Senior Experience Design Lead - Surety

Travelers • Hartford, CT

14h • $120,400 - $198,700

About The Position

Travelers' Experience Design team creates experiences for customers, agents, employees, and partners. The Senior Experience Design Lead joins the Bond & Specialty Insurance Experience Design team and supports the One Surety Value Stream, including Commercial Surety & Construction Services, during business growth and transformation. The role leads a small team of designers while personally driving research and design for high-impact initiatives, including a major business transformation and integration of AI-enabled capabilities into cross-cutting experiences.

The position provides design leadership and domain expertise, shapes experience vision and strategy, and collaborates with product, engineering, data, and business stakeholders to deliver unified, inclusive, valuable experiences. It leads research and design from discovery through implementation, translates insights into recommendations, and helps define, test, and implement product and service solutions. The role provides day-to-day guidance and mentorship to designers but has no formal HR or performance management responsibility.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. The company does not sponsor or support H-1B petitions, TN status, or Forms I-983/STEM OPT for this role.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• Six years of related experience.
• Deep experience in UX or experience design, including research, strategy, and end-to-end delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to lead designers and influence cross-functional partners.
• Strong design thinking and ability to work across complex, multi-channel environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder presentation skills.
• Strong knowledge of AI-enabled product design.

Nice To Haves

• Strong knowledge of most of the following, with proficiency in applying three or more: design research, information architecture, interaction design, visual design, service design, presentation and communication, collaboration and facilitation, prototyping, accessibility, WCAG 2.1, Figma Make, Claude Code, Claude Design, workshop facilitation, usability testing, and design systems.
• Familiarity with accessibility testing tools such as Axe and screen readers.

Responsibilities

• Provide domain expertise and design leadership across initiatives, supporting product and journey vision and strategy, mitigating risks, and informing organizational decision-making.
• Lead research and design of product and service solutions by defining, creating, and improving experience goals, journey maps, information architecture, scenarios, personas, interactions, content, visuals, and other design elements.
• Plan and conduct qualitative user research and usability testing; synthesize findings, generate insights, and communicate results and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Guide collaborative activities with end users, business and technology partners, and outside partners, integrating human-centered, research-informed design.
• Communicate design direction and rationale, solicit and synthesize feedback, and lead prioritization.
• Drive application of WCAG and Travelers Digital Accessibility Policy, integrating inclusive design principles and using accessibility testing tools such as Axe and screen readers.
• Apply the Travelers Design System and Agile methodology, and lead design phases using the Human-Centered Design Double Diamond approach.
• Use experience strategy and design to enhance business outcomes, identify missed opportunities and misaligned experiences, and influence strategic direction and improvements.
• Identify and advocate for improved tools, methods, and processes within the Experience Design practice.
• Provide day-to-day guidance and leadership to a small team of designers across the One Surety Value Stream, without formal HR or performance management responsibility.
• Mentor and coach team members, contribute to team and practice development, grow leadership capacity, and help attract design talent.
• Ensure design work aligns with brand guidelines and standards and maintains quality and consistency.
• Manage multiple projects and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
• Stay current on experience design industry trends and best practices and apply them to advance the practice.
• Participate in Experience Design Community events and share knowledge across value streams and the broader enterprise.
• Continuously learn and mentor others in emerging tools, methods, and processes; maintain a growth mindset and develop leadership skills.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health coverage for employees and eligible family members from the first day of employment.
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) matching on contributions up to the first 5% of eligible pay, subject to an annual maximum.
• Paying it Forward Savings Program contributions to an employee’s 401(k) when the employee makes student loan payments.
• Pension Plan funded 100% by Travelers.
• Minimum of 20 days of paid time off annually.
• Nine paid company holidays.
• Wellness program with tools, discounts, and resources for wellness and caregiving needs.
• Mental health program offering free professional counseling, health coaching, and other resources.
• Matching Gift and Volunteer Rewards program.

What This Job Offers

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