Senior Web Designer - UX/UI

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior UX/UI Designer to take full ownership of projects, from initial content strategy and Information Architecture through high-fidelity UI and developer handoff. You will be a key player, collaborating directly with our creative director, developers, project managers and account leads across diverse client engagements. Our platforms are typically editorially driven, content-heavy, and built using headless CMS and modern frontend stacks.

Key Responsibilities

• Visual Systems Design: Defining the information architecture for content-rich platforms like large scale contemporary art exhibitions, ongoing editorial sites, interactive artist-driven story telling platforms, and feature rich foundation archives. Relies on data and evidence, not gut feel or personal taste. Relies on data and evidence, not gut feel or personal taste.

   

• Design System Maturity: Designing and meticulously maintaining component systems in Figma, including tokens, variants, responsive behavior, and documentation. Someone who thinks in scalable systems and executes at that level. Not just building a component library and making things look good. Someone that can lead with user-centered thinking.

   

• Pixel-Perfect Delivery: Producing final, pixel-level UI designs across all responsive breakpoints, ready for front-end developer handoff. Someone who will look at every detail and have rationally informed explanations for design decisions.

   

• Optimizing CMS Experience: Designing intuitive content management editing experiences for non-technical content teams. Be able to identify replicable systems and create modular designs for replicated architectures.

   

• Developer Collaboration: Working closely with developers (building in Next.js and Sanity or similar headless CMS) to ensure the shipped product perfectly matches the design.

   

• Content Architecture: Shaping robust taxonomy, filtering, and search patterns for platforms containing hundreds of content items of varying types.

   

• Client Presentation: Confidently presenting and defending design decisions to detail-oriented, design-literate clients. Balance in expectations.

   

• Critical Thinking: Providing constructive pushback with well-articulated, superior alternatives when a design direction needs correction. Pushing back not only with clients and stakeholders, but also internally. Knows when to meet people halfway.

   

What We're Looking For

• Experience: 5+ years designing complex, content-driven digital products, preferably in a studio or agency environment.

   

• Validation Mindset: A person capable of researching, auditing, and structuring a project from concept to execution, with a focus on validating solutions using metrics-backed responses.

   

• Portfolio Depth: A strong portfolio demonstrating both rigorous institutional UX process and polished visual execution. Showcasing more than just isolated wireframes or pretty landing pages. Sites with high volume conversion funnels.

   

• Figma Mastery: Expert proficiency in Figma, including experience building and maintaining comprehensive design systems.

   

• Headless CMS Knowledge: Hands-on experience with platforms like Sanity or Contentful, and a clear understanding of how schema design impacts both the client, editor, and the front end.

   

• Strong IA Skills: Excellent instincts for managing large, multi-type content libraries and tackling complex, "messy" “art-world” taxonomies.

   

• Operational Comfort: Comfortable utilizing project management tools (Notion, Basecamp) and collaborating effectively across time zones.

   

• Clear Communication: Ability to clearly walk a client through design reasoning without relying on jargon or vague hand-waving.

   

• Technical Literacy: Solid grasp of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and responsive design principles.

   

Bonus Skills

• Experience in the arts, culture, publishing, or museum/archive sector.
• Specific expertise with Sanity CMS (schema design, GROQ queries, studio customization).
• Familiarity with Next.js/React and how component-based frontends influence design possibilities.
• Motion/interaction design capabilities (After Effects, Lottie, Figma prototyping).

Compensation: Commensurate with experience (hourly, retainer, or salaried options available)