About brighthush

brighthush is a pioneer in experiential learning, blending education with immersive travel to ignite curiosity, resilience, and global citizenship in students worldwide. Since 1967, we have guided more than half a million young minds across 100+ countries, turning classroom concepts into real‑world adventures. Our mission is simple yet powerful: to transform how young people learn by stepping outside the classroom and into the world.

At brighthush, we believe that the journey begins long before the first flight. The pre‑trip phase is where families decide whether to trust us with their children and where students decide whether they are excited or anxious about the adventure ahead. It is one of the highest‑leverage digital experiences in our organization, setting the tone for the entire trip and shaping the first impression of our brand.

Why This Role Matters

We are building a focused, in‑house UX/UI design capability, and this is a founding hire. As the Senior UX/UI Designer – Pre‑Trip Experience & Design System Architect, you will shape the visual language, component library, and interaction patterns that will be leveraged across all of brighthush’s digital touchpoints. Your work will directly influence how families feel when they first encounter our brand, how students navigate pre‑trip information, and ultimately how many of them choose to embark on a life‑changing journey with us.

Key Responsibilities

• Design & Deliver End‑to‑End Experiences: Translate product manager briefings into clear flows, wireframes, and high‑fidelity screens that are usable, accessible, and on‑brand.
• Build and Expand the Design System: Create a robust component library, type scale, color palette, spacing rules, and interaction patterns that serve the pre‑trip experience and can be reused across pods.
• Prototype Rapidly: Use Figma to produce low‑fidelity prototypes for quick validation and high‑fidelity screens ready for engineering handoff.
• Leverage AI Tools: Experiment with AI‑generated variations, copy drafts, visual directions, and mock imagery to accelerate iteration cycles.
• Collaborate Across Pods: Work closely with product managers, engineers, and the Voice of Customer (VoC) team to ensure designs meet user needs and business goals.
• Maintain Design Quality: Ensure consistency in typography, spacing, color, motion, and overall visual polish across all deliverables.
• Contribute to Research: Observe user sessions run by the VoC team, absorb insights, and apply them to subsequent design iterations.
• Document and Share: Keep design files clean, well‑named, and ready for handoff; add new patterns back into the library and flag gaps when they arise.

Essential Qualifications

• 2–4 years of experience designing digital products with a portfolio that showcases clean, on‑brand UI and clear, usable flows.
• Strong visual and interaction craft with a personal point of view on type, spacing, hierarchy, and motion.
• Fluency in Figma: components, variants, auto‑layout, prototyping, and tidy handoff files.
• Comfort working from a written problem statement and collaborating with a product manager.
• Curiosity about AI tools and a willingness to integrate them into daily workflows; bring examples of recent usage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to articulate design decisions without resorting to vague taste.
• A collaborative mindset: share early, accept feedback, and lift teammates.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing for consumer or family audiences (travel, education, e‑commerce, healthcare).
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG) and responsive design across web and mobile.
• Light front‑end literacy (reading HTML/CSS, understanding component constraints).
• Experience contributing to a design system.

Skills & Competencies for Success

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to frame problems, prioritize experiments, and focus on learning velocity.
• Rapid Prototyping: Build prototypes quickly, iterate based on user feedback, and scale successful concepts.
• Design System Stewardship: Own the quality and growth of the component library.
• Data‑Driven Decision Making: Use research insights to validate design choices.
• Communication: Translate complex design concepts into clear, actionable language for cross‑functional teams.
• Adaptability: Thrive in a fast‑moving environment where priorities shift and experimentation is the norm.

Career Growth & Learning Opportunities

As a founding member of our design team, you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of brighthush’s digital experience. You will:

• Lead the evolution of our design system, influencing product teams across the organization.
• Progress into senior design leadership roles, such as Design Lead or Head of Product Design.
• Participate in cross‑functional initiatives, including product strategy, research, and AI experimentation.
• Access continuous learning resources: tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 annually, certification support up to $1,000, and paid travel opportunities.
• Mentor junior designers and contribute to a culture of design excellence.

Work Environment & Culture

brighthush fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and fun work environment. We value:

• Transparency: open communication and shared decision‑making.
• Ownership: autonomous pods that own full problem spaces end‑to‑end.
• Innovation: a culture that encourages experimentation, rapid iteration, and learning from failure.
• Diversity & Inclusion: a commitment to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
• Work‑Life Balance: flexible schedules, remote and hybrid options, and generous paid time off.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $100,000 – $120,000 USD (commensurate with experience and location).

Benefits include:

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, accident, critical illness, disability insurance.
• FSA/HSA options with employer contributions.
• Generous 401(k) match.
• Paid time off: 25 PTO days (first year prorated), 11 paid company holidays, 1 paid volunteer day, 4 mental health days, and bereavement leave.
• Professional development: up to $5,250 annually for tuition and $1,000 for certifications.
• Paid and discounted travel opportunities.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness resources.
• Paid parental, caregiver, and disability leave.
• Team member discount program.
• Access to employee resource groups and a culture of belonging.

How We Measure Success

• Deliver clean, on‑brand, and usable screens that engineers can implement without back‑and‑forth.
• Produce design variations quickly to support rapid experimentation.
• Grow the design system through continuous contributions.
• Achieve high user satisfaction: customers find the pre‑trip experience easy, trustworthy, and engaging.
• Receive positive feedback from product managers and engineers about the impact of your work.

Join brighthush

If you are passionate about creating meaningful digital experiences, thrive in a fast‑paced, experiment‑driven environment, and want to help shape the future of experiential learning, we want to hear from you. Apply today and become a key architect of the pre‑trip journey that inspires families and students worldwide.

Equal Opportunity Employer

brighthush is committed to building a diverse workforce and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

brighthush only employs individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This position does not offer sponsorship for work authorization.