Keelworks is hiring: User Experience (UX) Team Manager in Oak Harbor

Mission

Keelworks Foundation is a nonprofit organization crafting unique programs and technological solutions designed to support individuals facing chronic unemployment and underemployment. We are building tools that both strengthen the infrastructure of KeelWorks and empower our vulnerable user population to achieve meaningful, gainful employment.

With this come challenges unique to working within a resource-constrained environment:

• Interns and unpaid volunteers (associates) with limited motivation, experience, knowledge, and real-world critical thinking/problem-solving.
• Limited access to tools, or tools with minimal functionality (e.g. Figma Free version).

These constraints require adaptive leadership, a culture of continuous learning, and creative workarounds. At KeelWorks, we see these challenges not as barriers but as opportunities to grow stronger - both as an organization and as individuals.

About the Role

We’re looking for a User Experience (UX) Team Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of our growing UX team, with a strong focus on problem-solving around daily challenges. This role focuses on team member accountability, people management, and cultivating a collaborative, inclusive, and learning-centered culture. You will help ensure the team operates smoothly, makes progress every week, and consistently applies high-quality UX practices that align with our mission and user-centered values.

The UX Team Manager reports to the UX Practice Lead and is responsible for implementing leadership guidance, team protocols, and operating rhythms that drive the UX function forward. You will be part of our UX Leadership support team working to build a scalable, sustainable UX practice through transparency, consistency, and collaboration.

Overall Goals

• Manage with a people-first approach, building a team environment that promotes confidence, independence/ownership, and professionalism, while holding individuals accountable to high standards and consistent delivery of work and committed hours.
• Translate UX leadership’s strategic vision into daily clarity and team alignment, serving as a catalyst for growth, cohesion, and principled UX practice.
• Promote smooth, disciplined daily operations, reinforcing UX standards, team communication, collaboration, and encouraging continuous learning.
• Ensure team members conduct research first and apply inclusive, evidence-based design practices.
• Support staff in navigating product development and cross-functional collaboration.

About the Position

Team Accountability & Support

• Promote a team environment of regular engagement, communication, mutual support, and collaboration.
• Reinforce a culture of curiosity and professional inquiry, where individuals become "detectives" of their own learning, research, and design decisions.
• Uphold ownership of both outcomes and UX integrity, ensuring work aligns with principles like accessibility, cognitive clarity, and user empowerment.
• Implement an accountability system to make sure each UX teammate makes progress each week and works the committed hours, especially those on OPT with a minimum of 20 hrs.
• Lead through facilitation - asking guiding questions, encouraging self-direction, and helping team members develop critical thinking and deeper UX insights.
• Conduct regular 1:1s to hold team members accountable, support problem-solving, and reinforce high standards in both work and professional conduct.

2. Operations & Structure

• Strengthen onboarding, team expectations, and accountability systems that support team consistency and long-term growth.
• Manage operational rhythms, including deliverables, blockers, and product alignment.
• Ensure all systems and processes reflect human-centered, research-informed UX practices, tailored to KeelWorks’ mission.
• Maintain team norms by setting boundaries and escalating issues when needed, consistently reinforcing respectful and clear standards.
• Support the development of practical UX practice protocols that elevate research and design quality across the team.
• Support tool and resource development by identifying and pursuing opportunities for partnerships or free UX tools and platforms that can enhance team productivity and capability.
• Assist in volunteer recruitment efforts, particularly for attracting skilled UX professionals, by helping with outreach and building connections in the UX community.

3. Culture & Leadership

• Cultivate a supportive, learning-centered culture rooted in peer feedback, design exploration, and mutual respect.
• Promote team independence and reduce over-dependence on leadership by encouraging problem-solving and ownership at all levels.
• Model mission-driven leadership - drawing inspiration from your passion, consistency in discipline, and ability to ignite curiosity and commitment.
• Champion design thinking and principled UX design rooted in research, psychology, accessibility, and evidence, rather than trends or personal bias.

4. Strategic Partnering

• Act as a key operational partner and right hand to the UX Practice Lead, translating strategic goals into day-to-day progress.
• Support oversight of research activities, by making sure it aligns with UX Practice Lead guidance and subject to review and approval, to maintain quality and consistency
• Oversee lower-priority or "edge" projects, ensuring quality outcomes without requiring constant leadership input.
• Encourage meaningful collaboration between UX design and UX research, particularly in shared practices like desk/secondary research, insight development, and system refinement.

What We’re Looking For

• Ideally, (but not required given you have some of the other listed requirements), hands-on UX experience and proficiency in aspects of UX such user research, wireframing, prototyping, visual design, information architecture, and usability testing.
• Understanding of the UX and/or software development lifecycle from research to development and iteration from a user-centric perspective and/or equivalent education and training.
• Supervisory/management and/or team lead experience and ability to lead with emotional intelligence and a people-first mindset, fostering trust, accountability, and professional growth among staff.
• Experience prioritizing, delegating, and coordinating work effectively while translating vision into clear actions and outcomes across product and/or service lifecycles.
• Experience in coaching, mentoring, and supporting individuals and teams, building strong partnerships, and driving collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence with a focus on customers and clients.
• Effective communicator to foster shared understanding and trust and practitioner of continuous improvement and innovation in processes and delivery.

What You’ll Gain (What's in for you)

- A chance to make a great impact and contribute to a cause that improves the lives of people.

- An opportunity to help build a high-performing, engaging and mission-driven environment.

- Great work experience and exposure to diverse projects that make a real difference.

- Expansion of your professional network & exposure to working for a non-profit.

"If you have the time, experience organizationing operations, ability to guide others, and a desire to contribute to a meaningful cause, we can use your help." Keelworks Founder

Footnotes:

*Please leave a note with your application to acknowledge your awareness of the volunteer nature of the role. We will only proceed with those candidates who understand this to be a volunteer position.

This position is virtual and can be done from anywhere in or outside the United States.

This is an unpaid, volunteer position with an expected commitment of minimum of 15-20 hours per week and a minimum 3 month service commitment.

Visit our website at www.KeelWorks.org for more information.

Watch our video to learn more: Why KeelWorks