Director, Design - Conversational Design

USAA•Tampa, FL

1d•$164,780 - $314,960•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Design - Conversational Design leads a team creating human-centered conversational experiences across USAA’s digital experiences. The role sets the strategic direction for conversational design and shapes intuitive, engaging, seamless interactions that reflect USAA’s brand and elevate the member experience. The director partners with business and technical stakeholders, leads cross-organizational design efforts, oversees creative reviews, and contributes to the design organization’s vision and capabilities. The role also builds and manages a high-performing team and ensures business risks are managed in accordance with risk and compliance policies. The position requires working in the office four days per week and may be based in San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Plano, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Colorado Springs, Colorado; or Tampa, Florida. Relocation assistance may be available. The salary range is $164,780 to $314,960, with actual pay varying by location, experience, and market data. Employees may be eligible for performance-based incentives. USAA does not provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or four years of relevant education and/or experience.
Eight years of relevant on-the-job experience in Product Design, UX Design, Service Design, Design Research, or a related design discipline delivering complex design solutions for web and native applications.
Three years of relevant on-the-job experience in Conversational Design.
Three years of direct team lead or management experience.
Expert knowledge and experience in human-centered design, including leading high-performing cross-functional teams through all phases of the design lifecycle.
Expertise in conversational design, product design, storytelling, and prototyping.
Demonstrated knowledge of data analysis and research techniques to inform design decisions.
Outstanding people leadership and management abilities, with demonstrated success creating an environment where teams can develop and succeed.
Proven leadership and ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of management.
Demonstrated experience working in a distributed, agile work environment.
Subject matter expertise in facilitation, collaboration, and communication, including presenting to and influencing cross-functional teams and senior or executive leaders.
Must not require immigration support now or in the future; USAA does not provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Nice To Haves

Deep understanding of conversational and AI technologies, including Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Understanding (NLU), and Large Language Models (LLMs).
Exceptional writing and editing skills, including crafting clear, concise, engaging, natural-sounding dialogue.
Strong understanding of linguistic principles and their application to conversational experiences and interfaces.
Experience using user research, usability testing, and data analysis to evaluate and improve conversational experiences.
A strong portfolio demonstrating impactful conversational design work, strategic thinking, and design leadership.

Responsibilities

Partner with business and technical stakeholders to understand models, processes, challenges, and performance metrics, balancing member needs with business and stakeholder objectives.
Set strategic direction for conversational design and guide the creation of human-centered experiences aligned with USAA’s brand.
Champion conversational and human-centered design and build trust-based relationships with executive leaders and enterprise partner groups.
Lead cross-organizational and cross-functional efforts to understand complex business and member problems and translate them into conversational design solutions.
Direct creative reviews of conversational experiences to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with design principles and the design language system.
Provide thought leadership by breaking down complex problems into achievable design solutions that improve member, employee, and business outcomes.
Participate in design leadership efforts to help set the design organization’s vision and strategic direction and advance its capabilities and development goals.
Build and lead a high-performing design team through recruiting, developing, retaining, coaching, guiding, performance management, and other managerial activities.
Ensure risks associated with business activities are identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
401(k) and pension.
Life insurance.
Parental benefits.
Adoption assistance.
Paid time off program and paid holidays.
16 paid volunteer hours.
Wellness programs.
Career path planning and continuing education.
Relocation assistance may be available.
Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on corporate and individual performance, at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.