Lead UX Designer

Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. Position Summary: We are looking for a Lead UX Designer to join the athenahealth R&D team in Chennai. This role focuses on solving complex healthcare challenges by researching, defining, and designing user-centered experiences for electronic health record (EHR) and practice management products. The ideal candidate will lead UX research and design initiatives that improve healthcare workflows and patient experiences while collaborating closely with agile product and engineering teams. This role requires strong strategic thinking, user research expertise, interaction design skills, and the ability to drive impactful product outcomes. About the Team: The R&D team at athenahealth builds innovative healthcare technology solutions that improve clinical and operational experiences for healthcare providers and patients. The team works collaboratively across product, engineering, and design functions to deliver intuitive and scalable digital healthcare experiences. Designers on the team play a key role in understanding user needs, shaping product strategy, and delivering impactful solutions that support better healthcare outcomes. Essential Job Responsibilities: Lead UX research and design initiatives for electronic health record (EHR) and practice management products Conduct and synthesize user research activities including discovery interviews, field studies, usability testing, and evaluative studies Define problem statements, user needs, and success metrics to guide product and design decisions Design intuitive, elegant, and user-centered interactions that improve healthcare workflows and user experiences Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders within agile development environments Translate complex business and user requirements into scalable UX solutions and design recommendations Present and communicate UX rationale, research findings, and design decisions to gain stakeholder alignment and support Additional Job Responsibilities: Facilitate workshops, design discussions, and collaborative problem-solving sessions across teams Support iterative design processes through prototyping, feedback incorporation, and continuous improvement Contribute to UX strategy, design standards, and best practices across the product organization Mentor and guide team members on UX research methodologies and interaction design principles Adapt design approaches based on changing business priorities, customer feedback, and evolving healthcare needs Partner with multidisciplinary teams to ensure consistency across product experiences Help drive innovation and user-centered thinking throughout the product development lifecycle Expected Education & Experience: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, User Experience (UX), or related field Minimum 10+ years of professional experience in UX research and design Strong expertise across a broad range of UX research and interaction design methodologies Experience conducting user research including interviews, field studies, moderated and unmoderated usability testing, and evaluative research Strong understanding of agile software development processes and cross-functional product collaboration Proven ability to articulate UX recommendations using data, research insights, and business rationale Excellent communication, stakeholder management, collaboration, and problem-solving skills About athenahealth Our vision: In an industry that becomes more complex by the day, we stand for simplicity. We offer IT solutions and expert services that eliminate the daily hurdles preventing healthcare providers from focusing entirely on their patients — powered by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. Our company culture: Our talented  employees — or athenistas, as we call ourselves — spark the innovation and passion needed to accomplish our vision. We are a diverse group of dreamers and do-ers with unique knowledge, expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives. We unite as mission-driven problem-solvers with a deep desire to achieve our vision and make our time here count. Our award-winning culture is built around shared values of inclusiveness, accountability, and support. Our DEI commitment: Our vision of accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all requires addressing the inequities that stand in the way. That's one reason we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our business, from attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce to maintaining an inclusive environment for athenistas, our partners, customers and the communities where we work and serve. What we can do for you: Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative  workspaces  — some offices even welcome dogs. We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility. While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time. With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation. In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons. We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued.  Learn more about our culture and benefits here: athenahealth.com/careers   https://www.athenahealth.com/careers/equal-opportunity