Principal, Customer Centric Research

Position Description

The Principal for Customer Centric Research is responsible for researching customer centric behaviors and technologies that will further improve our customers' experience with us to the point it translates into increased loyalty, customer satisfaction, and net promoter scores. This role is responsible for capturing the voice of the customer and working cross-functionally to deliver meaningful and diverse customer experiences. The candidate must be a champion of insights-driven strategy, evidence-based decision making, and continuous innovation.
This individual in this role will deliver powerful stories through complex data, generates deep insight into the needs, motivations, passions, and challenges in the lives of our client's customers by translating the information into strategies and services that elicit valuable customer behaviors.

Position-Related Responsibilities

Human-Centered Design Process Activities

• Conducts/gather/defines preparatory research to understand the needs of customers.
• Has the ability to conduct and/or interpret Human Centered Design (HCD) research plans, which could include interview guides, participant observation, information-gathering tools, immersive research, SME conversations, surveys, and more.
• Develops personas, journey maps and leads others through the development of solution seeking "How Might We..." statements
• Designs and facilitates ideation sessions with a variety of stakeholders, including future-state journey mapping, card sets, brainstorm sketching, paper prototypes, etc.
• Makes recommendations for new processes, services, programs, and products based on research.

Interdepartmental Collaboration and Innovation

• Works with teams across the organization to understand current challenges and goals, and align with (Customer experience) CX strategy and objectives
• Collaborates with IT teams in defining CX IT roadmap and minimally viable products that will help us achieve CX goals.
• Champions implementation of CX strategy objectives and a customer-focused culture across the organization.
• Collaborates with other Customer Insights teammates on the collection of trends, competitive insights, industry updates, and sales reports
• Collaborates with ET&I team to communicate customer-centric innovative technologies and opportunities that will impact our business.
• Participates in Fortis Customer Experience council, as well as UNS CX Council efforts.
• Makes recommendations on next steps forward and ways to mitigate risk

Advocate for Customer Needs

• Leads organizational engagement strategies, including building empathy for the customer within the constraints of smart business acumen
• Acts as the voice of the customer - ensuring our customers' needs are present in every discussion and project
• Champions usage of multiples sources of customer insights, including VOC, analytics, direct customer research, HCD sessions, JD Power analysis, and customer journey mapping
• Develops and presents the business case for new products, processes, or solutions at all levels of the organization

Accountability - Definition of Expected Outcomes

• Ensures there is a tracking mechanism in place to demonstrate the success or failure of the initiatives launched
• Responsible for driving product and solution innovation across the company
• Acts as project manager - lending support when needed
• Improved Customer Satisfaction metrics, as measured by JD Power

This position may provide services to affiliates of the Company subject to the UNS Energy Code of Conduct and the related Policies and Procedures.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
(Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.)

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires an undergraduate degree in a related field
• Four or more years of professional experience as a Project Manager or two or more years of professional experience as a Program Manager.
• Strong ability to develop internal and external consensus with people who reflect the full range of diversity in the business objectives of CX initiatives/projects.
• Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills and the ability to work effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrates a strong ability to effectively lead change.
• Demonstrates ability and willingness to adapt to dynamic project, organizational, and environmental needs.
• Strong demonstration of human relations skills, showing the ability to work with, and maintain positive relations across individuals, teams, and departments.
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of all aspects of project management.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or related advanced degree
• 3 years of relevant experience in the utility industry with exhibited technical competence.
• CX certification
• 3 years of CX and/or UX experience.
• Supports all decision making with effective time management, technical knowledge, and economic consideration.
• Leadership skills: the ability to lead and influence in a collaborative fashion; coach and mentor matrixed team members.