UX Strategist
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: UX Strategist Company: Blue Acorn iCi Location: United States (Remote) Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Digital Strategy & User Experience Operations Date Posted: 2025-08-28 Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level
🚀 Role Summary
- This role focuses on leading and driving large-scale digital projects with a strong emphasis on user experience (UX) strategy and execution.
- You will be responsible for defining human-centric digital strategies for top brands, specifically within the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem.
- This position involves client-facing engagement, translating complex findings into strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
- A key aspect is the development of customer engagement artifacts, including personas, journey maps, and wireframes, to optimize digital experiences.
📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UX Strategist," the responsibilities and required skills, particularly the emphasis on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and client-facing strategic leadership, position this role within a specialized area of digital operations that bridges UX design with technical implementation and business strategy. This is not a purely design role but one that requires deep understanding of how UX impacts broader digital transformation and content management strategies.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
- Lead and guide sophisticated, cross-functional, client-facing project teams to ensure clear, efficient, and accountable decision-making that delivers measurable customer value.
- Demonstrate executive presence and strong interpersonal skills to effectively engage, influence, and inspire senior client stakeholders and internal teams.
- Translate complex client discoveries, research findings, and user insights into compelling strategic presentations and actionable recommendations for all levels of leadership.
- Conduct and lead discovery, research, and analysis phases to identify key opportunities for improvement and formulate prescriptive design recommendations that align with business objectives.
- Develop and articulate comprehensive strategies and user experiences across various critical UX disciplines, including user research, information architecture, front-end and interaction design, information and visual design, and usability testing.
- Create essential customer engagement artifacts such as UX benchmarking reports, detailed personas, journey maps, information architectures, wireframes, templates, component designs, and interactive prototypes.
- Contribute to the continuous evolution of UX practices within the organization by developing reusable design libraries, cross-training team members, and mentoring colleagues to foster a culture of design excellence.
- Collaborate closely with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) technical teams to provide strategic UX guidance and problem-solve effectively during the development lifecycle, ensuring seamless integration of design and functionality.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, client management, and hands-on UX expertise. The emphasis on "ROI-driven customer experiences" and "problem-solving quickly" indicates a need for a pragmatic and results-oriented approach, common in operations-focused roles that drive business outcomes through user-centric design.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Psychology, Computer Science, Marketing) or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience: 6+ years of progressive experience in diagnosing and solving complex user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) challenges, preferably within a digital consultancy or strategy organization.
Required Skills:
- Proven ability to lead and drive sophisticated cross-functional teams toward clear, efficient, and accountable decision-making that delivers measurable customer value.
- Strong executive presence and exceptional interpersonal skills for effective engagement with senior client stakeholders.
- Expertise in translating complex findings into strategic, persuasive presentations tailored for diverse leadership audiences.
- Hands-on experience in leading discovery, research, and analysis to identify UX improvement opportunities and develop prescriptive design recommendations.
- Deep understanding and practical application of user research methodologies, information architecture principles, and usability testing best practices.
- Proficiency in creating key customer engagement artifacts, including personas, journey maps, wireframes, and prototypes.
- Strong command of Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and its associated content management workflows.
- Hands-on expertise with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite or comparable UX/design tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).
- Experience working effectively within Agile development environments and iterative delivery cycles.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with technical teams (e.g., AEM developers) to problem-solve and ensure successful implementation of UX strategies.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with Adobe Marketing Cloud components and their integration.
- Familiarity with Adobe Workfront for project management and workflow optimization.
- Experience in developing and implementing reusable design systems and component libraries.
- Proven track record of mentoring junior team members and contributing to the advancement of UX practices.
- Knowledge of data analytics tools and their application in informing UX decisions.
- Experience in digital transformation programs and platform implementations.
📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for AEM proficiency and experience within a digital consultancy setting suggests that candidates with a background in operations that support digital platforms and client delivery will be highly valued. The "6+ years of progressive experience" implies a need for strategic thinking and proven leadership in UX problem-solving.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Showcase a minimum of 3-5 complex digital transformation projects where you led UX strategy and execution from inception to delivery.
- Clearly demonstrate your role in defining ROI-driven customer experiences, highlighting how your strategies impacted key business metrics.
- Provide examples of your work in user research, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing for each project.
- Include case studies that illustrate your ability to translate complex client findings into actionable strategic presentations for executive audiences.
- Detail your experience in leading cross-functional teams and collaborating with technical implementation teams (e.g., AEM developers).
Process Documentation:
- Present documentation of your UX strategy development process, from initial discovery and research to final recommendations and client buy-in.
- Include examples of how you have contributed to the evolution of UX practices, such as the creation of design libraries or cross-training materials.
- Showcase your approach to collaborating with technical teams, including problem-solving during the development lifecycle and ensuring alignment with UX goals.
- Demonstrate your ability to articulate and advocate for user needs while balancing them with business objectives and technical constraints.
📝 Enhancement Note: The expectation for a robust portfolio demonstrating leadership in complex digital projects, coupled with an understanding of process documentation and contribution to practice evolution, indicates that candidates with a structured, operations-minded approach to UX strategy will be preferred. This aligns with roles that require not just creative output but also the ability to manage and optimize the design process itself.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range:
- Based on industry benchmarks for a Senior UX Strategist role with 6+ years of experience in a remote US-based position within a digital consultancy, the estimated salary range is $120,000 - $170,000 annually. This range can vary based on specific experience, skills, and the candidate's location within the US due to cost of living differences.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Providing robust healthcare coverage options.
- Life and Disability Coverage: Offering financial protection for employees and their families.
- Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous PTO accrual for work-life balance and personal well-being.
- 401(k) Retirement Plan: A savings plan to support long-term financial goals.
- Additional perks based on location: May include professional development stipends, wellness programs, or other location-specific benefits.
Working Hours:
- Full-time position, typically expected to align with a standard 40-hour work week.
- Flexibility is expected to accommodate client needs and cross-functional team collaboration, potentially including occasional early morning or late afternoon calls depending on team and client locations.
📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on typical compensation for similar roles in the US digital consulting sector, considering the specified experience level and remote work arrangement. The benefits package is standard for full-time employees in professional services firms.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Digital Experience (DX) and Consulting Services, specializing in Adobe Experience Cloud solutions. Company Size: Part of Infosys Nova Holdings, LLC, indicating a large, global organization with significant resources and reach. Blue Acorn iCi itself likely operates with a focused, agile team structure within this larger entity. Founded: Blue Acorn iCi has a history of digital transformation expertise, now integrated with Infosys, suggesting a culture that blends entrepreneurial spirit with the stability and scale of a major IT services company.
Team Structure:
- The UX Strategist will lead cross-functional, client-facing project teams, implying a matrixed reporting structure where project leads are empowered.
- These teams likely consist of UX designers, researchers, content strategists, project managers, and technical architects, fostering a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
- The role is described as an "individual contributor" but with leadership responsibilities for project teams, suggesting a senior individual contributor (IC) path rather than a direct management track.
Methodology:
- Emphasizes a blend of data, design, and technology to deliver connected commerce and content solutions.
- Focuses on outcome-driven approaches, leveraging best practices in UX strategy, implementation, and optimization.
- Operates within Agile environments, requiring iterative development and close collaboration with technical teams.
- Strong client-facing engagement and strategic advisory are core to their service delivery model.
Company Website: http://www.blueacornici.com
📝 Enhancement Note: The company's positioning as a digital experience partner, backed by Infosys, suggests a culture that values innovation, client success, and technological expertise. The focus on "data, design, and technology" and "end-to-end services" points to a structured, process-oriented approach to digital transformation.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Individual Contributor (IC) role, typically aligning with a Senior Strategist or Principal level within UX and Digital Strategy disciplines. It offers significant autonomy and responsibility for client engagements and project outcomes.
Reporting Structure: While an individual contributor, the role will likely report to a Director or VP of Strategy or Experience Design. They will lead project teams that may include junior strategists, designers, and researchers.
Operations Impact: The role directly impacts client success by shaping user experiences that drive measurable results (ROI). This involves influencing client digital strategies, optimizing customer engagement platforms, and ensuring the successful implementation of complex digital transformation programs. The ability to connect UX decisions to business objectives is critical.
Growth Opportunities:
- Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of UX strategy, such as CX transformation, personalization, or digital product strategy within the Adobe ecosystem.
- Leadership Development: Transition into leadership roles within specific practice areas or client accounts, potentially managing teams of strategists and designers.
- Client Relationship Management: Develop advanced client advisory and relationship management skills, becoming a trusted partner for key accounts.
- Industry Recognition: Contribute to thought leadership, speaking at conferences, or publishing articles on digital experience best practices.
- Cross-functional Exposure: Gain exposure to broader digital transformation initiatives, including commerce, content, marketing technology, and data analytics.
📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior IC path offers a clear progression for individuals who excel in strategic execution and client advisory without necessarily moving into people management. The emphasis on impacting client ROI through UX strategies aligns with the core objectives of operations roles focused on driving business value.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: Primarily a remote work environment, with the expectation of occasional travel for client needs. This suggests a distributed team model where collaboration relies heavily on digital tools.
Office Location(s): While the role is remote within the US, the company has a broader presence, likely with physical offices that could facilitate occasional in-person client meetings or team gatherings if needed. The specific office locations are not detailed but are implied to exist within the US.
Workspace Context:
- Collaborative Environment: Expect frequent collaboration through virtual meetings, shared digital workspaces, and project management tools with cross-functional teams (designers, developers, project managers, client teams).
- Operations Tools & Technology: Access to and proficiency with a suite of digital collaboration and design tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Miro, Slack, project management software) will be essential.
- Client Interaction: The role involves significant client interaction, requiring strong communication and presentation skills to effectively convey strategic recommendations and build client relationships.
Work Schedule:
- Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) are expected.
- Flexibility to accommodate client time zones and project deadlines is a key aspect of the role. This might involve occasional early morning or late afternoon meetings.
📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first nature of the role emphasizes the need for self-discipline, strong digital communication skills, and a proactive approach to collaboration. The occasional travel requirement is typical for client-facing consulting roles.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely conduct an initial screening call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.
- Portfolio Review & Presentation: Candidates will be asked to present their portfolio, showcasing key projects that demonstrate their UX strategy leadership, problem-solving abilities, and impact on business outcomes. This is often a critical step.
- Case Study/Whiteboarding Session: Expect a practical exercise to assess your strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate UX recommendations under pressure. This might involve analyzing a business problem and proposing a UX solution.
- Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with potential colleagues, team leads, and senior stakeholders to evaluate collaboration style, technical understanding (especially regarding AEM), and strategic alignment.
- Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership to confirm fit and discuss overall role expectations.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Curate Strategically: Select projects that best highlight your leadership in UX strategy, client engagement, and measurable impact. Focus on quality over quantity.
- Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the business challenge, your role and approach, the UX solutions you developed, the collaboration involved, and the ultimate business outcomes or ROI achieved.
- Showcase Process: Include artifacts that demonstrate your process – research findings, personas, journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and usability testing results.
- Highlight AEM Context: If possible, include examples where your UX strategies were implemented within or influenced AEM-based solutions.
- Presentation Clarity: Practice presenting your portfolio concisely and engagingly, preparing to answer detailed questions about your decisions and impact.
Challenge Preparation:
- Research Adobe Experience Cloud: Familiarize yourself with AEM's capabilities and common use cases in digital transformation.
- Understand Consulting Frameworks: Review common UX strategy frameworks and methodologies used in digital consulting.
- Practice Problem-Solving: Be prepared to articulate your approach to common UX challenges, such as improving conversion rates, enhancing user engagement, or optimizing complex workflows.
- Focus on ROI: Frame your solutions and recommendations in terms of business value and measurable impact.
📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process strongly emphasizes portfolio presentation and practical problem-solving, which are common for strategic roles in consulting. Candidates should be prepared to articulate not just what they did, but why they did it and what impact it had, with a clear focus on business results.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- Adobe Experience Manager (AEM): Strong proficiency and hands-on experience are required, understanding its content management capabilities and how UX strategies integrate with it.
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Expertise in tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and potentially Adobe XD for design and prototyping.
- UX/UI Design & Prototyping Tools: Proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD for creating wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes.
- Collaboration & Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for team communication, task management, and workflow coordination.
- Research & Analytics Tools: Familiarity with tools used for user research (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback), analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics), and survey platforms.
Analytics & Reporting:
- Adobe Analytics: Preferred, given the company's focus on Adobe Experience Cloud. Understanding how to leverage analytics data to inform UX strategy and measure impact is crucial.
- Google Analytics: Common for web analytics and understanding user behavior.
- Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau or Power BI for presenting data and insights.
CRM & Automation:
- While not explicitly mentioned as a primary tool for this role, understanding how UX strategies integrate with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Adobe Marketo Engage) is beneficial for a holistic view of customer engagement.
📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and Adobe Creative Cloud underscores the importance of technical proficiency within the Adobe ecosystem. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these specific tools and how they leverage them in their strategic work.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- Client-Centricity: A core value focused on understanding client needs and delivering solutions that drive tangible business outcomes and exceptional customer experiences.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Valuing the use of research, analytics, and user feedback to inform strategic choices and measure success.
- Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering an environment where cross-functional teams work together effectively, sharing knowledge and supporting each other to achieve project goals.
- Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging a proactive approach to identifying opportunities for enhancement, adopting new technologies, and refining processes.
- Excellence & Accountability: Holding high standards for the quality of work delivered and taking ownership of project success and client satisfaction.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-functional Integration: Expect a highly collaborative style, working seamlessly with designers, researchers, content strategists, technical leads, project managers, and client stakeholders.
- Process Review & Feedback: An open culture for discussing and iterating on strategies and designs, valuing constructive feedback to enhance outcomes.
- Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, insights, and learnings across teams to elevate collective expertise and efficiency.
📝 Enhancement Note: The company's emphasis on "data, design, and technology" and "collaborative mindset" suggests a culture that values a blend of creative problem-solving and structured execution, typical of successful operations and consulting environments.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Balancing User Needs with Business Objectives: Constantly navigating the tension between creating ideal user experiences and meeting client business goals, technical constraints, and budget realities.
- Managing Complex Stakeholder Landscapes: Effectively engaging and aligning diverse stakeholders across client organizations, each with potentially differing priorities and perspectives.
- Driving Adoption of UX Best Practices: Educating clients and internal teams on the value of UX and ensuring adherence to best practices throughout the project lifecycle.
- Adapting to Evolving Digital Trends: Staying current with emerging technologies, design patterns, and user behaviors to ensure strategies remain relevant and impactful.
- Remote Collaboration Effectiveness: Ensuring seamless communication and productivity within distributed teams, overcoming potential challenges of distance and time zones.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Advanced UX Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in areas like personalization, customer journey mapping, or service design within complex enterprise environments.
- Adobe Ecosystem Mastery: Gaining deeper knowledge and certifications within the broader Adobe Experience Cloud suite, including Adobe Workfront, Marketo, and Analytics.
- Consulting Skills Enhancement: Developing advanced client advisory, presentation, and negotiation skills through real-world project experience.
- Industry Exposure: Participating in industry conferences, webinars, and training to stay abreast of the latest trends and network with peers.
- Mentorship Programs: Access to mentorship from senior leaders within Blue Acorn iCi and Infosys to guide career development and skill-building.
📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents opportunities to tackle challenging, high-impact projects for leading brands, fostering significant professional growth in both UX strategy and digital transformation consulting. The challenges are inherent to high-level client advisory roles and are balanced by robust learning and development support.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe a time you had to advocate for a user-centric solution that faced resistance from business stakeholders. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, data-driven arguments, and negotiation skills.)
- "How do you approach defining a digital strategy for a client who is unsure of their specific needs or goals?" (Highlight your discovery process, research methodologies, and ability to translate ambiguity into a clear strategy.)
- "Walk us through your process for developing a customer journey map for a complex digital product or service." (Detail your steps, the tools you use, and how you ensure the map is actionable.)
- "How do you ensure that your UX strategies are technically feasible and align with platform capabilities like Adobe Experience Manager?" (Demonstrate your understanding of technical constraints and your collaborative approach with development teams.)
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What interests you specifically about Blue Acorn iCi and our work with the Adobe Experience Cloud?" (Research the company's case studies, values, and recent news.)
- "How do you approach collaboration within a remote, cross-functional team?" (Provide examples of how you build rapport, communicate effectively, and contribute to team cohesion.)
- "How do you stay updated on the latest UX trends and technologies?" (Show your commitment to continuous learning and professional development.)
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your role and approach, the solutions you designed, the challenges you overcame, and the measurable results achieved (ROI).
- Highlight Strategic Thinking: Emphasize the "why" behind your design decisions, linking them directly to business objectives and user needs.
- Showcase Process Artifacts: Include examples of user research, personas, journey maps, wireframes, prototypes, and any AEM-specific considerations.
- Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your UX strategies.
- Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design choices, research methodologies, and collaboration processes.
📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating strategic thinking, demonstrating a structured approach to UX problem-solving, and showcasing the impact of your work, especially within the context of enterprise digital platforms like AEM.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this UX Strategist position:
- Submit your application through the provided link: https://blueacornici.applytojob.com/apply/LKL5qrCiNC/UX-Strategist
- Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your most relevant UX strategy leadership experience, specifically mentioning any work with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) or similar large-scale digital platforms.
- Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly details your accomplishments, using action verbs and quantifying results where possible (e.g., "Improved user conversion rates by X% through redesign of Y feature").
- Portfolio Preparation: Organize your digital portfolio to prominently feature case studies that demonstrate your strategic thinking, client-facing skills, and ability to drive ROI through UX. Be ready to present and discuss these projects in detail.
- Company Research: Thoroughly research Blue Acorn iCi, its services, client work, and its parent company, Infosys. Understand their approach to digital transformation and their specialization in the Adobe Experience Cloud.
⚠️ 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.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have a bachelor's degree or 6+ years of experience in UX and customer experience challenges. Proficiency in Adobe Experience Manager and experience in Agile environments are required.