Director, UX Operations

Unum UK

. Lead UX talent, culture, and workforce enablement .

Posted 10/22/2026full-timeUnited StatesLead💰 $109,100 - $224,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive leadership in UX and DesignOps, with a focus on workforce planning, portfolio management, and operational excellence. Capable of translating business priorities into actionable roadmaps while managing complex multi-team environments and ensuring compliance with governance standards.

Highest-signal resume keywords

UX Portfolio ManagementWorkforce PlanningDependency ManagementAgile MethodologiesChange Leadership

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

UX DesignProgram ManagementResearch OperationsBudget ManagementKPI DevelopmentResource AllocationRisk ResolutionOnboardingDesign SystemsGovernance

Soft Skills

CoachingPerformance ManagementStakeholder ManagementNegotiationFacilitation

Tools & Technologies

UX ToolingResearch RepositoriesDashboardsPortfolio DashboardsChange Control

Certifications & Qualifications

IAAP CPACCWASCPWASAFe AgilistScrum CertificationProsci Change Management CertificationHuman-Centered Design Certification

Industry Keywords

DesignOpsStudio OperationsOrganizational DevelopmentMulti-Team PortfoliosOperational Services

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead UX talent, culture, and workforce enablement
Develop workforce strategies balancing employee talent, external partners, capability needs, funding, and changing demand
Maintain visibility into UX demand, capacity, utilization, skills, staffing risks, and deployment across value streams
Lead pod formation, staffing, onboarding, and deployment; resolve resource conflicts and recommend hiring or sourcing actions
Provide direct leadership, coaching, performance management, and career development for UX professionals
Own UX portfolio planning and operating rhythms across multiple teams, value streams, and senior stakeholders
Translate business priorities into integrated roadmaps, program plans, milestones, decision points, and measurable outcomes
Lead dependency management and resolve escalated issues across design, research, product, engineering, finance, change, and delivery
Establish standards for intake, prioritization, status reporting, risk and issue management, change control, and executive decision support
Oversee portfolio dashboards and executive communications
Define and improve the scalable UX Pod Model for a distributed, pod-based delivery organization
Oversee UX roadmaps, priorities, workflows, operational services, budgets, and tooling investments
Govern design systems, pattern libraries, component inventories, and experience standards
Develop KPIs and dashboards for capacity, efficiency, quality, throughput, adoption, delivery health, and business impact
Establish ResearchOps capabilities and oversee repositories, insight libraries, taxonomies, templates, participant management, and knowledge practices
Coordinate research governance, privacy, compliance, and operational support
Apply AI and automation responsibly to improve synthesis, findability, reuse, and efficiency
Own UX operational budgets, forecasts, resource assumptions, and portfolio financial reporting
Lead partner selection, onboarding, integration, performance management, contracting support, and renewals
Monitor partner quality, utilization, outcomes, risks, and return on investment
Partner with Procurement, Finance, Technology, and UX leadership on sourcing, commercial outcomes, and capacity flexibility
Ensure external teams integrate with internal standards, tools, governance, and ways of working

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in UX, design operations, program management, research operations, business operations, organizational development, or a related field
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in UX, DesignOps, program or portfolio management, ResearchOps, studio operations, workforce planning, or a comparable multidisciplinary environment
Experience leading employees and developing UX talent through coaching, performance management, and career development
Ability to direct complex, multi-team portfolios and scalable delivery models across design, research, content, accessibility, product, and engineering
Experience with portfolio planning, dependency management, risk resolution, resource allocation, capacity planning, onboarding, and executive reporting
Working knowledge of Agile and scaled delivery, the product design lifecycle, design systems, research repositories, UX tooling, governance, and design-to-development workflows
Experience managing budgets, vendors, contracts, service performance, and relationships with Procurement, Finance, Change, and Technology
Ability to translate operational and program data into decisions, KPIs, investment recommendations, and executive communications
Strong change leadership, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills in a complex matrix
Preferred: IAAP CPACC, WAS, or CPWA
Preferred: SAFe Agilist, Scrum, or equivalent Agile certification
Preferred: Prosci Change Management Certification
Preferred: Human-Centered Design, UX, or DesignOps certification (NN/g, HFI, LUMA, or equivalent)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Onsite fitness facilities
Generous paid time off
Employee professional development programs
Healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental)
Insurance benefits (short & long-term disability)
Performance-based incentive plans
401(k) retirement plan with employer match up to 5%
Additional 4.5% 401(k) contribution whether you contribute or not