Principal UI Designer, Consumer

Principal UI Designer, Consumer

As a Principal UI Designer, Consumer, you will be a senior creative leader within the Consumer Design group of the Experience & Design team, responsible for elevating the visual design excellence and brand expression across KeyBank's consumer-facing digital products and services.

You will craft sophisticated, accessible, and emotionally resonant visual experiences that connect with millions of consumers daily through our digital banking platforms. Your work will establish the visual language that defines how customers interact with KeyBank across web, mobile, and emerging channels.

You will lead initiatives that push the boundaries of visual design while maintaining consistency with our design system, mentor a team of UI designers, and collaborate closely with UX strategists to ensure that every pixel reflects our commitment to clarity, beauty, and customer delight.

This role requires a visionary visual designer who can balance creative excellence with systematic thinking, inspire teams through craft leadership, and drive visual innovation while respecting business constraints and technical feasibility.

Visual Strategic Leadership

Define and evolve the visual design strategy for consumer digital products, ensuring brand consistency and market differentiation

Lead the creation of high-fidelity designs, interactive prototypes, and design specifications that set the standard for visual excellence

Champion accessibility and inclusive design principles, ensuring our visual solutions work for all customers

Drive innovation in motion design, micro-interactions, and visual storytelling that enhance user engagement

Design System & Standards

Co-own and evolve KeyBank's Design System, with primary responsibility for visual components, patterns, and guidelines

Establish and maintain visual design standards, including typography, color systems, iconography, and illustration principles

Create scalable design tokens and component libraries that enable efficient, consistent design across teams

Partner with engineering to ensure pixel-perfect implementation of design system components

Execution & Craft Excellence

Lead the visual design of high-priority consumer initiatives from concept through launch

Create compelling visual narratives through user interface design, data visualization, and information architecture

Develop responsive design solutions that maintain visual integrity across devices and platforms

Conduct visual design audits and competitive analyses to identify opportunities for differentiation

Ensure all visual design work maintains the highest standards of craft, detail, and polish

Collaboration & Influence

Partner closely with strategists, engineers, and business stakeholders to ensure visual design amplifies business and client impact

Collaborate with brand, marketing, and content teams to ensure cohesive customer experiences

Present design concepts and rationale to senior stakeholders, articulating the business value of visual design decisions

Work with engineering teams to ensure technical feasibility while maintaining design integrity

Facilitate design critiques and workshops that elevate the visual design discourse across the organization

Mentorship & Practice Development

Mentor a team of UI designers, fostering excellence in visual craft and professional growth

Lead the Consumer UI Design team, establishing best practices and advancing the discipline of visual design at KeyBank

Contribute to the recruitment and development of design talent, building a world-class design organization

Share knowledge through internal presentations, design documentation, and external thought leadership

Qualifications

8+ years of experience in UI / visual design, with at least 3 years in senior or lead roles

Exceptional portfolio demonstrating mastery of visual design, typography, color theory, and composition

Deep expertise in creating and maintaining design systems at scale

Proven track record of shipping consumer-facing digital products with measurable impact

Expert proficiency in Figma, with strong skills in prototyping and design handoff

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and other visual design tools

Strong understanding of front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)

Experience working in Agile environments with cross-functional teams

Outstanding presentation and communication skills with ability to articulate design decisions

Bachelor's degree in graphic design, Visual Communication, HCI, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in design or related field

Experience in financial services or fintech industries

Expertise in motion design and animation principles

Experience with data visualization and complex information design

Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA) and inclusive design practices

Experience leading geographically distributed design teams

This position is eligible to earn a base salary in the range of $130,000 to $150,000 annually depending on location and job-related factors such as level of experience. Compensation for this role also includes eligibility for short-term incentive compensation and deferred incentive compensation subject to individual and company performance.

KeyCorp is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining an inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.