Design Team Lead
New York, NY

Job Description

Since 1851, MassMutual's commitment has always been to help people protect their families, support their communities, and help one another. This is why we want to inspire people to Live Mutual. We're people helping people.

A career with us means you will work alongside exceptional people and be empowered to reach your professional and personal goals. Our employees are the foundation of what makes MassMutual a strong, stable and ethical business. We seek and value unique and varied perspectives and experiences because we believe we are stronger when all voices are heard. We invite you to bring your bright, innovative ideas to MassMutual as we continue to help millions of Americans rely on each other.

Together, we're stronger.

Description

At MassMutual, we're passionate about helping millions of people find financial freedom and this passion has driven our approach to developing highly engaging and meaningful digital experiences for our customers. The Digital Experience team, part of MassMutual's Enterprise Technology & Experience organization, is comprised of collaborative, cross-functional, product centric groups who like to have fun, challenge each other, and are energized to create innovative solutions that exceed the changing needs of our customers.

To help us achieve our mission, we are hiring a Product Design Team Lead to join our team.

What great looks like in this role

An accomplished practitioner recognized for their mastery in all aspects of product design. They are skilled at evangelizing the process and selling great design to different audiences from like-minded practitioners to product managers, developers and executives.

They manage junior team members through career development and growth. They have extensive experience in all platforms (from web and tablet or phone to kiosk). They have conceptualized and detailed design solutions for different audiences and user types like consumers but also b2b users with specific tasks. (consumers & b2b) as well as type of projects.

They're excellent at brokering solutions for challenging situations while inspiring their team and maintaining a high moral.

Objectives of this role

* User-obsessed, be a user advocate & continuously champion their needs


* Define problem space of large design problems and map approach & solutions


* Be an ambassador of the team and identify the best process



Daily and monthly responsibilities

* Defines problem space, maps to potential solutions & recommended approaches


* Identifies competitors, dimensions for analysis and design trends/ differentiating capabilities


* Develops the design direction for a significant functionality/experience (e.g. retirement accounts)


* User-obsessed, develops material to bring users to life (personas, journeys etc.)


* Builds rapidly a variety of design studies with team and establish criteria to evaluate which approach better addresses needs


* Develops and oversees of detailed documentation identifying opportunities to optimize process and improve collaboration


* Establishes structure for enterprise-wide pattern library. Identifies dimensions for documentation and associated artifacts


* Recommends MVPs features based on deep user understanding


* Identifies new methodologies based on latest trends and how to best employ them


* Packages recommendations in different media, from presentations to videos and prototypes to maximize impact


* Brings diverse teams together to develop solutions and identifies the best tools for collaboration (idea generation, co-creation etc.)


* Takes a leadership role in providing feedback and identifies tools to optimize the process


* Sets the collaboration model with cross disciplinary teams


* Proactively identifies issues with partners (tech & business) and alternatives


* Sets deliverables and artifacts necessary to successfully complete a project


* Manages major track of design work and corresponding design resources


* Manages the career growth of junior employees and helps them grow



Skills and qualifications

* Ability to identify analytics and collaborates with corresponding team to put in place & collect
* Native design instincts for different platforms. Ability to recommend best platform for problem


* Intimately understands and recommends research methodologies.


* Able to work on multiple projects with the support of a team


* Expert storyteller with proven ability to influence. Comfortable presenting to different audiences from team members to business stakeholders, technology partners and executives


* Develops plan to meet deadlines, evaluates alternatives based on constraints and MVP options


* Manages risks and brokers solutions


* Communicates issues with partners


* Authorized to work in the USA with or without sponsorship
* Bachelor's degree is required



Preferred qualifications

* Demonstrated leadership with a variety of design problems (industry recognized)


* Has lead a team


* Promotes openness and positivity in the face of unexpected adjustments


* Ideally possesses at least 9 years experience


* Master's degree in a related field


* Considered a thought-leader with team and partners


* Has presented at a conference


* Sought after for coaching



Ranked No. 93 in the annual FORTUNE ® 500 Ranking (FORTUNE ® Magazine, June 2018) and recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company by Ethisphere, MassMutual is guided by a single purpose: We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. As a company owned by our policyowners, we are defined by mutuality and our vision to put customers first. It's more than our company structure - it's our way of life. We are a company of people protecting people. Our company exists because people are willing to share risk and resources, and rely on each other when it counts. At MassMutual, we Live Mutual.

CORE VALUES

Focus on the Customer: We understand our customers well and look for every opportunity to deliver an experience that is clear, easy, personal, human, empowering and trustworthy.

Act with Integrity: We deliver on our promises by being open, honest and humble and by adhering to the letter and spirit of applicable laws, rules, regulations and company policies.

Value People: We respect and learn from each other's diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas. We engage and develop people to their greatest potential.

Work Collaboratively: We work together to achieve results by actively listening, seeking, understanding and creating solutions as a unified team driving toward one company, one culture, one brand.

Achieve Results: We focus on winning by exceeding expectations and getting better - everyone, every day.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.

MassMutual is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Individual with Disability/Protected Veteran. We welcome all persons to apply. Note: Veterans are welcome to apply, regardless of their discharge status.