UX Strategy Manager

Onsite in Milwaukee, WI OR Chicago, IL
Starting Salary: $145,000

About the role

Komatsu is embarking on an enterprise-wide initiative to transform our digital experience. This role will lead a team of UX/UI researchers and designers responsible for re-designing Komatsu’s digital products spanning website experiences, fleet management, my Komatsu member experience, online part sales (eCommerce), technology subscriptions and online training. You will own the overall UX vision and serve as the primary liaison for organizing and prioritizing the UX team’s backlog. Establishing cohesive branding and design elements across apps is paramount to a seamless experience. Developing a foundational knowledge of business objectives will be key to developing a UX strategy designed to improve the customer experience across apps and increasing online sales. You will be responsible for proactively leading stakeholders through UX discovery and delivery processes, managing expectations and championing UX best practices based on research and testing. This role requires proactive leadership, collaboration and consensus building skills to drive alignment among a diverse range of stakeholders. Self-starting, educating peers and demonstrating the value UX practices can bring to key initiatives will be critical to successfully delivering digital products which solve customer needs.

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Ownership: Own the design and experience of websites and digital products within scope of the Digital Office. This includes our global website and eventually all customer and distributor digital applications including electronic purchasing for all products and parts as well as the Finance site.
• Leadership: Lead, coach, and inspire a multidisciplinary team of UX/UI designers and researchers.
• Strategy: Partner with executive leadership, strategy and product management to define and develop the big-picture UX/UI strategy to accomplish the mission of unifying the customer experience.
• Roadmap: Proactively own the UX team backlog and identify the initiatives for the UX team to lead, support and partner with key stakeholders.
• Planning: Proactively create well-defined engagement / UX discovery plans to help facilitate the initiation of new initiatives.
• Workshops: Host and conduct workshops with product and technical teams to lead teams to drive product innovation from a customer, research and user experience centric approach.
• Design System: Own a federated design system that drives flexibility and consistency across digital products. Drives the evolution and maturity of our design system to ensure brand consistency and unification of digital products.
• Research: Establish and maintain best practices for user research and testing to inform product owners about trends, usability, and product sentiment.
• Evangelize: Advocate for UX practices to be tightly embedded and integrated within digital and product strategy.
• Process excellence: Document UX processes throughout research, discovery, planning, prototyping and testing.
• Process improvement: Identify opportunities to streamline existing processes and digital products by driving the adoption of UX standards and best practices.

Delivery

• Continue to lead and improve the overall customer and distributor on-line experience with Komatsu.
• Merge several customer facing digital applications into a single website with a common set of technology.
• Lead and conduct internal and external interviews to identify and validate functionality enhancements.
• Partner with vendors, marketing and IT teams to develop and progress the organization’s digital strategy and roadmap.
• Support the execution of omni-channel marketing campaigns with landing page and e-mail design.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, Web Design, User Interface Design or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years leading UX/UI teams.
• Minimum of 7 years designing mobile friendly, responsive B2B and B2C eCommerce websites.
• Strong portfolio of prior work demonstrating delivery of complex, large-scale digital re-designs.
• Modern web development practices including implementing UX best practices, responsive design and mobile first layouts.
• Demonstrated graphic design skills to turn wireframes into high-fidelity visual designs.
• Experience with usability testing practices and methodologies.
• Experience with web front-end development, HTML/CSS.

Desired Characteristics

• Experience leading, organizing, overseeing and releasing third-party design activities.
• Experience implementing on-site personalization based on a user’s profile settings.
• Experience implementing A/B testing.
• Experience working with Figma and Miro.
• Strong organizational and presentation skills; ability to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines and manage priorities, present, and share strategies, working across organizational teams to deliver results.
• Experience presenting to Senior executives.
• Leading through influence.

Benefits

Komatsu provides an extensive and robust employee benefits package that is designed to enhance the well-being of our employees and family members. We embrace a positive and empowering employee experience with a culture that prides itself on a diverse and inclusive environment.

• Health benefits: Medical, dental, vision, HSA, wellness programs, etc.
• 401k and/or employee savings programs.
• Employee time off (vacation and designated holidays).
• Employee and family assistance programs.
• Disability benefits.
• Life insurance.
• Employee learning and development programs.

About Komatsu

Komatsu develops and supplies technologies, equipment and services for the construction, mining, forklift, industrial and forestry markets. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Komatsu employs more than 64,000 people worldwide, operating in more than 140 countries. For more than a century, the company has been creating value for its customers through manufacturing and technology innovation, partnering with others to empower a sustainable future where people, business and the planet thrive together. Since the company’s founding in 1921, Komatsu has been committed to supporting individuals and communities through job training, skills development and giving back. As a Komatsu employee, you will be encouraged to grow alongside our global company, contributing to a more sustainable future for all.