CRM (Slate) UI/UX Designer

CRM (Slate) UI/UX Designer - Contract, Part-Time

Work Schedule: TBD hours/week ? up to 120 hours (likely part-time)
Location: remote
Pay rate of $78.57/hr W2
Duration: up to 120 hours (likely part-time)

Interview rounds: likely 2

Summary
Northeastern University's Enrollment Management (EM) Marketing team is seeking a passionate and experienced CRM (Slate) UI/UX Designer for a part-time, contract engagement of approximately 80-100 hours. Working in close collaboration with the Associate Director, Design and the multimedia marketing team, this contractor will lead a comprehensive redesign of our Graduate Admissions Slate portal and budget permitting, a refresh of our HTML email templates.
The ideal candidate is a strategic, user-centered thinker who comprehends and can manage the full design lifecycle - from research and ideation to high-fidelity prototyping and final production - and uses data and evidence to justify design decisions. They bring advanced HTML/CSS expertise ideally within the Technolutions Slate CRM platform, understand its portal architecture and email delivery systems, and can deliver polished, brand-compliant work that is both functional and visually compelling
Engagement Details

Portfolios should reflect:

Storytelling: A clear, engaging narrative for each project that explains problem, process, and outcome
Accessibility: Demonstrated commitment to designing for all users
Visual Craft: High-fidelity mockups showing strong typography, color, and layout skills
Interaction Design: Examples of wireframes, user flows, or interactive prototypes
Design System Usage: Evidence of working within or contributing to a design system
Clean Navigation: A well-organized, easy-to-navigate portfolio site
Scope of Work
Primary - Graduate Slate Portal Redesign Complete redesign of Northeastern's Graduate Admissions Slate portal, including the development of a modular library of plug-and-play content blocks that can be varied and deployed across individual schools and colleges. Work will include UX research and requirements gathering, wireframing and prototyping, and final production-ready HTML/CSS delivery within Slate.
Secondary (Budget Permitting) - HTML Email Template Redesign of current HTML email templates within Slate's email delivery system, ensuring mobile-ready, responsive layouts aligned to brand standards.

Qualifications

Provide the minimum education, experience, and skills required to perform the job successfully.
Required
Proven experience as a UI/UX Designer with a strong, accessible portfolio (portfolio link required)
dvanced proficiency in HTML5 and CSS
Strong familiarity with Slate's portal architecture, content block structure, and configuration requirements
Proficiency in Figma (preferred), Sketch, or Adobe XD for wireframing, prototyping, and high-fidelity UI design
Solid understanding of user-centered design principles, accessibility (WCAG), and usability testing
Working knowledge of design systems and component-based design
Familiarity with usability testing methods and incorporating data-driven iteration
Visual design capabilities with a strong eye for layout, typography, color, and brand compliance
Experience with responsive design principles for mobile-ready interfaces
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate and defend design decisions to stakeholders
bility to work independently, manage a defined scope, and deliver production-ready work on schedule
Preferred
Direct Slate CRM experience (Technolutions Slate) is strongly preferred; candidates with Slate portal projects in their portfolio will be given priority consideration
Experience with HTML email design within Slate's email delivery system
Higher education experience a plus
Key Responsibilities
Investigate and define user experience requirements for the Graduate Admissions Slate portal through research and, where applicable, user testing
Create wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes to communicate design concepts to internal stakeholders prior to development
Design and develop a refreshed Slate portal experience that is visually cohesive, on-brand, intuitive, and user-friendly for prospective graduate students
Build a modular content block library within Slate that enables school- and college-level customization without requiring advanced technical knowledge from end users
Develop high-fidelity UI elements - including layouts, typography, and iconography - adhering to Northeastern's brand standards
Ensure all portal and email designs are responsive and optimized for mobile viewing, meeting WCAG accessibility standards
Collaborate with the EM marketing and creative team to align designs with Northeastern's brand identity guidelines
Iterate designs based on stakeholder feedback and, where available, user data
Deliver fully production-ready, documented Slate configurations and/or HTML/CSS files
Secondary scope: redesign HTML email templates within Slate's email delivery system if budget allows
Working Relationships
This contractor will report to and coordinate directly with the Associate Director, Design, who will serve as the primary point of contact for project direction, feedback, and approvals. The contractor will also maintain a regular connection with the Creative Director to ensure design decisions align with the team's broader creative vision and standards as well as have regular interactions with the Slate Team within EM. Additional collaboration with other members of the creative team (content, multimedia), other EM Marketing team members, and project partners should be expected as needed.