Head of Experience Design

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. The Experience Design team is responsible for improving the end-to-end customer experience and distributor experience. The team’s role is to identify, prioritize, and guide the implementation of customer experiences solutions thru customer journey development and human-centered design (HCD) principles, while aligning to the customer experience vision and strategy. The position is accountable to lead the team visualising the needs, expectations of customer and objective and impact of business to improve end of end customer journey, including engage/pre-sale, buy, service, claims, and salesforce management journey, to inform experience solutions with cross functional stakeholders of Customer, Distribution and Operations. The leader needs to be a change agent, effective at building relationships and influencing stakeholders. Most importantly, they need to move from customized, small scale HCD initiatives to embrace a more holistic and coherent approach across the customer journey. Position Responsibilities Improve the end-to-end customer journey, focusing on the value streams: pre-sale engage, buy, service, claims, and salesforce management to achieve the desired customer experience and business outcome. Visualise digital experience thru conceptual visual design tool, such as sketch, mock-ups or prototypes, to further illustrate potential solution for customer/distributor experience improvement on customer touch points, and influence stakeholder buy-in. Ensure the conceptual design translates to UI/UX design components and practice by working with UI/UX designers. Together with the Customer Experience team, leverage research insights to identify and steward growth and improvement opportunities in the customer and distributor experience solutions. Together with Proposition team, leverage customer segments and personas, to deep-dive scenarios based and personalised customer journey and visual experience solutions. Incorporate research and data-driven insights to inform Experience Design strategy, portfolio priority. Build relationships and develop deep collaboration with key stakeholders across the organisation, including: Marketing (particularly Customer, UI/UX design, platform), Distribution, Operations along with the local Marketing and Design community and global HCD teams. Develop and keep evolving Experience Design and Delivery operating model, and Design standards. Foster Design community and learning & development path for promoting best in class design practice and experience solution against competitors. Provide guidance and governance to local business units for journey and experience solution localization, to best fit local business context, regulation and maximize business impacts. Champion the business value of HCD methodology with senior executives, key stakeholders, and business and operations partners. Enable Manulife’s ambition of becoming a digital customer leader by embedding HCD as a way of working. Articulate a compelling vision for the team and how the work it produces supports the designated OKRs and customer experience strategy/vision. Ensure we are consistent in the use of our design system to promote one brand, one voice and one entity. Stay updated on emerging HCD trends and disseminate this information. Foster and maintain strong industry relationships. Required Qualifications A bachelor's or master's degree with above-average academic performance in a customer experience or design discipline such as: customer experience management, design management, human computer interaction, design strategy or other relevant experience. Experience in global insurance or financial industry, and matrix reporting organization, is preferred. At least 12 years' experience running strategic experience design, and end-to-end experience design projects within or for large organizations. 5+ years’ experience leading design projects and managing people, to guide and mentor. Curiosity and passion for creating exceptional experiences. Customer-oriented or human-centred design to problem solving and service design methods to enable employees and organisations to support customer, agent and banca experience excellence regionally and locally. Recognized HCD certification. LUMA Certified Instructor or Practitioner preferred. Ability to influence decisions and gain consensus across different channels and lines of business, particularly in the case of competing interests and priorities. Strong program management, organisational and coordination skills required. Experience leading agile, multi-disciplinary, matrixed teams, across functions – in a hybrid and remote model. Confidence leading team through prioritization exercises. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to present concepts clearly and persuasively, across all levels of the organisation. Demonstrated track record of solving difficult business challenges. Ability to create effective design solutions across multiple channels and platforms. Command of relevant software tools and platforms – existing familiarity with Mural, Figma and Jira are a plus. Develop design artefacts such as personas, current and future state customer journeys, service blueprints, storyboards, concept/service prototypes, etc. Proven ability to be able to work with data, presenting quantitative and qualitative insights in support of one another. A natural collaborator with highly developed communication, influencing and relationship skills, capable of working at all levels of an organisation. Possess a high level of empathy. Results-oriented, with a can-do attitude. Undeterred by obstacles and challenges; ability to think creatively to overcome barriers to achieve objectives. Comfortable with ambiguity; open to new ideas; flexes with changing business priorities and situations. Insurance experience and/or Asia experience preferential, providing you can still challenge and think beyond the category norms. Excellent command of spoken and written English. Candidates with Cantonese, Bahasa, Vietnamese, Japanese or Mandarin is advantageous. When You Join Our Team We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see. About Manulife And John Hancock Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit . Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law. It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Working Arrangement Hybrid Seniority level Director Employment type Full-time Job function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology Industries Insurance #J-18808-Ljbffr