Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture for the past 20 years. Our team is guided by core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and a purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high‑performance talent from diverse backgrounds can build careers in our growing industry.
Job Description
Ares is seeking a Vice‑President to serve as User Experience Designer for Client Platforms Technology, the engineering team responsible for all client‑facing systems within Ares, including Sales, Marketing, Client Reporting, and Digital/Web platforms.
Summary
Reporting to a Principal Service as Client Platforms Digital Experience Lead, the successful candidate will shape the user experience and visual design of Ares’ digital products—corporate websites, client portals, digital reporting interfaces, and internal applications. The role requires deep expertise in UI/UX principles, enterprise digital ecosystems, and a proven ability to deliver thoughtful, strategic solutions in a fast‑moving environment.
Primary Functions & Responsibilities
UX Strategy & Design Leadership
- Shape the user experience strategy for digital products, ensuring seamless, coherent experiences across websites, portals, and application interfaces.
- Lead the design of information architecture, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high‑fidelity UI designs.
- Establish and maintain the firm’s digital design system, ensuring consistency, reuse of design effort, accessibility, and brand alignment.
- Advocate for user‑centred design practices and influence decision‑making across Digital Platforms and business teams.
- Translate complex financial services workflows into streamlined, intuitive digital interactions.
Collaboration & Delivery
- Collaborate with the Digital Experience Lead to set UX vision, design standards, and long‑term digital experience strategy.
- Work closely with Web Architects, developers, product managers, marketing, and data teams to bring designs to life.
- Conduct usability testing, stakeholder reviews, and design workshops to validate and refine concepts.
- Support the delivery of responsive, accessible, high‑performance interfaces aligned with technical and platform constraints.
- Contribute to multi‑disciplinary project teams delivering websites, dashboards, data visualizations, and client‑facing digital tools.
Research, Insights & Continuous Improvement
- Lead user research efforts including interviews, journey mapping, analytics review, and competitive analysis.
- Identify usability gaps and propose digital experience enhancements backed by data and user insights.
- Stay current with emerging trends in UX, visual design, accessibility, digital personalization, and financial services technology.
- Partner with the Digital Experience Lead to define KPIs for user engagement and digital experience quality.
Governance & Standards
- Champion digital accessibility (WCAG) and design inclusivity across all touchpoints.
- Maintain design documentation, guidelines, and governance frameworks to ensure quality at scale.
- Guide junior designers, contractors, or external agencies in applying the firm’s digital experience standards.
Required Experience & Background
- 7–10+ years of experience in UI/UX design or digital product design, including a senior or lead designer role.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating enterprise‑level UX design, responsive web design, and visually sophisticated UI work.
- Expertise with Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or comparable design tools.
- Deep understanding of UX methodologies, design thinking, and user‑centered design frameworks.
- Experience conducting user research, user testing, and translating insights into actionable design improvements.
- Ability to create wireframes, prototypes, design systems, reusable component libraries and polished UI assets.
- Strong collaboration skills and comfort working with technical stakeholders, including developers and architects.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present complex concepts to non‑design audiences.
- Familiarity with front‑end development concepts and constraints (HTML, CSS, JS, animation frameworks such as Motion) and CMS platforms such as AEM.
Preferred Experience
- Experience in asset management, wealth management, financial services, or another regulated environment.
- Knowledge of data visualization, dashboard design, or complex transactional UI patterns.
- Experience with enterprise design systems and scalable component‑based design methodologies.
- Understanding of personalization platforms, marketing automation tools, and customer journey design.
- Exposure to accessibility compliance frameworks (WCAG 2.x) and inclusive design principles.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Design, Human‑Computer Interaction, Digital Media, or a related field.
Reporting Relationships
Partner, Chief Information Officer
Application Process
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.
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