Job Description:

Design Director

Remote or Franklin, TN or Fort Collins, CO

Job Description:

As a Product Design Director in the financial industry, the ideal candidate brings a deep passion for driving innovation through human-centered design, with a proven ability to reimagine complex financial experiences into intuitive, impactful products. With a depth of experience in product design—ideally including several years leading multidisciplinary teams—you have a strong track record of translating customer insights, data, and emerging financial trends into forward-thinking digital solutions. You are fluent in design systems, agile development, and experimentation methods such as design sprints and rapid prototyping, and is skilled at guiding teams through ambiguity to uncover breakthrough ideas. Strong collaboration skills are essential, as this leader will work closely with product, engineering, research, and compliance partners to align design strategy with both user needs and regulatory standards. A natural storyteller and strategic thinker, you advocate for design as a catalyst for innovation, helping shape the future of financial services through experiences that are not only functional and secure but also human, empathetic, and empowering.

The Design Director will set the user experience standards across applications and will be responsible for creating experiences for each product with the end user in mind. The Design Director will work closely with product teams and oversee a team of Product Designers to understand the needs and goals of each project, research using data from CSI and other sources, and deliver recommendations and designs to build products from.

Manager Responsibilities: Receives assignments based on incremental objectives and defined processes. Provides direction to employees according to established policies and management guidance. Administers company policies that directly affect subordinate employees. Take actions to monitor and manage costs related to a department. Provide input and contributes to managing costs related to a unit or subunit. Exercise judgment and interpretation to help define procedures and policies to determine appropriate action.

Responsibilities:

• Manages Product Design Team and guides Product Design efforts across the entire organization, to set design systems that will gather requirements, industry standards, and user testing to provide the highest quality application designs

• Make final decisions on implementation and ensure operational effectiveness. Implement company-wide Product Design policies and practices

• Assist other UX Designers with Product Design direction and review of their work; Create mockups, wire frames, interactive prototypes, and other models to convey a desired user experience

• Attend team meetings with Product Management and Development teams to understand requirements and strategies. Work alongside development to assist with implementation of user experience designs

• Design data gathering initiatives to provide insight on application usage, monitor and continue to improve user experiences by analyzing application usage stats, A/B testing results, and other available data

• Direct and refine design processes to provide timely research and designs to product and development teams

• Ensure budgets and schedules are met and drive the success of large-scale projects

• Interact with senior management and/or major customers which frequently involve negotiating matters of significance and ensuring the Design strategy is communicated effectively

• Other related duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Proven leadership in design innovation, with a track record of translating complex problems into elegant, user-centered solutions that drive business impact, typically shown through 8-10 years of experience.

• Expertise in design methodologies that foster innovation, such as design sprints, rapid prototyping, user co-creation, and speculative design practices.

• Deep understanding of user-centered design principles combined with the ability to push creative boundaries and challenge the status quo.

• Demonstrated ability to serve as the face of design for an organization—comfortable representing CSI’s design vision and strategy in high-visibility settings, including client meetings, executive presentations, and industry conferences.

• Strong executive presence and communication skills; confident in presenting to customers and external audiences with little notice.

• Expertise in creating and maintaining design systems to ensure consistency and scalability across products, with familiarity in design frameworks for efficient workflows

• Deep expertise in UX and product design, with a track record of leading teams to deliver intuitive, user-centered solutions that drive business outcomes.

• Proven experience owning and managing a design budget, with exposure to broader P&L considerations. Able to align design investments with business priorities and ROI.

• Strong communication and storytelling abilities, able to advocate for design as a strategic driver of innovation at the executive level.

• Understanding of WCAG guidelines to ensure accessible design for all users, and experience implementing accessibility standards in all design stages

• Strong collaboration with cross-functional teams including product managers, engineers, and stakeholders, and the ability to communicate design decisions and feedback clearly

• Experience conducting user research and usability testing to inform and refine designs

• Preferred but not required - Experience designing for fintech or financial services

As a forward-thinking software provider, Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) helps community and regional banks solve their customers’ needs through open and flexible technologies. In addition to its award-winning core banking platform, these include the latest in lending, digital banking, payments, financial crime prevention and cybersecurity. Building on its nearly 60-year track record of personalized service, CSI is shaping the future of banking and empowering its customers to rival their competition. For more information about CSI, visit www.csiweb.com

CSI provides rewarding and challenging career opportunities for our employees. When determining your pay, we consider various factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience and location. Along with a competitive salary, this position includes eligibility for incentive awards based on both individual and business performance. We also offer a comprehensive range of benefits. To learn more about our benefits, visit: Benefits Summary

CSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you need an accommodation during the recruitment process, please email us at recruiter@csiweb.com and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

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Visa Sponsorship: We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.