UX Design Manager

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact on helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage Group's Higher Education business, Cengage, supports learning and student success by providing materials and digital solutions to faculty and students enrolled in two-year, four-year and vocational programs. We currently serve more than 10 million of the 18 million students in US higher ed. Setting a new standard of service for our customers, we deliver quality, easy-to-use course materials from textbooks and eBooks to courseware such as MindTap and WebAssign. In the US, we offer Cengage Unlimited and Cengage Unlimited for Institutions. We help instructors be better teachers, we help institutions solve problems, and we empower students to use the power and joy of learning to transform lives.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that crafting an inclusive work environment is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/ .

We’re seeking a strategic, people-first UX Manager to lead a high-performing team of designers and build how we create outstanding digital experiences. You’ll combine design leadership, UX research, and operational excellence to drive user-centered outcomes and measurable business impact.

Why this role matters:

You will elevate design excellence, shape team culture, and influence how we deliver meaningful digital experiences—directly impacting product quality, user satisfaction, and business growth.

What you'll do:

• Manage, coach, and grow a dedicated team of UX designers, fostering clarity, psychological safety, and career development.

• Build and maintain design workflows, standards, and rituals that improve quality, speed, and consistency.

• Lead end-to-end design across key product areas—guiding direction, offering critique, and delivering cohesive, accessible experiences.

• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Research to inform strategy and deliver solutions that balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.

• Strengthen and govern design systems while embedding accessibility, inclusivity, and modern UX patterns.

• Communicate design decisions and business impact clearly to cross-functional teams and executives.

What you bring:

• 3–5+ years managing UX designers with a track record of developing high-performing teams.

• 7–10+ years of UX design experience with strong end-to-end product thinking and portfolio demonstrating interaction design, systems thinking, and leadership.

• Experienced in UX research methodologies—both quantitative and qualitative—to drive informed design decisions.

• Proficiency in Figma and modern design tools, with experience experimenting with AI-enhanced workflows.

• Strong business insight; able to link design decisions to measurable outcomes like revenue, retention, and product performance.

• Executive-ready communication: clear, compelling, and confident.

• A builder’s perspective: you create structure, drive clarity, and move teams forward efficiently.

Cengage Group is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com or at +1 (617) 289-7917.

About Cengage Group

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here (https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/perspectives/2024/cengage-group-total-rewards-philosophy/) to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy .

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program. This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.

15% Annual: Individual Target

$88,600.00 - $125,000.00 USD

Cengage Group , a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms.

We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Warning: Be aware, there has been an increase of targeted recruitment scams perpetrated by bad actors falsely providing job offers on behalf Cengage Group to candidates as a means of obtaining personal information. Note that Cengage will always interview candidates via live in-person meetings, phone calls and video calls before an offer would be extended. Also, be sure to check that communication is coming from an @cengage.com email address.