Senior User Experience Researcher

The Senior User Experience Designer will be responsible for the user experience of our sales force across Paint Stores Group intranet platforms and applications, including the design of innovative digital sales tools. This individual will be a key member of the Sales Excellence Technology Project Team focused on empowering Sales Excellence through modernized technology that enables sales professionals to focus on building meaningful customer relationships and delivering value through personalized solutions. This role will partner with internal and external teams including business leads, IT, and field employees to promote user-centered design in a fast-paced development life-cycle. The role will focus on providing developers with actionable direction based on a deep understanding of UI best practices and UX heuristics, paired with attention to consistency and cohesion across several related apps. Familiarity with sales workflows and design system creation will be beneficial. Strategy & Planning Collaborate with business partners to understand needs and define requirements for websites and software applications. Partner with IT and the Business to plan for new products and applications, defining design activities and helping with the product strategy. Oversee or partner on UX research to gain strategic insights that inform design activities. Act as "go to" with in-depth knowledge of user interface best practices and standards. Use research-related services, theories and methods to support your recommendations. Acquisition & Deployment Translate business and user needs into usable, visually compelling, and technically sound interactive solutions. Communicate concepts using a variety of methods (i.e., wireframes and prototypes). Act as the user-advocate during the development process, subjecting early-stage designs to usability testing or expert review, and offering implementation suggestions from a user-centered perspective. Develop an effective and efficient information architecture. Collect and analyze user behavior through in-person usability testing, remote usability testing, click-stream analytics, surveys, card sorts, field studies, etc. Establish and maintain UI consistency across designed systems. Operational Management Utilize a flexible approach to changing priorities in an Agile work environment. Collaborate with product owners, designers, marketing, brand, IT and other stakeholders on the implementation and support of design solutions. Train and mentor other team members as applicable. Incidental Functions Conduct research into new technologies, including tools, components, and frameworks. Mentor and coach developers and/or Professional Apprentices. Project and task management and reporting as necessary. Make presentations to management, clients, and peer groups as requested. Schedule and lead project and communication meetings with clients. Assist with other projects as may be required to contribute to efficiency and effectiveness of the work. Participate in hiring activities and fulfilling affirmative action obligations and ensuring compliance with the equal employment opportunity policy. Minimal travel is required Work outside the standard office 7.5 hour workday may be required. Formal Education & Certification Bachelor's Degree (or foreign equivalent) or in lieu of a degree, at least 12 years in experience in the field of Information Technology or Business (work experience or a combination of education and work experience in the field of Information Technology or Business). Knowledge & Experience 5+ years IT and/or Business experience. 3+ years of experience designing usable interfaces for the web using a variety of methods (i.e., wireframes, mockups, prototypes). Understanding of responsive web design concepts and mobile appl