Executive Director, Design System, Accessibility & QA

Purpose of Job
USAA knows what it means to serve. We facilitate the financial security of millions of U.S. military members and their families. This singular mission requires a dedication to innovative thinking at every level.

This role aligns Company, Enterprise, and CoSA and strategic objectives to maximize the discovery, delivery, and performance of digital/technology solutions and products. Responsible for overseeing all design functions for one or more member, employee, enterprise or enablement experience domains. Manages multiple concurrent teams through all stages of development: from empathy and ideation to final coding/deployment and is responsible for overall quality and design vision. Critical steward of planning, defining, designing and executing new creative solutions primarily within the digital channels and platforms. Builds, inspires, motivates, and leads a team of talented Design Directors, their respective teams and plays a key contributor role in driving a design-led culture throughout USAA. Participates in the development of strategic plans for the ongoing evolution of the Chief Design Office.
REMOTE WORK IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS POSITION.
Job Requirements

Identifies and manages existing and emerging risks that stem from business activities and the job role.
Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled.
Follows written risk and compliance policies, standards, and procedures for business activities.
Role models USAA’s mission, core values, culture and desired behaviors – including a culture of risk and regulatory awareness and accountability balanced with innovation and member-service orientation.
Oversees research, creation and development of concepts that aligns employee and members’ needs with business or enterprise objectives, while advancing USAA transformation into a design-led organization.
Leads the design review and approval process and ensures consistent alignment with USAA and industry design standards and guidelines.
Supports a culture of transparency and healthy challenge via design critique, continuous learning and accountability for high standards of quality.
Partners with and influences Enterprise, IT, and Business Leaders to define, plan, design, and monitor touchpoints within assigned spaces across all digital channels.
Works in very close collaboration with other Executive Directors of Design to create breadth as well as depth of knowledge across domains.
Collaborates with other design domain teams and/or DesignOps, Design Language Systems and Design Practice teams (these 3 areas are collectively known as Design Enablement) to drive transformation by establishing and delivering design concepts and final solutions that enable elegant solutions to business problems through employee and member empathy.
Identifies new and improved ways to manage the digital creative process, as new platforms and technologies evolve.
Develops and ensures a consistent application of design and delivery processes.
Develops talent in the design department to deliver performance and results – including the identification, development and retention of talent with requisite design capabilities.
Holds self and teams accountable for meeting commitments by setting and clearly communicating expectations and roles and responsibilities relative to design operations and services.
Owns the relationship management responsibilities for internal business executives and external design agencies for their area of focus.
Builds and leads high-performing design teams by attracting and hiring the best talent and providing a nurturing yet challenging environment.

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree; OR 4 years of related experience (in addition to the minimum years of experience required) may be substituted in lieu of degree.
10 years of progressive related design experience developing digital product and experience strategies, managing major initiatives and delivering compelling design solutions within a complex matrix environment.
4 years of direct design team leadership or leading matrixed or cross-functional creative teams and experience in building, managing and/or developing high performing design teams.
Demonstrated experience in digital product and/or service design, experience design, design research and human center design approaches.
Experience collaborating with key resources and stakeholders, influencing decisions and managing work to achieve strategic goals.
Fluency in current design and interaction standards across multiple channels.
Excellent communication, presentation and organizational skills.
Executive-level business acumen in the areas of business operations, industry practices and emerging trends.

Preferred Experience:

Demonstrated expertise in leading the product, creative, technical, and future direction of a world-class Design System.
Experience developing design and system thinking, human-centered workflows, processes, frameworks and operation models that enable designers to deliver their best work consistently and efficiently.
Expertise in driving Design System adoption and capability roadmaps to solve the collective needs of a large enterprise through collaboration, iteration and feedback.
Proven experience in leading, building, launching, and maintaining large-scale multi-platform design system initiatives, including best practices and processes around governance and maintenance.
Expert understanding of the intersection of development, design, and business needs that are the underpinning of a successful Design System.
Ability to influence how the Design System needs to grow, evolve, and scale to match the demands of consumers.
Strong knowledge and proficiency with multi-channel industry standards and best practices.
Deep understanding and demonstrated experience with Accessibility both broadly and in digital ecosystems.
Ability to guide strong Quality Assurance (QA) practices that review the proper use of a complex Design System.
Expertise in recognizing strategic intent and leading collaborative sessions with other leaders and executives that drive towards new opportunities with greater, more impactful, outcomes.
Ability to understand team proficiency needs with development methodologies, common technical frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vanilla, etc.), and various tools that support the creative and technical needs of design systems and accessibility (e.g., Design System Manager, Figma, Storybook, GitLab, DialogFlow).
Proven ability to curate and document risk controls in collaboration with business partners to ensure compliance with relevant regulatory and operational requirements.
Demonstrated ability with recruiting, hiring, and retaining multidisciplinary design/development teams.
Executive level writing, communication and presentation skills.
Expert ability to think strategically while collaborating cross-functionally.
Experience with Service Design a plus.
Familiarity with banking, insurance and investment (financial industry) a plus.

Compensation:

USAA has an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges to ensure we remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range based on your experience and market position. The salary range for this position is: $155,400.00-207,200.00-279,800.00.

Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance or at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.

Long Term Incentive Plan: Cash payment for Executive level roles only, representing a cash payment which is both time and performance based.
Benefits:

At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.