Associate Director, Creative Technology, Kyndryl Vital (US AI Innovation Lab)

Kyndryl

1d • $138,480 - $263,160

About The Position

At Kyndryl, we design, build, manage and modernize the mission-critical technology systems that the world depends on every day. So why work at Kyndryl? We are always moving forward – always pushing ourselves to go further in our efforts to build a more equitable, inclusive world for our employees, our customers and our communities. The Role Are you an associate director-level of creative technology who wants to drive strategic initiatives and create impactful experiences for the world’s critical systems? Then you’ll love working at Kyndryl Vital. At Kyndryl Vital, we are looking for creative, curious, empathic systems thinkers who want to tackle wicked problems with some of the best technical colleagues in the world. Kyndryl Vital is a global network of designers, engineers, writers, researchers, and strategists. We are bound together by a desire to help our customers make sense of complexity and co-create intelligent and adaptive experience ecosystems that resonate with their users and transform their businesses. We believe the next evolution of experience will emerge from the artful blending of behavioral insight and business intelligence into elegantly simple, deeply human moments. We are fortunate to work with the world’s best IT experts to ensure that we can not only imagine a great experience, but that we can build it, deliver it, optimize it, and sustain it. The Role A Creative Technologist is a cross-disciplinary person that bridge between a design vision and engineering execution, using experimentation to solve problems in new and novel ways. They Combines technical expertise with human-centered design to prototype and implement innovative solutions. Creative technologists blend expertise in code, hardware, and emerging technologies to bring ideas to life. As a Creative Technologist at Kyndryl Vital USA, you will lead the overall design vision for complex client projects, collaborating with stakeholders to deliver high-impact design solutions. You will define experience strategies that integrate cutting-edge technologies—such as AI, connected systems, or immersive platforms—into broader digital transformation roadmaps. You will act as a senior leader and advisor, managing multidisciplinary teams and mentoring designers, technologists, and researchers to elevate performance and foster a culture of experimentation. You will guide clients in adopting human-centered and iterative design practices, helping them embed these capabilities into their own organizations. You will build and maintain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, often at the executive level, articulating how creative technology drives strategic outcomes. Internally, you’ll drive best practices, contribute to the evolution of Kyndryl Vital’s methodologies, and ensure the technical and creative quality of all design outputs—from concept through to delivery. Kyndryl currently does not require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however, if you are hired to work at a client, customer, or partner location, you may be required to show proof of vaccination to align with their respective COVID-19 vaccination policies. Those who believe they are eligible may apply for a medical or religious accommodation prior to the start of employment.

Requirements

• Human-Centered Design: You can guide large teams in user-centered practices and ensure that complex, multi-touchpoint solutions still address fundamental user needs. You likely have experience creating or approving user experience guidelines and frameworks that others follow.
• Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: You have an exceptional ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams. You don’t just collaborate with engineering and other departments – you orchestrate them. Under your leadership, design, engineering, business, and operations folks co-create effectively. You can resolve conflicts or misalignments between disciplines by refocusing everyone on common goals.
• Innovation: You are a thought leader in applying emerging technology to solve design and business problems. You have a forward-looking perspective, anticipating what technologies or trends (like agentic AI, edge computing, blockchain, etc.) might be relevant, and you incorporate that into strategic planning. You encourage a culture of continuous innovation in your team, perhaps by establishing innovation sprints or research initiatives within projects.
• Rapid Prototyping: You have a deep knowledge of prototyping at scale. While you may not build every prototype yourself, you know what high-fidelity prototyping entails and can set expectations and processes for your teams to prototype efficiently. You ensure that rapid experimentation remains a core part of the project approach, even at large scales or later stages of development, to validate assumptions.
• Feasibility Analysis: You can assess not only if a design is technically feasible, but also operationally and financially feasible for a client. This comprehensive feasibility perspective means you guide teams toward solutions that are innovative yet realistic given the client’s context (budget, tech infrastructure, talent available, etc.).
• Storytelling: You can craft vision narratives, white papers, or executive presentations that frame an innovative concept in terms of business value and strategic necessity. Your storytelling convinces organizations to take bold steps.
• AI and Data Ethics: You might be establishing guidelines or principles for ethical AI and data usage within the design practice. You ensure that any solution we propose has been vetted for ethical implications, and you can speak to how we mitigate risks related to bias, privacy, and security in front of executive stakeholders or in governance reviews. This includes responsible agentic AI patterns (tool permissioning, human-in-the-loop controls, auditability).

Nice To Haves

• 10+ years of experience in experience design, creative technology, or innovation roles, with at least several years in a leadership capacity. You have led interdisciplinary teams and managed senior-level client relationships.
• Experience in multiple industries or a deep focus in one, enabling you to bring a wealth of knowledge to strategy discussions. You might be known for expertise in a field (e.g., smart cities, healthcare innovation, financial tech) which adds credibility when advising clients in that space.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale design and technology programs in enterprise environments. You understand enterprise requirements (compliance, scalability, global deployment, etc.) and have led projects that navigated these successfully while still innovating.
• Experience in consulting or agency leadership, including responsibilities for account growth or business development. You know how to identify client needs and propose creative solutions, often leading to follow-on work or expanded engagements (this business acumen supports strategic initiative driving).
• Strong familiarity with IT governance, security standards, and system integration at a high level – ensuring that any cutting-edge solution proposed can pass enterprise scrutiny and be integrated into the client’s ecosystem.
• Experience building or scaling a team or practice. Perhaps you have hired talent, defined team roles, or instituted training programs. This experience means you can help grow Kyndryl Vital’s Creative Technology practice itself, not just deliver on projects.
• Hands-on background in technology (software development, data science, etc.) earlier in your career is a plus. While now you operate at a strategic level, having that hands-on foundation helps you guide technical conversations credibly and mentor technical staff effectively.
• As an associate director, your specialization might be more about thought leadership than technical skills alone. For instance, Digital Transformation Strategy with Emerging Tech, AI-driven Experience Innovation, or Omnichannel Service Design could be areas you’re known for. You leverage these specializations to influence both client strategy and our internal offerings.

Benefits

• You may also receive a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical and dental coverage, disability, retirement benefits, paid leave, and paid time off.
• Our employee learning programs give you access to the best learning in the industry to receive certifications, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Skillsoft, and many more.
• Through our company-wide volunteering and giving platform, you can donate, start fundraisers, volunteer, and search over 2 million non-profit organizations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level