Design Strategy Director

We are looking for a Design Strategy Director to join our team. A candidate in this role will drive the design strategy for the full lifecycle of the product from vision, research and conception to launch and optimization, while supporting the team in execution. The Design Strategy Director should have the ability to evaluate and weigh a range of disparate inputs, including external market activity, user needs and partners’ capabilities. They will develop structured and logical frameworks from which to prioritize and recommend the most relevant and differentiated experience opportunities. After having selected the optimal direction for the venture, they will define the strategic and tactical steps to capture those opportunities: via product roadmap (sequence and prioritization of activities), experience and feature selection (higher vs. lower impact, evaluating differentiation, etc.), and qualifying future optimizations and opportunity.

Design Strategy Directors at Runyon are highly strategic, detail-oriented, and experienced in product design, from research to UX/UI design to visual design. They share our deep empathy for user needs and have the ability to develop a deep understanding of a partner’s business, generate insights, and translate those into a plan of action. They develop strong relationships and build trust with core decision-makers, both internally and externally.

About Runyon

Runyon is a product design and venture studio that helps companies grow. We are a team of customer-centered designers, researchers, and strategists that crafts new products, experiences and ventures. Our approach combines customer needs and behaviors with leading edge business strategy. Our work is sprint- and prototype-driven and we think about how we can craft strategies and products into the market in ways that are meaningful and measured from the start. Our team has decades of experience working with some of the largest global partners including Disney, The New York Times, American Express, Target and others.

• We're prototyping-led. We lead with tangible assumptions in the form of prototypes and test them with real stakeholders to validate and refine our strategy and design. Regardless of discipline, we think and communicate in concepts, and use those to move further, faster.
• We're detailed and intentional. We always back up our design decisions with sound reasoning—be it user research, market research, or both. We make things that make sense and that have a clear through line.
• We're fast. We work almost exclusively in sprints, and with lean teams. We need folks who like to run.
• We're collaborative. We jam as a multidisciplinary team of specialists who collectively contribute to the full spectrum of work across user research, strategy and design to arrive at high quality outcomes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Active participation in ideation sessions with project team to concept new experiences, services and features that can ladder up to a new, differentiated offering in the market
• Encourage deep partnership across cross-functional teams, thereby establishing a space where ideas readily flow and everyone feels empowered to do their best work
• Collaborate with partners to understand the differentiated business model, objectives, and user behaviors and synthesize those insights to develop visions and long-term roadmap
• Solve complex product design problems using a hypothesis driven approach
• Provide a business-driven perspective to share and frame designs
• Orchestrate design disciplines and approaches (research, UX, visual design, etc.) to craft a cohesive and structured approach for user-centered problem solving
• Communicate clearly with teammates and senior client stakeholders, and present work appropriately (verbally and in partner-facing decks)

QUALIFICATIONS 

• 8+ years of experience leading product design teams, at a design studio or internally within an organization
  
• A portfolio of work that demonstrates leadership in translating research into generative, effective outcomes across a range of design projects and deliverables (UX/UI, service design, product design, etc.)
• Ability to look at a situation, deconstruct it, and devise a way to make it better
• Appreciates the power of storytelling and has experience presenting those stories to senior partners
• A desire to lead and engage with collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams which include our partners
• Ability to persuasively present and defend your own strategic thinking and synthesis, in addition to listening and modifying your thinking based on the contributions and perspectives of others
• Great communication and collaboration abilities, including the skill to direct and manage small teams
• You thrive in ambiguity, and have a propensity to experiment with generative ideas in order to identify the most innovative and disruptive solutions

Please note that this job posting remains active as part of our ongoing effort to build a network of talented designers, strategists, researchers, and other creative professionals. As a result, it may not correspond to an immediate opening. Runyon’s dynamic, fast-paced environment makes this ideal for candidates who thrive in flexible, project-based roles.