Director, UX Design - Studio Director

Position Summary...

What you'll do...

Reimagining Retail is what Sam's Club is all about. We connect the physical and digital worlds to bring innovative experiences to life. And you can be at the intersection of strategy, technology, and innovation, all working together to serve our members with amazing value and best in class convenience.

Sam's Club is building Clubhouse, a dedicated space for ideas, collaboration and solutions that push our business forward and strengthen our commitment to being a member-obsessed organization. It's a 37,000 sq. ft. design studio opening soon in Bentonville, Arkansas. Here's where we'll imagine next-generation retail experiences, by designing for physical and digital experiences, prototyping, user testing and so much, much more. Clubhouse will provide the collaborative environment, and you will provide the innovative mindset.

• Develop and implement a strategic plan to meet short- and long-term goals of the studio with business partners and Sam's Club leadership.
• Cultivate deep cross-functional relationships to understand strategic objectives, further these goals, and evangelize the capabilities and opportunities within the studio.
• Provide strategic, innovative and design thinking-led solutions that enable critical business objectives.
• Drive the studio process, from consulting on concepts to resourcing and outsourcing to production and delivery.

• Oversee all Clubhouse projects and initiatives ensuring highest quality, on-time delivery, and within budget.
• Collaborate with partners across the organization to set and meet design expectations and resourcing needs.
• Provide support and management to a growing design team while communicating with key stakeholders.
• Create and implement project goals, timelines, set expectations and workflows to ensure a smooth production process with on-time delivery.

• Monitor staffing levels to ensure all projects are on schedule and all employees are fully utilized.
• Lead a team, including reviewing timesheets, expense reports, and performance evaluations.
• Oversee project budgets, contracts, and proposals.
• Assess studio operations to identify areas of improvement and efficiencies in day-to-day workflows.

• Pursue and promote innovation, bringing new ideas to the table to push design and enhance efficiencies without sacrificing quality.
• Inspire and lead cross-functional project teams, guiding them from concepts to captivating experiences.
• Work across digital and physical platforms with the same high standards of strategy and execution.

• Requires knowledge of: User-centered design principles; Native mobile conventions and capabilities (for example, Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for iOS, Google's Android design patterns); Information hierarchy principles; Task analysis; System design processes. Interaction patterns and templates. To define and documents design details through process flows, site maps, wireframes, and functional specifications in multiple formats. Provides suggestions to create and define interaction patterns and templates to design consistent and scalable design solutions that account for primary and secondary use cases, more complex data exchanges, and complete error conditions and contribute to the pattern library.
• Develops and leverages internal and external partnerships and networks to maximize the achievement of business goals by sponsoring and leading key community outreach and involvement initiatives; engaging key stakeholders in the development, execution, and evaluation of business plans and initiatives; and supporting associate efforts in these areas.

• Requires knowledge of: User-centered design principles; Native mobile conventions and capabilities (for example, Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for iOS, Google's Android design patterns); Templates and style guides; Design tools. To define and documents design details at a system level with accurate design specifications (for example, position, padding, font size) in multiple formats. Leads visual quality assurance against a design specification and rapidly prioritizes and solves issues. Creates and defines templates and style guides to design consistent and scalable design solutions at the system level.

• Requires knowledge of: Prototyping disciplines, tools, and techniques within target environments; User-centered design principles; Information hierarchy and design principles, task analysis, and system design processes. To drive adherence to and use of interaction patterns and templates to design prototypes that account for primary and secondary use cases, complex data exchanges, and error conditions and contribute to the pattern library. Evaluates the types of prototypes and technologies used to design and develop prototypes and technical proofs of concept. Provides guidance to build interactive models that can access live content with reusable components and tools to enable and facilitate prototyping. Evaluates current standards, policies, and guidelines in the development of prototypes.

• Observes associate, customer, or supplier behavior.
• Presents information to small or large groups and individuals.
• Communicates effectively in person or by using telecommunications equipment.
• Visually verifies information, often in small print.
• Reads information, often in small print.
• Creates documents, reports, etc., using a writing instrument (such as a pencil or pen) or electronic device.
• Enters and finds information on electronic device.
• Travel. Traveling is necessary to perform one or more essential functions of this position. Travels internationally to and from multiple facilities or worksites requiring extended overnight stays.

• Option 1: Bachelor's degree in UI/UX design, graphic design, visual communication, product design, computer science, information technology, or
  related area and 6 years of experience in UI/UX, interactive and visual design, electronics art, multimedia design, or related area.

• Option 2: 8 years of experience in UI/UX, interactive and visual design, electronics art, multimedia design, or related area.
• 3 years of supervisory experience.

• Master's degree in UI/UX Design, interactive and visual design, product design, or related area.
• 8 years of experience in UI/UX, interactive and visual design, electronics art, multimedia design, or related area.
• 6 years of related industry experience (for example, retail, supply chain, eCommerce, healthcare).
  5 years of experience driving product development in a user experience area.
• Design certification (for example, IDEOU - Foundations in Design Thinking Certificate).
• History of leading and inspiring teams to produce great work while keeping a positive culture.
• Emphasis on excellent design quality, demonstrated through past projects and which drives a desire for future growth.
• Demonstrates an innovative, strategic creative method by applying customer insights, design thinking, and technology.
• Ability to encourage, lead and provide direction to teams allowing strategic, high impact and effective solutions.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence and inspire C-level leadership and multi-functional teams.
• Able to direct high-quality work across mediums and channels.