<p>When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.</p> <p>We're on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.</p> <p>Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We're changing. Because students need a better way.</p> <p>We're looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students-and for each other.</p> <p>This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It's where you're empowered to bring your authentic self to work.</p> <p>Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you-from physical and mental to financial and professional. You'll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.</p> <p>We're obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking "why not?" when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.</p> <p>Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.</p> <p>Senior UX/UI Designer, Customer Experience</p> <p>What You'll Contribute</p> <p>Are you a bold, creative thinker who loves solving problems through innovative technology solutions? Are you passionate about customer strategy, digital design, and creating seamless experiences across platforms? We are seeking a motivated design enthusiast to join our growing team at Sallie Mae.</p> <p>As we transform from a traditional student loan provider into a comprehensive education services company, you'll play an essential role in designing digital experiences that support students throughout their entire education journey- from planning for college and applying for financial aid, to managing finances during school, and achieving success after graduation.</p> <p>In this role, you'll be responsible for creating user-centered experiences across our consumer-facing digital touchpoints, including web, mobile, tablet, and app experiences. You'll work as part of a cross-functional team, collaborating closely with business stakeholders, content strategists, copywriters, researchers, and development teams to bring innovative solutions to life.</p> <p>Work You'll Do</p> <p>Product Design & Experience Development</p> <ul> <li> <p>Lead design efforts on projects from concept to implementation, taking full ownership of work throughout the process</p> </li><li> <p>Create user-centered experiences grounded in research insights, competitive analysis, and UX best practices</p> </li><li> <p>Develop design artifacts including journey maps, wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups</p> </li><li> <p>Deliver detailed design specifications and documentation for development teams</p> </li><li> <p>Work closely with developers to ensure designs are implemented according to specifications</p> </li><li> <p>Provide a voice for customers within the Sallie Mae team, advocating for user needs</p> </li></ul> <p>Design System & Standards</p> <ul> <li> <p>Contribute to and enhance our internal design system library within Figma</p> </li><li> <p>Help maintain design consistency across products and experiences</p> </li><li> <p>Document patterns and component guidelines for team use</p> </li><li> <p>Deliver detailed design specifications and documentation for development teams</p> </li><li> <p>Apply systematic thinking to complex design problems</p> </li></ul> <p>Research & Strategy</p> <ul> <li> <p>Conduct competitive analysis and stay updated on industry best practices</p> </li><li> <p>Identify opportunities to improve customer/consumer experiences</p> </li><li> <p>Support heuristic evaluations, A/B testing, and design validation</p> </li><li> <p>Participate in business walkthroughs and stakeholder interviews</p> </li></ul> <p>Collaboration & Communication</p> <ul> <li> <p>Collaborate with our research team to implement insights into design solutions</p> </li><li> <p>Partner with content strategists and copywriters to create cohesive experiences</p> </li><li> <p>Present design solutions to stakeholders and executives with clear rationale</p> </li><li> <p>Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences</p> </li><li> <p>Facilitate high-level strategic decisions with buy-in from multiple disciplines</p> </li></ul> <p>The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.</p> <p>What You Have</p> <p>Minimum education, skills and experience required.</p> <ul> <li> <p>Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience</p> </li><li> <p>5+ years of experience in user experience design, interaction design, UI design, and/or digital product design</p> </li><li> <p>Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite</p> </li><li> <p>Strong portfolio demonstrating experience designing complex systems across multiple platforms</p> </li><li> <p>Excellence in visual design with an understanding of design principles and accessibility standards</p> </li><li> <p>Experience documenting and annotating complex interactions for development teams</p> </li><li> <p>Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills</p> </li><li> <p>Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and organizational levels</p> </li><li> <p>Self-starter with strong project management skills who delivers work on time</p> </li><li> <p>Growth mindset with a willingness to learn new tools and approaches</p> </li></ul> <p>Preferred education, skills and experience required.</p> <ul> <li> <p>Experience in financial services or education technology</p> </li><li> <p>Knowledge of design thinking methodologies</p> </li><li> <p>Understanding of agile development processes</p> </li><li> <p>Background in conversion optimization and/or e-commerce</p> </li></ul> <p>How You'll Grow</p> <p>At Sallie Mae, our professional development plan focuses on helping people at every level of their career to identify and use their strengths to do their best work every day. From entry-level employees to senior leaders, we believe there's always room to learn. We offer opportunities to help sharpen skills in addition to hands-on experience in the global, fast-changing business world. From on-the-job learning experiences to formal development programs, our professionals have a variety of opportunities to continue to grow throughout their career??.</p> <p>What You'll Get at Sallie Mae</p> <ul> <li> <p>Healthcare Benefits: medical, dental, vision plans</p> </li><li> <p>Financial Well-being: 401K company match, Employee Stock purchase plan, and basic life insurance</p> </li><li> <p>Work-life Balance: Generous paid time off, time off to volunteer, tuition reimbursement</p> </li><li> <p>Family Support: After 6 months of employment, primary caregivers receive 12 weeks of fully paid time off, and secondary caregivers receive 4 weeks for birth or adoption</p> </li><li> <p>Wellness Programs: Fitness center, gym subsidies, free Fitbits with step challenges, and wellness education</p> </li></ul> <p>The Americans with Disabilities Act</p> <p>The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the "essential functions" of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.</p> <p>Feeling your best helps you do your best:</p> <p>Our benefits take care of the whole you-so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!).</p> <ul> <li> <p>Competitive base salaries</p> </li><li> <p>Bonus incentives</p> </li><li> <p>Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed</p> </li><li> <p>Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match</p> </li><li> <p>Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more</p> </li><li> <p>Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance</p> </li><li> <p>Flexible hybrid working arrangements.</p> </li><li> <p>Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs</p> </li><li> <p>Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware)</p> </li><li> <p>Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives</p> </li><li> <p>Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs</p> </li><li> <p>Career development and training opportunities</p> </li></ul> <p>Not the right fit? Let us know you're interested in a future opportunity by clicking Introduce Yourself in the top-right corner of the page or create an account to set up email alerts as new job postings become available that meet your interest!</p> <p>Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here for federal job applicant notices, and here to view the California Employee Privacy Notice.</p> <p>Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call (855) 756-2007 and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.</p>