Reporting to the SVP, AARP Experience (AARPx), the VP, AARPx Design and VoC will lead a team to define and operationalize new and optimized enterprise-wide, omni-channel experiences. This role is responsible for implementing the AARP Experience strategy and best practices specific to programs, products, services and channels throughout AARP via the application of human-centered design practices. The purpose is to drive adoption of AARP experience principles throughout the experience lifecycle, while delivering greater value to consumers and generating high engagement with AARP employees and volunteers.
The position is charged with bringing AARP’s most long standing, challenging experience pain points in line with our new experience principles and consumer commitment, as well as looking forward to ensure that new experience practices are adopted so that AARP can to stay ahead of constantly changing consumer expectations.
The VP, AARPx Design and VoC also manages the Association’s VoC program, which derives consumer insights via a text analytics program. This role ensures that VoC insights are used to identify and prioritize opportunity areas within the AARP experience.
In collaboration with key business units, this VP will have the following key responsibilities:
- For identified ‘experience’ issues and new offerings, apply human-centered design practices leveraging user-focused design tools such as journey mapping, contextual interviews, environmental studies, diary studies, artifact collection and co-creation to build innovative, elegant interactions for AARP’s consumers.
- Lead large cross-functional projects to ensure customer-centric, high-quality outcomes are designed and executed.
- Lead the channel/technical requirements needed to ensure successful design of intended member journeys.
- Work across the enterprise evaluating current channel capabilities and implementing best practices and standards for AARP channels, programs and platforms to drive impact, relevance and revenue.
- The VP, AARPx Design and VoC will orchestrate and project manage, with functional partners across AARP, the development and management of a repeatable process for executing complex experience initiatives and deliver a blueprint for continued alignment to consumer needs/demands across all functional areas.
- As needed, the VP AARPx Design and VoC will work with relevant L Team stakeholders to remove issues and barriers that impede experience optimization.
- Across all projects, the VP AARPx Design and VoC will understand root causes of poor AARP Experiences so that the enterprise can develop the needed processes, technologies, incentives, etc. changes to address those root causes.
- Optimizes AARP’s VoC program so that it reflects the most important sources of consumer insights; Works with the research center and the data and analytics teams to provide the consumer’s perspective to traditional data and information sources.
- Oversees the launch and maintenance of the Association’s Voice of the Employee and Voice of the Volunteer Programs.
- Develops and launches empathy building programs, such as call listening, to encourage AARP employees to experience AARP as consumers do.
- 15+ years of experience using human-centered design thinking and processes to optimize consumer experiences, to include capabilities in quality management, agile process adoption, project management and development of repeatable processes across a complex organization is required.
- Proven ability to manage multiple, complex initiatives across multiple business units that results in a positive measurable conclusion.
- Must possess strong leadership, vendor management, collaboration, communication, executive presence and presentation skills. They must be persuasive, consumer-focused, and skilled at communicating an ‘outside/in’ business perspective.
- 20% business travel is required.
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.