Sr. Director, User Experience & Design

**Job Number** 22179687

**Job Category** Sales & Marketing

**Location** Marriott International HQ, 7750 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, United States

**Schedule** Full-Time

**Located Remotely?** Y

**Relocation?** N

**Position Type** Management

? **JOB SUMMARY**

Reporting to the VP, User Experience & Design, the Sr. Director, User Experience plays a critical role in creating industry-leading digital experiences across the full portfolio of Marriott brands and channels. The ideal candidate must be able to think strategically, obsess about the guest and implement at scale, all while fostering cohesion across the journey - from consideration through the post-stay experience.

The ideal candidate has experience rooted in an empathetic understanding of both the consumer's physical and digital environments and where the two connect/overlap. The Sr. Director leads the cross-channel design of user experiences, including web, app and on-property with a keen focus on data-driven, best-in-class product design from both the travel industry and other key disruptors/innovators (think mobile, Web, voice, connected devices, etc). This UX leader advances digital experiences that deliver on both revenue conversion and emotional engagement to foster loyalty. This role works closely with product management and technology colleagues to meet needs across our business, leisure, member and non-member customers.

As an integral part of the UX leadership team, the Sr. Director:

Provides oversight and direction to achieve a cohesive user experience that fosters synergy between the digital and physical experience

Promotes UX best practices drawn from a variety of disciplines (within and beyond hospitality)

Proactively maintains a keen focus across product areas to ensure journey-wide synergy

Communicates through appropriate visuals and deliverables

Is adept at explaining complicated concepts through clear visuals to facilitate understanding across the organization

The Sr. Director both leads tracks of work (ranging from near-term tactical to longer-term strategy and vision) while also serving as consultant/advisor to others. This position leads designers, including both internal associates and contractors, driving the creative process from concept through execution. Manages a team of one or more direct reports and coaches and guides careers for these reports.

A strong portfolio is critical. Your portfolio should showcase experience in UX and interaction design, particularly highlighting simplicity and ease-of-use. Diversity of projects is as important as curation to choose a solid collection of outcomes. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their role in leading the work included in the portfolio.

**CANDIDATE PROFILE**

**Education and Experience**

**.**

10 years experience in digital product design, 5 as a manager, with demonstrated leadership experience across platforms (emphasis on mobile and emerging technologies)

4-year undergraduate degree, with bachelor's degree in relevant discipline, or equivalent experience

Demonstrated success in end-to-end UX design for specific digital products

Demonstrates self-confidence, energy, and enthusiasm in leading and influencing teams

Demonstrated strong presentation, negotiation, and persuasion skills

Solid background/understanding of UX, design thinking, methodology, and design operations; passion for DesignOps and how to build, scale, train, and refine teams, tools, and processes/deliverables

Proven ability to lead and work with cross-functional teams in support of specific business priorities, work well with counterparts from various business functions, and influencing work of counterparts without direct reporting accountability, through strong interpersonal skills

Demonstrated ability to deliver results under challenging conditions, breaking complexity into understandable chunks, bringing ambiguity into focus

Ability to solve problems quickly, think creatively, and drive speed-to-market delivery, while optimizing outcomes

Strong grounding in general usability and transactional design best practices

Proven experience delivering concepts, user flows/ journeys, wireframes, prototypes, etc. across platforms (desktop, mobile web, app, etc.) with inclusivity in mind

Thrives in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and resources

Demonstrated success in managing large-scale, omni-channel digital platform design and development initiatives, ideally for a major, large-scale global digital app, web site, or other digital product within the commerce or travel space

_4 years of experience with/at a Top 100 Internet property, measured by traffic, revenue, or growth_

Experience with Agile / SAFE development methodologies preferred

**CORE WORK ACTIVITIES**

**Goals**

Sets and maintains personal development goals and works with leadership to set team goals

Helps direct reports with setting and maintaining personal development goals and provides feedback on progress to goals through review process

Provides discipline expertise and leadership to help meet department and company goals and KPIs

**Managing Work, Projects, and Policies**

Meets deadlines once agreed upon; ensures teams and directs also meet deadlines

Provides regular status updates through appropriate channels

Successfully leads multiple tracks of work at once

Works based on priorities and ensures teams and direct reports are clear on their own priorities

Accepts critique and critiques work of others in a helpful and professional manner

Communicates in a timely and appropriate manner

**Leadership & Management**

Leads work done by both internal associates and external vendors

Manages one or more direct reports; direct reports may have direct reports of their own

Attract, hire, develop, and retain top talent

Ensures employees are treated fairly and equitably

Coaches direct reports on areas of improvement and provides long-term career guidance, with growth and development planning

Manages vendor relationships

Provides oversight and leadership for multiple tracks of work, providing quality feedback to both internal associates and vendor resources to move design work forward

Thinks and works at both the strategic and executional levels; sees both the "forest" and the "trees" and guides teams accordingly

**Demonstrating and Applying Discipline Knowledge**

Where appropriate, communicates through rapid hand sketched interfaces and flows rather than more time-consuming deliverables.

Provides subject matter expertise on key functional systems to help shepherd strategic initiatives from idea to feasible implementation

Provides subject matter expertise on hotel brands and the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program to ensure optinal infusion throughout digital products

Provides information architecture / user experience / visual design oversight through review and critique for all channels and products to promote a cohesive user experience

Produces both innovative high-level design concepts / strategy visualizations as well as development-ready designs with specifications

Works collaboratively with other sub-disciplines in User Experience as well as other teammates across the organization

Uses software including: Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign and Photoshop); Sketch; InVision Studio; Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint

Keeps skills up-to-date on industry trends and applies new knowledge to job, identifying strategic opportunities for competitive advantages through those findings

**Measurement and Analytics**

With an evidence-based mindset, stay focused on continuously improving and re-evaluating the best business and user experience solutions across all channels and products

Comfortable with multiple qualitative and quantitative research methods, like surveys, usability testing, multivariate testing, A/B testing, etc.

Ability to take qual/quant dashboards/results and translate into an actionable design strategy

Uses tracking, metrics, segment data, and user research to inform design decisions

Collaborates with product managers to ensure priorities align with business objectives and KPIs

Uses various user research methodologies to get design feedback and iterates designs based on findings

Breaks down designs into options/variables for A/B or multi-variate testing

**Demonstrating and Applying Technical Knowledge**

Understands web technologies and principles- like responsive design, front-end markup and libraries such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery and Ajax methods, plus Content Management Systems, Web Services, and APIs-and uses this knowledge in collaboration with developers

Understands the principles of Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google Material Design; understands the underlying technologies and principles for iOS and Android application development, and uses this knowledge in collaboration with developers

Understands underlying technologies behind guest communications (email and chat), guest services (check-in/out, service requests, shuttle service), venue applications (dining, spa, golf), guest room entertainment, smart screens, property portal and internet services, etc. and uses this in collaboration with developers and operations teams working on related business processes

Understands Sketch and Invision DSM and uses this knowledge in extending and maintaining DSM

Keeps technical knowledge up-to-date and applies new knowledge to job

**Additional Responsibilities**

Works and leads independently with minimal supervision, but knows when issues should be escalated to manager

Foster relationships with key partners within and beyond the digital space

Presents work with clarity and confidence; explains complex matters so that others can understand

Uses appropriate communication mechanisms (i.e. in-person conversation, Microsoft Teams chat, email, phone call) for each situation

Demonstrates self-confidence, energy and enthusiasm

Performs other reasonable duties as assigned by manager

**MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES**

**Leadership**

**Communication** - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods.

**Leading Through Vision and Values** -Keeps the organization's vision and values at the forefront of employee decision making and action.

**Managing Change** -Initiates and/or manages the change process and energizes it on an ongoing basis, taking steps to remove barriers or accelerate its pace; serves as role model for how to handle change by maintaining composure and performance level under pressure or when experiencing challenges.

**Problem Solving and Decision Making** - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; obtains and compares information from different sources to draw conclusions, develops and evaluates alternatives and solutions, solves problems, and chooses a course of action.

**Professional Demeanor** - Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and represents the company in alignment with its values.

**Strategy Development** - Develops business plans by exploring and systematically evaluating opportunities with the greatest potential for producing positive results; ensures successful preparation and execution of business plans through effective planning, organizing, and on-going evaluation processes.

**Managing Execution**

**Building a Successful Team** -Uses an effective interpersonal style to build a cohesive team; inspires and sustains team cohesion and engagement by focusing the team on its mission and importance to the organization.

**Strategy Execution** - Ensures successful execution across of business plans designed to maximize customer satisfaction, profitability, and market share through effective planning, organizing, and on-going evaluation processes.

**Driving for Results** - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.

**Building Relationships**

**Customer Relationships** - Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer/stakeholder needs and actions consistent with the company's service standards.

**Global Mindset** - Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their full potential.

**Strategic Partnerships** -Develops collaborative relationships with fellow employees and business partners by making them feel valued, appreciated, and included; explores partnership opportunities with other people in and outside the organization; influences and leverages corporate and continental shared services and/or discipline leaders (e.g., HR, Sales & Marketing, Finance, Revenue Management) to achieve objectives; maintains effective external relations with government, business and industry in respective countries; performs effectively as a liaison between locations, disciplines, and corporate to ensure needed resources are received and corporate strategies are understood and executed.

**Generating Talent and Organizational Capability**

**Developing Others** -Supports the development of other's skills and capabilities so that they can fulfill current or future job/role responsibilities more effectively.

**Organizational Capability** - Evaluates and adapts the structure of assignments and work processes to best fit the needs and/or support the goals of an organizational unit.

**Learning and Applying Professional Expertise**

**Continuous Learning** - Actively identifies new areas for learning; regularly creates and takes advantage of learning opportunities; uses newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learns through their application.

**Technical Acumen** - Understanding and utilizing professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct and manage everyday business operations and generate innovative solutions to approach function-specific work challenges

**Business Process and Analysis** - Knowledge of multiple processes within sponsor department; ability to document key process flows, recognize processes for redesign, identify opportunities and translate business processes into information system's needs. Ability to define quality measures and evaluate performance against standards and to identify issues, risks and possible paths of resolution or mitigation strategies.

**IT Business Management -** Ability to monitor and evaluate trends in technology, technology delivery mechanisms and IT organizational processes and tools. This includes the ability to redefine processes, make recommendations, and perfect process governance frameworks.

**Basic Competencies** - Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities.

**Basic Computer Skills** - Using basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet browsers, etc.).

**Mathematical Reasoning** - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related issues.

**Oral Comprehension** - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

**Reading Comprehension** - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

**Writing** - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

_Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law._

Marriott International is the world's largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. We believe a great career is a journey of discovery and exploration. So, we ask, where will your journey take you?