practices within the team and we expect to grow this team over time. Ultimately, the UX Designer drives innovation, fosters user-centric design principles, and maintains IELTS' position as a trusted leader in the high-stakes English testing market.

Who are we?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular high-stakes English language proficiency test for study, work and migration with almost four million tests taken in the past year.

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council; IDP IELTS; and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. As internationally focused organisations, we are committed to academic excellence and cultural understanding - ideal providers of international English testing.

You will be…

• Collaborating closely with product teams on the best approaches for product discovery.
• Developing a framework to guide teams on the right discovery methods at the right time.
• Enhancing user-centric digital experiences across the product portfolio.
• Establishing and maintaining UX standards and best practices for consistent, high-quality user experiences.
• Working closely with cross-functional teams to integrate UX insights and ensure seamless collaboration.
• Conducting user research through interviews, surveys, and usability studies to understand user needs, behaviours, and pain points.
• Analysing quantitative data and analytics to identify patterns, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Creating wireframes and prototypes (low and high-fidelity) to visualise designs and test usability.
• Collaborating with product managers and engineers to align requirements and ensure a cohesive user experience.
• Championing a culture of user-centred design and continuous improvement within the organisation.
• Ensuring a shared understanding of UX importance across product and technology teams.
• Advocating for user research, usability testing, and iteration cycles to enhance products and services.
• Integrating UX considerations into all aspects of the business.
• Sharing findings to highlight opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Establishing and maintaining UX design standards, guidelines, and best practices.
• Evaluating and optimising UX methodologies, tools, and workflows.

This job is for you if you have...

• A minimum of 5years of experience in UX Research & Design or similar roles.
• A relevant degree such as Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Design, Computer Science, Psychology, Education, Human-Computer Interaction, Engineering or Interaction Design.
• Proven track record of leading UX research and continuous discovery from inception to implementation.
• Experience in conducting a variety of research methods, including A/B testing, interviews, surveys, usability testing, and analytics.
• Proficiency in Discovery methods such as designing wireframes, prototypes, and mock-ups using tools such as Figma, Dovetail, Jira
• Ability to apply data-driven decision-making in designing user interfaces and experiences.
• Ability to self-organise and manage work and demands coming from different stakeholder with competing priorities.
• Demonstrable intense curiosity about the English Language learning/testing environment.
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to listen to diverse perspectives and contribute ideas to achieve common goals.
• Creative problem-solving skills to address UX challenges and improve product usability.

For applications, please ensure you also include a cover letter within your application to be considered for the opportunity. Should you be deemed a suitable candidate, we will be in touch dierctly regarding interviews.