Experience Strategist

Shape how clients and associates experience First Horizon’s branches and ATMs. The Experience Design Strategist turns the bank’s multi-year branch network plan into experience strategy, formats, and standards for how branches look, flow, and work. This leader sets the experience intent for associate roles and service flow, the visual experience, and the technology that connects the branch to digital channels. The role is the face of in-branch experience within Consumer Distribution, partnering closely with Consumer Strategy, Corporate Properties, Brand, Technology, and our design and architecture partners. Corporate Properties owns test fits, technical drawings, design development, construction documents, and architect direction. This role hands its concepts to Corporate Properties for design, development, pricing, and implementation.

Accountabilities (outcomes)

• Format strategy and standards: Set the intent for a scalable branch and ATM format strategy and experience design system (kit of parts, space needs, adjacencies, zones), aligned to Consumer strategy, brand, security, accessibility, and operations. Co-author the experience standards in the bank’s branch design guidelines.
• Experience and performance uplift: Deliver measurable improvements to client journeys (access, clarity, dwell, conversion) and associate choreography, meaning how associates move and serve clients, while meeting capital and operating cost targets.
• Early-phase experience design: Define the experience requirements and intent that inform Corporate Properties’ space programming. Set the intent for layouts, the visual experience, and finishes, furniture, and fixtures, shown through concept illustrations, illustrative elevations, and renderings.
• Prototype experience concepts: Lead the experience concept for new branch prototypes up to handoff. Evaluate them once open through test and learn, and submit changes through Corporate Properties’ change control.
• Cross-functional integration: Hand off concepts cleanly, and advise on the experience impact of value engineering decisions.

Responsibilities (work performed)

• Translate strategy to formats: Convert the multi-year branch network plan into a format catalog and space and zone strategies by branch type, market, and site.
• Kit of parts: Co-author experience standards with Corporate Properties for teller and consult zones, self-service and ATM areas, consultation and multipurpose rooms, and signage and wayfinding.
• Branch modernization: Contribute the experience content to program documents for each level of branch modernization, including a playbook for lighter-touch updates.
• Floor plan review: Deliver concept illustrations and experience requirements before drawing starts, and review floor plans for intent as they are drawn. Corporate Properties owns floor plan revisions.
• Client journey and associate choreography: Map client journeys end to end. Script service roles and choreography within the space with staffing and client engagement partners. Plan for technology (self-service, appointments, digital displays, queuing, cash automation) that connects the branch to digital channels.
• Brand and merchandising: Partner with Brand on brand and merchandising in the space.
• ATM integration: Partner with the ATM Distribution Strategist and Corporate Properties to set experience guidelines for ATM placement, lighting, accessibility, signage, pathways, and privacy.
• Data-informed design: Use mapping-based market insights and branch performance data to prioritize changes, size formats, and tune capacity. Build repeatable tools with Data and Analytics.

KPIs and success measures

• Early-phase design: Less reliance on outside partners for early-phase concept work.
• Experience performance: Measured improvements in client journey clarity and throughput and in associate choreography; fewer associate complaints tied to space and workflow.
• Standards adoption: Adherence to the co-authored experience standards, with documented variances and rationale.
• Guardrails: Experience guardrails, set with Corporate Properties, that reduce scope variance and speed decisions.

Qualifications

• Required
• 10+ years in retail or environmental experience design, or physical channel experience; a portfolio showing experience concepts carried through to built spaces with architecture partners.
• Expertise in design standards systems (kit of parts, format catalogs, zone strategies) and in illustration and visualization.
• Working knowledge of ADA and accessibility.
• Strong presentation, leadership, and influence skills; able to act with delegated authority and drive decisions.
• Analytical and creative, with strong written and visual storytelling for executive approvals.
• Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), and SketchUp or Enscape (or equivalent) for illustration and 3D visualization.

•

• Preferred
• Experience across multi-site retail or banking networks, including prototypes, pilots, or test and learn programs.
• Familiarity with banking security considerations.

Experience with ESRI or similar mapping tools for market and performance data.