Job: Director of User Experience at Sun Life

Location: Waterloo or Toronto, Ontario

Summary

Reporting to the AVP, Digital Strategy, the Director, User Experience is a new role. The Director, User Experience and team will provide thought leadership and be the resident authority team on user experience and information architecture principles.

This person will have a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with a variety of business leaders, technology leaders, brand teams, and other key stakeholders to develop large growth businesses.

The ideal candidate will bring deep understanding of customer research, knowledge gathering, ideation, prototyping, design frameworks and concept visualization. He or she will bring years of experience building and leading a team ideally including user experience leads, architects and researchers. The Director, User Experience will partner and work with the business units and regions to ensure alignment incorporating feedback and best practices. This role will interface and have accountabilities for communication with a variety of stakeholders in Canada, the US and Asia.

Accountabilities

• Develop and implement an enterprise level strategy for embedding user experience (UX) guidelines and best practices in the organization.
• Provide strategic guidance in support of the user experience and information architecture service by understanding the direction and goals of the business.
• Identify and champion the User Experience to deliver business value and increase the Sun Life Financial digital brand recognition
• Identify innovation opportunities improving the customer experience and lead generation with a focus on creating and updating the digital properties to address user challenges.
• Define and incorporate relevant UX, web and mobile usage research and date to appropriately inform design decisions
• Create and effectively present UX deliverables; wireframes, workflows and paper prototypes to explain and negotiate design solutions to key stakeholder.
• Define and measure metrics to track user satisfaction both overall and specific to strategic development
• Build and maintain key relationships in Canadian, US and Asia with Marketing leaders by optimizing their digital channels and ensuring a customer-centric approach is consistent with the Digital Marketing vision and mandate.
• Keep abreast of industry trends, web development technology and advancements insuring SLF provides best in class services
• Staff and train the team according to strategic direction and technical requirements
• Foster and promote a positive working and leaning environment

Skills

• Strong knowledge of user experience design; information architecture and interaction design. Leading expert and thought leader in UX methodology.
• Familiar with User Centered Design Process.
• Ability to successfully manage and deliver on multiple projects.

Education and Experience

• University or advance degree in business, marketing or communications
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in digital environment
• Experience with developing and executing UX strategy in a mid to large size corporation
• Business minded and oriented
• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships to influence change
• Innovative problem solving skills and excellent analytical abilities
• Strong ability to identify and implement process improvements

To apply

Please apply for this position by email at ashley.avolio [at] sunlife [dot] com. We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job: Web/Flash Producer at Kobo

Location: Kobo Inc., 135 Liberty St. Suite 101, Toronto, Ontario

Kobo is currently searching for a talented and enthusiastic web professional to join our team as a Web/Flash Producer. As part of the Design & User Experience team, you will be responsible for production related tasks, including site updates, email development and delivery, banner ad and microsite builds, converting creative to web format, and more.

Responsibilities

• Work with Merchandising team and HR Department to schedule promotions, rotations and job descriptions, etc., using internal tools.
• Implementation of design changes to website based on requests from UX, Merchandising & Marketing.
• Contest builds, maintenance, scheduling, etc.
• Skinning and layout of microsites (blogs) owned by Marketing.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of current Internet trends including CSS3, HTML5, Flash Action Script 3, vendors, services, and tools.

Skills & Experience

• University or College degree in one of the following: Computer Science, Interactive Media OR equivalent experience (web development/e-commerce).
• Expert level understanding of CSS, HTML.
• Intermediate knowledge of JavaScript/JQuery.
• Intermediate knowledge of Flash Action Script 2.0 & 3.0.
• Understanding of best practices for coding emails across various email clients.
• Proficient with Photoshop software.
• Proficient with Flash software.
• Web standards & browser compatibility.
• Disciplined, organized & reliable work habits.
• Good communication, written & documentation skills.

To apply, please visit: http://hire.jobvite.com/j/?cj=oHzMVfwH&s=uxWaterloo

Job: Senior Information Architect at Kobo

Location: Kobo Inc., 135 Liberty St. Suite 101, Toronto, Ontario

Work downtown at one of Canada’s most exciting startups and help us design experiences on the web and for smartphones, tablets, desktops and eReaders

The responsibilities of the Information Architect include designing user interfaces, informing functional specifications, performing competitive reviews and creating flows, wireframes and process maps. You will be able to visualize concepts quickly and clearly and will work closely and collaboratively with the User Experience Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Conceive, design and prototype useful, usable, and compelling user experiences and user interfaces (represented by scenarios, paper prototypes, storyboards, wireframes, site maps, screen flows, etc.
• Document user interface requirements
• Apply domain knowledge, user interface design best practices, and knowledge of emerging UX related presentation/gestural technologies.
• Bring strong design, conceptual and problem-solving skills to translate conceptual ideas (business needs and user goals) into simple yet meaningful user interfaces.
• Assess data from multiple sources (product requirements, tech constraints, UX research, web analytics) and synthesize it in order to develop efficient user scenarios, taxonomies, classification schemes, navigation systems, design patterns, etc.
• Create and effectively present UX deliverables (wireframes, workflows, paper prototypes, etc.) to explain and negotiate design solutions to key stakeholders.
• Develop competitive assessments and perform site/application/device reviews.
• Help define, request and incorporate relevant and recent UX research and data from customer feedback to appropriately inform design decisions.
• Help define UX performance metrics.
• Upholding UX guiding principles and style in project execution.
• Create, maintain and share project documentation and UX guidelines after project execution.

Key Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years in interaction design in a product development context.
• Embraces and champions a collaborative approach that brings good resolution decisions to tough design questions and issues.
• Ability to successfully execute multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to quickly visualize concepts through sketching or other rapid prototyping methods.
• Ability to help define site strategy, concept, content, and features.
• Willingness to try alternative approaches to a challenge.
• Experience developing user personas, functional specifications and wireframes.

To apply, please visit: http://hire.jobvite.com/j/?cj=oayLVfw8&s=uxWaterloo