Head of Design

Remote - United Kingdom

About the Role

As Head of Design, you will lead Blackboard’s global User Experience and Design (UXD) organization and own the vision and strategy for how people experience our products, from Blackboard LMS and Blackboard Illuminate to Ally and our institutional effectiveness solutions. Your multidisciplinary team spans design, research, documentation, and accessibility, and works across web and mobile platforms in multiple countries and time zones.

This is a strategic leadership role. You will refine and evolve Blackboard’s design strategy, so it anticipates how teaching and learning are changing and drives measurable outcomes for our customers and our business. As a peer to leaders in Product Management and Product Development, you will make sure design shapes decisions from early discovery through delivery, and you will champion the value of design with executives, customers, and the wider design community.

You will also lead how design works in an AI-first era. We build the industry’s most AI-advanced LMS, and we expect our Head of Design to work hands-on with generative AI every day. That means using tools such as Figma Make, Claude Design, and other large language model (LLM)-based technologies to explore ideas, prototype, and test faster, and guiding the team to adopt them thoughtfully and responsibly.

Our design team is spread across multiple geographies including the UK, US, Colombia and Europe. You will lead it with flexibility and inclusion, building connection across locations and adjusting your own working hours when the business or the team needs you, so every colleague, in every time zone, has the access and support they need.

What does success look like? Products that solve complex problems with simplicity and elegance, a design culture of rapid iteration and continuous learning, and a team that is proud of both the work and the way it gets done.

What You Will Do

• Refine and evolve the design vision and strategy for Blackboard’s products, aligned with company strategy, product roadmaps, and business outcomes.
• Lead, grow, and inspire a high-performing, diverse UXD organization across multiple countries and time zones, developing strong leaders at every level.
• Partner with Product Management and Product Development leadership so design is integral to product planning, prioritization, and execution.
• Champion the user across the product lifecycle through research, customer feedback sessions, and usability testing that inform decisions and validate solutions.
• Lead the adoption of generative AI across the design practice, using tools such as Figma Make, Claude Code and other LLM-based technologies in your own daily work and setting clear standards for responsible use.
• Own design operations, including design systems, tooling, workflows, and quality standards that help teams deliver consistent, accessible experiences at scale.
• Hold accessibility and inclusive design as the standard for every experience we ship.
• Build an agile culture that iterates quickly and refines solutions based on data, user insight, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and ways of working between design, product management, and development teams.
• Present design strategy, research insights, and solutions to executive, customer, and industry audiences, making the value of design clear.
• Manage budget, resourcing, and priorities so work is delivered on time and aligned with product and organizational goals.
• Flex your working hours as needed to support business priorities and a team distributed across time zones.
• Travel up to 20% to support teams, customers, and company events.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• At least 15 years of experience in user experience, product design, or a related field, including significant experience leading design leaders as well as individual contributors.
• Proven experience building and scaling design organizations of 10+ professionals across disciplines such as Product Design, research, documentation, and accessibility.
• Proven experience leading diverse, geographically distributed teams across multiple countries, regions, and time zones.
• A track record of defining and refining design strategy at an executive level and connecting design to measurable user and business outcomes.
• Hands-on, everyday fluency with generative AI design technologies such as Figma Make, Claude Design, Claude Code and other LLM-based tools, with a clear point of view on how AI is reshaping design practice.
• Deep expertise in modern design tools, including Figma, prototyping, and design systems, plus working knowledge of web standards (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, usability, and accessibility).
• Strong expertise in engaging customers and users through design research, testing, and iterative feedback loops.
• A record of delivering simple, elegant solutions to complex problems in highly agile environments.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to create a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours when needed to collaborate with colleagues, partners, and customers in other time zones.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to make complex design concepts clear to any audience.
• Experience with accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in education technology or enterprise software as a service (SaaS).

About Blackboard

Blackboard is a leading EdTech company and SaaS provider that delivers the digital environment for transformational teaching and learning. We serve thousands of institutions with the industry's most AI-advanced LMS, Blackboard Ally for accessibility, and institutional effectiveness solutions that put educators and learners at the center. We're an education company that builds technology. Learn more at blackboard.com.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country where the role is based at the time of hire and must maintain that authorization for the duration of employment. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or immigration support for this position.

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.

Blackboard is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, protected military/veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.