Lead User Experience Designer

We are looking to add Freelance Lead User Experience Designers to our Talent Roster for quick turnaround, shorter-term project engagements! As Lead User Experience Designer, you're the rare leader who thinks like both a strategist and an artist. You speak fluent UX—information architecture, research, usability—but you also speak design—visual systems, motion, art direction. And increasingly, you speak AI: architecting conversational interfaces, exploring vibe-coded experiences, leveraging machine learning to create next-gen user experiences. You understand that great design extends beyond owned platforms—into the interfaces you design within third-party and media channels where you partner to maximize user engagement. You're looking to build and lead a team of UX and Product Designers who are equally fired up about creating experiences that are strategically sound, visually stunning, and genuinely innovative. You juggle multiple complex projects without breaking a sweat, pivoting between high-level strategy sessions and detailed design feedback. You're the collaborator who bridges disciplines—connecting research to design, design to development, and all of it to business outcomes. You thrive in fast-paced environments, champion the user's voice against competing agendas, and mentor your team with the same rigor you apply to your own work. This role demands someone energized by the full spectrum of design—from wireframe to final pixel. You will: Lead a multi-disciplinary team of UX and Product Designers to build and test user interface and product experiences that meet or exceed customer and stakeholder expectations. Guide and mentor UX and product design team members through delegating, follow-up, and coaching. Champion the user's perspective, appropriately challenging senior stakeholders when user goals are compromised, and ensure all UX and design deliverables demonstrate visual excellence and interaction elegance. Build and maintain strong relationships with creative teammates, account managers, strategists, content strategists, marketing science, and producers. Act as an account lead, effectively visualizing and verbalizing design ideas to clients through compelling presentations and narratives. Facilitate design and brainstorming workshops with internal teams and clients, synthesizing diverse perspectives into cohesive design direction. Partner with media teams and platforms to design compelling interface experiences across owned and third-party touchpoints, maximizing impact in the interface layer of social, advertising, and external platforms. Lead the integration of AI design principles and tools into projects—from AI-assisted design workflows to architecting AI Agent interfaces and conversational experiences that feel natural and intuitive. Develop and champion AI-influenced user experiences that leverage machine learning, predictive personalization, and intelligent automation while maintaining user agency and trust—including emerging paradigms like vibe-coded interfaces where tone and personality drive interaction design. Oversee multiple high-visibility client projects, effectively pivoting between focus areas as needed. Collaborate with leadership and creative leads to define, manage, and evolve the vision for the UX and Product Design discipline. Lead recruiting and resourcing efforts while cultivating an effective team with diverse skill sets (UX research, visual design, interaction design, front-end development). Coach direct reports to maximize their impact, professional development, and contribution to project and agency success while helping define and promote team culture. Embody agency leadership values and promote culture in all interactions (internally and externally). Demonstrate advanced working knowledge across visual design, art direction, motion design, front-end development, brand strategy, content strategy, and AI/machine learning principles. Be recognized throughout the agency as a UX and Product Design leader sought after for strategic input. Represent the agency as an ambassador at industry conferences and meetings, particularly around emerging AI design practices. Contribute UX and Product Design expertise to business development and sales initiatives. You have: 6-8+ years of related industry experience in UX, Product Design, Visual Design, Digital Product, new media, information technology, communications, or adjacent creative disciplines. 3+ years' experience in a supervisory/management role leading UX/Design teams. Demonstrated expertise in both UX/Product Strategy AND visual design/art direction—with a portfolio showing strong visual design sensibility across both disciplines. Experience designing and optimizing user experiences across owned and third-party platforms, including social media, advertising platforms, and external partner interfaces. Proven experience designing with AI in mind: both leveraging AI and machine learning as design tools and creating next-generation user experiences powered by AI. Familiarity with AI Agent design patterns, conversational interfaces, and emerging paradigms like vibe-coded experiences. A strategic and creative mindset, thriving at the intersection of data, design, art, and technology. Exceptional storytelling and communication skills (verbal, written, and visual). Excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills with strong client relations and team environment comfort. Proven track record leading cross-level teams and delivering excellent user experiences for leading brands. An experienced, innovative, and forward-thinking approach to large-scale projects from concept to completion. Thorough, detail-oriented, and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines. Flexibility and adaptability in fast-paced, changing environments. Deep understanding of UX fundamentals including research, information architecture, usability testing, and their application to compelling digital experiences. Advanced proficiency in design and prototyping tools (Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, InVision, Principle, Axure). Strong expertise across the Adobe Creative Suite, particularly for visual design, motion design, and art direction. Experience with AI-assisted design tools and workflows. Portfolio demonstrating creative problem-solving, visual excellence, and expertise across digital platforms, with demonstrated knowledge of design systems, accessibility, personalization, and emerging AI-driven systems. Familiarity with WCAG 2.0 A/AA standards and accessibility best practices. Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer. Critical Mass uses artificial intelligence in our recruitment process to enhance job postings, filter keywords during the review of prospective candidates, and, in some cases, transcribe interviews with our recruiters. Human review remains central to the process, and all hiring decisions are ultimately made by our team. The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com, omc.com and us.greenhouse-mail.io . We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly. If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx

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