Director, Design Studio
H&R Block’s purpose is simple: To provide help and inspire confidence in our clients and communities everywhere. We’ve been true to that purpose since brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founded our company in 1955. Since then, we’ve grown to have approximately 12,000 offices throughout the United States and around the world.
We are a people company first and a tax company second. People who join H&R Block say it feels like being part of something bigger. A place with an amazing and storied history, but with a strong and urgent focus on the future. Maybe it’s how determined, forward thinking and innovative we are, or how accessible our leadership is. We believe it’s all those things, and much more.
The Director, Design Studio will lead all design thinking and development of all our digital experiences – from our do-it-yourself tax product, to our website. Lead the team of CX, CI, interactive designers and copy writers to create compelling user experiences that magnify our brand, value proposition, offers, and product features.
Responsibilities:
Serve as leader of enterprise design studio responsible for bringing to life the client experience vision
Partner with CX strategy and leadership to bring to life strategic experience roadmaps and execution plans
Lead design team responsible for designing wireframes, journey maps, workflows, personas and scenarios — for client interactions with our brand through products, services, and website
Enhance customer experience and drive higher results on metrics such as conversion rates and customer engagement
Work collaboratively with assigned Program Management and Product Development resources within BMS and strategic partner firms to develop, test and launch the new portfolio customer experience strategy-then manage the program and evolution
Analyze the audience, customer behavior and what things affect their decision-making, and then build around these key metrics.
Listen carefully to the problems our clients are facing
Stay up to date with the most recent design and technology trends.
Drive a technology / mobile first culture. A modern customer experience is built on digital foundations, with an ever-changing array of tools and technologies that are constantly pushing the envelope of innovation
Qualifications:
8-10 years business experience, preferably with 3-5 years focused on the Customer Experience (CX) field, including leading and managing customer experience strategies, including but not limited to CX research, executing a Voice of the Customer program, journey mapping, stakeholder feedback and measurement program and analysis.
Bachelor’s degree in related field, MBA or Master's Degree preferred.
Working knowledge of best practices for operational excellence and customer experience management—in both a Business to Consumer and Business to Business environments.
Strong leadership, collaboration and people management skills.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to drive towards consensus and achieve alignment
Effective at navigating through matrix team environments in order to drive business decisions. Excellent planning and strategy development while executing against tight timelines
Experience of identifying short and long term organizational needs and translating these into delivery of business solutions
Experience in managing significant resources to deliver against the varying and complex needs of numerous stakeholders.
Experience of directly leading a large team and indirectly managing cross-functional teams and working and influencing within matrix structures
High emotional intelligence in managing multiple business initiatives and cross-functional relationships
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
Strong organizational and project management skills
Effective customer service, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
Strong interpersonal and communication (written, verbal, presentations) skills, and a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate to different partner groups internally and externally.
Ability to collect, analyze, lead, and present data and information to all levels
Ability to conceive and lead design thinking.
