Lead UX Researcher & Strategist

Position Overview:
The Digital Design Engineering Lead Analyst is a strategic professional responsible for driving directional strategy within their field. This role requires technical authority, commercial awareness, and advanced communication skills to influence colleagues and external customers. The position has significant impact on business areas through complex deliverables.

Key Responsibilities:
- Drive business impact by contributing to plan/product design, testing/piloting, and market launch efforts.
- Pre-empt issues by ensuring cross-line-of-business implications are identified before product launches.
- Define UX goal scopes based on business objectives and user needs; plan end-to-end design activities.
- Partner with technical stakeholders to solve complex requirements and drive intuitive, user-centered solutions.
- Ensure designs comply with accessibility fundamentals (e.g., ADA) for acceptable creative outcomes.
- Monitor industry trends affecting Citi's bottom line to maintain product competitiveness.
- Challenge current business-as-usual standards to foster continuous improvement.
- Launch digital features across multiple channels and report on performance metrics.
- Analyze data to improve user experiences, increase conversion rates, and optimize efficiencies.
- Achieve stakeholder buy-in and lead cross-functional work streams.
- Collaborate with analytics and research partners to ensure systems satisfy consumer needs.
- Communicate design roadmaps to executives, product owners, and development teams.
- Create wireframes for UX/UI designers; prototype features or partner with developers for rapid deployment.
- Manage conflicting viewpoints diplomatically to ensure organizational alignment.
- Work with external vendors and agencies as needed.
- Facilitate communication between different internal teams.
- Seek innovations that benefit the customer and company beyond daily delivery.
- Assess risk when making business decisions, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations while safeguarding Citi's reputation.
Research Advocacy & Influence:Demonstrate ability to build support for research in non-routine environments; identify needs, scope projects within timelines, and advocate effectively.
Research Depth & Judgment:Lead generative and evaluative research end-to-end (framing questions to delivering recommendations). Separate assumptions from evidence, choose appropriate methods, define clear objectives based on stakeholder inputs, and produce design work including user flows, wireframes, and prototypes when required.
UX Strategy & Cross-Functional Leadership:Connect user insights to UX strategy; lead design work through delivery. Facilitate workshops with Product, Engineering, and Business teams to align on product vision and shape strategies for building solutions.
Qualifications:
- 6–10 years of relevant experience in a product or creative position.
- Significant experience managing complex business and technical solutions.
- Proven track record as a strong leader who prioritizes well, communicates clearly, and influences cross-functional teams effectively.
- Experience delivering projects using agile methodology.
Education:Bachelor’s degree required; Master's degree preferred.