Creative and UX Lead

RTI International is an independent, scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach-one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world's most challenging problems.

We believe in the promise of science and technical solutions, and we push ourselves every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses in the US and around the world. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you.

This role is a senior leader, reporting to the Vice President for Marketing, within the newly established Institute-wide integrated brand and marketing function. This team is a part of an evolving marketing and brand ecosystem designed to power institutional growth, strengthen market presence, and deliver consistent, high-value experiences across the buyer journey.

The Creative and UX Leaderoversees the user experience and strategy for RTI's web properties and is responsible forshaping cohesive, user-centered experiences across digital products, marketing platforms, and key audience journeys. This role bridges product UX, web experience, and service design to ensure our brand, content, and tools work together as a unified ecosystem.The Creative and UX Leaderwill be responsible for increasing performancefroma SEO/AEO/GEO standpoint; adapting to RTI's changing business needs;establishingclear guidelines for content creation; and delivering high-quality experiences for both internal and external audiences.

This leader brings creative systems thinking to how people interact with our organization - from first touch to ongoing engagement - translating audience insight into intuitive, effective experiences that drive impact. This role will report to RTI's Vice President of Marketing. While this is aUS-basedremote position,local candidates within physical commuting distance to an RTI office (RTP, DC) are preferred.

Your primary responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Leadership and UX Strategy

• Define and evolve a holistic UX vision spanning digital products, web properties, and priority audience journeys
• Ensure experiences align with brand strategy, audience priorities, and organizational growth goalsand align with industry best practices in UX, SEO, AEO, and GEO
• Identifyfriction points and opportunities across the end-to-end experience ecosystem
• Develop design systems, usability standards, and accessibility practices
• Collaborate cross-functionally with brand, marketing, product, technology, operations and technical teams
• Contribute to broader brand, marketing, and communication strategy

Product & Platform UX

• Lead UX direction for digital tools, platforms, and interactive experiences
• Translate complex information and workflows into intuitive user flows and interfaces
• Partner with product, tech, and data teams to embed user-centered design practices

Web & Marketing Experience

• Optimizesite architecture, content pathways, and conversion journeys
• Partner with content, brand, and campaign teams to ensure marketing experiences are usable, accessible, and effective
• Apply behavioral insight and UX best practices to improve engagement and outcomes

Service & Journey Design

• Map and improve priority stakeholder journeys across touchpoints
• Ensure consistency across digital and human experiences
• Use research and feedback to inform journey improvements

Research & Client-facing Work

• Support or lead UX strategy and research on digital projects for RTI clients, ensuring deliverables meet high professional standards and reflect current best practices, augmenting the RTI Digital Data Solutions team
• Present UX findings, recommendations, and deliverables to clients and internal stakeholders (as relevant)
• Establish lightweight, scalable UX research practices
• Synthesize user data, testing, and feedback into actionable design recommendations
• Advocate for audience needs in strategic planning

Team Management and Other Duties

• Serve as people manager for digital marketing and design roles
• Act as main point-of-contact for external vendors and partners working on areas of RTI's web ecosystem
• Coordinate with other marketing efforts to ensure all properties/media are working together
• Mentor UX, UI, and front-end developers across departments on evaluating design effectiveness and contextual analysis.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree and 14 years of relevant experience (or Master's degree and 12 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience) including at least 8 years in UX, product design, service design, or digital experience strategy.
• Experience spanning bothproduct UX and web/marketing experience design.
• Demonstrated fluency and comfort incorporating generative and agentic AI into strategy development and implementation.
• Experience working across a breadth of clients (non-profit, technology services, professional services and consulting, start-up).
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status(e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

Preferred Experience:

• Previous experience working with digital advertising agency.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Supervisory and mentorship experience
• Strong systems thinking and complex journey design
• Ability to translate research into practical design solutions
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and lead without formal authority
• Familiarity with accessibility and inclusive design standards
• Knowledge and experience with relevant multimedia tools and technologies.
• Knowledge and experience with digital marketing and digital corporate communications
• Strong knowledge of external markets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel.
• Ability to manage multiple prioritieseffectively.
• Ability to work wellas part of a team and independently.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstration of the RTI Values and Lead Forward behaviors by all employees is critical to the Institute's success.

Behaviors associated with our Values and Lead Forward can been found onRTIInsider and Careers page.

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For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is availablehere.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only:It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.