Associate Director Of Research & UX

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced and visionary individual to fill the Associate Director of Research & UX Design position. The selected candidate will be vital in developing the next generation of content streaming and digital services.

THE ROLE:
• In this role, you will collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional teams while providing inspiration and guidance to your team. Your focus will also include spearheading critical initiatives as an individual contributor.
• You bring expertise in enterprise design solutions, particularly service design, accessibility, and systems thinking.
• Your contributions will be instrumental in strengthening our in-house research and design practice, enabling us to create comprehensive end-to-end experiences.
• You will help unlock innovation, empower our partners, and inspire teams through audience insights and flawless delivery.
• This role is pivotal in shaping our product direction, supporting our multi-year strategies, and ensuring that our platforms are inclusive and intuitive for our diverse user base.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Business Awareness and Stakeholder Management:
• You proactively understand the organization's context, business goals, and strategic objectives and can effectively blend them with design and research processes.
• Your approach accounts for product feasibility, market viability, and usability, resulting in comprehensive, grounded, and well-rounded solutions.
• You actively interact with diverse stakeholders, such as partners, vendors, executives, and cross-functional teams, to grasp their requirements, solicit feedback, and proficiently champion the adoption of user-centered design and research methodologies (and the insights derived from them).

User Research and Insights:
• Run end-to-end UX research: from generative to evaluative stages (i.e., user interviews, product assessments, usability testing, surveys, competitive and market analysis, personas, user journeys development, etc.), focusing on customer experience.
• Utilize findings to augment product strategies and identify short-term improvements and future offerings opportunities.

UX Design and Strategy:
• Drive service design initiatives: create service blueprints, map out user journeys, and cross-channel touchpoints to optimize the end-to-end customer experience.
• Develop and implement platform-specific strategies to ensure optimal user experiences across various digital channels.
• Drive the information architecture of our digital platforms, ensuring intuitive navigation, wayfinding, and content organization.
• Drive the creation and maintenance of design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across platforms and products.
• Actively contribute to hands-on design work and collaborating with the team to produce wireframes, interactive prototypes, and UI designs as needed.

Accessibility and Inclusivity:
• Promote a culture of user-centered design and advocate for accessibility, ensuring our products are compliant with relevant guidelines and standards.
• Collaborate with developers, designers, and other contributors to drive inclusive user experiences for diverse user groups.

Project Planning & Management:
• Must have strong project planning abilities and set clear goals, create realistic timelines, effectively manage resources, and break down complex projects into manageable tasks for team member assignment.

Team Leadership and Collaboration:
• Oversee and mitigate risks for multiple projects end-to-end: from concept ideation to prototyping, testing, and final implementation.
• You will play a key role in managing a small team, which includes providing guidance, mentorship, support, and ensuring their professional development.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, developers, and stakeholders, to define user requirements, prioritize features, and deliver high-quality digital experiences.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Minimum of 5-8 years of industry experience.
• A minimum of 2-4 years of management experience required.
• BA/BS in psychology, sociology, anthropology, human-computer interaction, or related disciplines or equivalent work experience.
• You have analytical problem-solving skills, and can translate complex data into actionable insights.
• You have empathetic leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and foster an inclusive work environment.
• You bring strong understanding and proven experience in design systems, accessibility standards, inclusive design practices, service design principles.
• Working knowledge in mixed research methodologies, with a focus on qualitative research.
• Solid understanding of the product development cycle (and the relationship between business, UX, and technology).
• Self-starter with a strong work ethic. Can demonstrate leadership skills and collaboration across teams using a consultative approach.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• 2+ years of experience preferably in the broadcast or streaming industry.
• Hands-on experience with lab-based user testing, remote testing, paper prototype testing, iterative prototype testing, concept testing, field research, and survey design.
• Experienced in accessibility standards (WCAG) and designing for diverse user groups.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace!

The base salary compensation range for this role is $164,000 to $190,000. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidate's relevant work experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location. Full time positions are eligible for benefits that include participation in a retirement plan, quarterly and annual incentive plan bonuses, life and disability insurance, health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, 15 paid vacation days, 2 paid personal days, 9 paid holidays, 40 hours of paid sick leave, parental leave, and employee stock purchase plan.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d25zz7-3-145-191-169-42 in your application.