About The Company
Zearn is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to inspiring all children to love learning math. Our mission is driven by the belief that every child is a math learner, and we strive to create engaging, effective, and accessible math education experiences. Our flagship learning platform is designed to help students catch up and advance in grade-level math proficiency. Extensive research demonstrates that students using Zearn make significant gains, including those who start multiple grade levels behind, highlighting our commitment to impactful education. As a nonprofit, all our efforts are focused on what is best for children, while operating with the agility and innovation of a fast-moving technology company. Our work spans teaching, learning science, software development, design, video production, and more, tackling complex problems that influence current and future generations. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and relentless pursuit of educational excellence.

About The Role
The Principal UX Designer at Zearn will lead the strategic design of our Educator app onboarding experience, playing a critical role in how thousands of teachers adopt and engage with Zearn to foster student success in math. This role requires end-to-end design leadership, combining deep research expertise, strategic thinking, and a talent for simplifying complex systems into intuitive user experiences. The successful candidate will own the comprehensive design strategy for high-impact onboarding and engagement initiatives, transforming ambiguous challenges into clear, accessible solutions that meet educators where they are in their journey. Collaborating closely with product management, design, and engineering teams, you will translate market needs and educator pain points into innovative design solutions, ensuring high-quality execution aligned with our standards of excellence. Your work will focus on understanding and addressing educator challenges, conducting user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform product direction. You will synthesize insights into actionable recommendations, foster cross-functional relationships, and advocate for design excellence across the organization. The role demands agility, rapid prototyping, and the ability to balance big-picture systems thinking with detailed UI design, all while maintaining a high bar for quality and impact. Key challenges include designing onboarding experiences that enable teachers to master Zearn’s instructional approach efficiently, simplifying complex student data displays, and creating scalable experiences that serve individual teachers and entire districts effectively.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional UX design experience with a proven track record of leading major end-to-end projects
• Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality UX and product design, including onboarding or engagement-focused initiatives
• Extensive experience conducting user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis that influence product strategy
• Experience designing for educators, enterprise users, or audiences requiring quick comprehension of complex systems
• Exceptional ability to distill complex systems and content into simple, intuitive user experiences
• Proficiency in rapid prototyping, high-fidelity design, and systems thinking
• Deep understanding of onboarding, user engagement, and habit formation strategies
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and align teams across product, engineering, and leadership
• Excellent communication skills, including storytelling and stakeholder management
• Passion for educational technology and a commitment to improving student outcomes

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design strategy for educator onboarding and engagement experiences, ensuring alignment with organizational goals
• Translate ambiguous business needs and educator pain points into clear, compelling design solutions
• Partner with product management to clarify requirements, define user journeys, and prioritize features
• Conduct comprehensive user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis to inform design decisions
• Synthesize research insights into actionable recommendations, fostering a user-centered approach across teams
• Collaborate closely with design directors, engineers, and product managers to deliver high-quality, impactful designs
• Simplify complex educational content, data, and platform capabilities into intuitive UI and user flows
• Drive design excellence by advocating for best practices, maintaining consistency through design systems, and elevating organizational craft
• Rapidly iterate on prototypes, sketches, wireframes, and journey maps to test concepts and refine solutions
• Manage multiple complex projects simultaneously while adhering to tight deadlines and quality standards
• Identify and address barriers to educator adoption, improving onboarding processes and ongoing engagement
• Build and maintain relationships across teams to ensure a shared understanding of user needs and product goals

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $150,000 - $180,000 annually
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Life insurance benefits
• 401(k) matching program
• Generous parental leave policies
• Flexible paid time off and holiday policies
• Remote work flexibility within specified states
• Opportunity to contribute to impactful educational initiatives that serve millions of children
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment fostering professional growth

Equal Opportunity

Zearn is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic. We believe that a diverse workforce enhances our ability to innovate and serve our global community effectively.