Vice President, Product Designer, AI Hub

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Vice President, Product Designer, AI Hub

Company: BNY Mellon

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / User Experience (UX) / AI Product Development

Date Posted: 2026-03-20T23:41:08

Experience Level: 5+ Years (Typically 5 or more years of experience, or equivalent demonstrated through portfolio and impact)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and development of cutting-edge AI-powered product experiences within BNY Mellon's AI Hub.

• Translate complex financial systems and multi-step workflows into intuitive, user-centric designs that simplify complexity and build trust.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and researchers in a co-creative, shared-repo environment that emphasizes real-time iteration and a single source of truth.

• Leverage AI-assisted tools to accelerate concept development, prototyping, and the creation of testable concepts from research insights to shippable products.

• Contribute to a next-generation, machine-readable design system that encodes semantic meaning and reasoning for both human designers and AI agents.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Vice President, indicating a senior leadership and significant individual contributor capacity within the Product Design function, specifically focused on the emerging AI Hub. The emphasis on a "shared repo" and "co-creation" suggests a modern, agile product development environment where design is deeply integrated with engineering and product management, moving beyond traditional handoffs. The explicit mention of AI-assisted tools for building and prototyping, and a machine-readable design system, points to a forward-thinking approach to design operations and product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and Design Complex Systems: Take ownership of designing end-to-end experiences for intricate financial systems, including multi-step workflows, cross-platform journeys, and enterprise-scale data interfaces, ensuring clarity and usability for millions of users.

• Drive Rapid Prototyping and Iteration: Bring ideas from user research and product outcomes to tangible, testable prototypes rapidly, utilizing AI-assisted tools to bridge the gap between design intent and functional experiences.

• Contribute to Evolving Design Systems: Actively participate in the development and enhancement of BNY Mellon's advanced design system, focusing on machine-readable infrastructure, semantic tokens, and pattern encoding for both human and AI consumption.

• Synthesize User Research and Business Needs: Deeply understand user needs and business objectives, translating complex requirements into elegant and effective design solutions that drive transformative outcomes in global finance.

• Communicate Design Vision and Rationale: Articulate design decisions, trade-offs, and strategic rationale clearly to cross-functional stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, and business leaders, ensuring alignment and buy-in.

• Mentor and Elevate Design Standards: Raise the bar for design quality and practice within the team through constructive critique, collaborative problem-solving, and demonstrating best-in-class design approaches.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic design leadership and hands-on execution, particularly in leveraging AI and advanced design systems. The focus on "end-to-end experiences," "complex systems," and "machine-readable infrastructure" highlights the senior nature of this role and its impact on core product development processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrated experience are paramount. Candidates are expected to possess a deep understanding of design principles equivalent to a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or through equivalent practical experience.

Experience: Typically 5 or more years of relevant experience in product design, with a proven track record of designing and shipping complex digital products.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Fundamentals: Deep expertise in research synthesis, interaction design, systems thinking, and visual craft.

• Complex System Design: Proven experience designing intricate systems, including enterprise software, multi-step workflows, and data-heavy interfaces.

• Ambiguity Navigation: Demonstrated comfort and effectiveness working in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where problems are not pre-defined.

• Cross-functional Communication: Ability to articulate design rationale and hold perspectives under pressure when communicating with mixed audiences (product, engineering, business).

• AI-Assisted Tool Proficiency: Familiarity and comfort with leveraging AI tools for design ideation, building, and prototyping.

Preferred Skills:

• Shared Codebase/Repo Experience: Experience working within shared codebases or repositories with cross-functional teams, or a strong willingness to adopt this collaborative model.

• Design System Contribution: Prior contribution to design systems at the pattern or systems level, beyond just component execution.

• AI in Design Transformation: Ability to articulate specific instances where AI has fundamentally changed the approach to a design problem, leading to different outcomes.

• Technical Implementation Proximity: Experience working at the intersection of design and technical implementation, with a close understanding of material constraints and possibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Required" and "Preferred" skills highlight a strong bias towards candidates who are not only skilled designers but also adaptable, technically aware, and embrace modern, integrated product development workflows, particularly those involving AI and advanced design systems. The emphasis on "working at the intersection of design and technical implementation" suggests a hands-on role rather than purely conceptual.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Evidence of Product Creation: Showcase how you actively create products, working alongside product managers and engineers in real-time from research to shippable outcomes.

• Process-Driven Examples: Present a clear process, demonstrating how you approach problems, make decisions, and iterate based on insights.

• Direct Prototyping Evidence: Include prototypes you built directly, demonstrating your ability to bring concepts to life.

• Decision Influence: Provide examples of how you influenced key design decisions within a team or project context.

• Collaboration in Shared Repos: If applicable, bring to life experiences of working in a shared codebase or repository with cross-functional partners.

• AI Tool Utilization: Demonstrate how you've used AI tools to accelerate the journey from insight to working experience.

Process Documentation:

• End-to-End Journey Mapping: Illustrate your ability to map and design comprehensive user journeys across various touchpoints and systems.

• Complex System Design Case Studies: Present detailed case studies of designing complex enterprise software, multi-step workflows, or data-intensive interfaces, highlighting challenges and solutions.

• Design System Contributions: Detail your contributions to design systems, focusing on pattern development, semantic token application, or system-level thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are unconventional, prioritizing evidence of direct contribution and process over traditional polished deliverables. The emphasis is on demonstrating "how you actually create products" and "your process produces things, not documents," with a specific call-out for showcasing AI tool usage and collaboration in modern development environments.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The base salary for this position is expected to be between $68,000 and $203,000 USD per year at the commencement of employment.

Estimated Salary Range Context:

This range reflects a Vice President-level Product Designer role in a high-cost-of-living area like New York City, within a large, established financial services institution. The lower end might be for candidates with strong foundational skills but less experience in complex enterprise AI product design, while the higher end is for candidates with extensive experience, a proven track record of impactful contributions in similar environments, and deep expertise in AI-assisted design and advanced design systems. The wide range allows for significant negotiation based on individual experience, skills, and specific market location within the New York metropolitan area.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Retirement savings plans (e.g., 401(k) with company match).

• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and certifications.

• Access to cutting-edge AI tools and technology.

• Employee assistance programs and wellness initiatives.

• Potential for discretionary bonuses, short-term, and long-term incentive packages.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work schedule is expected, typically around 40 hours per week. However, the role's nature in a fast-moving AI product development environment may require flexibility to meet project deadlines and evolving business needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is quite broad for a VP-level role in New York. This suggests significant variability based on the depth of specific AI design experience, leadership history, and the candidate's ability to demonstrate impact. The description also clarifies that base salary is only part of the total compensation, which can include significant incentive and bonus structures common in senior financial services roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services - A global leader at the heart of the financial system, influencing nearly 20% of the world's investible assets. BNY Mellon is recognized as a top destination for innovators, blending advanced technology with exceptional talent to power the future of finance.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (BNY Mellon is a global investment company with thousands of employees worldwide). This size suggests robust infrastructure, established processes, and significant resources, but also a need for agility and innovation within specific teams like the AI Hub.

Founded: BNY Mellon has a long history, tracing its roots back to 1784. This deep heritage provides stability and a strong foundation, while the focus on an "AI Hub" signifies a commitment to future-forward innovation.

Team Structure:

• AI Hub (Digital Channels): This role is part of the Digital Channels team, specifically within the AI Hub. This suggests a dedicated unit focused on integrating artificial intelligence into BNY Mellon's digital offerings.

• Cross-functional Co-creation: The team operates on a model where Design, Product, and Engineering co-create from a shared repository, emphasizing real-time collaboration and a unified approach to product development.

• Reporting: As a Vice President, this role likely reports to a senior director or higher within the Digital Product Design or AI product leadership structure.

Methodology:

• Outcome-Oriented Design: Emphasis on crafting user-centric experiences with deliberate outcomes, where AI handles execution, allowing designers to focus on problem definition and user experience quality.

• Shared Source of Truth: Utilization of a single repository for all project artifacts (outcomes, strategy, personas, prototypes, presentations) to ensure real-time alignment and inform all aspects of development.

• Agile and Iterative Development: The description implies a fast-paced, iterative process, where designers can move from synthesizing research to having testable concepts in front of stakeholders within the same day.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is presented as a blend of a traditional, stable financial institution with a strong commitment to innovation, particularly in AI and digital transformation. The emphasis on a "co-creative" and "shared repo" model is key for operations professionals to understand how design, product, and engineering collaborate.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Vice President, Product Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership and mentorship expectations, focusing on a specialized and emerging area (AI Hub). It implies a high level of autonomy and influence over product direction within its domain.

Reporting Structure: Reports likely to a senior leader (e.g., Senior Director, Head of Product Design for Digital Channels, or VP of AI Product Development). Works in close collaboration with Product Managers and Engineering Leads within the AI Hub.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the user experience of millions of clients and internal users by simplifying complex financial systems through AI-driven design. This has direct implications for client satisfaction, operational efficiency, adoption rates of new technologies, and ultimately, BNY Mellon's competitive standing in digital finance.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in AI Product Design: Deepen expertise in designing for AI applications, becoming a thought leader in this rapidly evolving field within financial services.

• Design System Leadership: Grow influence within the design system team, potentially leading initiatives to expand its capabilities, especially for AI-driven features.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop stronger leadership skills through extensive collaboration with product management and engineering, potentially moving into broader product strategy or management roles.

• Mentorship and Team Development: Formalize mentorship capabilities, potentially leading to managing a team of designers in the future, or influencing design hiring and team composition.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the overarching product strategy of the AI Hub and Digital Channels, shaping the future of BNY Mellon's digital offerings.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential for designers interested in specializing in AI and advanced design systems within a large, reputable financial institution. The "VP" title signifies a platform for impactful contributions and potential for further leadership advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site role based in New York, NY. This suggests a traditional office environment where in-person collaboration is valued.

Office Location(s): New York, NY. This location offers access to a vibrant tech and finance ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: The emphasis on "co-creation" and a "shared repo" implies a workspace designed to facilitate close collaboration, likely featuring open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and potentially dedicated project spaces.

• Access to Advanced Technology: As part of the AI Hub, designers will have access to cutting-edge AI tools, prototyping software, and robust development infrastructure.

• Cross-functional Interaction: The environment will foster frequent interaction with product managers, engineers, researchers, and other design professionals, promoting knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is expected, the dynamic nature of AI product development and the "fast-moving" environment may necessitate flexibility. The focus is on outcomes and iterative progress, which can sometimes require extended effort to meet critical deadlines or capitalize on development opportunities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement underscores BNY Mellon's commitment to in-person collaboration for this senior role, particularly within a cutting-edge area like AI product design. This environment is geared towards rapid iteration and deep integration with other functions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio focusing on relevant experience in complex systems, AI tools, and modern design workflows.

• Design Exercise/Case Study: Candidates may be asked to complete a design challenge or present a detailed case study from their portfolio, focusing on problem-solving, design rationale, and outcomes. This could involve critiquing an existing product, proposing a solution for a complex problem, or demonstrating their process for a specific project.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to communicate design effectively.

• Leadership/VP Interview: A final interview with senior leadership to discuss strategic thinking, mentorship capabilities, experience in ambiguous environments, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Focus on demonstrating your process and impact, not just polished final screens. Use the portfolio to tell the story of how you create products.

• Highlight AI Tool Usage: Explicitly showcase how you've leveraged AI tools to accelerate your design process, ideation, or prototyping.

• Emphasize Complex Systems: Provide detailed examples of designing for enterprise software, multi-step workflows, or data-heavy interfaces. Explain the challenges and your solutions.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: If you have experience in shared repos or close cross-functional work, make this a central theme. Show how you integrated with PM and Engineering.

• Articulate Rationale: For every design decision, explain the "why" – the research, the user needs, the business goals, and the trade-offs considered.

• Include "Things, Not Documents": Prioritize prototypes, direct contributions to codebases (if applicable), live product examples, or detailed process walkthroughs over lengthy written reports.

• Format Flexibility: Figma files, PDFs, personal websites, or live product links are all acceptable. Choose the format that best showcases your work and process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand BNY Mellon's Context: Research the company's position in the financial services industry, its digital transformation efforts, and its focus on AI.

• Prepare for Ambiguity: Be ready to tackle open-ended problems and demonstrate how you define scope and approach complex, ill-defined challenges.

• Articulate AI's Role: Prepare to discuss how AI can enhance user experiences in financial services and how you envision its application in design.

• Practice Communication: Rehearse explaining complex design decisions clearly and concisely to non-designers. Be ready to defend your choices with data and logic.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and portfolio review are heavily geared towards assessing a candidate's ability to operate in a modern, integrated product development environment, with a strong emphasis on AI and process demonstration rather than traditional design portfolios.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (implied by portfolio flexibility), potentially other industry-standard tools such as Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Specific tools are not named but are essential. Candidates are expected to be familiar with or quickly adopt AI tools for ideation, building, and prototyping. Examples could include tools for AI-powered layout generation, content creation, or rapid prototyping assistance.

• Collaboration Platforms: Shared repositories (e.g., Git-based systems like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket for design assets), project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana), and communication tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams).

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Behavior Analytics: Tools to track user interactions and identify friction points within designed experiences (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Pendo).

• Data Visualization: Tools to interpret and present user data and design impact (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not a direct responsibility, understanding CRM principles and data flow is beneficial for designing integrated financial services experiences.

• Workflow Automation Concepts: Understanding how processes are automated within enterprise software is crucial for designing efficient workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes modern design tooling, a strong focus on AI-assisted workflows, and deep integration with engineering through shared repositories. Proficiency in AI tools is a key differentiator.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Forward-Thinking: A strong drive to embrace change, particularly with AI, and to push the boundaries of what's possible in financial services design.

• User-Centricity: A commitment to deeply understanding user needs and crafting experiences that are genuinely helpful and intuitive, even for complex financial tasks.

• Collaboration & Co-creation: A belief that the best products are built when design, product, and engineering work together seamlessly, sharing knowledge and responsibilities.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research, analytics, and user feedback to inform design decisions and measure the impact of implemented solutions.

• Efficiency & Agility: Embracing modern workflows and tools (like AI and shared repos) to move quickly from insight to execution and deliver value iteratively.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Design is not a silo; it's an integral part of the product team, working hand-in-hand with product managers and engineers daily.

• Open Communication: Encourages open dialogue, constructive critique, and transparency in decision-making processes.

• Shared Ownership: A collective responsibility for product success, where team members support each other and contribute to a unified vision.

• Continuous Learning: A culture that supports exploration of new technologies, methodologies, and design approaches, especially around AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture values innovation, deep collaboration, and a results-oriented approach, especially within the context of leveraging AI to transform financial services.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of Financial Systems: Designing intuitive experiences for inherently complex financial products and processes.

• Navigating Enterprise Scale: Working within a large organization with established systems and processes, while driving innovation in AI.

• AI Tool Maturation: Staying ahead of the rapidly evolving landscape of AI tools and integrating them effectively and ethically into design workflows.

• Bridging Design and Technical Implementation: Ensuring a seamless transition from design concepts to technical reality, especially with new AI technologies.

• Defining AI's Role in Design: Establishing clear use cases and best practices for how AI can augment, rather than replace, human design expertise.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge AI Exposure: Direct experience with and contribution to AI-driven product development.

• Advanced Design System Contribution: Opportunity to shape and evolve a sophisticated, machine-readable design system.

• Industry Recognition: Potential to become a recognized leader in AI product design within the financial services sector.

• Professional Development: Access to training, conferences, and resources to stay current with AI and design trends.

• Mentorship Programs: Opportunities to learn from senior leaders and mentor junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges due to the cutting-edge nature of AI and the complexity of the financial domain, but also offers unparalleled growth opportunities for those eager to pioneer in this space.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took a complex, multi-step workflow and simplified it through design. What was your process, and what was the impact?" (Focus on your problem-solving and design articulation.)

• "How have you leveraged AI-assisted tools in your design process? Can you share a specific example where AI changed your approach or outcome?" (Highlight your comfort with emerging tech.)

• "Imagine you're designing an AI feature for fraud detection in banking. What are the key user experience considerations, and how would you approach the initial concept development?" (Demonstrate your ability to apply design thinking to AI challenges.)

• "Discuss your experience working in a shared repository or a highly integrated cross-functional team. What were the benefits and challenges?" (Showcase your collaboration style.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about BNY Mellon's AI Hub and the future of AI in financial services?" (Show your research and genuine interest.)

• "How do you see your role as a VP, Product Designer contributing to the company's broader innovation goals?" (Align your skills with company objectives.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: Begin with the problem, your approach (including AI tools if applicable), the key decisions you made, and the outcome/impact.

• Focus on Process: Walk through your workflow, explaining the "why" behind each step. Show your iterations and how you navigated challenges.

• Highlight AI Integration: If AI was used, explain how and why it was beneficial, being specific about its impact on speed, quality, or outcome.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: If possible, show how your work integrated with engineering or product management, perhaps through shared repo examples or communication artifacts.

• Be Concise and Engaging: Keep your presentation focused and energetic. Be prepared to answer in-depth questions about any aspect of your work.

• Show "Things, Not Documents": Prioritize showing interactive prototypes, live examples, or clear visual representations of your process and solutions over lengthy written descriptions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily focus on demonstrating practical application of design skills, comfort with AI, strong collaboration, and the ability to articulate impact in a complex, enterprise setting.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Vice President, Product Designer, AI Hub position:

• Submit Your Application: Use the provided link to submit your resume and complete the initial application form.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your experience with complex systems, AI-assisted design, and collaborative product development. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your process and outcomes, prioritizing "things, not documents."

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords and experiences relevant to AI product design, enterprise software, complex workflows, and cross-functional collaboration. Emphasize achievements and quantifiable results where possible.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your chosen portfolio pieces, focusing on explaining your design rationale, the role of AI, your collaborative efforts, and the impact of your work. Be ready to articulate your point of view under pressure.

• Research BNY Mellon: Understand the company's mission, its position in financial services, and its strategic focus on AI and digital transformation. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.