CharacterStrong is hiringDirector of Product Experience

Position Summary

The Director of Product Experience will own the user experience function across our development organization, ensuring that every product decision is grounded in human-centered design and aligned to our strategic goals. This leader will translate research and stakeholder input into clear design requirements, use proof of concept sketches to explore and validate solutions, and guide the UX/UI design team toward consistent, scalable, and human-centered outcomes. With a strong UX background navigating complex platforms (such as edtech ecosystems with diverse user types, data streams, and product suites), the Director of Product Experience will connect research, product design, and engineering into a seamless, human-centered process.

CharacterStrong’s Background & Mission 

CharacterStrong, a FullBloom Company, is a fast-paced, tech education company that makes PreK-12 digital, social-emotional learning curricula and offers professional learning opportunities to support schools with implementation. There’s currently a team of more than 90 full-time employees and over 30 contractors and interns collaborating to bring this work to life. Our mission is to create a more loving world by equipping educators with tools to teach the critical social, emotional, and character skills necessary to foster a more empathetic, connected, and generous world. In less than 10 years, our aim is to have reached 50 million students and over 2 million educators. We were ranked by INC. as the 449th fastest-growing private company in the country.

At CharacterStrong, you will have the opportunity to positively impact education, both in the United States and internationally. CharacterStrong employees offer their innovation, dedication to excellence, and compassion to help produce transformational curricula and professional learning for educators.

CharacterStrong’s Company Values & Norms

• We Produce Excellence - Producing timely, quality results and consistently asking the question, “How can we make this 1% better?”

• We Take Full Ownership - Taking initiative to drive work forward, demonstrating responsibility when things do not go according to plan, and being proactive in closing identified gaps.

• We Practice Kindness - Exercising inclusion, care, and empathy with others, balancing honesty with compassion, and cultivating the well-being of self and others.

• We Problem-Solve - Identifying issues, analyzing for understanding, and taking action to implement the best possible solution.

Key Responsibilities

User Experience Leadership

• Define and lead the UX function within the development org, embedding evidence-based practices into product design strategy and execution. 

• Establish a repeatable, research-informed design process that bridges discovery and delivery, ensuring user needs shape product direction early and throughout the product lifecycle

• Represent user needs at the leadership level, ensuring design outcomes align with organizational goals and drive measurable impact

Proof of Concept & Stakeholder Alignment

• Calibrate with stakeholders by using rough proof-of-concept sketches, whiteboarding, journey maps, and rapid idea testing to quickly translate research insights, explore options, and create stakeholder alignment.

• Facilitate early validation loops that reduce risk and rework, clarify design requirements, and accelerate consensus before investment in detailed design and development. 

Design Requirements & Standards 

• Translate research and insights into actionable design requirements and user flows.

• Oversee designers in evolving our design system and accessibility standards to ensure consistency, scalability, and cohesive user experiences

• Provide research-driven guidance, oversight, and mentorship to UX/UI designers, ensuring execution is consistent, high quality, scalable, and aligned with user needs

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Overseen by the Senior Art Director to ensure UX design and research align with broader branding, design, organizational and human-centered goals. 

• Partner with the Senior Director of Product Development to align design requirements with product strategy and user stories, ensuring evidence-based insights and prioritization reflects validated user needs

• Collaborate with engineering leaders to translate research findings into actionable design requirements, bridging user context with technical feasibility in data-rich, multi-product environments.

• Engage stakeholders across marketing, enablement, and customer success to integrate user feedback loops that capture the full lifecycle of the customer experience. 

• Support UX/UI designers by embedding research throughout the design process, reducing rework and enabling more confident design decisions.

Success in this Role Looks Like

• A mature UX function that accelerates concept → BRD → PRD → development by grounding decisions in evidence.

• Stakeholders aligned earlier in discovery through facilitating interviews, proof of concept sketches, and iterative design requirements anchored in research.

• Articulating clear design requirements that reduce ambiguity for PMs, designers, and engineers.

• A centralized repository of insights that informs design requirements, highlights patterns across products, and prevents knowledge loss. 

• Supporting UX/UI designers with actionable findings and frameworks that help them deliver high-quality solutions rooted in real user needs. 

• Consistent user experiences across products, enabled not only by design systems but by validated understanding of user behaviors, mental models, and pain points.

• Increased user satisfaction and engagement driven by evidence-based design process that elevates the voice of the user throughout the entire product journey.

What This Role is Not

• Not responsible for writing full product user stories or PRD management (owned by the Senior Director of Product Development).

• Not the day-to-day producer of polished wireframes or final UI deliverables (owned by UX/UI designers).

• Not duplicating PM or engineering work, but ensuring user experience is central to decision-making and execution.

• Not a siloed function. Research is integrated into the product lifecycle rather than an afterthought.

Ideal Profile

1. Proven UX research or product design leader with 5+ years of experience, and a strong foundation in research methodologies, human-centered design, and the ability to translate insights into early visual artifacts (e.g., proof-of-concept sketches, user flows) to align stakeholders early. 

2. Skilled at planning and conducting user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and translating findings that shape product direction. 

3. Comfortable acting as a bridge between research and design to illustrate user needs, spark discussion, and reduce ambiguity for stakeholders, designers, engineers, and PMs

4. Experience leading user experience research for complex platforms (e.g., edtech, SaaS ecosystems with diverse user bases and data sources).

5. Experience in building and operationalizing research repositories, overseeing design system integration, and accessibility practices.

6. Strategic thinker and collaborative leader, comfortable influencing at the executive and cross-functional level with evidence-based recommendations. 

Other Duties: 

• Perform additional responsibilities aligned with business needs and evolving growth goals.

Benefits Package

• Laptop computer and other needed equipment

• Education & Tuition Reimbursement up to $1,000 annually

• 401k Savings Plan with employer contribution 

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance

• Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance

• Employee Assistance Program, Mental Health Support, and Well-Being Programs

• 3 weeks Company-Paid Parental Leave 

• Flexible Time Off, 6 Paid Sick Days, 11 Paid Company Holidays