Director - UX (User Experience) / Architecture

Founded in 2001 with offices in Nashville, TN, and Washington, DC, iostudio is a privately held marketing and advertising agency focusing on consumer engagement.

The Director of User Experience will have two major responsibilities: Business Development - Work with the client and io staff to define and document development projects in order to meet the client’s needs while protecting iostudio’s profitability on each project. UX / Product Design - Lead the design team in producing designs and user experiences for web applications and other software as needed.

* Assist new business development efforts by meeting with prospective clients early in the process to discuss their vision for web products. * Conceptualize a prospective client’s vision and transform it into a coherent web design and development strategy that can be presented to the client in follow-up meetings. * Continue to work with both the client and internal departments on new work to help guide the project from concept to completed project within specified timeframes. * Assist internal teams with overcoming potential pitfalls on new projects by working collaboratively with the client to identify solutions to problems that arise during the creative and development processes. * Create user stories, workflows, personas and wireframes for highly complex, customized applications to enhance website capability based on business needs. * Consult with project leaders, lead programmers, programmers, vendors, technicians and clients to understand computing needs and system requirements. * Coordinate and manage the overall design related to integrating artwork, text, video and sound into websites and applications. * Stay in tune with advances in technology and updates to all security and operational requirements. * Manage and build relationships with various stakeholders and partners. * Drive design thinking and be a thought leader in creating good end-to-end experiences. * Be a user advocate and lead UX discussions with the business partners and company leadership including interaction design, information architecture and user research. * Facilitate project teams through the UX process, gathering actionable feedback and iterating the appropriate level of changes. * Assess data from multiple sources in order to make informed design and user experience decisions. * Collaborate with production leadership, project managers and development teams to prioritize UX activities throughout the software development life cycle. * Understand and incorporate technical, business and user requirements. * Create innovative and appealing designs in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment through sketches, storyboards, user task flows, wireframes, prototypes, personas, etc. * Manage UX vendors, resources and the overall UX portfolio of work for an organization. * Learn and abide by the operating policies and procedures of iostudio. * Represent iostudio in a professional manner with all client leadership, vendors and staff. * Complete and submit daily time reports.

* Have a great track record in creating highly functional, user-focused, complete and desirable UX deliverables * Be able to lead teams through the UX process and partner effectively within cross-functional teams * Be innovative, enthusiastic, flexible and creative * Have the ability to think strategically, act tactically and solve problems quickly * Demonstrate excellent project management and scheduling skills * Be able to drive cross-team collaboration efforts * Be able to work independently to establish trusted relationships with partners * Strong communication and presentation skills necessary to effectively present, explain, negotiate and monitor UX solutions * Working knowledge of user research methods and best practices * Solid work practices and an exceptional understanding of design principles, along with a proven record of * delivering innovative solutions for complex technical and visual problems * Must be able to work collaboratively and drive UX solutions across multidisciplinary groups * Strong PM skills to be able to manage portfolio of work and identify project needs, priorities and schedules * Highly detailed with a passion for putting the user first in promoting end-to-end experiences * Self-motivated, highly organized and able to work in a team environment that is fast-paced with multiple projects * A passion for our clients and creating great experiences is a must * Ability to work under tight deadlines and switch quickly and comfortably between projects as determined * by supervisor, clients or other circumstances * Ability to work effectively with other team members and maintain positive morale and a sense of teamwork * If position is under government contract: * Ability to qualify for a government security clearance – as required by government contract o Citizen of the United States of America – as required by government contract * Education and Experience * 7+ years’ applied experience in UX design, or an equivalent track record * Experience doing UX projects with agencies, startups, backend systems, enterprise level systems * Solid experience with typical software development life cycles and methodologies