About Photon:
Photon is a global digital agency helping the world’s largest companies transform their customer experience. We combine strategy, design, and engineering to deliver human-centered digital solutions at scale.

Role Overview:
Photon is seeking a

hands-on Associate Creative Director (ACD)

with a strong foundation in

User Experience (UX)

design, team leadership, and client strategy. This role will be

fully embedded onsite

with one of our major banking clients, serving as a senior leader within the experience design team. The ACD will play a critical role in translating business requirements into actionable UX strategies while mentoring designers and fostering collaboration between multidisciplinary teams.

Key Responsibilities:
Client Partnership

Serve as the primary design liaison to client stakeholders onsite.

Lead discovery and planning conversations to align design strategy with business goals.

Represent Photon’s design leadership in cross-functional meetings and presentations.

UX Strategy & Design Leadership

Define and champion UX strategies that enhance product usability and drive customer engagement.

Guide creation of user flows, wireframes, interaction models, and high-fidelity designs.

Ensure alignment with brand standards, accessibility best practices, and enterprise design systems.

Team Leadership & Oversight

Oversee and support a team of UX/UI designers working across multiple workstreams.

Review and refine team deliverables to ensure quality and consistency.

Manage timelines, task prioritization, and resource planning in an agile environment.

Design Tools & Collaboration

Expert-level fluency in

Figma

, including components, prototyping, and design systems.

Use tools such as FigJam, Miro, Jira, Confluence, and Maze for collaboration, documentation, and testing.

Work closely with product owners, developers, and other stakeholders to ensure smooth handoff and implementation.

Qualifications:
7+ years of experience in UX/UI design with a proven track record of leading design teams or complex initiatives.

2+ years in a leadership role such as ACD, UX Lead, or Principal Designer.

Deep expertise in

Figma

and related UX tools.

Strong understanding of enterprise digital platforms, particularly in banking or fintech.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Must be able to work

onsite full-time

at the client location (details to be shared during the interview process).

Nice to Have:
Experience working within regulated industries (banking, healthcare, etc.).

Familiarity with user testing tools like Maze and best practices in accessibility and compliance.

Previous consulting or agency experience a plus.

Compensation, Benefits and Duration

Minimum Compensation: USD 34,000

Maximum Compensation: USD 120,000

Compensation is based on actual experience and qualifications of the candidate. The above is a reasonable and a good faith estimate for the role.

Medical, vision, and dental benefits, 401k retirement plan, variable pay/incentives, paid time off, and paid holidays are available for full time employees.

This position is available for independent contractors

No applications will be considered if received more than 120 days after the date of this post