UX Team Lead

Overview

The Morgan Stanley Wealth Management UX team builds digital experiences that help our clients manage their finances and monitor their investments easily on the Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley platforms. Our growing team of designers and researchers bring an entrepreneurial spirit to a leading global financial firm. We employ design thinking methods and user-centered approaches to solve real business problems. If you can bring clarity to complexity, design holistically in an immense product ecosystem, and have gone the extra mile to create delight, we want you!

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Strategy

Lead a team of UX designers focused on delivering projects that are centered on the client’s account data  – Home page, Accounts, Holdings/Positions, and Portfolio Analytics tools.

• Guide the team in crafting strategic design solutions that not only meet user needs and business objectives of the individual product – but that also integrate seamlessly into the larger Wealth Management product ecosystem
• Create opportunities for individual growth by providing constructive feedback and acknowledging contributions. Proactively look for opportunities where individual members can develop and expand on their strengths. Provide clarity on career paths, roles and responsibilities and promotion requirements 

• Provide oversight in the discovery phase by leading collaborative workshops that define the problem that needs to be solved, educates with research and data, and clarifies the success metrics
• Work closely with the UX Research team to define the research strategy by ensuring the objectives are clear and the approach will produce insights that help guide a successful experience
• Minimize team blockers by listening to team feedback and suggesting ways to address conflict. Help designers feel supported so they can focus on day-to-day design work with minimal disruptions.
• Support the larger UX team culture by fostering a collaborative and creative work environment. Intentionally craft moments that allow people to pause, connect and get inspired.
• Strategize ways to deepen client relationships by helping to identify the right moment in the customer journey to cross-promote other financial products and introduce advisory services.

Design Execution

• Employ a user centered approach to influence the product vision
• Create simplicity out of complexity for experiences that have dense data & complex business requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to adjust and prioritize design scope effectively in response to changing needs and/or constraints
• Contribute with hands-on design support when needed to illustrate initial design directions or assist with deliverables
• Push boundaries by leveraging data driven insights to craft intuitive, engaging, and impactful digital experiences

Collaboration and Communication

• Partner regularly with other UX leads to exchange insights, set design standards, align on strategies to grow the firm’s UX maturity, and (when necessary) coordinate dependencies across teams.
• Collaborate across departments to inform project strategy, roadmaps and design team engagement with the ability to advise, coach and course correct when/if needed.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior product and technology stakeholders, ensuring UX is seen as a strategic partner in driving innovation and delivering impactful solutions, rather than a tactical resource
• Help define strategic roadmaps in partnership with the product management team
• Present innovative design work to senior management with a clear, compelling narrative to gain alignment and secure buy-in
• Advocate for good user experiences by using stories from successful initiatives, UX best practices and data illustrate how a human-centered approach contributes to product success.

Relevant Experience and Mindset:

• A portfolio that demonstrates partnering with multiple departments on successful product releases
• 10+ years of experience (3-5 of them managing medium to large sized teams)
• Mastery managing the team’s workload and deliverables
• Bachelor's degree in design, computer science or related field; master’s degree is a plus
• Fluency in design thinking methodologies
• Strong sense of design, and current with the latest design methodologies
• Current in the best practices for using design systems

• You thrive in a collaborative, explorative environment and value being on a diverse team that you can bounce ideas off of, get critical feedback from, and unite to mature design thinking in a large organization
• You practice active listening and contribute to group situations (brainstorms, audits, critiques, whiteboard sessions, etc.)
• You have a high tolerance for projects with ambiguity and the ability to set the direction for undefined, complex projects
• You are resilient in the face of obstacles
• You have a relentless desire to validate assumptions and uncover a problems’ root cause by testing, learning, and iterating
• You constantly seek opportunities to evangelize and promote design thinking in a large organization

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

We are committed to maintaining the first-class service and high standard of excellence that have defined Morgan Stanley for over 85 years. At our foundation are five core values — putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back — that guide our more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find trusted colleagues, committed mentors and a culture that values diverse perspectives, individual intellect and cross-collaboration. We Firm is differentiated by the caliber of our diverse team. While our company culture and commitment to inclusion define our legacy and shape our future, helping to strengthen our business and bring value to clients around the world. Learn more about how we put this commitment to action: morganstanley.com/diversity. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry.

We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business.

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $175,000 and $250,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Morgan Stanley's goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. Consequently, our recruiting efforts reflect our desire to attract and retain the best and brightest from all talent pools. We want to be the first choice for prospective employees.

It is the policy of the Firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sex stereotype, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy, veteran or military service status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).