Senior Design Strategist

OCAS; Guelph; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Design Strategist to join their innovative team. In this pivotal role, you will design products and services that assist over 200,000 individuals in applying to college annually. You will champion design methodologies, translating complex business challenges into user-centered design solutions. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will lead design research, create wireframes, and optimize design processes. This position offers a hybrid work environment, competitive salary, and generous benefits, making it an exciting opportunity for passionate design professionals looking to make a significant impact in higher education technology.

Benefits

22 vacation days

Paid company breaks

Defined benefit corporate pension plan

Vision and dental care

Extended health care

Life insurance

Professional development allowance

Paid time off to volunteer

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in design and design research.
• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of design projects and methodologies.
• Ability to plan and conduct various research methods.

Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritize design opportunities aligned with organizational goals.
• Lead comprehensive design research to uncover user needs and pain points.
• Create wireframes and prototypes that meet user needs and business goals.

Skills

Design Research

User Interface Design

Prototyping

Wireframing

Communication Skills

Strategic Thinking

Collaboration

Analytical Skills

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma related to design

Tools

Figma

Axure RP

Sketch

Job description

Technology is reinventing higher education and, at OCAS, we play a vital role in helping shape this evolving landscape. We deliver dependable technology systems and business services to support our industry partners and create new pathways for learners exploring and applying to Ontario’s public colleges.

Recently named a Waterloo Area Top Employer for the tenth consecutive year, we’re looking for innovators who can bring their expertise and passion to our growing team.

The Product Management team at OCAS strategically drives the development, market launch, and continual improvement of OCAS’ products and services.

As a Senior Design Strategist at OCAS, you’ll play an important role in designing the products and services that help over 200,000 people apply to college each year. An integral member of our Product Management team, you’ll be relied on as a champion of design, translating business challenges into design opportunities and driving improvement and growth of the design function within OCAS.

As a member of the OCAS team, you’ll work with remarkable individuals and colleagues who support each other in achieving high performance.

Why OCAS?

• We offer a hybrid work environment that gives you the flexibility to work in our Guelph office, remotely, or a combination of both
• Your team is passionate about technology and encouraged to explore new ways of working
• You’ll start off with 22 vacation days, as well as paid company breaks in the summer and during the holiday season
• We offer a defined benefit corporate pension plan to help you prepare for your next stage of life
• We provide generous benefits that include vision and dental care, extended health care, life insurance, and more
• Because we understand the importance of lifelong learning, we offer a generous professional development allowance, as well as other initiatives to help you ‘skill up’
• We support several local charities and offer paid time off to volunteer in your community

In this role, you will:

• Identify and prioritize design opportunities that support the achievement of organizational goals
• Monitor and measure the impact of design initiatives on business outcomes and user experience
• Lead and conduct comprehensive design research to uncover user needs, behaviours, and pain points
• Plan and conduct generative and evaluative research to identify, develop, and test new product and feature ideas
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and develop innovative product design solutions
• Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs that align with user needs and business goals
• Establish and optimize design processes, workflows, and tools to enhance team efficiency and collaboration
• Champion design thinking methodologies to drive user-centered innovation and problem-solving
• Facilitate cross-functional design workshops, sprints, and brainstorming sessions to drive innovation, ideation, experimentation and iteration
• Work closely with product managers, technical leads, developers, brand, content, partner success and other stakeholders to ensure design solutions meet technical and business requirements

You should have:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma related to design, human-computer interaction, or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of professional experience in design and design research
• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of design projects and methodologies
• Ability to plan, conduct, and analyze findings from a variety of research methods
• Proficiency in user interface design and using prototyping and wireframing tools like Figma, Axure RP, Sketch or others
• Knowledge of product design, including common interaction patterns used and associated trade-offs, and best practices for web and mobile applications
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to think strategically and execute methodically
• Ability to anticipate customer pain points early and provide recommendations for solutions
• Curiosity to gather the knowledge, experiences and feedback of internal and external users
• The drive to improve processes and provide education that strengthens the impact and role of design within the organization
• The ability to engage with all levels of the organization and be a strong team-player

Position Reports to: Senior Director, Product and Applied Research

Salary: $100,000 - $130,000

OCAS is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from diverse candidates, including people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. While we thank all respondents for their interest, only those candidates being invited to interview for this position will be contacted.