Principal UX Design Strategist, Product

Location:

Team: Experience & Design - Client Experience Design

Reports to: Client Experience Design Director

Location: Hybrid -Zero Irving, New York, NY (in office 3 days per week)

About the Role

As a Principal UX Design Strategist, Product, you will be a senior leader on the Client Experience Design team within Key's Experience & Design group, responsible for shaping the strategic direction of KeyBank's online and offline product and client and prospect experiences.

You will bridge human-centered design, business strategy, and product development to deliver intuitive, impactful, and scalable solutions centered around the needs of our clients and prospects, and anchored in the priorities of our Commercial, Consumer, and Institutional Bank businesses.

You will lead initiatives that elevate the client and employee experience, influence product roadmaps, and ensure that every interaction reflects our commitment to empathy, usability, and business value.

This role requires a visionary thinker who can translate insights into actionable strategies, mentor cross-functional teams, and drive alignment across design, product, and technology.

Key Responsibilities

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

• Define and drive UX strategy across digital product portfolios, aligning with business goals and data-backed client needs.
• Partner with product owners, designers, and engineers to shape product vision and experience roadmaps.
• Translate research insights into strategic frameworks, experience principles, and actionable design direction.
• Champion a human-centered design approach across the organization, advocating for user needs and experience metrics.

PRODUCT DESIGN EXECUTION & OVERSIGHT

• Lead the development of user flows, journey maps, and experience strategies that guide product UI and interaction design work.
• Work in collaboration with Principal UI Designers to oversee the execution of UX/UI design work, helping to ensure consistency with Key's Design System and brand standards.
• Gather and evaluate user requirements in collaboration with product managers and engineers and translate into design deliverables.
• Conduct generative user and competitive research to inform near-term product experience and long-term product roadmap.
• Facilitate ideation, prototyping, and testing activities to validate and refine concepts.
• Ensure all product design work is grounded in Key's 5-step HCD framework: Discovery, Analysis, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing.

COLLABORATION & INFLUENCE

• Facilitate workshops and working sessions with cross-functional teams to align on vision, strategy, and execution.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, clearly articulating the value of design and its impact on business outcomes.
• Consistently reinforce a user-centered design perspective to the team to ensure design are relevant to both user needs and business objectives.
• Collaborate with analytics, research, and technology teams to ensure strategies are data-informed and technically feasible.

MENTORSHIP & PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

• Mentor and develop a team of design strategists / UX designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and craft excellence.
• Contribute to the evolution of Experience & Design methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Lead communities of practice focused on elevating client-centered product design and strategy.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UX strategy, design strategy, or product design leadership roles.
• Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional design initiatives in enterprise or agency settings.
• Deep expertise in human-centered design, service design, and UX research methodologies.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, design leadership, and measurable impact.
• Experience working in Agile environments and collaborating with product and engineering teams.
• Proficiency in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and other design and prototyping tools.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and storytelling skills.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in design, HCI, Strategy, or a related field or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services or regulated industries.
• Familiarity with HTML/CSS/JavaScript and technical collaboration.
• Experience with enterprise-level design systems and governance.

This position is NOT eligible for employment visa sponsorship for non-U.S. citizens.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This position is eligible to earn a base salary in the range of $130,000 to $150,000 annually depending on location and job-related factors such as level of experience. Compensation for this role also includes eligibility for short-term incentive compensation and deferred incentive compensation subject to individual and company performance.

Please click here for a list of benefits for which this position is eligible.

Qualified individuals with disabilities or disabled veterans who are unable or limited in their ability to apply on this site may request reasonable accommodations by emailing HR_Compliance@keybank.com.