UX Design Lead/Strategist - Financial Services

We are seeking a hands-on UX Design Lead to define and execute a customer-centered product experience across web and mobile platforms. You will be part of our Financial Services clients’ Design Hub Accelerator Team, which was created to support business areas across the business that need additional strategic design support or have not traditionally partnered with design teams. This team is in high demand, with a waitlist of projects and engagement requests. The work is highly project-based rather than product ownership focused.

This position requires 4-days onsite per week in either their NYC or Pittsburgh office. The role is a 40-hour-per-week, long-term contract with the potential to convert.

Key Responsibilities

• UX Strategy & Design Leadership: Lead the creation of concepts, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes, user interface designs, and detailed specifications to support project goals and timelines
• Design Standards & Visual Guidance: Independently create, update, and apply user interface and visual design guidelines and standards while ensuring consistency with enterprise design principles
• User Research & Experience Evaluation: Provide UX expertise throughout product definition and evaluation by leveraging user research, testing, interviews, market insights, and other inputs to improve usability and effectiveness
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, engineering, and leadership teams to shape design strategies, challenge assumptions, align on priorities, and support platform branding and user adoption
• Team Process & Mentorship: Help organize design team processes, mentor junior designers, review usability activities and deliverables, and advocate for user experience best practices across the organization

• 10+ years of experience as a design professional with deep knowledge of UX and at least one area of specialization
• 1+ years of experience using AI tools in the design process. Ideally, has prior experience with Devin Desktop/Windsurf, but open to other relevant tools.
• Expert with Figma
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and explain design rationale clearly
• Ability to work independently while managing ambiguity and multiple concurrent engagements
• Experience leading complex user experience activities, including user research, usability testing, interaction design, and visual design
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, user experience, design, human-computer interaction, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience
• Portfolio demonstrating recent, complex design work across enterprise, B2B, internal, or consumer-facing systems. Hiring team wants to see:
• The story behind the work, not just polished screens.
• Problem identification and discovery process.
• Design thinking and decision-making rationale.
• How requirements from users, developers, and business stakeholders were incorporated.
• End-to-end UX methodology and approach.

Preferred Experience:

• Agency experience is highly desirable.
• B2B software/product design experience is a plus.
• Experience working within established software ecosystems rather than building net-new products from scratch.
• Interest in and curiosity around AI-enabled design tools.
• Thrives in ambiguous, fast-paced environments and enjoys diving into complex problems, building solutions, and transitioning to new challenges once projects are complete.
• Strategic thinkers with strong UX fundamentals and excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, and can confidently articulate design decisions and influence cross-functional teams.
• Strong user research background with the ability to translate findings into actionable design improvements
• Experience mentoring junior designers and helping shape team practices
• Advanced degree

In this position, you may have access to client or customer systems, confidential and/or proprietary information or data, including financial information. This position is onsite and requires you to work closely with other individuals in a collaborative team environment.

Creative Circle’s Freelance Employee benefits package includes eligibility for Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) medical plan, dental/vision/term life package, discount prescription program, critical illness, accident, tele-behavioral health, and 401(k) plan. Sick leave is provided to Candidates whose assignment work location is in a state or city subject to sick leave laws. A Minimum Value (MV) PPO medical plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and paid holiday eligibility are based on length and dates of service.