Director, Design– Investment Services Company (ISCO) Digital and Design Team

Why USAA?

At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families.

Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful.

The Opportunity

We are currently seeking a Director, Design to join the ISCO Digital and Design Team.  This designer Director will be partnering with the Digital technical product managers and cross-functional team members for USAA’s investment advisory business, to research, design, test and firm up UI/UX solutions to enable the design in support of best-in-class member-experiences for investments. The Director will manage a group of Designers while also having his/her own portfolio of work and be directly responsible for leveraging USAA’s Reveille design system to adhere to all the Digital and Design Governance standards and will move with speed towards execution. The Design Director will also be responsible for working across the ISCO design portfolio of work to help coach and guide the other design team members in areas of USAA design principles, design research, translating member-experience-journeys into design elements, Reveille standards etc. In addition, this ISCO Design Director will also be the primary touchpoint of ISCO design team with the USAA Association, and responsible for bringing to the ISCO Design team any changes in Design systems or processes happening at the Association level in order to ensure that ISCO Design stays completely in sync with the Association.  This role leads teams of Digital or Technology Product Managers responsible for the strategy, ideation, definition, development and performance of digital and technology products and their experiences for USAA and its members. Oversee highly complex or strategic initiatives typically requiring confidentiality and enterprise-level visibility. Collaborate with Business and Technology stakeholders to lead a team responsible for tackling complex and challenging problems while maintaining situational awareness of the market in order to maximize the product portfolio. Focuses on the operational effectiveness, goals, and performance of the team and their products or product line (or set of product experiences), ensuring strategic alignment within a product portfolio.

This director applies expert knowledge and experience in human-centered design to direct high-performing teams through the design lifecycle, orchestrating the work of cross-functional disciplines to deliver a unified design vision for complex to highly complex Member and Employee experiences in a human-centered, data-informed, agile environment. Manages the performance of a multi-disciplinary team of design practitioners and producers, ensuring the conceptual integrity and quality of the work created by their team accomplishes strategic business goals and objectives. Creates a healthy, collaborative environment and removes barriers to efficiency, effectiveness, and well-being. Works daily to help direct reports grow in their careers and achieve their goals. Actively contributes to shaping the strategy and culture of USAA's design organization. Ensures key internal metrics are met and stay on track through each quarter.

We offer a flexible work environment that requires an individual to be in the office 4 days per week. This position will be based on the San Antonio, TX; Phoenix, AZ.; Colorado Springs, CO; Plano, TX. or Tampa, FL campus. Relocation assistance is not available for this position

What you'll do:

• Serves as a strategic partner by understanding business and technical models, processes, challenges, and performance metrics so that design efforts balance achieving end user goals with the goals of design's stakeholders.

• Champions the value of design and fosters a culture of empathy within the enterprise by building and maintaining trust-based relationships with executive and partner groups across the company.

• Oversees the facilitation of cross-organizational, cross-functional understanding of business problems and is accountable for delivering design solutions that achieve program and project objectives.

• Directs a creative review process to ensure coherency with design principles and the design language system through contribution and collaboration with the team.

• Actively participates in design leadership meetings and work efforts, helping set the vision for the design organization and helping the organization achieve its development goals.

• Provides thought leadership to deconstruct complex problems into clear and achievable solutions that increase the value of member, employee, and business outcomes.

• Builds and leads a team dedicated to design through recruiting, developing, retaining, coaching, guiding, performance management and managerial activities.

• Cultivates an environment and team culture aligned with the USAA mission and core values that motivates team members to perform to the best of their abilities, take pride in their work, be candid and direct in communication, and continually grow their skills.

• Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.

What you have:

• Bachelor’s degree OR 4 years of related experience (in addition to the minimum years of experience required) may be substituted in lieu of degree.  (Total of 12 years of relevant experience without bachelor’s degree)

• 8 years of relevant on-the-job experience in Product Design, UX Design, Service Design or Design Research role delivering complex design systems for web and native applications.

• 3 years of direct team lead or management experience.

• Expert knowledge and experience in human-centered design to direct high-performing cross-functional teams through all phases of the design lifecycle.

• Mastery of product design, user interface and interaction design, visual design, storytelling, and prototyping.

• Demonstrated knowledge of data analysis and research techniques.

• Outstanding people management abilities; creates and sustains environment to succeed.

• Proven leadership and ability to influence at all levels of management.

• Demonstrated experience working in a distributive and agile work environment.

• Subject matter expertise in facilitation, collaboration, and presenting to cross-functional teams and Senior/Executive leaders.

• Expert ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, to executive leadership, driving accountability and sense of urgency.

What sets you apart:  

• US military experience through military service or a military spouse/domestic partner

• Direct hands-on design experience specifically in Investments design experiences.

• Preferred candidates have comprehensive Investment UX/UI experience. 

• Prior or current experience leading design teams.

• Direct experience with Reveille system (RDS). 

• Areas of expertise to include UX/UI designing, User engagement and management, Prototyping, testing and research, visual interface, cross-functional collaboration. 

Compensation range: The salary range for this position is: $164,780 - $314,960

USAA does not provide visa sponsorship for this role. Please do not apply for this role if at any time (now or in the future) you will need immigration support (i.e., H-1B, TN, STEM OPT Training Plans, etc.).

Compensation: USAA has an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges to ensure we remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range based on your experience and market data of the position. The actual salary for this role may vary by location.

Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

Benefits: At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.

For more details on our outstanding benefits, visit our benefits page on USAAjobs.com.

Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis, this posting will remain open until the position is filled. Thus, interested candidates are encouraged to apply the same day they view this posting.

USAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.