UX/UI Designer (Contract)

Job Summary:

Zymo Research is seeking a thoughtful and strategic UX/UI Designer to join our growing Design Team on a on a contract basis (6 months to 1 year). This role goes beyond visual design—you’ll play a central role in shaping how users engage with our digital platforms by architecting intuitive, goal-driven user experiences. You’ll create intuitive user journeys, informed by research, data, and business priorities. Your work will directly impact product adoption, customer satisfaction, and brand perception on a global scale.

You’ll work closely with the Marketing, Web, and Commercial teams to understand business objectives, user needs, and technical constraints — transforming them into polished, effective design solutions. This role is ideal for a designer who enjoys solving problems end-to-end, organizing complex information, and continuously improving both design quality and process efficiency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• User Experience & Strategy

  • Translate marketing and commercial strategies into clear user journeys and design concepts that support business goals.
  • Anticipate user needs by conducting light research, reviewing analytics, or testing interactions to inform design decisions.
  • Proactively identify UX and UI improvements across the site and propose scalable solutions.

  Design Execution

  • Design responsive pages, layouts, and components with a strong focus on hierarchy, visual clarity, and accessibility.
  • Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups in Figma that communicate both structure and interaction.
  • Ensure brand alignment while maintaining usability and conversion focus.

  Design System & Consistency

  • Maintain and evolve the company’s style guide and component library in Figma.
  • Partner with the web development team to ensure accurate design implementation and version control.
  • Document design patterns, use cases, and specifications to build long-term consistency across projects.

  Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with marketers, developers, and content owners to translate ideas into user-centered digital experiences.
  • Communicate design rationale clearly to both creative and technical audiences.
  • Manage and track multiple design projects, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with priorities.

  Continuous Improvement

  • Monitor engagement and usability metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your designs.
  • Stay current on UX/UI trends, best practices, and tools to introduce fresh approaches and efficiencies.
  • Contribute ideas to enhance workflow, from intake to design handoff and QA.

Education and Experience:

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in UX/UI or digital product design.
• Proficiency in Figma (components, variants, and prototyping) and comfort collaborating in shared design systems.
• Strong grasp of layout, typography, interaction design, and responsive design principles.
• Ability to synthesize feedback and data into actionable design improvements.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills; able to manage competing priorities.
• Working knowledge of HTML/CSS for effective collaboration with developers.

About Us:

Since its inception in 1994, Zymo Research has been proudly serving the scientific community by providing innovative, reliable, and high-quality research tools and products. Whether it's DNA, RNA, epigenetics, microbiomics, protein, or yeast-based research, our philosophy remains the same: To provide the highest quality products in the industry while ensuring they are both simple to use and reliable in their performance.

Recognized as a Top Workplace by the Orange County Register in 2021, 2022, and named a Top Workplace USA in 2023, Zymo Research continues to be a vibrant community where employees thrive, feel connected, and are inspired by their work. If you are passionate about contributing to scientific advancement and want to be part of an exceptional team in a dynamic, growing company, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation, Benefits, and Perks:

The estimated base compensation range for this position is $35 to $50/hour at the time of posting. Actual compensation details will be provided in writing at the time of offer, if applicable, and is based on several factors we believe fairly and accurately impact compensation, including geographic location, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other job permitted factors.

Zymo Research also offers competitive benefits and perks including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance Coverages
• EAP Sessions
• Vacation Time plus Company Holidays
• Paid Sick Leave
• Generous 401(K) with matching 
• Complimentary fruit, snacks, and beverages
• Complimentary catered lunches on Thursdays 
• Complimentary EV Charging 

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer:

Zymo Research welcomes candidates of all backgrounds. These include sex, age, color, race, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical & mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, or any other protected status as defined by federal, state, or local law.

Location:

Fully onsite – Zymo Research Operations – 2961 Dow Ave. Tustin, CA 92780

Disclaimer: At Zymo, we take the integrity of our hiring process seriously. Please be aware of fraudulent recruitment activities that may use our name to deceive job seekers. We will never ask for payment, sensitive personal information, or financial details during the recruitment process.

All legitimate communications will come from an official Zymo or TriNet Hiring email address. If you are contacted by anyone claiming to represent us using a free email service (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or asking for payment, please treat this as fraudulent and report it immediately to [email protected]