Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,600+ employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the US, EMEA, and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

*Remote will be considered for this position.*

As a User Experience UX Design Lead - Manager, you will be part of the overall design leadership team and help define, design, and implement our overall design team strategy. You will build upon insights, working with cross-functional teams and clients to create experiences that establish and strengthen relationships and deliver incredible experiences.

Design Managers bring out the best in the individuals they lead. They understand the motivations and needs of their team members as well as business opportunities and align them for the greatest positive impact. You will spend most of your time leading large-scale design projects, while also focusing on mentoring the growth of your direct reports and growth of your client work.

Some of your responsibilities:

●      Scope and lead and/or oversee complex UX projects, from beginning to end

●      Demonstrate strong strategic thinking and attention to detail

●      Manage a small team of designers and help them grow in their careers

●      Motivate, organize, and execute design initiatives creatively and meticulously

●      Collaborate with stakeholders, subject matter experts, researchers, and analysts to discover business requirements and user insights

●      Conduct user research to validate user insights from stakeholders and subject matter experts as well as uncover additional user needs

●      Define the project design and/or experience strategy and vision

●      Conduct experience audits and create experience maps

●      Produce workflows, user scenarios, user stories, personas, wireframes and interactive prototypes

●      Help prioritize features based on business requirements and user needs

●      Work cross-functionally with other designers, business analysts, developers, and project managers on project scope, design strategy, designs, project roadmap, features and functionality

●      Design and conduct concept testing and usability testing

●      Guide and be a resource for information architecture and taxonomy decisions

Present user research, designs, prototypes, and other design deliverables to stakeholders

●      A minimum of 6 years’ experience in user experience design/strategy focusing on responsive websites and applications, with a minimum of 1 year managing design teams

●      Ability to think big and experience working to solve complex design problems while staying on-budget/on-time

●      Ability to manage people, deadlines, schedule, communication, and deliverables

●      Proactive-nature, good communicator, ambitious and well-organized

●      Excellent organizational, time management, communication, and presentation skills

●      A desire and ability to collaborate with people who have differing skills and perspectives

●      Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

●      Ability to identify and suspend bias in place of user insight and business objectives

●      Enthusiastically help your team hone their craft and encourage the sharing of new techniques and tools - build a sense of design community and pride

●      Ability to lead project experience strategy and vision

●      Ability to understands what problems your design solves and can articulate and defend work appropriately

●      Ability to translate concepts, business & user requirements into wireframes and prototypes that demonstrate intuitive user experiences

●      Expert knowledge in design patterns (responsive web design, native app, web app best practices)

●      Expert knowledge of wireframing and prototyping tools such as Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, Invision, Framer, and/or Axure

●      Expert in building and rapidly iterating on interactive prototypes

●      Knowledgeable about scoping design efforts

●      Experience designing and conducting user research and usability testing

●      Range of concepting ability is a plus, from sketching to high-fidelity prototypes

Prior agency, marketing, or consulting experience

Merkle fosters a diverse environment that encourages original thinking about our business and empowers us to communicate with a global world of customers. We embrace differences of opinion and diversity of thought as they help us challenge and refine our solutions. Merkle, as a best-in-class marketing agency, welcomes big ideas, and believes they can come from anywhere.