Senior Director of User Experience (UX) Research and Design

Posting number: 26-20279

Department: MBTA - Technology Innovation Division

Division: 863-Technology Innovation Division

Job classification: Senior Director of User Experience (UX) Research and Design

Posting type: Open/External Only

Categories: IT and Computers

Summary

The Senior Director of User Experience (UX) Research and Design leads the MBTA's UX, Research, Design, and Content Strategy group, a functional team of craft experts and managers who work across numerous product and program lines. The Senior Director of UX Research and Design defines and drives UX strategy, shaping decisions that impact organization direction, long-term outcomes, and cross-portfolio priorities. The Senior Director ensures that Transformation and Technology (T&T) Department services are meeting user needs via well-defined outcomes. Collaborating closely with stakeholders, the role defines scopes, aligns priorities, orchestrates cross-team delivery, and establishes agency-wide standards and practices.

Examples of duties

• Shape organization-wide research, design, and content vision, strategic direction, and practice.
• Build effective design teams and direct strategies that are focused on improving the lives of end users, both riders and staff.
• Lead and develop research and design management, including organizational planning, performance management, position descriptions, hiring, and professional growth as applicable.
• Advocate for and scale the functions of UX research, design, and content strategy through the establishment of standards, frameworks, and best practices.
• Identify strategic research and service design opportunities, and use research data to inform business, product, and operational decisions.
• Support T&T with outcome orientation, ensuring that T&T work is in the service of long- and short-term outcomes.
• Serve as a senior leader within T&T, supporting and contributing to the overall Technology vision and strategic direction.
• Serve as a senior advisor to other departments within the MBTA, with the ability to be a strategic thought-partner and to synthesize and communicate complex ideas.
• Serve as a member of a rotating on-call group.
• Perform all other duties and projects that may be assigned.

Additional responsibilities may include focus on one or more departments or locations. See applicable addendum for department or location specific functions.

Supervision

• Directly supervises a team of three to five (3-5) program-area directors and two to five (2-5) cross-department staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in computer science, graphic design, human computer interaction or other related field.
• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience supporting or leading major initiatives, program areas, or cross-functional projects requiring strategic judgment, problem-solving, and coordination across multiple stakeholders.
• Seven (7) years of supervisory, managerial, and/or leadership experience.
• Expertise across UX disciplines and methods.
• Experience leading a team of functional and management staff.
• Experience working in a matrixed organization, including program, product, and engineering in multiple settings.
• Demonstrated ability to generate clarity when provided ambiguous or open-ended problems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with UX best practices, service design, usability heuristics, accessibility standards (such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)), and human-computer interaction.
• Ability to provide understanding and examples of how individual design decisions fit into the larger ecosystem of the product, business, and user journey.
• Demonstrated knowledge of outcome orientation, including translating research/design insights into measurable product, service, or operational outcomes.
• Effective managerial, organizational, analytical, confidentiality, multi-tasking and time management skills.

Substitutions

• A high school diploma or GED with an additional seven (7) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• An associate’s degree from an accredited institution and an additional three (3) years of directly related experience substitutes for the bachelor’s degree requirement.
• A master’s degree in a related subject substitutes for two (2) years of general experience.
• A nationally recognized certification, or statewide/professional certification in a related field substitutes for one (1) year of experience.

Supplemental information

• Master's degree from a credited institution in a related field.
• Experience in the public sector, transportation agency, and/or civic technology team.