Overview:

As a Lead Experience Strategist within the Customer Experience Organization, you will be part of a team of designers dedicated to solving the highest priority bank problems, delivering cohesive end-to-end experiences for our customers and employees by leveraging the power of human centricity.

Primary Responsibilities:

Independently develops and initiates the process/approach to be used by a cross-functional team to understand and define complex problems and develops and implements the solutions to be used to tackle the problem.  

Complete, and at times oversee, complex research, analysis, design, engineering and development efforts throughout the process of problem framing, solutioning and concept development.  Engage cross functional colleagues (ie, business partners, CX partners, operations, technology, compliance) to ensure business objective alignment, throughout. 

Coach/guide the development and preparation of thorough documentation to assist in analyzing problems, opportunities and solutions.  Review documentation prepared by less experienced staff and provide feedback and coaching for continuous improvement.  For particularly complex problems, may serve as the preparer of documents.

Conducting high level scoping and framing activities (ie. high level discovery) of potential future team work, assess for and recommend course of action, if any, to team manager and business partners.  Develop approach for scoping and planning activities for validated engagement/projects.  May oversee team execution. 

Leverage department quality protocols to set standards for team based on product or program specifications.  Direct, monitor, mentor less experienced team members and coordinate development and delivery activities, ensuring that quality standards are met and outcomes are aligned to business objectives. 

Influence strategic business objectives through highly analytical, human centric consultation to business partners grounded in thorough understanding and definition of problem space.  

Evaluate and understand complex interrelationships and effects among enterprise programs, technology, business operations/processes, customers and employees.  Anticipate impacts of a problem, approach or solution. Leverage a strong understanding of the business environment and needs within the area of responsibility.

Develop, complete and present engagement reports; present project, status or activity-related information to senior management to ensure their awareness of engagement  impact and any pertinent roadblocks.  

Monitor the conditions for team to successfully employ experience methods throughout process of problem identification, solutioning and concept development.  Address any issues, escalating when appropriate.

Monitor team member performance, providing individual coaching and feedback to management.  Participate in development and implementation of team member development plans.

Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.

Promote an environment that supports diversity and reflects the M&T Bank brand.

Maintain M&T internal control standards.

Complete other related duties or projects as required.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:

May coach more junior team members

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor's degree in Service Design, Human Computer Interaction, Strategic Design, or similar

Minimum of 5 years relevant experience

In lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 9 years education and/or relevant work/service design experience

Proven expertise in Design Thinking/Human-Centered Design

Experience creating service blueprints, illustrated journey maps, concept designs, service experience prototypes, empathy maps, and value proposition proposals to communicate ideas and designs to diverse groups of stakeholders

Hands-on experience designing for a variety of digital touchpoints and non-digital channels and supporting the delivery of those designs

Experience with conceptualization, ideation, and iterative prototyping, and with employing various methods to prototype service concepts such as staging and role-playing approaches

Project and people management skills; experience functioning as a project leader as well as an individual contributor

Strong ability to mentor and educate others on the value and principles of good experience design

Team player who is comfortable navigating ambiguity within a self-directed culture

Ability to establish strong working relationships with colleagues, clients, and key stakeholders

Extensive experience conducting remote and in-person workshops; strong familiarity with supporting tools such as Miro and Webex

Experience with design and prototyping tools such as Adobe, Sketch, InVision, Figma or other similar tools used widely in the design community

Proficiency in industry best practices for digital and non-digital products and services

Experience with accessibility standards, cross-platform issues, mobile user interfaces and systems-thinking

Education and Experience Preferred:

Consulting experience

Relevant advanced degree or certification

Financial services/Commercial bank experience

Knowledge of change theory and change management practices

Work Arrangement:

As the Experience Team for a community bank, we believe that our “office” may be anywhere our customers and employees live, work and play.  So while our team members may not be required to come into an office on a set schedule, we are expected to engage in purposeful, in-person collaboration and to be active participants in the M&T community and the communities we serve.  This may require quarterly to monthly travel within the M&T Bank footprint.

This will be a hybrid position (part in-office/part remote) that includes time spent working in-office at an M&T Bank office location, preferably in the Buffalo, NY, New York, NY, Boston, MA, Bridgeport, CT, Baltimore, MD, or Wilmington, DE areas.  Depending upon the location of the final candidate and the needs of the team the position might be hybrid or possibly remote within the M&T Bank footprint (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA or DC), with travel required as referenced above.

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $97,869.52 - $163,115.87 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

LocationBuffalo, New York, United States of America