Director Consumer Design

Candescent•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

Candescent is the leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions. We are transforming digital banking with intelligent, cloud-powered solutions that connect account opening, digital banking, and branch experiences for financial institutions. Our advanced technology and developer tools enable seamless, differentiated customer journeys that elevate trust, service, and innovation. Success here requires flexibility in a fast-paced environment, a client-first mindset, and a commitment to delivering consistent, reliable results as part of a performance-driven, values-led team. With team members around the world, Candescent is an equal opportunity employer. Candescent is the leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions. We are transforming digital banking with intelligent, cloud-powered solutions that connect account opening, digital banking, and branch experiences for financial institutions. Our advanced technology and developer tools enable seamless, differentiated customer journeys that elevate trust, service, and innovation. Success here requires flexibility in a fast-paced environment, a client-first mindset, and a commitment to delivering consistent, reliable results as part of a performance-driven, values-led team. With team members around the world, Candescent is an equal opportunity employer. Reporting to the Chief Design Officer, the Director, Consumer Design will lead the design vision, execution, and craft across Candescent’s core banking product portfolio. As one of two senior design leaders in the organization, this role drives design quality, innovation, and velocity across global teams in Atlanta, San Ramon, Bangalore, and Toronto. The leader will shape design culture, mentor distributed teams, and set the standard for how millions of users engage with their financial institutions daily.

Requirements

BS/MS in Visual Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, or a related field.
7+ years of proven UX/UI design experience across platforms (desktop, mobile, tablet).
Strong portfolio showcasing demonstrable UX/UI design skills and strategic impact.
Excellent visual design skills with a keen sensitivity to user-system interaction.
Proficient in design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).
Understanding of motion design principles and front-end development processes.
Strong grasp of Design Thinking methodology and its application.
Fluent in English and experienced in working with distributed teams across multiple time zones.

Responsibilities

Lead UX projects and drive overarching UX strategy across multiple product lines and platforms.
Uphold experience design (XD) processes and collaborate closely with product management and engineering to define and implement innovative solutions aligned with the product’s visual and experiential direction.
Execute all stages of visual design, from initial concept through engineering design reviews.
Conceptualize original ideas that bring simplicity and user-friendliness to complex design challenges.
Create wireframes, storyboards, user flows, and process flows to effectively communicate design and interaction concepts.
Present and defend design decisions and key milestone deliverables to peers and executive stakeholders.
Participate in user research and evaluate user feedback to guide design improvements.
Contribute to and promote design guidelines, best practices, and standards.
Lead and mentor multi-product design teams across geographies, fostering alignment to strategic priorities and design excellence.
Support the career growth of Product Designers through coaching, feedback, and development planning.
Collaborate with global design leaders to define unified ways of working and share best practices across teams.
Champion scalable design systems and uphold visual and interaction standards across the product ecosystem.
Shape experience strategy in partnership with Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders to ensure user needs and business goals are met.
Design and optimize core banking interfaces and tools, including account onboarding, money movement, teller systems, and customer service platforms.
Drive experience innovation for both consumer and business banking products, ensuring intuitive and accessible digital journeys.
Translate complex financial workflows into elegant, user-friendly design solutions that meet regulatory and accessibility standards.
Collaborate with stakeholders across banking operations, compliance, and customer experience to align design with business outcomes.
Collaborate with Senior Designers to develop engaging and strategic design concepts that inform the product roadmap.
Partner with Product Owners to translate design strategies into product features and user stories aligned with the broader product vision.
Conduct competitive analysis and monitor industry trends to inform design strategy.
Perform in-depth customer/user research to gather and interpret both quantitative and qualitative insights.
Collect, analyze, and report on user feedback to identify key trends and inform opportunities for design optimization.
Collaborate with enabling functions (e.g., marketing, sales, operations) to communicate new experience features and identify areas for improvement.
Create user journey maps and personas to gain insight into user needs and inform product design.
Design user interactions, including layout, element placement, and overall product flow.
Develop wireframes and interactive prototypes to visualize and test interfaces and interaction models.
Conduct usability testing and gather customer feedback to iterate and improve designs throughout the product release cycle.
Work within an agile environment and champion the integration of design across the product development lifecycle.