UX Lead Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Lead Designer

Company: Focus Financial Partners

Location: St. Louis, MO

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: April 23, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years (Mid to Senior Level)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days per week onsite)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the user experience strategy and vision for critical financial service tools and the advisor platform, ensuring best-in-class user journeys.

• Drive hands-on UX design processes, encompassing user research, journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and comprehensive usability testing.

• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration with product management, engineering, and business stakeholders to translate complex financial objectives into intuitive digital solutions.

• Design and implement user-centric solutions that seamlessly integrate with Salesforce and other core financial systems, optimizing advisor workflows.

• Champion user-centered design principles and advocate for industry best practices, elevating the overall design maturity of the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a hybrid between hands-on design execution and strategic leadership. The emphasis on "shaping the future" and "mentoring and eventually building a team" indicates a growth trajectory towards team leadership. The requirement for Salesforce integration and financial services expertise strongly suggests a Revenue Operations or Sales Operations adjacent function, focusing on optimizing internal and external user workflows within a regulated industry.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate the UX strategy and roadmap for the advisor platform and other key financial service tools, aligning with business objectives and client needs.

• Conduct in-depth user research, stakeholder interviews, and competitive analysis to identify user pain points and opportunities for design innovation within wealth management.

• Develop detailed user personas, journey maps, wireframes, and interactive prototypes using tools like Figma to visualize and test design concepts.

• Lead and execute end-to-end usability testing sessions, synthesizing feedback to iterate on designs and ensure optimal user flow and task completion.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering teams to ensure seamless translation of UX designs into high-quality, functional products, particularly those leveraging Salesforce capabilities.

• Advocate for and evangelize user-centered design principles across the organization, fostering a culture that prioritizes user needs and intuitive experiences.

• Mentor junior designers and contribute to building a high-performing UX team, defining design standards and processes.

• Stay current with emerging UX trends, financial technology (FinTech) innovations, and regulatory considerations relevant to financial services design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities extend beyond typical design tasks into strategic planning, team development, and cross-functional advocacy. The explicit mention of Salesforce integration and advisor platforms points towards a role deeply intertwined with sales and client relationship management processes, where UX directly impacts operational efficiency and revenue generation.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, Computer Science, or a related field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in User Experience (UX) design.

• Substantial experience (a significant portion of the 7+ years) specifically within the financial services industry, preferably wealth management or FinTech.

Required Skills:

• UX Strategy & Vision: Ability to define and communicate a clear UX strategy aligned with business goals.

• User Research & Analysis: Expertise in qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies, including user interviews, surveys, and persona development.

• Information Architecture & Wireframing: Proficient in structuring complex information and creating clear, effective wireframes.

• Prototyping & Usability Testing: Advanced skills in creating interactive prototypes (Figma, Sketch, InVision, Adobe XD) and conducting robust usability testing.

• Salesforce Integration: Hands-on experience designing for Salesforce platforms and understanding of its workflow capabilities.

• Financial Services Domain Knowledge: Deep understanding of the financial services landscape, client needs, and regulatory considerations.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Excellent ability to partner with Product Managers, Engineers, and business stakeholders.

• Design Leadership & Mentoring: Experience guiding design direction and mentoring other designers.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in building and scaling UX teams.

• Familiarity with financial services regulations and compliance requirements from a design perspective.

• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Salesforce and financial services, coupled with design leadership, strongly implies a focus on optimizing the Sales and Client Onboarding/Management processes within Focus Financial Partners. This role requires a candidate who can not only design compelling interfaces but also understand how those designs impact operational efficiency and revenue enablement.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of End-to-End UX Projects: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your involvement in the entire UX lifecycle for complex products or services, ideally within financial services or enterprise software.

• Demonstration of Design Process: Clearly articulate your thought process, including problem definition, user research methodologies, ideation, prototyping, testing, and iteration.

• Salesforce Integration Examples: If possible, include examples of designs or solutions that have been integrated with or influenced by Salesforce workflows or platforms. Highlight how your designs improved efficiency or user adoption within such systems.

• Metrics and Impact: Quantify the impact of your design solutions whenever possible. This could include improvements in user task completion rates, reduction in support tickets, increased user adoption, or positive feedback on user satisfaction.

• Prototyping Proficiency: Include interactive prototypes (links to Figma, InVision, etc.) that effectively demonstrate user flows and interactions.

Process Documentation:

• User Research Documentation: Examples of user interview transcripts, persona documents, journey maps, and usability testing reports.

• Wireframing and Flow Diagrams: High-fidelity wireframes and detailed user flow diagrams that map out complex interactions and system integrations.

• Design System Contributions (if applicable): If you have contributed to or managed a design system, showcase its components and principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, the portfolio is crucial. It needs to demonstrate not just aesthetic design skills but a strategic understanding of how UX impacts business processes, particularly within a regulated environment like financial services and complex systems like Salesforce. Candidates should highlight how their UX solutions drive efficiency and support revenue-generating activities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $100,000 - $120,000 Base Salary Annually

• Note: This is an estimated range based on the provided text and industry benchmarks for a UX Lead Designer with 7+ years of experience in a major metropolitan area like St. Louis. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, expertise, and specific role alignment.

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance

• Dental Insurance

• Vision Insurance

• Life Insurance

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Annual Cash Bonus

Working Hours:

• This is an exempt position.

• Standard full-time hours are assumed (approximately 40 hours per week).

• Hybrid work arrangement requires 3 days per week onsite in St. Louis, MO.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is for base pay. The inclusion of an annual cash bonus, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k) indicates a competitive total compensation package common for leadership roles in the financial services sector. The hybrid model suggests a balance between in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services, Wealth Management, Family Office, Business Management.

Company Size: Focus Financial Partners is a leading firm, suggesting a substantial organization with a complex operational structure. Specific employee count is not provided, but its description as a "leading firm" implies a significant presence.

Founded: Focus Financial Partners was founded to provide integrated financial services, indicating a company built on expertise and client-centricity. (Founding date not explicitly provided in excerpt).

Team Structure:

• UX Team: The role is to "mentor and eventually build a high-performing UX team," suggesting the current team may be small or in an early stage of development. This implies an opportunity for the lead to significantly shape the team's structure and culture.

• Reporting: The UX Lead will likely report to a Director or VP of Product, Technology, or Digital Strategy, given the leadership scope.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Close collaboration with Product Managers, Developers, and business stakeholders is a core requirement, indicating a matrixed or agile team environment.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design: The company explicitly champions user-centered design principles, indicating that user needs are a primary consideration in product development.

• Innovation in Wealth Management: Focus aims to "shape the future of Wealth Management through innovative design," suggesting a forward-thinking approach to technology and client solutions.

• Integration: A key operational focus is seamless integration with Salesforce and other core financial systems, highlighting the importance of robust and efficient system architecture.

Company Website: www.focusfinancialpartners.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company operates in a highly regulated and client-sensitive industry. This translates to a culture that likely values precision, compliance, and strong client relationships. The emphasis on innovation suggests a willingness to adopt new technologies and design approaches, but always within the framework of financial prudence and regulatory adherence.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a significant step towards leadership within the UX discipline. As a "UX Lead Designer," the individual is expected to not only execute design but also provide strategic direction, mentor others, and contribute to building the UX function. This is a senior individual contributor role with a clear path towards managing a team.

Reporting Structure: The UX Lead will likely report to a senior leader within Product Management, Digital Transformation, or Technology. This position will have significant influence over product design decisions that impact client-facing tools and internal advisor platforms.

Operations Impact: The UX Lead's work directly impacts operational efficiency and client satisfaction. By making financial tools "simple and engaging" and ensuring seamless integration with systems like Salesforce, the role directly supports sales enablement, advisor productivity, and client retention – all critical drivers of revenue and business growth in the financial services sector.

Growth Opportunities:

• Team Leadership: The explicit goal of building and mentoring a UX team offers a direct path to a management role (e.g., UX Manager, Director of UX).

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the long-term UX strategy for the company's digital products and platforms.

• Specialized Expertise: Deepen expertise in FinTech UX, Salesforce-integrated solutions, and wealth management, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Cross-Functional Acumen: Develop a strong understanding of sales, product, and business operations through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is ideal for a UX professional looking to transition into leadership while remaining technically proficient. The focus on financial services and Salesforce integration provides a specialized career path within operations-adjacent design roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model with 3 days per week onsite in St. Louis, MO. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed to facilitate teamwork, brainstorming, and in-person stakeholder engagement.

Office Location(s): St. Louis, MO. Specific office address details would be provided during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Expect a work environment that encourages interaction with product managers, developers, and business analysts, likely featuring meeting rooms, brainstorming areas, and potentially open-plan workspaces.

• Technology Access: Access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools (Figma, Salesforce, etc.) will be readily available.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model allows for focused individual work remotely, balanced with in-person collaboration for key design sprints, strategy sessions, and team building.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) with flexibility expected for an exempt, leadership-track role, particularly during critical project phases. The hybrid requirement means 3 specific days are designated for office presence, with the remaining 2 days being remote.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is designed to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration for strategic initiatives and team cohesion with the flexibility of remote work for focused design tasks. This environment is conducive to operations roles that require deep concentration but also frequent stakeholder interaction.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio for relevant experience, skills, and domain knowledge (financial services, Salesforce, UX leadership).

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focused on UX philosophy, leadership approach, strategic thinking, and alignment with company culture. Expect questions about how you've led UX initiatives and mentored teams.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A deep dive into your portfolio. This may involve presenting specific case studies, discussing your process, and answering questions about design decisions, problem-solving, and impact. The focus will be on your ability to design for complex financial systems and Salesforce integrations.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders (e.g., Product Managers, Engineering Leads, Business Analysts) to assess collaboration skills, communication style, and understanding of business needs.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss overall strategic fit and long-term vision for the UX function.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Salesforce & Financial Services: Prioritize case studies that demonstrate your experience with financial products, advisor platforms, or Salesforce integrations. Clearly articulate the business problem and how your UX solution addressed it.

• Showcase Leadership: If you have experience mentoring or leading, include examples of how you've guided others, set standards, or influenced design direction.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. Focus on outcomes like improved efficiency, user satisfaction, or adoption rates.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies to tell a compelling narrative of the challenge, your solution, and the results.

• Prepare to Discuss Your Process: Be ready to explain your design thinking, research methods, and decision-making rationale in detail.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Financial Scenarios: Be prepared for hypothetical design challenges related to wealth management, client onboarding, financial planning tools, or advisor productivity.

• System Integration Focus: Consider how to design user experiences that integrate smoothly with enterprise systems like Salesforce, focusing on data accuracy and workflow efficiency.

• Compliance Considerations: Think about how UX design can support regulatory compliance and data security in financial services.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your ability to translate complex financial requirements and Salesforce functionalities into intuitive and efficient user experiences. A portfolio that specifically showcases these skills will be a significant advantage.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Prototyping & Design: Figma (primary), Sketch, InVision, Adobe XD (as alternatives or complementary tools).

• CRM & Integration: Salesforce (essential for understanding workflows and integration points).

• User Research & Testing: Tools like UserTesting.com, Maze, or internal survey/interview platforms.

• Collaboration & Project Management: Tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or similar platforms used by product and engineering teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• Deep understanding of Salesforce's capabilities, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Financial Services Cloud, and how UX design can optimize these environments.

• Awareness of how UX impacts automation workflows within financial services.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is explicitly mentioned, making it a core requirement. Strong familiarity with Salesforce is critical, as the role involves designing for and integrating with this platform. Understanding how UX impacts operational efficiency within these systems is paramount.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Client-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of clients (both internal advisors and external end-users).

• Excellence in Design: A drive for creating best-in-class user experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and visually appealing.

• Innovation: A forward-thinking approach to leveraging technology and design to solve complex financial challenges.

• Collaboration: A belief in working together across departments to achieve shared goals and deliver integrated solutions.

• Integrity & Compliance: Adherence to the highest ethical standards and regulatory requirements inherent in the financial services industry.

Collaboration Style:

• Partnership: Working closely with Product Management and Engineering to ensure design solutions are technically feasible and meet business objectives.

• Advocacy: Championing user needs and design best practices to stakeholders across the organization.

• Mentorship: Fostering a supportive environment where team members can learn, grow, and contribute their best work.

• Data-Informed: Using research and analytics to guide design decisions and to measure the impact of UX improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values likely reflect the rigorous and client-focused nature of the financial services industry. Expect a culture that values data-driven decision-making, meticulous execution, and a strong sense of responsibility.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Regulation: Designing cutting-edge user experiences within the constraints of financial services regulations and compliance requirements.

• Integrating Complex Systems: Ensuring seamless UX across various platforms, particularly with a strong emphasis on Salesforce and other financial data systems.

• Building a UX Function: Establishing and scaling a UX team and processes within a growing organization.

• Influencing Stakeholders: Advocating for user-centered design principles and securing buy-in from diverse business units.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• FinTech UX Specialization: Deep dive into the unique challenges and opportunities of UX design in the financial technology space.

• Salesforce Ecosystem Expertise: Become an expert in designing for and integrating with the Salesforce platform within a financial services context.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience in team management, strategic planning, and cross-functional leadership.

• Industry Acumen: Develop a comprehensive understanding of wealth management operations and client advisory services.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant opportunity to tackle complex design challenges at the intersection of finance, technology, and user experience, with a clear path for leadership growth.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to defining UX strategy for a financial services platform. How do you balance user needs with business objectives and regulatory constraints?"

• "Walk us through a complex UX project you led. How did you collaborate with product and engineering, and what was the measurable impact of your design?"

• "How would you approach designing a new feature for an advisor platform that needs to integrate seamlessly with Salesforce?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Focus Financial Partners and the wealth management industry?"

• "How would you foster a user-centered design culture within our organization?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize Relevant Case Studies: Focus on projects involving financial services, enterprise software, or Salesforce integrations.

• Quantify Everything: Be ready to discuss the metrics and business impact of your work.

• Explain Your Process: Clearly articulate your problem-solving approach, research methods, and design rationale.

• Highlight Collaboration: Show how you worked with cross-functional teams to achieve success.

• Demonstrate Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your workflow and advanced features used in Figma.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how your UX strategies have directly influenced operational efficiency or revenue generation within financial services or similar enterprise environments. Emphasize your ability to translate technical requirements (like Salesforce integration) into user-friendly experiences.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Lead Designer position:

• Submit your resume and a comprehensive portfolio through the application link provided.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies demonstrating experience in financial services, Salesforce integration, and end-to-end UX leadership. Quantify the impact of your designs.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords such as UX strategy, user research, Figma, Salesforce, financial services, design leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. Emphasize achievements and quantifiable results.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, leadership philosophy, and strategic thinking, especially in the context of complex financial systems and regulations. Be ready to present your portfolio with confidence.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Focus Financial Partners' services, mission, and the wealth management industry to demonstrate genuine interest and strategic alignment.

⚠️ 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.