Senior UX Designer - Vice President

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer - Vice President

Company: Morgan Stanley

Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX Design / Digital Experience Operations

Date Posted: January 15, 2026

Experience Level: 7-8+ Years (as UX Lead)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and enhancement of critical digital platforms within Wealth Management (WM) for Service and Relationship Management users in the Contact Center.

• Lead the creation of intuitive and efficient UX design solutions to boost contact center user productivity and reduce turnaround times, with a focus on the Salesforce migration.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to translate strategic objectives and user insights into impactful, user-centered design solutions that align with business goals and technical constraints.

• Mentor and guide junior designers, fostering a culture of design excellence, collaboration, and the advancement of design thinking within a large financial organization.

• Develop and present a comprehensive range of design deliverables, instilling confidence in proposed solutions and demonstrating a holistic understanding of the Wealth Management product ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role, while titled "Senior UX Designer - Vice President," is fundamentally an operations-focused role within the digital experience domain. The "Vice President" title signifies seniority and leadership, particularly in mentoring and strategic contribution, common in large financial institutions. The focus on contact center platforms, CRM (Salesforce migration), productivity, and efficiency directly aligns with operational excellence objectives in customer service and relationship management. The emphasis on collaboration with Product Management, Business Analysts, and Development underscores the cross-functional operational nature of this position.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic Design Leadership: Lead the design strategy for virtual client solutions within the Contact Center, ensuring user-centered experiences during the migration from legacy systems to Salesforce.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as a key design contributor within cross-functional teams, partnering with product management, business analysts, and development to define vision, strategy, and quality standards.

• User Experience Optimization: Drive the creation of intuitive and efficient UX design solutions specifically tailored to enhance the productivity of contact center users and reduce operational turnaround times.

• Design Deliverable Creation: Produce and present a variety of design artifacts, including sketches, wireframes, user flows, and visual representations, effectively communicating design concepts and solutions to stakeholders.

• Mentorship and Development: Mentor and guide junior UX designers, fostering their growth, promoting high standards of craft, and encouraging collaborative design thinking across the team and broader organization.

• Research Synthesis: Collaborate with the research team to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data, translating findings into value-driven design decisions that support business goals and user needs.

• Holistic Integration: Design cohesive and integrated solutions that fit seamlessly within the broader Wealth Management product ecosystem, ensuring consistency and a unified digital experience.

• Constraint Management: Balance user needs, business objectives, and technical limitations, particularly within the capabilities of CRM platforms like Salesforce.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong operational focus by emphasizing efficiency, productivity, and process improvement (reducing turnaround times) within the contact center environment. The mention of a Salesforce migration is a significant operational project requiring strategic UX input for system adoption and user workflow optimization. Mentoring junior designers also contributes to the operational efficiency and capability building of the UX team.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7-8 years of progressive experience in UX design, with a proven track record as a key contributor or lead on launched products.

• Demonstrated experience designing intuitive CRM interfaces that enhance user experience and drive operational efficiency.

• Proven ability to conduct user research, design wireframes and prototypes, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver seamless solutions.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: An outstanding portfolio showcasing strategic UX leadership, user-centered design solutions, and demonstrated impact on business and user needs.

• UX Methodology: Mastery of strategic, hard, and soft UX skills, including user research (qualitative and quantitative), wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

• Design Tools: Fluency in Figma for design and prototyping, and Jira for workflow management and collaboration.

• CRM Experience: Proven ability to design intuitive and effective interfaces for CRM platforms, focusing on user productivity and engagement.

• Collaboration: Strong ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams, including product management, business analysts, and development.

• Mentorship: Ability to fully utilize and work with less skilled designers, providing guidance and fostering their development.

• Problem Solving: Demonstrated capability to set direction for undefined, complex projects and uncover root causes through testing and iteration.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present design solutions confidently and persuasively to diverse audiences.

Preferred Skills:

• Previous work experience in the financial services industry.

• Experience designing for contact center environments or operational workflows.

• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and iterative design processes.

• Experience with A/B testing and data analysis to inform design decisions.

• Strong understanding of design thinking principles and their application in large organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a strong portfolio, mastery of UX skills, fluency in Figma and Jira, and experience with CRM interfaces directly points to operational requirements for efficient tool utilization and process execution. The ability to mentor junior designers is a key leadership and operational responsibility within the team.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Showcase 3-5 detailed case studies demonstrating your UX design process from problem identification to solution implementation and impact. Focus on projects where you led the design effort.

• Process Clarity: Clearly articulate your design process for each case study, highlighting user research methodologies, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and iterative refinement.

• Impact Demonstration: Quantify the impact of your designs whenever possible, using metrics related to user productivity, efficiency gains, reduction in error rates, or improved user satisfaction, especially in operational contexts like contact centers.

• System Integration Context: Include examples of designs that considered integration within larger product ecosystems or CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce), demonstrating an understanding of system constraints and opportunities.

• Deliverable Variety: Present a range of design deliverables within your portfolio, including user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Demonstrate experience in mapping and optimizing user workflows, particularly for operational tasks within a contact center environment.

• System Migration Experience: If possible, include examples or descriptions of your involvement in system migration projects, highlighting how UX considerations were integrated to ensure smooth transitions and user adoption.

• Metrics and Analysis: Showcase how you use data and user feedback to inform and iterate on design solutions, demonstrating a commitment to data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio that demonstrates process, impact, and system integration is critical for operations roles. Candidates must be able to articulate how their design work directly contributes to operational efficiency, user productivity, and successful system implementations, such as the Salesforce migration.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $110,000 - $190,000 per year

Bonus Potential: The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award and participation in the relevant business unit’s incentive compensation plan, which may include a discretionary bonus component.

Benefits:

• Health & Wellness: Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account (HSA).

• Financial Security: Dependent Day Care Savings Account, Life Insurance, Disability and Other Insurance Plans, 401(k), Short/Long Term Disability.

• Time Off: Paid Time Off (including Sick Leave consistent with state and local law), Parental Leave, and 20 Vacation Days annually.

• Holidays: 10 Paid Holidays.

• Additional Perks: Other special perks reserved for employees.

Working Hours: Standard 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility to meet project deadlines and operational needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided for the Chicago, Illinois location. For operations roles, it's essential to note the bonus potential which is a significant component of compensation in financial services. The benefits package is comprehensive, supporting work-life balance and employee well-being, which is crucial for sustained productivity in demanding operational roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Wealth Management)

Company Size: Large Enterprise (Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm with over 80,000 employees worldwide).

Founded: 1935 (Morgan Stanley has a long-standing history and established presence in the financial industry).

Team Structure:

• Department: Wealth Management (WM) Platforms, specifically the Virtual Client Solutions – Contact Center UX team.

• Reporting: This role reports into a UX leadership position within WM Platforms, likely a Director or Senior Manager.

• Collaboration: Works within cross-functional teams comprised of Product Management, Business Analysts, Development, and UX Research. Strong emphasis on collaboration with Service and Relationship Management users.

• Mentorship: Expected to mentor and guide junior designers, contributing to team skill development and knowledge sharing.

Methodology:

• Design Approach: Employs design thinking methods and user-centered approaches to solve business problems.

• Process Focus: Iterative design projects, with a focus on enhancing productivity, reducing turnaround times, and ensuring seamless user experiences, especially during system migrations (Salesforce).

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizes qualitative and quantitative data from user research to inform design decisions and validate assumptions.

• Agile Environment: Operates within a dynamic environment, managing multiple priorities with tight timelines.

Company Website: https://www.morganstanley.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: As a Vice President within Morgan Stanley, this role operates within a large, established financial institution. The culture emphasizes client focus, integrity, diversity, and a commitment to excellence. The UX team functions as a strategic partner, driving operational efficiency and digital experience improvements within the Wealth Management division.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Vice President (Senior Individual Contributor/Lead)

This level signifies significant experience, leadership in design strategy, and responsibility for mentoring junior team members. It's a crucial role in driving operational excellence through user experience design within a complex financial ecosystem.

Reporting Structure:

• Reports to a senior UX leadership figure within Wealth Management Platforms.

• Works closely with Product Managers, Business Analysts, and Development Leads, influencing their strategies through design expertise.

Operations Impact:

• Directly impacts the productivity and efficiency of contact center users, leading to improved service delivery and client satisfaction.

• Plays a critical role in the success of major operational initiatives, such as the Salesforce migration, by ensuring user adoption and optimal workflow design.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into Director-level UX roles or lead larger design initiatives within Wealth Management or other divisions.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in financial services UX, CRM design, or contact center operations.

• Technical Skill Development: Opportunities to work with cutting-edge design tools and methodologies, and gain in-depth knowledge of financial platforms.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broader understanding of business operations, product strategy, and technology development within a leading financial firm.

• Mentorship: Develop leadership and coaching skills by guiding junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The VP title suggests a path towards senior leadership in design operations. The role offers significant opportunities to influence operational processes and drive strategic UX initiatives within a major financial institution.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid (On-site in Chicago, Illinois)

Office Location(s): Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (specific office address not provided, but implies a professional corporate environment).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The role is situated within a team that thrives on collaboration, idea bouncing, and critical feedback, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit within a large firm.

• Tooling: Access to industry-standard design and project management tools (Figma, Jira) and likely other enterprise-level software.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with UX researchers, product managers, business analysts, and development teams, facilitating a dynamic and interactive work environment.

• Mentorship Opportunities: A space where designers can learn from senior peers and contribute to the growth of junior team members.

Work Schedule: Primarily a 40-hour work week, but the dynamic nature of project timelines and operational demands may require flexibility to meet deadlines and ensure successful project delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment in a major financial hub like Chicago suggests a professional setting conducive to collaboration and focused work, balancing team interaction with individual task completion crucial for operations-focused design.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Resume and portfolio review to assess experience, skills, and alignment with role requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focusing on experience, design philosophy, and leadership capabilities.

• Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present a case study from their portfolio, detailing their process, decision-making, and the impact of their work. This may also include a practical design exercise.

• Panel Interview: Interaction with cross-functional team members (Product, Development, Research) to assess collaboration skills and fit within the team dynamic.

• VP/Senior Leadership Interview: Final discussion to evaluate strategic thinking, mentorship capabilities, and overall fit for the Vice President level.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process & Impact: Clearly articulate your UX process, emphasizing how you tackled complex problems, made design decisions (backed by research/data), and the measurable outcomes achieved. For this role, highlight efficiency gains, productivity improvements, or successful system integrations.

• Showcase CRM/Operational Context: Include examples of designing for operational efficiency, CRM interfaces, or workflows that reduced user effort or improved task completion times.

• Demonstrate Mentorship: If possible, highlight instances where you guided or mentored junior designers, showcasing your leadership potential.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives that highlight the problem, your solution, and the resulting impact.

• Tailor to Morgan Stanley: Research Morgan Stanley's Wealth Management offerings and contact center operations to tailor your presentation and highlight relevant experience.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Operational Scenarios: Be prepared for design challenges that involve optimizing workflows, improving user efficiency within a CRM context, or designing for complex financial data.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss how you balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints, especially within a regulated financial environment.

• Practice Presentation Skills: Rehearse presenting your case studies and design solutions clearly and concisely, anticipating questions from a diverse panel.

• Emphasize Collaboration: Be ready to discuss how you collaborate with non-designers and influence stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the operational nature of the role, interviewers will likely probe deeply into how candidates leverage UX to improve efficiency, productivity, and user adoption of systems like Salesforce. The portfolio presentation is a critical component for demonstrating these capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design & Prototyping Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows. Fluency is a must.

• Sketch: May be used in conjunction with Figma or for specific legacy projects.

Project Management & Collaboration Tools:

• Jira: Critical for workflow management, task tracking, sprint planning, and bug reporting within Agile development cycles. Fluency is required.

• Confluence: Likely used for documentation, knowledge sharing, and project specifications.

User Research & Analytics Tools:

• Qualitative Research Tools: Experience with tools for user interviews, usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback), and survey platforms (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

• Quantitative Analysis Tools: Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) for synthesizing user data and performance metrics.

CRM & Related Platforms:

• Salesforce: Direct experience designing for or migrating to Salesforce is highly valued, given the role's focus. Understanding of Salesforce's UX capabilities and limitations is beneficial.

• Other CRM/Service Platforms: Familiarity with other enterprise CRM or customer service platforms is a plus.

Productivity & Communication Tools:

• Microsoft Office Suite: Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint for documentation and presentations.

• Collaboration Platforms: Experience with tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack for day-to-day communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Jira is explicitly required, highlighting the operational need for efficient design and project management. Experience with Salesforce is a significant advantage due to the ongoing migration, indicating a need for understanding enterprise-level CRM systems and their UX implications.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Client Focus: Emphasizing the needs of internal users (Service and Relationship Managers) and ultimately the end clients, ensuring designs drive positive outcomes.

• Integrity & Excellence: Upholding high standards in design craft, problem-solving, and ethical conduct, reflecting Morgan Stanley's core values.

• Collaboration & Diversity: Valuing diverse perspectives and fostering an inclusive environment where ideas are shared freely, and teams work together to achieve common goals.

• Efficiency & Innovation: Driving operational efficiency through thoughtful UX design, identifying opportunities for process improvement and innovative solutions.

• Data-Driven Approach: Utilizing data and user insights to validate assumptions, measure impact, and continuously refine design solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Proactive engagement with Product Management, Business Analysts, and Development to ensure alignment and shared understanding of design goals and technical feasibility.

• Open Communication: Encouraging active listening, constructive feedback, and transparent dialogue within design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and team meetings.

• Knowledge Sharing: Fostering an environment where team members share learnings, best practices, and insights to elevate the collective design capability.

• Agile Iteration: Embracing a flexible and iterative approach to design, working closely with development teams to adapt to feedback and evolving project requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of user advocacy, operational efficiency, and collaborative problem-solving, which are key to success in a UX role focused on improving business processes within a large financial organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complexity: Designing within an immense and complex product ecosystem (Wealth Management) while balancing diverse user needs and business objectives.

• System Migration Execution: Ensuring a smooth and effective user experience during the migration from legacy systems to Salesforce, managing user adoption and potential disruptions.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively mediating and synthesizing requirements from various stakeholders, including front-line staff, management, and technology teams.

• Ambiguity and Definition: Setting direction for undefined, complex projects and bringing clarity to ambiguous problem spaces.

• Managing Multiple Priorities: Effectively handling a demanding workload with tight deadlines in a fast-paced financial environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Financial Services UX Expertise: Deepen understanding of the financial services industry, wealth management, and the specific operational workflows of contact centers.

• CRM Design Specialization: Become an expert in designing for enterprise CRM platforms like Salesforce, understanding their capabilities and best practices for user adoption.

• Leadership and Mentorship: Develop strong leadership and coaching skills by mentoring junior designers and contributing to team growth.

• Strategic Impact: Gain exposure to high-level business strategy and contribute to significant operational transformations within a leading financial institution.

• Industry Best Practices: Stay abreast of the latest UX trends, tools, and methodologies through internal training, external conferences, and continuous learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for resilience, strategic thinking, and strong problem-solving skills, particularly in the context of large-scale operational changes like system migrations. The growth opportunities are significant for someone looking to build expertise in a specialized and high-impact area of UX.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Operational Impact: "Describe a time you designed a solution that significantly improved user efficiency or reduced operational costs. What was your process, and what were the results?" (Prepare a case study focusing on metrics like reduced task time, error reduction, or increased productivity.)

• System Migration Experience: "Walk us through your experience designing for or managing a system migration, specifically from legacy systems to a modern platform like Salesforce. What were the key UX challenges, and how did you address them?" (Focus on user adoption strategies, change management through design, and iterative feedback during migration.)

• Ambiguity and Direction Setting: "Tell me about a project where the requirements were unclear or the problem space was highly ambiguous. How did you approach defining the problem and setting a direction for the design solution?" (Highlight your proactive research, hypothesis testing, and ability to create structure.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Morgan Stanley Values: "How do Morgan Stanley's values (e.g., Client Focus, Doing the Right Thing, Diversity & Inclusion) align with your own professional approach, particularly in a UX design context?" (Research the values and prepare examples of how you embody them.)

• Team Collaboration: "Describe your ideal collaboration style when working with product managers, developers, and business analysts. How do you ensure effective communication and alignment?" (Emphasize active listening, clear articulation, and mutual respect.)

• Mentorship Philosophy: "How do you approach mentoring junior designers? What is your philosophy on fostering their growth and development?" (Showcase your leadership style and commitment to team building.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on the "Why" and "How": For each case study, clearly articulate the business problem and user need (the "Why"), your design process and decision-making rationale (the "How"), and the measurable outcomes (the "What").

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the impact of your designs, especially in terms of operational efficiency, productivity, or user satisfaction.

• Showcase CRM/Operational Design: Highlight specific examples of designing intuitive interfaces for CRM systems or optimizing operational workflows.

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentation as a narrative that engages the audience and clearly communicates your expertise and problem-solving abilities.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs, and how you handle feedback and challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating how your UX expertise directly translates into operational improvements and successful system implementations, particularly within the financial services and CRM context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer - Vice President position:

• Submit Your Application: Navigate to the provided application link on the Morgan

Stanley careers portal.

• Curate Your Operations-Focused Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest case studies that best showcase your experience in:

  • Designing for user efficiency and productivity.
  • Working with CRM platforms (ideally Salesforce).
  • Leading complex projects or system migrations.
  • Quantifying the operational impact of your designs.
  • Your mentorship and leadership capabilities.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords and experiences relevant to UX design, CRM, financial services, operational efficiency, user-centered design, Figma, Jira, and leadership. Quantify your achievements wherever possible.

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen case studies, focusing on your process, decision-making, and the measurable impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with ambiguity, collaboration, and mentorship.

• Research Morgan Stanley: Familiarize yourself with Morgan Stanley's Wealth Management division, its digital platforms, and its company values. Understand their commitment to client focus, integrity, and diversity.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.