About the Role
At Morningstar, a Design Manager is a fully realized design leader. You are a peer to other managers in the organization and work with them to set direction, craft a vision, and plan organizational structures (team composition, rituals, approval processes, etc.) to achieve the desired outcome. A Design Manager's impact goes beyond your team, influencing the broader organization.
We're looking for a dynamic individual to join the team building the flagship piece of software in Morningstar's product offering, Morningstar Direct.
Job Responsibilities
Primary Focus

• Guide complex problems of diverse scope, requiring in-depth analysis of multiple factors with a high degree of variability
• Guide the user experience and helps coordinate the work of the designers that report to you
• In addition to solving complex design problems, a design manager also supports team alignment, strategy, and prioritization creatively and effectively
• Coach designers on tactics to clarify problem spaces, business goals, customer needs, career growth, personal development, etc

Management + Leadership

• Responsible for the people management responsibilities of a small team of designers along with supervising their daily work
• Provide creative direction across a user experience with direction from the Head of Design
• Nurture the individuals on your team, helping them realize your potential-providing career guidance, and candor when critiquing individual's work and encourage them to improve
• Help establish design operation processes, standards, and policies

Collaboration

• May individually contribute to aspects of design output
• You help product leaders establish the scope of projects and initiatives, clarify how decisions impact business goals and guide the team to execute design direction
• Ensure design output from direct reports meet our standards and design strategy
• Help the team incorporate feedback from customers, users, and partners into your workflow
• Coach the team on how to align differing points of view
• Mentor other designers and contribute to the improvements to our design systems, processes, and standards, either directly or through your direct reports
• Have a strong command of organizational behaviors and EQ
• You can adjust your tactics in strategic ways that guide others towards desired goals
• Guide your team in making connections between personal growth goals and business goals

Communication

• Have a strong command of organizational behaviors and EQ
• You can adjust your tactics in strategic ways that guide others towards desired goals
• Guide your team in making connections between personal growth goals and business goals
• Frequently work with functional peer group managers (Tech Leads, Product Owners) to guide cooperation, a shared understanding of priorities, and project direction
• Always keep partners up-to-date on product strategy, personnel issues, and hiring needs
• Coach designers on how to be sympathetic to other's perspectives and frame productive discussions

Client Focus

• Ensure your team proactively pursues an understanding of our customers, your needs, and translates that understanding into design strategy and solutions
• May lead and provide direction to other designers on conducting generative and evaluative research
• Set the environment for collaboration internally and externally by coordinating others' cooperation through presentations and ensuring the team has clarity on processes, tools, etc.
• Assist the product owner and business unit leadership in aligning internal partners on various matters between our customers and the business

Level of Autonomy

• Work both autonomously and with direction from the Head of Design
• Coordinate activities of other designers by clarifying requirements, expectations, and approach
• Exercise good judgment in selecting design methods, collaborating with others, communicating your approach, and defining evaluation criteria for obtaining results
• Take initiative to solve medium-scale obstacles and identify opportunities for customers and our business
• Own your decisions and outcomes for direct reports and direct team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Digital Design, Communication Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Industrial Engineering/Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• 7 years of relevant professional experience is required, including leading and managing a design team

Nice to have

• Demonstrative experience building software where accessibility is a primary focus a plus
• Demonstrative experience in designing for/improving equity into team structures and career growth planning a plus

How to apply
Please include a portfolio of work that you're most proud of, so you can tell stories about your experience and the impact you've had.
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