Education:  A suitable candidate will have a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, Engineering, Design, or any other related field. An equivalent in professional working experience in these fields is also acceptable.

Experience:  The candidate will also need to have gathered at least 10 years of working experience as an executive in a product industry, spearheading consumer engagement and consumer experience. He will also need to have a proven and successful working experience in information architecture, consumer experience design, interaction design, or a similar role for at least 3 years in his 10 years experience.

Additionally a suitable candidate will have experience in managing and leading a UX team, playing a senior role either as a Visual designer, Interaction Designer, or UX Researcher. The Head of UX will also have a proven and successful record of having delivered a product project, from the design stage all the way through to its launch.

Communication Skills: The position involves a large amount of interaction with the Director of UX, stakeholders, junior UX personnel, and most importantly consumers. For this reason, excellent communication skills in regard to being able to communicate complex concepts clearly, interactively, and persuasively to all of these audiences is an absolute necessity. In addition, in a position of leadership, the performance of junior functions will be highly dependent on the clarity of communication imparted on them. Therefore, the Head of UX, for effective and successful performance of his supervisory duties, has to possess impeccable communication skills.

Software: The position will involve regular and constant presentations to all collaborating product personnel, junior UX personnel, senior UX personnel, and stakeholders. These presentations should not only be verbally engaging but also visually engaging. As such, the Head of UX must show high proficiency in the use of various tools for example, Visio, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator.

Leadership Skills: This is an obvious requirement for the position of Head of UX. A suitable candidate will need to have an ability to drive a team through complex projects in large business settings and disciplines. In addition to this, he will demonstrate superior Analytical Skills; junior UX personnel will constantly forward product analyses and research findings to the Head of UX for approval. Because of this, the Head UX will need to possess exceptional analytical skills enabling him to analyze, make recommendations, and even perform analyses of his own on the research findings.

Interpersonal and People Skills: Being an extremely interactive role, the Head of UX will need to possess skills that transcend beyond great communication. A Head of UX needs to have both interpersonal and people skills that facilitate smooth interactions between himself and all the parties he will interact with as well as enable the smooth performance of tasks in cross-functional settings. These skills will also ensure that he earns the trust and respect of the UX department who will readily follow his directives and, hence, allow for an organic flow and performance of duties in the department.