Lead UX Designer

About the role

MeridianLink Coach builds financial products that help credit union members take meaningful steps toward better credit health. The platform includes adverse action notices, warm-decline journeys, credit monitoring tools, and the portals that support these critical services. Because these interactions affect people during sensitive financial moments, the design must be exceptionally clear, accessible, and trustworthy. This role leads how the team approaches design across an AI-native product workflow where artificial intelligence agents assist in turning design direction into working software, while people set the vision, make the decisions, and uphold the quality standard.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead design work across member-facing journeys, credit union tools, and internal products used by financial institutions.
• Guide ideas from early discovery through prototypes, user testing, and shipped experiences that improve credit outcomes.
• Own and evolve the design system covering responsive design, accessibility, localization, and dark mode implementation.
• Create clear systems and specifications that help AI agents and engineers implement designs with accuracy and consistency.
• Review shipped products regularly, gather insights from real users, and continuously raise the product quality standard.
• Partner closely with engineers, customers, and stakeholders throughout the entire design and development lifecycle.
• Shape the design approach for an AI-native product team that builds financial tools for credit unions.
• Develop and maintain detailed design specifications that translate high-level vision into implementable, precise details for teams.
• Conduct user research and usability testing to inform design decisions and validate solutions with real members.
• Collaborate with product managers to define priorities, align design work with business goals, and drive outcomes.
• Establish design patterns and reusable components that accelerate future feature development and maintain visual coherence.
• Communicate design rationale and trade-offs clearly to diverse audiences including technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Requirements

• Six or more years of product design experience, including leading products from initial ambiguity through to successful launch and ongoing iteration.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong systems thinking and excellent craft in complex flows such as forms, disclosures, or data-rich interfaces.
• Accessibility built into your process as a foundational practice rather than an afterthought.
• Comfort with AI design and prototyping tools, plus genuine curiosity about agent-built product development workflows.
• The ability to work autonomously, communicate clearly, and carry design decisions through production with confidence.
• Experience in fintech or another regulated field is welcome, though not strictly required for this position.
• Strong understanding of credit-health products and the financial services context is a meaningful advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with engineering teams to ship high-quality, accessible products that meet user needs.
• Familiarity with design systems, component libraries, and the discipline of maintaining a unified visual language.
• A track record of iterating on shipped experiences based on user feedback and measurable outcomes.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with credit union operations and the financial services regulatory environment that shapes product decisions.
• Experience designing for adverse action notices or similar compliance-heavy interfaces where clarity is essential.
• Background in building and maintaining design systems at scale across multiple products and teams.
• Knowledge of localization and internationalization practices for multi-region products serving diverse member populations.
• Exposure to regulated industries where compliance and accessibility standards directly influence design choices.
• Understanding of credit monitoring workflows and the member lifecycle within a credit union ecosystem.

Skills & tools

• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma or similar platforms for prototyping, collaboration, and design handoff.
• Experience with AI-assisted design tools and agent-based workflows that are becoming part of product development.
• Strong understanding of responsive design principles across desktop, tablet, and mobile form factors and viewports.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards and inclusive design practices that ensure equitable experiences for all users.
• Ability to create detailed design specifications and comprehensive documentation for engineering and implementation teams.
• Comfort with dark mode implementation and localization considerations that affect interface design and content presentation.
• Knowledge of version control workflows and design token systems that support scalable design systems.
• Experience with user research methods including interviews, surveys, and usability testing to inform design decisions.

Practical notes

• This is a full-time remote position based in the United States with no required office presence.
• The role involves close collaboration with engineers, customers, and stakeholders across different time zones and regions.
• Candidates should expect to work autonomously while maintaining clear, consistent communication with the broader team.
• MeridianLink Coach operates in a regulated financial services environment, so awareness of compliance considerations matters.
• The team uses AI agents as part of the product workflow, so curiosity about this approach is valued.
• You will carry design decisions from initial concept through production, ensuring quality and consistency at every stage.