Director Experience Research and Design for Search and Scheduling

Ascension, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the U.S., is committed to delivering compassionate care to all individuals. As part of our GMDx (Growth Marketing and Digital Experience) Experience Research and Design (xRD) team, you will be accountable for leading the design strategy of transformative digital products that enhance consumer and patient experiences. We are seeking a dynamic Director of Experience Research and Design (xRD) to lead the Search and Scheduling consumer and patient digital experience portfolio within GMDx. This portfolio focuses on enabling consumers to search for appointments, find clinicians, and self-schedule. As the xRD lead, you will be accountable for leading the designers, researchers, and analysts to define and optimize these experiences, leveraging qualitative insights, product analytics, experimentation, and digital testing. You will provide critical leadership for product teams, work closely with product management, digital engineering counterparts, vendor partners, operations, and clinical leadership.

• Refine strategic direction for the Search and Scheduling portfolio in collaboration with product and engineering portfolio leads within GMDx.
• Lead discovery and delivery planning with a focus on experimentation, A/B testing, and data-informed feature prioritization.
• Align feature teams with the vision for optimized consumer and patient engagement, including, online scheduling, and digital interactions.
• Guide research and design activities to integrate human-centered design principles and evidence-based decision making.
• Drive continuous discovery, testing, experimentation, and iterative design to optimize consumer journeys and scheduling experiences.
• Analyze performance metrics, consumer behavior data, and usability results to inform strategy and design decisions.
• Collaborate with other GMDx Directors, VPs, C-Suite, Clinician groups to ensure consistency in design, experimentation, and research best practices across portfolios.
• Lead a team of digital product designers and researchers, fostering expertise in digital experimentation, analytics, and conversion-focused design.
• Ensure proper staffing and develop high-performing teams capable of delivering scalable, data-driven solutions.
• Drive and establish a vision for the Search and Scheduling portfolio within GMDX and align teams accordingly.
• Collaborate with GMDX and xRD leadership to ensure timely, on-spec implementation of deliverables.
• Lead testing programs, usability studies, and consumer behavior analysis to continuously improve digital experiences.
• Prioritize features and experiences based on evidence, analytics, and success metrics, refining based on measured outcomes.
• Define, manage, and communicate performance metrics, including OKRs and experiment outcomes.
• Engage stakeholders and communicate vision, strategy, plans, and progress with a focus on data-backed recommendations.
• Coordinate PI Planning with Product and Development to align on business objectives and experiment pipelines.
• Create, manage, and track the portfolio budget, including resources for research, testing, and experimentation.
• Accountable for all experience research, design, and optimization initiatives, from research and prototyping to testing and iterative improvement.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in human-centered design, digital product UX, conversion optimization, and experimentation frameworks.
• Oversee cross-functional discovery, testing, usability, and metrics / analytics review activities as well as oversee and quality check work from off-shore teams.
• Lead workshops to validate concepts, review experiments, and drive user-centric alignment.
• Manage creation of digital experience design specifications, ensuring alignment with data-informed product decisions.
• Ensure adherence to internal and industry best practices, including interaction conventions, brand standards, accessibility, and the Helix design system.
• Inspire xRD and GMDx teams and Ascension leadership by advocating for evidence-driven design, experimentation, and measurable impact in healthcare experiences.
• Partner with Product and Development to develop scheduling, booking and engagement-focused experiences that drive healthcare interactions.
• Collaborate with our Digital Product Design Discipline team to ensure consistency in design, experimentation, and research best practices across portfolios.
• Lead development of digital commerce experiences, optimizing for usability, engagement, and conversion.
• Enhance appointment search and scheduling experiences through continuous testing and data-driven improvements.
• Use analytics, experimentation, and consumer behavior insights to optimize patient and consumer journeys across digital touchpoints.

• High School diploma equivalency with 5 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree with 3 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required, with 2 of those years being in leadership/management.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Interaction Design, UX Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field. Master degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in the creation of digital experience design specifications.
• Experience managing a team of Digital Product Designers, Researchers and Communications Designers.
• Proven experience driving clinical product design in cross-functional, highly matrixed, and complex organizations at scale, with expertise in designing for EMR and clinician workflows.
• Skilled in collaborating with clinicians, c-suite, vice presidents in provider based health care settings for appointment scheduling at scale.
• Extensive experience bringing and scheduling consumer digital products to market at scale in complex regulatory environments, from corporate systems to local healthcare facilities.
• Strong portfolio of leading research and design programs.
• Experience collaborating with product management and digital engineering teams.
• Skilled in communicating compelling product visions through storytelling, presentation design, and writing.
• Provider-based Healthcare experience is a plus.
• Experience leading research and design programs with a strong portfolio of examples.
• Direct experience as an individual contributor or design lead within digital product development teams, with expertise in digital product design operations.
• Proficiency in agile software development practices, scaled agile (SAFe), and collaboration with product management and engineering teams.
• Strong visual communicator to build C-Suite communications and business case development to drive compelling product visions through storytelling, presentation design, and writing.
• Proven experience in digital product design leadership with a strong portfolio showcasing platform design expertise and cross-functional collaboration.
• Proficiency with scheduling and booking product design and managing multiple design efforts simultaneously, especially in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Familiarity with scaled agile (SAFe) methodologies, PI planning, and contributing to portfolio reviews, aligning cross-functional teams with business goals and priorities.
• Excellent communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to provide clear, actionable design feedback, align teams, and advocate for user-centric solutions.
• Strong experience in healthcare platforms like Apigee, Figma, EDSL, or other tools to empower other dev and product teams, with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement and domain-specific insights.
• Experience designing consumer experiences in areas such as online marketing, search, and scheduling.
• Proven experience leading research, experimentation, and design programs with a strong portfolio of evidence-driven results.
• Direct experience as an individual contributor or design lead in digital product development with expertise in experimentation, testing, and optimization frameworks.
• Proficiency in agile software development practices, scaled agile (SAFe), and collaboration with product management and digital engineering.
• Skilled in communicating compelling product visions using storytelling, analytics insights, and data-informed recommendations.
• Experience designing consumer experiences in online marketing, search, and scheduling, informed by testing and behavioral analytics.
• Familiarity with capacity planning and load-balancing across multiple
• Willingness to travel for team and cross-functional collaboration when necessary.

• Paid time off (PTO)
• Various health insurance options & wellness plans
• Retirement benefits including employer match plans
• Long-term & short-term disability
• Employee assistance programs (EAP)
• Parental leave & adoption assistance
• Tuition reimbursement

Ascension is a leading non-profit, faith-based national health system made up of over 134,000 associates and 2,600 sites of care, including more than 140 hospitals and 40 senior living communities in 19 states. Our Mission, Vision and Values encompass everything we do at Ascension. Every associate is empowered to give back, volunteer and make a positive impact in their community. Ascension careers are more than jobs; they are opportunities to enhance your life and the lives of the people around you.