Vice President, UX Product Design (Firmwide Marketing)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Vice President, UX Product Design (Firmwide Marketing)

Company: Morgan Stanley

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: UX/Product Design, Digital Marketing Operations

Date Posted: April 8, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and execution of user-centered digital experiences across Morgan Stanley's global web platforms.

• Drive innovation in AI-enabled web features, ensuring user trust, clarity, and adherence to firm standards.

• Manage and mentor a team of UX/Product Designers, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Technology, Marketing, and Content teams to deliver high-quality, scalable, and accessible digital solutions.

• Champion design quality, consistency, and usability, leveraging design systems and adhering to brand guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within Firmwide Marketing, specifically the Distribution & Website team, indicating a strong focus on external-facing digital properties like morganstanley.com. The "Vice President" title, combined with people management and strategic responsibility, signifies a senior leadership position within the UX/Product Design function, bridging individual contribution with team oversight. The emphasis on AI-enabled features suggests a forward-looking approach to digital product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and own the UX design strategy and execution roadmap for a portfolio of digital initiatives, including the global flagship website, morganstanley.com.

• Translate complex business objectives, technical constraints, and user insights into intuitive, scalable, and accessible experience designs, flows, and wireframes.

• Oversee the creation of core UX deliverables, including information architecture (IA) maps, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, and detailed design specifications.

• Ensure all designs adhere to established brand guidelines, component library standards, firmwide experience principles, and accessibility standards (ADA/WCAG).

• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Content Strategists, and Analysts to align on project scope, priorities, and integrated delivery timelines.

• Lead and mentor a team of UX/Product Designers, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, performance management, and support for skill development and career progression.

• Drive the design exploration and implementation of AI-enabled web experiences, such as intelligent search, personalization, recommendation engines, and AI-assisted content presentation, ensuring user trust and usability.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of UX best practices for AI features, focusing on interaction patterns, feedback mechanisms, and human-in-the-loop considerations.

• Actively contribute to the advancement of UX practice through design critiques, reviews, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions.

• Monitor and evaluate industry trends in UX, web design, and AI-driven experiences to identify opportunities for innovation and application within the firm's digital ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus: strategic design leadership for core web properties and hands-on contribution to emerging AI-driven features. The mention of "morganstanley.com" specifically points to a significant responsibility for a high-visibility, enterprise-level digital asset. The expectation to "guide the simplification of complex workflows" is a key indicator of the operational problem-solving expected from this role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: BS, BA, BFA, or equivalent relevant degree required.

Experience:

• 5-8 years of progressive experience in UX/Product Design, with a proven track record of delivering complex, user-centered digital experiences.

Required Skills:

• UX Strategy & Execution: Proven ability to define UX strategy and translate business goals into effective design solutions for complex digital products, particularly web platforms.

• Interaction Design: Deep expertise in interaction design principles, user flows, and creating intuitive navigation and task completion experiences.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Proficiency in creating various levels of fidelity prototypes (e.g., low-fidelity wireframes, high-fidelity interactive prototypes) to articulate design concepts.

• Figma & Adobe Creative Suite: Advanced proficiency with industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma.

• Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Demonstrated experience designing digital experiences that adhere to ADA and WCAG standards, ensuring usability for all users.

• People Leadership & Mentorship: Experience in managing, mentoring, and developing design talent, including performance management and career pathing.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to effectively partner with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and Content teams in a matrixed environment.

• Communication & Presentation: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently present design rationale and concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-Enabled Design: Exposure to or direct experience designing AI-driven digital features, including understanding of interaction patterns, explainability, and user trust.

• Design Systems: Experience contributing to or leveraging established design systems and component libraries for scalable and consistent delivery.

• Information Architecture (IA): Familiarity with IA principles for organizing content and navigation within large digital properties.

• Agile Methodologies: Working knowledge of agile development processes and how UX integrates into sprints and iterative development cycles.

• HTML/CSS/JavaScript: Familiarity with front-end development technologies to better understand technical feasibility and collaboration with engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirements clearly delineate between individual contribution in design (5-8 years) and leadership/management responsibility (3-5 years), suggesting a progression path where leadership is a significant component of the role at this level. The explicit mention of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, alongside a preference for HTML/CSS/JavaScript familiarity, indicates the expected technical toolkit and collaborative environment. The emphasis on AI and accessibility highlights critical modern design competencies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• UX Strategy & Problem Solving: Showcase case studies that demonstrate your strategic approach to understanding user needs and business goals, and how you translated these into effective design solutions.

• Interaction Design & Execution: Provide examples of complex user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity designs that illustrate your ability to create intuitive and engaging user experiences.

• Prototyping & User Testing: Include examples of interactive prototypes and describe how user feedback was incorporated into the design process to iterate and improve solutions.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Highlight projects where you actively applied accessibility standards (ADA/WCAG) and inclusive design principles, explaining the considerations and outcomes.

• AI Feature Design (if applicable): If you have experience with AI-enabled features, showcase how you approached their design, focusing on user trust, clarity, and explainability.

• Tools & Systems: Demonstrate proficiency with Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, and how you've utilized design systems or component libraries.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates will be expected to articulate their design process clearly, detailing how they approach:

  • User research and insight synthesis.

  • Ideation and concept development.

  • Wireframing, prototyping, and user testing.

  • Design system integration and component usage.

  • Collaboration with product, engineering, and marketing stakeholders.

  • Adherence to accessibility and compliance standards.

  • Iteration based on feedback and data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily weighted towards demonstrating strategic thinking, end-to-end design process, and the ability to solve complex problems with user-centered solutions. The inclusion of AI feature design and accessibility as specific requirements signals their importance to the role. Articulating the design process is as crucial as showcasing the final output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Expected base pay rates for this role are between $115,000 and $190,000 USD per year.

Explanation of Range: This range is determined based on the Vice President level, the specified experience requirements (5-8 years in UX/Product Design, 3-5 years in management), the strategic importance of the role within Firmwide Marketing at a major financial institution like Morgan Stanley, and regional market data for similar positions in New York City.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive employee benefits packages.

• Industry-leading perks.

• Incentive compensation opportunities.

• Discretionary bonuses.

• Short-term and long-term incentive packages.

• Other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Working Hours: The standard work week is approximately 40 hours, typical for a full-time Vice President role. However, flexibility may be required to meet project deadlines and collaborate across different time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is a base pay expectation. The total compensation package is explicitly stated to include additional performance-based incentives, bonuses, and long-term incentives, which are common and significant components in senior roles within the financial services industry. The benefits are described as "comprehensive" and "attractive," aligning with typical offerings for senior positions at large corporations.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Investment Banking, Securities, Investment Management, Wealth Management). Morgan Stanley operates as a leading global financial services firm, providing a broad spectrum of services to a diverse clientele.

Company Size: Large enterprise (over 10,000 employees, based on typical structure of financial institutions of Morgan Stanley's scale). This size implies a structured environment with established processes, significant resources, and opportunities for cross-divisional collaboration.

Founded: 1935. With a long history, Morgan Stanley has a deeply ingrained culture and a reputation for stability and expertise in the financial sector.

Team Structure:

• Distribution & Website Team: This team is part of Firmwide Marketing and focuses on scaling seamless digital experiences across various distribution channels and platforms, specifically targeting core audiences globally.

• Product Design Function: The VP will lead a sub-team within this digital organization, acting as a senior individual contributor and people manager.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role requires close partnership with Product Management, Technology (Engineering), Marketing, Content Strategy, and Analytics teams, indicating a highly collaborative and integrated work environment.

• Reporting: The VP will likely report to a senior design leader or a director within the digital marketing or marketing technology organization.

Methodology:

• User-Centered Design: A core tenet of the role, emphasizing understanding and addressing user needs in all digital experiences.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Collaboration with Analytics teams suggests that design decisions will be informed by user behavior data, performance metrics, and insights.

• Agile Development: Familiarity with Agile methodologies is preferred, implying iterative design and development cycles.

• Design Systems & Pattern Libraries: Emphasis on consistent use of established patterns and components to ensure scalability and maintainability of digital products.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is guided by five core values: "Do the right thing, put clients first, lead with exceptional ideas, commit to diversity and inclusion, and give back." These values are expected to permeate decision-making and daily operations, including within the digital marketing and design teams. The large company size suggests established processes but also potential for bureaucracy, requiring strong influencing and navigation skills.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Vice President, UX Product Design. This is a senior individual contributor and people management role, responsible for strategic design direction and team leadership within a critical function (digital marketing). It represents a significant step up from individual contributor roles, demanding both design expertise and managerial acumen.

Reporting Structure: The VP will report to a senior leader within the Firmwide Marketing or Digital organization, likely a Director or another VP level, and will manage a team of UX/Product Designers. This structure allows for both strategic guidance from above and direct team management from below.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on how Morgan Stanley presents itself digitally to clients and the public globally. By leading the design of key web properties and AI-enabled features, this VP will influence client engagement, brand perception, lead generation, and overall digital experience quality, which are critical drivers of business outcomes in the financial services industry.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into Director-level roles overseeing larger design teams or broader digital product areas.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design, accessibility, or specific areas of financial services digital products.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into Product Management, Digital Strategy, or other senior roles within marketing or technology.

• Mentorship & Development: Continued development of people management skills, strategic thinking, and influencing capabilities.

• Industry Recognition: Contributing to high-profile projects at a leading financial institution can build a strong professional reputation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Vice President" title in a firm like Morgan Stanley denotes a significant level of responsibility and experience. Growth opportunities are likely to involve increasing scope of management, strategic influence, and potential specialization in high-demand areas like AI and digital transformation within financial services.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site (New York, NY). The role is based in a physical office location, suggesting a traditional corporate environment with opportunities for in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): 750 Seventh Ave, New York, NY. This is a prime Manhattan location, indicative of a central business district environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment likely fosters collaboration, with spaces designed for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional workshops.

• Technology & Tools: Access to standard corporate IT infrastructure, including high-performance computing, robust network access, and potentially specialized software for design and analytics.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with design team members, product managers, engineers, and other marketing professionals, facilitating a dynamic exchange of ideas and quick problem-solving.

• Professional Setting: As a Vice President in a major financial institution, the environment is expected to be professional, structured, and focused on business objectives.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, with standard corporate working hours. However, as is common in senior roles and fast-paced environments, there may be expectations for flexibility to meet project demands, attend global meetings, or respond to urgent issues.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in New York City suggests a dynamic urban work environment. The emphasis on collaboration indicates that while individual work is critical, team interaction and face-to-face problem-solving are highly valued.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager (likely a senior design leader) to delve into experience, leadership style, and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where the candidate presents their portfolio, showcasing key case studies, design process, and impact. This is a critical stage for evaluating design craft, strategic thinking, and communication skills.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product, Engineering, and Marketing to assess collaboration capabilities, understanding of business needs, and ability to integrate design into broader initiatives.

• Team/Peer Interviews: Potential interviews with other designers or team members to evaluate team fit and collaborative potential.

• Final Round/Executive Interview: Discussions with senior leadership to assess strategic vision, leadership potential, and overall alignment with the firm's goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your most impactful projects that best demonstrate your UX strategy, execution quality, leadership, and experience with complex digital products.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role and approach, the process you followed (research, ideation, design, testing), the solutions you developed, and the measurable impact or outcomes.

• Highlight Process: Emphasize your design methodology, how you collaborate with stakeholders, and how you incorporate user feedback and data.

• Showcase Leadership: If applicable, describe how you mentored designers, influenced team direction, or managed design initiatives.

• Focus on AI & Accessibility: If you have relevant experience, ensure these aspects are clearly demonstrated and explained.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Expect questions about your decision-making, trade-offs, and how you handled challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design challenge, which could involve analyzing a problem statement, proposing a UX strategy, or sketching out initial concepts for a digital feature.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would approach specific design challenges related to web platforms, AI integration, or user engagement within a financial services context.

• AI Ethics & Usability: Consider how you would design AI features responsibly, ensuring transparency, fairness, and a positive user experience.

• Stakeholder Management: Practice articulating your design rationale and managing differing opinions or priorities from stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate a broad range of competencies, from core design skills and strategic thinking to leadership and cross-functional collaboration. The portfolio review is a pivotal element, requiring candidates to not only showcase their work but also articulate their process and impact effectively.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expected to be the primary tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency is critical.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Likely used for asset creation, image editing, and potentially other graphic design tasks.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, other tools like InVision, Axure, or similar might be used for specific prototyping needs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms to understand user behavior, track key metrics, and inform design decisions.

• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools that can help present insights from analytics data, such as Tableau or Power BI, may be beneficial for communicating findings.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not a direct CRM management role, understanding how UX design impacts CRM workflows or customer journeys within systems like Salesforce could be advantageous.

• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with enterprise-level CMS platforms used for managing web content.

Collaboration & Project Management:

• Jira/Confluence: Common tools for agile project management, issue tracking, and documentation, essential for cross-functional team collaboration.

• Microsoft Office Suite: Standard suite for presentations, documentation, and communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite points to the core design toolkit. The preference for familiarity with AI-enabled design features suggests that candidates might be expected to work with AI-specific platforms or tools, though these are not explicitly named. Understanding how design integrates with analytics and project management tools is key for operational effectiveness.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Client Focus: A paramount value in financial services, meaning all design decisions must ultimately serve client needs and objectives.

• Integrity & Doing the Right Thing: Emphasizes ethical conduct, transparency, and responsible design practices, especially critical when dealing with sensitive financial data and AI.

• Exceptional Ideas & Innovation: Encourages creative problem-solving and forward-thinking approaches to digital experiences, including leveraging new technologies like AI.

• Diversity & Inclusion: A commitment to building inclusive digital products and fostering a diverse team environment where all voices are heard and valued.

• Data-Driven Approach: Decisions are expected to be informed by data and user insights, ensuring designs are effective and aligned with business goals.

• Efficiency & Optimization: A drive to streamline processes, improve user workflows, and deliver scalable, high-performing digital solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Highly integrated work with Product, Engineering, and Marketing teams, requiring strong communication and the ability to build consensus.

• Constructive Critique: An environment where design work is shared and reviewed constructively to elevate quality and innovation.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing best practices, learnings, and insights across the design team and with other departments.

• Outcome-Oriented: Focus on delivering tangible results and measurable impact through design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's core values are deeply embedded and are expected to guide how the design team operates and makes decisions. The collaboration style emphasizes integration and shared ownership of digital product success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Compliance: Designing cutting-edge AI features while adhering to strict financial regulations and firm-wide governance.

• Simplifying Complex Financial Products: Translating intricate financial services into user-friendly and accessible digital experiences.

• Managing Stakeholder Expectations: Navigating diverse priorities and requirements from various business units and leadership.

• Integrating AI Responsibly: Ensuring AI-driven features are clear, explainable, unbiased, and build user trust.

• Scaling Design Systems: Maintaining and evolving design systems to support a growing portfolio of digital products and features.

• Leading a Distributed/Hybrid Team: If the team structure includes remote members, adapting leadership and collaboration styles to a hybrid work environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Design Specialization: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in designing AI-powered user experiences within the financial sector.

• Financial Services UX: Deepen understanding of user needs and behaviors specific to financial services clients.

• Leadership Development: Enhance people management, strategic planning, and executive communication skills.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of UX, AI, and digital marketing trends through conferences, training, and internal knowledge sharing.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gain insights into Product Management, Technology, and broader Marketing strategies within a leading financial institution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to operating at the intersection of cutting-edge technology (AI), a highly regulated industry (Financial Services), and a large enterprise. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing both deep expertise and broad leadership capabilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the UX strategy for a complex web property. What were the key challenges, and how did you measure success?" (Focus on strategic thinking, process, and impact metrics.)

• "How would you approach designing an AI-powered intelligent search feature for a financial services website? What are the key user trust considerations?" (Demonstrate understanding of AI UX, user trust, and specific industry context.)

• "Walk us through your process for ensuring a digital experience meets accessibility standards (ADA/WCAG)." (Highlight your commitment to inclusive design and practical application.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Morgan Stanley's core values (Client First, Do the Right Thing, etc.) influence your approach to UX design?" (Connect your work to the company's stated values.)

• "Describe your experience managing and mentoring designers. How do you foster growth and development within a team?" (Showcase your leadership and people management philosophy.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, follow a clear arc: Problem -> Your Role/Approach -> Process -> Solution -> Impact/Outcome.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, reduced task completion time, improved user satisfaction scores).

• Showcase Your Process: Beyond the final UI, explain your research methods, user testing findings, and how you iterated based on feedback.

• Articulate Trade-offs: Be ready to discuss the decisions you made, the trade-offs you considered, and why you chose a particular solution.

• Highlight Leadership: If presenting a team project, clearly define your specific contributions and any leadership or mentorship aspects.

• Tailor to AI & Accessibility: Emphasize any relevant experience with AI-enabled features or accessibility compliance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe not only design skills but also strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and understanding of the financial services context. The portfolio presentation is a key opportunity to demonstrate these competencies through concrete examples.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Vice President, UX Product Design position:

• Submit Your Application: Follow the application link provided on the Morgan Stanley careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights your 5-8 years of UX/Product Design experience, 3-5 years of management experience, proficiency with Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, and any relevant experience with AI-enabled design or accessibility. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 strong case studies that best showcase your strategic thinking, end-to-end design process, leadership, and impact. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your approach to complex web platforms, AI features (if applicable), and accessibility standards.

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your case studies, focusing on storytelling, process, impact, and your role. Be ready to articulate your design rationale and answer detailed questions.

• Research Morgan Stanley: Understand the company's core values, recent digital initiatives, and the financial services landscape to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.