Lead Experience Strategist

Overview:

As a Lead Experience Strategist within the Enterprise Transformation Enablement team, you will be part of a team of design, agile and change management practitioners dedicated to transforming how the bank solves the highest priority bank problems.  You will do this by leveraging the power of human-centered design to solve problems, delivering cohesive end-to-end experiences for our customers and employees and driving the adoption of customer-centric, agile and change management mindsets, behaviors, and practices among key program business partners. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Independently develops and initiates the process/approach to be used by a cross-functional team to understand and define complex problems and develops and implements the solutions to be used to tackle the problem.  

• Complete, and at times oversee, complex research, analysis, design, development efforts throughout the process of problem framing, solutioning and concept development.  Engage cross functional colleagues (eg. agility, change management, transformation delivery, commercial business partners, CX partners, user experience research, operations, technology, compliance) to ensure business objective alignment, throughout. 

• Conducting high level scoping and framing activities (ie. high level discovery) of potential future team work, assess for and recommend course of action, if any, to team manager and business partners.  Develop approach for scoping and planning activities for validated engagement/projects.  May oversee team execution. 

• Influence strategic business objectives through highly analytical, human-centered consultation to business partners grounded in thorough understanding and definition of problem space.  

• Evaluate and understand complex interrelationships and effects among enterprise programs, technology, business operations/processes, customers and employees.  Anticipate impacts of a problem, approach or solution. Leverage a strong understanding of the business environment and needs within the area of responsibility.

• Develop, complete and present engagement reports; present project, status or activity-related information to senior management to ensure their awareness of engagement  impact and any pertinent roadblocks.  

• Monitor the conditions for team to successfully employ experience methods throughout process of problem identification, solutioning and concept development.  Address any issues, escalating when appropriate.

• Monitor team member performance, providing individual coaching and feedback to management.  Participate in development and implementation of team member development plans.

• Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.

• Maintain M&T internal control standards.

• Complete other related duties or projects as required.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:

May coach more junior team members.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Service Design, Human Computer Interaction, Strategic Design, or similar, or equivalent work experience

• 5 or more years relevant work/service design experience

• Proven expertise in Design Thinking/Human-Centered Design

• Developing expertise in principles and practices of Change Management and Agility

• Experience creating service blueprints, illustrated journey maps, concept designs, service experience prototypes, empathy maps, and value proposition proposals to communicate ideas and designs to different groups of stakeholders

• Hands-on experience designing for a variety of digital touchpoints and non-digital channels and supporting the delivery of those designs

• Experience with conceptualization, ideation, and iterative prototyping, and with employing various methods to prototype service concepts such as staging and role-playing approaches

• Project and people management skills; experience functioning as a project leader as well as an individual contributor

• Strong ability to mentor and educate others on the value and principles of good experience design

• Team player who is comfortable navigating ambiguity within a self-directed culture

• Ability to establish strong working relationships with colleagues, clients, and key stakeholders

• Extensive experience conducting remote and in-person workshops; strong familiarity with supporting tools such as Miro and Webex

• Proficiency in industry best practices for digital and non-digital products and services

Education and Experience Preferred:

• Consulting experience

• Relevant advanced degree or certification

• Financial services/commercial bank experience

• Knowledge of change theory and change management practices

• Knowledge of agile practices and methodologies

Work Model & Office Locations:

This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring onsite presence four days per week at one of M&T Bank’s regional offices. Candidates must reside within a reasonable commuting distance to one of the following locations:

• 345 Main Street, Buffalo, NY

• 115 Federal Street, Boston, MA

• 1 Light Street, Baltimore, MD

• 1350 I Street NW, Washington, DC

• 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE

• 277 Park Avenue, New York, NY

• 850 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT

• 77 Pine Street, Burlington, VT

Anticipated Travel Requirements:

• Employees in this position should be prepared to travel at least once per month.

• Travel frequency may fluctuate based on business demands and the nature of assigned projects.

• Employees located outside the Buffalo market are generally expected to travel more frequently than those already based there

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $103,000.00 - $171,600.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location

Buffalo, New York, United States of America