Lead Experience Design Strategist (US)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Lead Experience Design Strategist (US)

Company: TD

Location: Mount Laurel, New Jersey, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience (UX) / Design Strategy

Date Posted: 2026-08-14

Experience Level: 7+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive end-to-end design strategies for enterprise customer and colleague experiences across multiple product areas, ensuring channel agnosticism.

• Lead and mentor cross-functional design teams, setting direction for Human-Centered Design activities within pods.

• Develop and maintain bank-wide digital interface design standards, usability guidelines, and accessibility guidelines.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners and Tech Leads to plan digital feature implementation and optimize customer solutions.

• Act as a subject matter expert in experience design for complex, cross-functional initiatives, identifying risks and providing strategic guidance.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior "Lead" within Experience Design, indicating a significant impact on strategic direction and team mentorship. The emphasis on "enterprise customers/colleagues" and "agnostic of channel" highlights a broad scope of influence, suggesting a need for strong strategic thinking and the ability to connect disparate user journeys. The "Lead Experience Design Strategist" title implies a focus not just on execution but on the overarching vision and methodology of design within TD.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and drive comprehensive design strategies for multiple product areas, ensuring cohesive and industry-leading integrated experiences for enterprise customers and colleagues.

• Lead the planning, development, and implementation of the bank's digital interface design standards, usability guidelines, and accessibility guidelines, ensuring compliance and best practices.

• Direct the creation of site maps, prototypes, and graphical assets for TD's digital properties, aligning with branding and market positioning.

• Actively participate in all phases of the product development lifecycle, from ideation and user research to feature team planning, design execution, and post-launch evaluation.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Tech Leads, and product families to strategically plan digital feature implementation within roadmap and release cycles, ensuring optimal customer solutions.

• Lead and direct the development of designs utilizing user-centered design principles, guiding other designers and content development staff, and coordinating cross-functional teams.

• Set the direction for designers within pods, fostering a Human-Centered Design approach and ensuring alignment with broader enterprise strategies.

• Serve as an experience design subject matter expert on cross-functional and enterprise-wide initiatives, identifying potential risks and offering strategic guidance for complex situations.

• Conduct internal and external research projects to inform design decisions and support the development of presentations for management and broader audiences.

• Monitor service and productivity levels, assess efficiency, and implement continuous process and performance improvements within the experience design function.

• Proactively manage relationships with internal and external business partners and stakeholders to foster productive working relationships and ensure alignment with enterprise and regulatory requirements.

• Maintain a culture of risk management and control within design activities, adhering to the organization's risk appetite and escalating non-standard or high-risk transactions as necessary.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic leadership role. The emphasis on "design standards," "usability guidelines," and "accessibility guidelines" points towards a need for deep understanding of UX governance and best practices. The mention of "risk management" and "compliance" in relation to design activities is critical for a financial institution and suggests that candidates with experience in regulated industries will be highly valued.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent work experience.

• Postgraduate degree in psychology, human factors, design, or a related discipline is preferred. Experience:

• 7+ years of experience, with a strong preference for digital design, interaction design, and visual design.

• Proven track record of leading design teams and managing multiple design projects simultaneously.

• Experience coordinating design resources across a large volume of intakes and successfully prioritizing work.

• Competencies across the entire user experience lifecycle, including user experience strategy, service design, visual design, and user research. Required Skills:

• Expertise in driving User Experience (UX) strategy and translating business objectives into impactful design solutions.

• Proficient in digital design, interaction design, and visual design principles and application.

• Strong understanding and application of user-centered design methodologies and best practices.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor design teams, fostering collaboration and professional growth.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to present and justify design decisions to senior leadership.

• Experience in developing and implementing design standards, usability guidelines, and accessibility guidelines. Preferred Skills:

• Expertise with design and collaboration tools: Figma, JIRA, Confluence, SharePoint.

• Proven competencies across the full user experience lifecycle, including user experience strategy, service design, visual design, and user research.

• Experience in the financial services or banking industry, understanding the unique regulatory and customer needs.

• Ability to conduct and interpret user research to inform design decisions and validate solutions.

• Experience in coordinating design resources across a high volume of project intakes and effectively prioritizing workload.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "7+ years of experience, preferably in digital design, interaction and visual design" is a baseline, but the "preferred qualifications" strongly suggest a candidate who has already operated at a lead or senior level. The explicit mention of Figma, JIRA, Confluence, and SharePoint indicates a need for hands-on familiarity with common design and project management tools used in agile environments. The preference for a postgraduate degree in psychology or human factors points to a desire for candidates with a deep understanding of user behavior and cognitive science.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end design strategy examples, demonstrating your ability to conceptualize and execute comprehensive user experiences.

• Include case studies that illustrate your leadership in guiding design teams and managing multiple complex projects from inception to completion.

• Present examples of established design standards, usability guidelines, or accessibility frameworks you have developed or significantly contributed to.

• Highlight projects where you have successfully integrated user research findings into design decisions and demonstrated measurable improvements in user satisfaction or business outcomes.

• Provide evidence of your ability to collaborate effectively with Product Owners, Tech Leads, and cross-functional teams, detailing your role in planning and execution. Process Documentation:

• Document your approach to developing and implementing user-centered design methodologies, including user research, prototyping, and testing phases.

• Illustrate your process for defining and maintaining digital interface design standards, usability guidelines, and accessibility guidelines, ensuring alignment with enterprise strategies.

• Detail your methods for coordinating design resources, managing project intakes, and prioritizing design work effectively within a fast-paced environment.

• Showcase examples of how you have contributed to risk management and ensured compliance within design activities, particularly in a regulated industry context.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Lead" role, the portfolio needs to demonstrate strategic thinking and leadership beyond individual design execution. The emphasis should be on process, methodology, and impact. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their approach to developing and enforcing design standards, managing complex projects, and leading teams, especially within the context of a large financial institution.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $91,000 - $136,240 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health and well-being benefits package.

• Robust savings and retirement programs.

• Generous paid time off (PTO), including Vacation PTO, Flex PTO, and Holiday PTO.

• Exclusive banking benefits and discounts.

• Dedicated career development resources and programs.

• Reward and recognition programs to acknowledge outstanding contributions. Working Hours:

• Standard 40-hour work week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific and falls within the typical mid-to-senior level for a Lead UX Strategist in a major metropolitan area like Mount Laurel, NJ. The benefits listed are standard for a large financial institution, with specific emphasis on career development and well-being, which are attractive to experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Banking. TD is a leading global financial institution with a significant presence in North America. Their focus is on making every interaction "remarkably human and refreshingly simple."

Company Size: TD is a large enterprise, described as the fifth-largest bank in North America by branches/stores, with over 95,000 colleagues globally. This scale implies a structured environment with established processes and a broad reach.

Founded: TD's history dates back to 1864, indicating a long-standing presence and deep roots in the financial industry, suggesting stability and a mature organizational structure.

Team Structure:

• The role falls under "Human-Centered Design," suggesting a dedicated UX/Design function within the organization.

• The Lead Experience Designer is expected to "Own and drive design strategies across multiple product areas," indicating a central or highly influential role within the design discipline.

• Collaboration with "Product Owner, Tech Leads and UX Design Lead within their platform/journey" points to a matrixed or agile team structure where designers work closely with product and engineering.

• The role involves "Mentors and enables others" and "Defines best practices and teaches the craft," highlighting a leadership and knowledge-sharing component within the team. Methodology:

• Emphasis on "Human-Centered Design" and "user-centered design methodologies" is a core tenet.

• The role involves driving "industry-leading integrated (end-to-end experiences)" across various channels, requiring a holistic approach to UX.

• Continuous process and performance improvements are expected, indicating a culture of optimization and learning.

• Risk management and compliance are integral to operations within a financial institution.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: TD's commitment to being "remarkably human and refreshingly simple" suggests a culture that values customer empathy, clear communication, and efficient processes. The "Human-Centered Design" line of business indicates a strategic investment in UX as a key differentiator. The large company size means that navigating internal processes, collaborating across diverse teams, and understanding enterprise-level impact will be crucial for success.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Lead" position, signifying a highly experienced professional role. It requires substantial knowledge and expertise in experience design strategy, with the ability to integrate this knowledge across multiple functions and operations. The role is positioned to solve complex problems and lead significant projects or teams, often with considerable resource requirements and risk.

Reporting Structure:

• The role indicates reporting to a "Product Owner, Tech Leads and UX Design Lead within their platform/journey," suggesting a collaborative reporting structure within specific product or journey teams.

• However, the "Lead" title and responsibilities like "setting direction for designers in pods" and "defines best practices and teaches the craft" imply a more significant leadership role that likely involves direct or indirect reporting of other designers, or at least a strong influence over their work and development. Operations Impact:

• The Lead Experience Design Strategist's primary impact is on shaping the digital experience for enterprise customers and colleagues, directly influencing user satisfaction, adoption rates, and operational efficiency through intuitive and effective interfaces.

• By driving design standards and best practices, this role ensures consistency, quality, and compliance across TD's digital properties, which is critical for brand perception and regulatory adherence in the financial sector.

• The role contributes to business objectives by ensuring that digital products and services are not only user-friendly but also strategically aligned with TD's market positioning and branding efforts. Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into a Senior Manager or Director role within Experience Design or a related UX leadership track, overseeing larger teams or broader functional areas.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like Service Design, UX Strategy, or Accessibility, becoming a recognized subject matter expert within TD or the broader industry.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Leverage strategic experience to transition into Product Management, Program Management, or other strategic roles within TD, particularly in areas focused on customer experience transformation.

• Mentorship and Training: Continue to develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers, defining organizational best practices, and potentially leading training initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Lead" designation suggests a career path beyond individual contributor roles. The emphasis on mentoring and defining best practices points towards a potential progression into management or a Principal/Distinguished Designer track. The financial industry context also implies opportunities to grow within specialized areas like financial UX or digital transformation within banking.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is listed as "On-site" with a specific address in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. This indicates a traditional office-based work environment.

Office Location(s): Mount Laurel, New Jersey, United States (6000 Atrium Way). This location is within the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, offering access to a significant business hub.

Workspace Context:

• As an on-site role, expect a collaborative office setting where face-to-face interaction with team members, Product Owners, and Tech Leads is the norm.

• Access to standard office equipment and technology is implied, with specific mention of Figma, JIRA, Confluence, and SharePoint as key tools.

• The environment is likely structured, given TD's size and industry, but the "Human-Centered Design" focus suggests an emphasis on creativity and user empathy within that structure.

• Opportunities for continuous learning through interaction, knowledge sharing, and participation in team development activities are present. Work Schedule:

• A standard 40-hour work week is specified. While this is the baseline, roles at this level may sometimes require flexibility to meet project deadlines or critical business needs, though this is not explicitly stated as a requirement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Mount Laurel, NJ, suggests a traditional corporate environment within TD's operations hub. Candidates should expect a structured workplace with opportunities for direct collaboration and mentorship, which is often a hallmark of large financial institutions. The presence of specific tools like Figma and JIRA indicates a modern approach to design and project management within this established setting.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a recruiter screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit. Be prepared to discuss your career trajectory and interest in TD.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interview: This stage will delve deeper into your experience, focusing on your leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and technical skills. Expect behavioral questions and discussions around your portfolio.

• Portfolio Review & Case Study Presentation: A critical step where you will present your work. Focus on 2-3 key projects that best showcase your end-to-end design strategy, leadership, and impact. Prepare to walk through your process, decision-making, challenges, and outcomes.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: You may meet with Product Owners, Tech Leads, or other stakeholders to assess your collaboration style and ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader in the design or product organization to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Strategy and Leadership: Beyond showcasing beautiful UI, emphasize the strategic thinking, problem-solving, and leadership demonstrated in your projects. How did you define the problem? What was your strategic approach? How did you lead others?

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your designs on user behavior, business goals, or operational efficiency. For example, "improved conversion rates by X%," "reduced support tickets by Y%," or "streamlined user workflow, saving Z hours per user."

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies with a clear narrative: the challenge, your approach (process, tools, collaboration), your solution, and the results. Explain your rationale for key decisions.

• Tailor to TD: Research TD's brand, customer base, and recent initiatives. If possible, subtly tailor your presentation to highlight how your skills and experience align with their specific needs and values (e.g., "remarkably human," "refreshingly simple").

• Prepare for Tool-Specific Questions: Be ready to discuss your proficiency and experience with Figma, JIRA, Confluence, and SharePoint, particularly how you leverage them for collaboration and process management.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Challenge: You might be given a hypothetical problem or scenario relevant to TD's business (e.g., designing a new feature for a banking app, improving a colleague-facing tool). Focus on your process, user-centricity, and ability to articulate your design rationale clearly and concisely within the given timeframe.

• Strategic Thinking Exercise: Be prepared for questions that assess your ability to think strategically about user experience at an enterprise level, considering factors like scalability, consistency, and business impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Lead role will be rigorous. The portfolio review is paramount. Candidates must be able to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how they led the process and influenced outcomes. Preparing specific examples for how they've managed design standards, led teams, and worked with stakeholders is crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect to demonstrate advanced proficiency in creating design systems, interactive prototypes, and collaborating with developers.

• JIRA: Widely used for project management, bug tracking, and workflow management. Experience in using JIRA for design sprints, tracking tasks, and communicating with development teams is expected.

• Confluence: A collaborative workspace for documentation, knowledge sharing, and team planning. Familiarity with creating and maintaining design documentation, user research findings, and project briefs in Confluence is beneficial.

• SharePoint: Often used for document management and team collaboration within larger organizations. Understanding how to leverage SharePoint for storing and sharing design assets, project plans, and stakeholder communications will be advantageous.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as primary tools, a Lead UX Strategist should be comfortable interpreting and utilizing data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Experience with A/B testing tools and methodologies is also highly relevant for validating design hypotheses. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly listed as core tools for this role, but understanding how design impacts customer journeys within CRM systems or automated workflows can be a plus, especially in understanding the broader business context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma, JIRA, Confluence, and SharePoint indicates that proficiency with these specific tools is not just preferred but likely a prerequisite for success. Candidates should be ready to discuss their experience using these tools for collaboration, workflow management, and documentation within an enterprise setting.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human-Centered: A core value, emphasizing empathy, understanding user needs, and designing experiences that are "remarkably human." This translates to prioritizing user research and feedback.

• Simplicity & Clarity: Striving for experiences that are "refreshingly simple," suggesting a focus on intuitive design, clear communication, and efficient workflows.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: The role requires close collaboration across multiple functions (Product, Tech, Marketing) and within the design team itself. A positive, supportive, and knowledge-sharing team environment is implied.

• Excellence & Innovation: Driving "industry-leading integrated experiences" suggests a commitment to high standards, continuous improvement, and exploring innovative design solutions.

• Integrity & Risk Management: As a financial institution, adherence to regulations, ethical practices, and robust risk management are paramount in all aspects of work, including design.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with Product Owners and Tech Leads within product/journey teams, ensuring design is integrated into the development lifecycle from the outset.

• Design Leadership through Influence: The emphasis on mentoring and teaching the craft suggests a collaborative style that empowers other designers and influences best practices across the organization.

• Process-Oriented: A culture that values defined processes and methodologies (like Human-Centered Design) while remaining adaptable and open to improvement.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Proactive communication and relationship building with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and buy-in for design strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Human-Centered" and "Simple" values align directly with the core principles of effective UX design. The emphasis on leadership through influence and cross-functional collaboration highlights the need for strong interpersonal and communication skills, alongside design expertise.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Enterprise-Wide Standards with Product-Specific Needs: Ensuring consistency across TD's diverse digital offerings while allowing for the unique requirements of individual product areas can be a complex balancing act.

• Managing a High Volume of Design Intakes: Effectively prioritizing and allocating design resources to meet the demands of numerous product teams and initiatives requires strong organizational and strategic planning skills.

• Influencing Senior Leadership and Stakeholders: Effectively communicating the value of design and advocating for user-centered approaches to non-design stakeholders, especially in a large, established organization.

• Navigating a Regulated Environment: Designing within the constraints of financial regulations and compliance requirements while still delivering innovative and user-friendly experiences.

• Driving Adoption of New Design Methodologies/Tools: Championing and integrating new design practices or technologies (like advanced Figma features or new research methods) across a large organization.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced UX Strategy & Service Design: Opportunity to deepen expertise in strategic design thinking, service blueprinting, and complex journey mapping.

• Leadership Development: Formal training and practical experience in managing teams, mentoring junior designers, and influencing organizational strategy.

• Industry Best Practices: Staying abreast of emerging trends in UX, design technology, and financial services design through conferences, workshops, and continuous learning.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gaining broader business acumen by working closely with product management, technology, marketing, and compliance teams.

• Impact Measurement: Developing skills in defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) for design initiatives to better demonstrate ROI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a senior role in a large financial institution, requiring a blend of strategic vision, strong leadership, and practical execution. The growth opportunities are robust, offering clear pathways for career advancement and specialization within the UX field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you developed a comprehensive design strategy for a complex product or service. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on strategic thinking, end-to-end ownership, and impact.)

• "How do you balance the need for enterprise-wide design standards with the unique requirements of individual product teams?" (Assess ability to manage consistency and flexibility.)

• "Walk me through how you would prioritize design requests when faced with a high volume of intakes and limited resources." (Demonstrate prioritization and resource management skills.)

• "How do you ensure accessibility and usability are integrated into the design process from the start?" (Highlight knowledge of critical design standards.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about TD and our commitment to being 'remarkably human and refreshingly simple'?" (Show research into TD's values and mission.)

• "How would you foster a Human-Centered Design culture within your team and across other departments?" (Assess understanding of UX advocacy and cultural influence.)

• "Describe your experience working with senior leadership. How do you present design decisions and gain buy-in?" (Focus on communication and stakeholder management.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Case Studies: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role and responsibilities, your strategic approach (including research and user insights), the design solutions, the tools used (especially Figma, JIRA), and the measurable impact or key learnings.

• Highlight Leadership: Emphasize instances where you led a team, mentored junior designers, or influenced design direction.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to support your claims about project success.

• Be Prepared for Tool-Specific Questions: Discuss how you've used Figma for design systems, JIRA for workflow, and Confluence for documentation.

• Anticipate Questions on Risk & Compliance: Be ready to discuss how you've navigated design in regulated environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic leadership, process expertise, and the ability to influence stakeholders. Candidates should have concrete examples ready for each question, particularly those related to managing complexity, leading teams, and driving measurable impact in a corporate environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the TD Careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that best showcase your experience in driving end-to-end design strategy, leading design teams, and implementing user-centered methodologies. Ensure each case study clearly articulates the challenge, your strategic approach, your role, the solutions, and the measurable outcomes.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in digital design, interaction design, visual design, UX strategy, and leadership. Use keywords from the job description such as "Human-Centered Design," "Figma," "JIRA," "design standards," and "stakeholder management." Quantify your achievements with specific metrics.

• Prepare for Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio pieces, focusing on your strategic decision-making process, collaborative efforts, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your experience with Figma, JIRA, Confluence, and SharePoint.

• Research TD: Understand TD's mission, values (especially "remarkably human" and "refreshingly simple"), and their position in the financial services industry. Prepare to discuss how your skills and approach align with their culture and business objectives.

⚠️ 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.