Director CX

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." – IDC 

“The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments” - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA 

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence. 

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management. 

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage. 

DDN is seeking a visionary and experienced Director of CX (Web) to lead and define the user experience strategy for our web-based products, platforms, and digital touchpoints. This critical role will be instrumental in ensuring our sophisticated AI data intelligence solutions are intuitive, efficient, and delightful for our highly technical user base. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of user-centered design principles, a proven track record of leading CX teams, and the ability to translate complex technical concepts into accessible and engaging web experiences.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic CX Leadership:
• Define and champion the overall CX vision and strategy for DDN's web presence, including product UIs, customer portals, marketing sites, and internal tools, aligning it with business objectives and product roadmaps.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive CX strategy that enhances user satisfaction, streamlines workflows, and drives engagement for technical users interacting with AI and HPC data infrastructure.
• Advocate for user needs and best practices across the organization, effectively communicating the value of CX to stakeholders at all levels, from engineers to executive leadership.
• Team Leadership and Mentorship:
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of CX designers, researchers, and UI developers, fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and design excellence.
• Provide guidance and oversight throughout the entire design lifecycle, from discovery and research to prototyping, testing, and implementation.
• Establish and promote design standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure consistency, scalability, and high quality across all web experiences.
• User Research and Insights:
• Oversee and conduct user research activities (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing, ethnographic studies) with a technical audience to gain a deep understanding of their needs, behaviors, and pain points related to AI data management and HPC.
• Translate complex user research findings and behavioral data into actionable design insights and recommendations.
• Utilize analytics and performance metrics to continuously evaluate and improve the user experience, identifying areas for optimization and innovation.
• Design and Prototyping:
• Provide expert guidance on information architecture, interaction design, and visual design for web-based applications.
• Oversee the creation of wireframes, prototypes (low to high-fidelity), user flows, and other design artifacts to effectively communicate and test design concepts.
• Ensure designs are functional, intuitive, accessible (WCAG 2.2), and optimized for performance within a technical context.
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, marketing, and other cross-functional teams to integrate user insights into every aspect of the product development lifecycle.
• Bridge the gap between highly technical product capabilities and intuitive user interfaces.
• Work within agile methodologies to ensure efficient and iterative design processes.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree UX Design, Interaction Design, Graphic Design, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in CX design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing and mentoring CX teams, preferably in a B2B enterprise software or highly technical product environment.
• Strong portfolio showcasing impactful, human-centered web design solutions for complex technical products or platforms.
• Deep understanding of web technologies, responsive design principles, and modern web development frameworks.
• Expertise in user research methodologies, usability testing, and data-driven design approaches.
• Proficiency with leading design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure).
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and strategies to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing for high-performance computing, or cloud infrastructure.
• Familiarity with the challenges and needs of data scientists, AI engineers, and IT administrators.
• Experience with design systems development and maintenance.

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these 4 characteristics and any successful employee will demonstrate these capabilities: 

Self-Starter - Takes independent action to identify and solve problems. Seeks out relevant information needed to make decisions. Gets involved with new initiatives. 

Success/Achievement Orientation - Delivers quality results consistently. Targets, achieves (or exceeds) measurable results. Sets challenging goals, focuses on critical priorities, and is accountable. 

Problem Solving - Recognizes problems and responds with a systematic assessment that identifies and addresses cause of issue. Practical, realistic, and resourceful. 

Innovative - Builds and improves key business processes that enhance the effectiveness of DDN. Generates new ideas, challenges the status quo, and solves problems creatively.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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