Experience Research & Design Team Lead

First Command Financial Services, Inc.•Fort Worth, TX

5h•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is crucial for communicating First Command's unique value proposition to the market, aiming to make the company the preferred choice for financial security planning. The Experience Research & Designer will be a key member of the Experience Design and broader XTO team. The primary responsibility is to foster understanding and empathy for user needs among designers, product managers, developers, and management through primary research methods such as field visits, surveys, usability testing, user interviews, card sorting, ethnography, and data analysis. The role also involves creating designs and presenting research findings to stakeholders, with a key success metric being the ability to influence stakeholders. The financial services industry is competitive, and this role is vital in sharpening insights to make First Command's value proposition relevant to its target audience of military families.

Requirements

A Degree in related studies (Human Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Data Science, Interaction Design, Cognitive Science, Psychology, etc.), or equivalent real-world experience
5-8 years in UX related role doing research and design
1-2 years leading UX researchers/designers
Expertise in Figma, including advanced prototyping, design systems, component management, and developer handoff.
Experience using AI-powered design and research tools such as Microsoft Copilot, UserTesting AI, Figma Make or similar solutions to improve design effectiveness and team productivity.
Strong understanding of human-centered design, interaction design, visual design, accessibility, and design thinking methodologies.
Experience leading large-scale or complex product initiatives within cross-functional environments.
Excellent communication, storytelling, stakeholder management, and facilitation skills.

Nice To Haves

Financial Services experience
Military experience

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end design of user-centered experiences across web, mobile, and emerging digital platforms.
Create user flows, journey maps, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs using Figma and other industry-standard design tools.
Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, Data Scientists, and cross-functional stakeholders to define requirements and deliver impactful design solutions.
Leverage AI-powered design, research, and prototyping tools to accelerate ideation, improve workflows, generate insights, and enhance product experiences.
Utilize generative AI capabilities to support user research synthesis, content creation, concept development, and design exploration while maintaining a strong human-centered design approach.
Conduct and apply user research, usability testing, behavioral analytics, and customer feedback to inform design decisions and validate solutions.
Present design concepts, strategy, and rationale to stakeholders and leadership, building alignment and driving informed product decisions.
Translate complex business requirements and technical constraints into intuitive, accessible, and scalable user experiences.
Contribute to and evolve design systems, component libraries, and interaction standards within Figma to ensure consistency and efficiency across products.
Advocate for accessibility, inclusive design, usability, and best practices throughout the product development lifecycle.
Lead design reviews, workshops, and collaborative working sessions to drive alignment and innovation across teams.
Mentor junior designers and foster a culture of design excellence, continuous learning, and experimentation with emerging technologies, including AI.
Influence product vision, UX strategy, and roadmap planning to deliver meaningful customer and business outcomes.