Specialist, User Experience (Researcher)

If you're passionate about helping a Fortune 100 company drive their strategy forward through innovative product development and advancing strategic partnerships to protect customers (and their pets), then Nationwide is the place for you! At Nationwide®, "on your side" goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we're looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Nationwide UX is seeking a talented User Experience Researcher to join our team and support Retirement Solutions product design. You'll drive strategic design research activities, including planning, executing studies, and providing design insights. Experience with various research methodologies like contextual interviews, usability studies, and heuristic evaluations is desired.

Your role is to represent the voice of the customer, translating research findings into actionable insights and design recommendations. You'll collaborate closely with product design leads, interaction designers, content strategists, product managers, and development teams, requiring strong communication and organizational skills. Enjoy participating in design workshops and brainstorming sessions.

Join our diverse UX team of 80+ professionals from backgrounds like human factors, cultural anthropology, and industrial design. We share a passion for human-centered design and solving real-world problems aligned with Nationwide's strategic objectives. With Nationwide's commitment to customer-centric solutions, it's an exciting time to be part of our team.

This role does not qualify for employer-sponsored work authorization. Nationwide does not participate in the Stem OPT Extension program.

Compensation Grade: F4

Job Description Summary

Do you shine in at least one core user experience (UX) competency? We have a passion for creating exceptional experiences that have a real impact on people’s live and futures. If you understand the value UX provides in achieving strategic objectives and can articulate that value to cross-functional teams and business partners, we want to know more about you!

As a Specialist in the User Experience organization, in addition to expertise in one core strength (experience strategy, research, information architecture, interaction design, interface design, front-end development, content strategy or design operations), you’ll need to demonstrate a thorough grasp of a couple others. It'll be important to have an understanding of the design process and ability to work in the ambiguous discovery phase of identifying the right problem to tackle and the details of delivering desirable products. You’ll also have opportunities to work on project teams to distill complex problems into clear solutions that exemplify standard methodologies and encourage others. You will need to be adept at articulating and defending design decisions in a way that can be understood.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provides creative, technical and strategic input and results to project teams.

• Collaborates with partners, product managers, technologists, UX peers and others across the company on technical and creative direction.

• Advocates for empathetic human-centered design and helps mitigate risks by pursuing work based on insights and an understanding of our users.

• Problem solves, thinks big and explores divergent ideas while understanding how to converge and build iteratively towards the best solution for multiple platforms.

• Participates in idea-generating sessions and helps capture and evaluate ideas with respect to technical feasibility, business viability and human desirability.

• Able to think strategically and connect work to a larger picture.

• Perceive rapid advancements in technology and how customers expect to interact with our company.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to Manager/Director. This is an individual contributor role.

Typical Skills and Experiences:  

Education: Undergraduate studies in UX, human-computer interaction, psychology, graphic design, information science, communications or related field preferred.

Experience: Typically, three or more years professionally practicing some aspect of human-centered design.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Good verbal and written communication skills. Comfortable explaining design rationale to other parts of the business. Basic understanding of UX principles and the human-centered design process. Able to leverage data to make informed design decisions. Ability to partner with multiple partner groups and tell compelling narratives. Owns work with some manager oversight. Independently and proactively seeks out answers as needed. Proven ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information and external factors that may influence or have an impact on the company, as well as the customers, distribution systems, operations and strategy.

Works with development team to resolve technically complex issues requiring alignment across multiple business partners and subject areas. Proven ability to set work priorities that conform with established objectives, timeframes and accomplish a task in the most effective manner. Ability to work in partnership with cross-functional teams. Understand and make progress toward the company’s consumer performance indicator (CPI) and key performance indicator (KPI) goals.

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and HR Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions: 

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)

Working Conditions: Normal Office Environment. Extended work hours may be necessary during heavier work periods. Travel required as necessary.

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job.  Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

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