Director, Design Strategy

American Express

. Lead a multidisciplinary team of experience strategists, service designers, and prototypers focused on shaping the future of American Express experiences.

Posted 10/20/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • United StatesLead💰 $144,250 - $256,250 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative customer experiences through strategic design, service design, and systems thinking. Proficient in synthesizing complex information into actionable strategies and compelling narratives that align customer insights with business priorities.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Design StrategyService DesignSystems ThinkingHuman-Centered DesignLeadership of Multidisciplinary Teams

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Experience StrategyProduct DesignInnovationPrototypingCustomer Experience DevelopmentStrategic Narrative CreationComplex Problem SolvingOpportunity Area IdentificationEmerging Technology ExplorationExecutive-Level Communication

Soft Skills

FacilitationStorytellingCommunicationCollaborationCuriosity

Certifications & Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in DesignMaster’s Degree in DesignBachelor’s Degree in Human-Computer InteractionMaster’s Degree in Human-Computer InteractionBachelor’s Degree in BusinessMaster’s Degree in BusinessBachelor’s Degree in StrategyMaster’s Degree in Strategy

Industry Keywords

Customer-Centered ThinkingCross-Functional CollaborationEmerging Customer NeedsBusiness OpportunitiesExperience ModelsEnd-to-End JourneysEcosystemsOrganizational BoundariesCustomer InsightTechnical Possibilities

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead a multidisciplinary team of experience strategists, service designers, and prototypers focused on shaping the future of American Express experiences.
Lead time-boxed discovery engagements focused on emerging customer needs, business opportunities, technologies, and experience models.
Frame ambiguous business challenges into clear customer problems, strategic hypotheses, and actionable opportunity areas.
Develop future-state experience concepts connecting customer needs, business priorities, brand, and technology.
Apply service design and systems thinking to understand end-to-end journeys, ecosystems, capabilities, and dependencies across products and channels.
Use rapid prototyping and experimentation to make future experiences tangible, test hypotheses, and accelerate learning and decision-making.
Explore implications of emerging technologies, including AI and new interaction models, on future customer experience.
Create strategic narratives, experience visions, frameworks, and executive-level artifacts supporting senior leadership decisions.
Facilitate strategic working sessions with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to create alignment around problems, opportunities, and future direction.
Partner with Product, Technology, Research, Brand, and business teams to ground strategies in customer insight, business priorities, and technical possibilities.
Translate discovery into experience principles, opportunity areas, prototypes, and product recommendations.
Build a culture of curiosity, experimentation, collaboration, and customer-centered thinking while elevating Design as a strategic partner.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of experience in design strategy, experience strategy, service design, product design, innovation, or a related discipline, including leadership of multidisciplinary teams.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex strategic design initiatives from ambiguous problem spaces through clearly articulated strategies, concepts, and recommendations.
Deep expertise in strategic design, service design, systems thinking, experience strategy, or product innovation, with the ability to lead across design disciplines.
Experience developing future-state customer experiences that span products, channels, services, and organizational boundaries.
Strong understanding of human-centered design and the ability to connect customer insight with business strategy and technology.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, compelling strategic narratives and executive-level communications.
Exceptional facilitation, storytelling, and communication skills, with experience influencing senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, establish direction, and mobilize teams around complex problems and emerging opportunities.
Experience partnering closely with Product Management, Engineering, Research, Brand, and business strategy teams.
Strong people leadership skills with demonstrated success attracting, developing, and leading high-performing multidisciplinary design talent.
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Business, Strategy, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Visa sponsorship may be provided for certain positions depending on business unit requirements, position nature, cost, and applicable laws.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive base salaries
Bonus incentives
6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
Career development and training opportunities
Equity, if applicable