Sr. Manager, User Experience

Job description

With a career at The Home Depot, you can be yourself and also be part of something bigger.

Position Purpose

The User Experience Sr. Manager is responsible for attracting, retaining and developing top talent focused on designing intuitive, quality products through collaboration with end users and modern software development teams. The User Experience Sr. Manager works closely with teams of designers to support in-depth business reviews, communicate and present across all levels of the organization, and support cross-functional product teams.

The Sr. Manager must exhibit the ability to lead managers and their teams and drive change management and process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

40% Strategy & Planning:

• Drives user experience by reviewing performance and directing work efforts of Designers to ensure products are aligned with company, stakeholder and end user priorities Aligns user experience efforts across products and projects
• Understands enterprise goals and KPIs to ensure value is delivered against them Gains a thorough understanding of customer and associate needs, both existing and potential, and uses that knowledge to help design enterprise products that provide Home Depot customers and associates with an unparalleled shopping experience
• Communicates with key user and operational groups to understand business needs Elicits ideas and assists team members with gaining shared understanding, and aligns the product team and stakeholders
• Presents complex design concepts, user needs, and design rationale to multidisciplinary teams, as well as to key stakeholders and business partners
• Contributes to and makes recommendations for strategic plans in support of key objectives in a timely and fiscally responsible manner
• Supports and nurtures strategic vendor relationships; recommends ways to influence vendors that align to domain, portfolio, and enterprise strategic objectives 30% Delivery & Execution: Provides guidance on design of products while keeping in mind dependencies and integration with other products across the enterprise
• Documents, reviews and ensures that all quality and change control standards are met
• Reviews recommended designs and work of UX team members to ensure that designs are aligned with company, stakeholder, and end user priorities
• Receives and prioritizes incoming requests from business partners and stakeholders
• Guides the analysis of user experience data and provides recommendations to address business needs
• Coaches and pairs with product team members (UX, engineering, and product management) across product teams to design solutions and share best practices
• Guides the creation of designs such that information is easy to find, consume and understand
• Leads the communication of ideas and designs to end user and product team members
• Makes suggestions that help drive operational excellence to create internal customer satisfaction and meet operational metrics 30% People: Provides leadership, mentoring, and coaching to User Experience professionals Attracts, retains, and develops top talent
• Conducts annual and mid-year reviews, reviewing individual development plans and providing performance feedback
• Fosters collaboration with team members (Engineering, Product Management, etc.) to drive value and identify and resolve impediments
• Acts as a proponent of UX practices Advocates for the end user and stakeholder by becoming associated with the product, empathizing with and understanding user needs
• Guides more junior team members in strategy, alignment, analysis, and execution tasks
• Participates in and contributes to learning activities around modern software design and development core practices (communities of practice)

Direct Manager/Direct Reports

Typically reports to the Technology Director, Sr. Director or Vice President.

Travel Requirements

Typically requires overnight travel 5% to 20% of the time.

Physical Requirements

Most of the time is spent sitting in a comfortable position and there is frequent opportunity to move about. On rare occasions there may be a need to move or lift light articles.

Working Conditions

Located in a comfortable indoor area. Conditions could produce mild discomfort on occasion.

Minimum Qualifications

Must be eighteen years of age or older. Must be legally permitted to work in the United States.

• Must be legally permitted to work in the United States Preferred Qualifications: 6-8 years of relevant work experience
• Proficiency in working as a UX Designer or Researcher in a modern software development based enterprise environment and overseeing team members
• Proficiency in guiding more junior team members through User Experience fundamentals in a professional setting
• Proficiency in managing and growing team members in a professional setting
• Proficiency in balancing workloads across teams Mastery in one or more of the following disciplines: user research, interaction design, information architecture, visual design; Experience with the others Mastery in translating user needs into visual assets and guiding others to do so Mastery in working as part of a collaborative, cross-functional modern software development team Minimum Education: The knowledge, skills and abilities typically acquired through the completion of a bachelor's degree program or equivalent degree in a field of study related to the job.

Preferred Education

No additional education Minimum Years of Work Experience: 6 Preferred Years of Work Experience: No additional years of experience Minimum Leadership Experience: None Preferred Leadership Experience: None Certifications: None Competencies: Attracts Top Talent: Attracting and selecting the best talent to meet current and future business needs

• Balances Stakeholders: Anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders
• Builds Effective Teams: Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Develops Talent: Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals
• Drives Engagement: Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.

Drives Vision and Purpose

Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action Manages Ambiguity: Operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clear Organizational Savvy: Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organizational dynamics Situational Adaptability: Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations