Design Lead Jobs in Chicago, IL
Design Lead jobs in Chicago are in strong demand, concentrated in the Loop, River North, and Fulton Market across tech platforms, advertising agencies, and healthcare innovation firms. Employers hiring right now include Northern Trust, GFT, and Stantec. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Lead and advance mixed‑methods design research that informs product, service, and experience decisions across the credit union. Bring expertise in quantitative research and analytical methods, complemented by qualitative research and human‑centered design practices. Plan and execute research, translate insights into actionable recommendations, and partner with other teams to improve member experiences.
Essential Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, design, and execution of mixed methods quantitative and qualitative research across descriptive, generative, evaluative, and analytical research domains
- Utilize methods including in-depth interviews, diary studies, conjoint analysis, MaxDiff, TURF analysis, survey‑based experimentation to inform product, service, and experience decisions.
- Design statistically sound research studies, including sampling approaches, questionnaire design, and data quality standards.
- Communicate research findings through compelling storytelling, visualizations, and presentations tailored to diverse stakeholder groups.
- Apply human‑centered design principles and methods to research planning, synthesis, and insight activation, ensure research is grounded in member needs and business context.
- Collaborate with service designers and design strategists to inform experience orchestration, service concepts, and strategic direction.
- Represent the voice of the member, consumer, and internal customers across initiatives.
- Plan and facilitate research‑driven workshops, synthesis sessions, and stakeholder working sessions to align teams around insights and implications.
- Build trusted partnerships with product, digital, UX, marketing, operations, partnerships, and leadership teams.
- Contribute to the development and maturation of Alliant’s design research practice by elevating research rigor, strengthening evidence-based decision-making, and improving standards, tools, templates, and governance.
- Continuously evaluate and improve research approaches, methodologies, and tools.
Education & Years of Experience
- Minimum - 4 Year Bachelors Degree in Sociology, Human‑Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Statistics, or related
- Preferred - Graduate Degree in Sociology, Human‑Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Statistics, or related
- Minimum - 3 Years of Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
- Preferred - 5 Years Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
In Lieu of Education
- 7 years of Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
Compensation & Benefits:
Typical hiring range: $92,600.00 to $144,100.00 Annually. Actual compensation will be determined using factors such as experience, skills & knowledge.
Benefits: Alliant provides a benefits package including health care, vision, dental, and 401k with employer match including:
- Annual performance bonus
- Work from home up to 3 days a week
- Paid parental leave
- Employee discount programs
- Time off including paid personal and sick days
- 11 paid holidays
- Education reimbursement
- Note that eligibility and cost of benefits can vary depending on the number of regularly scheduled hours, and job status such as regular full-time, regular part-time, or temporary employment.
Adhere to and ensure compliance of all business transactions with policy and process of the Bank Secrecy Act. Ensures compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, company procedures and policies. Maintains integrity and ethics in all actions and conversations with or regarding credit union members and their accounts; complies with Privacy Act directives.
The responsibilities listed do not contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
Lead and advance mixed‑methods design research that informs product, service, and experience decisions across the credit union. Bring expertise in quantitative research and analytical methods, complemented by qualitative research and human‑centered design practices. Plan and execute research, translate insights into actionable recommendations, and partner with other teams to improve member experiences.
Essential Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, design, and execution of mixed methods quantitative and qualitative research across descriptive, generative, evaluative, and analytical research domains
- Utilize methods including in-depth interviews, diary studies, conjoint analysis, MaxDiff, TURF analysis, survey‑based experimentation to inform product, service, and experience decisions.
- Design statistically sound research studies, including sampling approaches, questionnaire design, and data quality standards.
- Communicate research findings through compelling storytelling, visualizations, and presentations tailored to diverse stakeholder groups.
- Apply human‑centered design principles and methods to research planning, synthesis, and insight activation, ensure research is grounded in member needs and business context.
- Collaborate with service designers and design strategists to inform experience orchestration, service concepts, and strategic direction.
- Represent the voice of the member, consumer, and internal customers across initiatives.
- Plan and facilitate research‑driven workshops, synthesis sessions, and stakeholder working sessions to align teams around insights and implications.
- Build trusted partnerships with product, digital, UX, marketing, operations, partnerships, and leadership teams.
- Contribute to the development and maturation of Alliant’s design research practice by elevating research rigor, strengthening evidence-based decision-making, and improving standards, tools, templates, and governance.
- Continuously evaluate and improve research approaches, methodologies, and tools.
Education & Years of Experience
- Minimum - 4 Year Bachelors Degree in Sociology, Human‑Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Statistics, or related
- Preferred - Graduate Degree in Sociology, Human‑Computer Interaction, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Statistics, or related
- Minimum - 3 Years of Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
- Preferred - 5 Years Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
In Lieu of Education
- 7 years of Design research, user research, or human‑centered research, with demonstrated quantitative and mixed‑methods expertise or related
Compensation & Benefits:
Typical hiring range: $92,600.00 to $144,100.00 Annually. Actual compensation will be determined using factors such as experience, skills & knowledge.
Benefits: Alliant provides a benefits package including health care, vision, dental, and 401k with employer match including:
- Annual performance bonus
- Work from home up to 3 days a week
- Paid parental leave
- Employee discount programs
- Time off including paid personal and sick days
- 11 paid holidays
- Education reimbursement
- Note that eligibility and cost of benefits can vary depending on the number of regularly scheduled hours, and job status such as regular full-time, regular part-time, or temporary employment.
Adhere to and ensure compliance of all business transactions with policy and process of the Bank Secrecy Act. Ensures compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, company procedures and policies. Maintains integrity and ethics in all actions and conversations with or regarding credit union members and their accounts; complies with Privacy Act directives.
The responsibilities listed do not contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
See All 22 Design Lead Jobs in Chicago
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Find Design Lead JobsDesign Lead Job Market in Chicago
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
Design Lead Jobs in Chicago: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a design lead job in Chicago?
Chicago's strongest hiring comes from its tech corridor in Fulton Market, the advertising and branding agencies clustered in River North, and large healthcare and financial services firms anchored downtown in the Loop. Candidates who stand out tend to bring a portfolio that shows cross-functional leadership alongside visual craft, since Chicago employers frequently want design leads who can present to stakeholders and direct junior teams at the same time.
Which companies hire design leads in Chicago?
Companies currently hiring design leads in Chicago include Northern Trust, GFT, and Stantec, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. Chicago's mix of global consultancies, mid-size product companies, and legacy consumer brands means demand comes from a wide range of employer types rather than a single dominant sector.
Are there remote design lead jobs in Chicago?
Yes, though availability depends on the role type, since design leads at product and software companies tend to work remotely more often than those at agencies or firms requiring on-site collaboration with physical teams. About 100% of design lead openings tied to Chicago are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, with fully remote roles most common in enterprise software and fintech. Hybrid arrangements are the norm for agency and in-house brand roles based in Fulton Market or the Loop.
How can I get a design lead job in Chicago with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Chicago is moving into a senior individual contributor role at a mid-size product company or agency, then stepping into lead responsibilities as the team grows. Chicago's dense community of startup accelerators in Fulton Market and River North regularly promotes strong senior designers into lead roles rather than hiring externally. Building visibility through local design meetups and portfolio reviews hosted by Chicago-based design organizations can also open doors that a cold application rarely does.
Which industries hire the most design leads in Chicago?
The sectors hiring the most design leads in Chicago are Consulting & Professional Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. Chicago's position as a hub for financial technology, healthcare innovation, and integrated marketing agencies means design leads here often work at the intersection of complex data products and consumer-facing brand work.
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See All 22 Design Lead Jobs in Chicago
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