Vice President, User Experience Job Listing at Prudential in Newark, NJ

Insurance, Finance

The Vice President, User Experience is a critical role within Prudential's corporate eBusiness group (eDG). The eBusiness Development Group's operational model is aligned around the user-centered design methodology, with user experience experts responsible for the planning and execution of digital work in all channels. The VP, User Experience is the gatekeeper for user planning, analysis, design, and strategy; this leader is a relentless promoter of the user perspective.
 
The VP conceives, validates, and executes a strategic framework for how prospects, customers, business partners, and vendors will experience Prudential's digital assets. This work is often revised to account for marketing plans, advertising strategies, and brand priorities. The framework greatly impacts the digital activities of associates from across the company by the use of formal guidelines, design patterns, and digital models. The VP will be evaluated based on the ability to establish a consistent and innovative interactive experience across any touch point, including web, mobile, social, and tablet.
 
The VP, User Experience leads the deployment of experts to provide analytical, process-driven advisory services that assist business leaders (VPs, CMOs, CIOs, etc) in creating clear customer experience goals as part of the digital lifecycle. The VP also catalyzes change across the company by influencing these marketing and IT teams--adapting style and service for varied levels of digital savvy. The VP will be a hands-on leader who can make the case for the value of everything from upfront research and ethnographic analysis, all the way through detailed use cases, process flows, and visual designs.
 
The VP, User Experience will also monitor external trends and best practices to define target devices, browsers, and user types.
 
Core Responsibilities

• Create, execute and communicate a comprehensive digital experience vision and strategy, incorporating creative direction & user research, in support of the overall enterprise identity


• Advocate a user-based digital methodology, demonstrating (via thought leadership and implementation) the value of this approach by increasing key digital activities and enhancing the overall brand.


• Deploy the User Experience teams' diverse skills on specific initiatives, increasing the success of digital efforts by increasing adoption, influencing user traffic, increasing user task success rates, and ensuring a user feedback loop wherever possible. 


• Establish and maintain a unified creative direction for the corporate flagship site, Prudential.com; emphasize the ongoing deployment of innovative and compelling sections, tools, and content areas in close collaboration with the corporate eBusiness director


• Manage external vendors, partners, and service providers to supplement in-house team with the best possible cutting edge design expertise, content syndication, and digital experience tools


• Guide and direct innovative team leaders to renew and extend digital framework parameters; monitoring external trends, best practices, and competitors to increase ease of doing business


• Monitor, adjust, and refine staffing model to optimize cost and expertise level for User Experience functions, balancing efficiencies in location with a globalized view of productivity

Experience and Skills Needed
           12+ years experience directing teams (at least 5 yrs devoted to User Experience functions, including Interactive Design, Information  Architecture, Digital Content, and Front-End Development
           5-7 years of hand-on experience leading and managing the user experience in a large corporation
           Expert understanding of the fundamentals of user-centered design, usability evaluation, personas, mental models, user path analysis, interaction design, information architecture, interactive prototypes
           Experience in the financial services sector with active understanding of complex financial products for both individuals and institutions
           Exceptional communication skills, both as a clarifying voice regarding new technologies and as a motivational force to inspire people across the enterprise to leverage new solutions.
           Strong leadership and motivational abilities, with experience in best practices for building, motivating, and refining eBusiness teams under both direct and indirect management
           Experience coordinating interactive/e-Commerce activities across a large Fortune 500 firm.
           Solid working experience with information technology.
 
Personal Profile
         Strong facilitative and interpersonal skills.
         High energy, confident individual who communicates with passion and authority.
         Collaborative and team oriented, with a "passion" for working with people.
         Critical, strategic thinker with ability to make sound, independent decisions under pressure.
         Problem solver and identifies critical issues with ease and confidence. 
         Strong oral, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
         The ability to communicate objectives and results to a variety of audiences.
         Motivated by the demands of a high energy culture.
         Comfortable in a visible position within the organization.
         Demonstrated initiative and results-driven.
         Interest in learning and enthusiasm for making a contribution to the team and the company.
         Ability to work in a fast paced team environment.
 
Education:  Bachelor's Degree/MBA a plus