Associate Director - AI Innovation Lab, Human-centered Design

Job description

Who We Are At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world’s leading businesses.  We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people—Kyndryls—that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive. The Role As Associate Director, Customer Innovation & Design Leadership, you will lead customer innovation engagements end to end—from challenge framing and executive workshops through prototype direction, evidence, and the decisions that follow. Serving as the customer's strategic contact and a trusted advisor to senior leadership, you will bridge the gap between complex business problems, research insights, and tangible concepts people can test. This is a strategic design-leadership and consulting role focused on human-AI systems. Composed in ambiguity, you will create just enough structure to move fast while directing multidisciplinary teams of creative technologists, designers, researchers, and engineers. You bring practical AI fluency and a clear point of view on how AI reshapes customer experiences, driving outcomes that lead directly to funded sprints, pilots, and enterprise transformation. What You Will DoOwn the customer journey, shaping brief arcs, success measures, immersion, co-design workshops, builds, and post-Lab follow-through. Lead CIOs, CTOs, COOs, and senior leadership teams through ambiguity, constructive challenge, and strategic decisions. Translate enterprise priorities, user needs, and operational realities into clear value hypotheses and actionable design challenges. Define human-AI system interactions—designing handoffs, exceptions, control, and accountability between people and agents. Direct multidisciplinary teams through focused prototype builds, setting fidelity and defining evidence using realistic scenarios and synthetic personas. Connect engagement findings and validation evidence to definitive executive recommendations and owned next steps. Turn validated work into reusable methods, patterns, prompts, agent states, policies, and reference builds. Build practice capability, coach multidisciplinary talent, and dedicate capacity to moonshot initiatives in human-AI collaboration. Your Future at KyndrylBecoming an Associate Director at Kyndryl is an excellent gateway to many different paths. You’ll be creating a well-rounded skillset while gaining professional certifications and qualifications. You can evolve horizontally into other technical or non-technical areas, or move vertically into senior leadership or specialized domain roles. There are many different types and flavors of roles at Kyndryl, so everyone can find the opportunity that suits them best. Who You Are Who You AreYou’re good at what you do and possess the required experience to prove it. However, equally as important – you have a growth mindset; keen to drive your own personal and professional development. You are customer-focused – someone who prioritizes customer success in their work. And finally, you’re open and borderless – naturally inclusive in how you work with others. Required Skills and ExperienceBachelor's degree in Design, HCI, Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Architecture, or equivalent practical experience. 10+ years in design, innovation, or consulting, including 3+ years leading multidisciplinary teams and owning executive customer relationships. Proven portfolio of end-to-end innovation engagements, detailing challenge framing, prototyping, testing, and business outcomes. Executive presence and facilitation skills, with a track record of guiding C-suite stakeholders through complex co-design and decisions. Strong business acumen and human-centered design leadership spanning research, framing, validation, and live implementation. Practical AI opportunity fluency, with enough understanding of generative and agentic systems to direct credible prototypes. Multidisciplinary direction capability, aligning designers, researchers, engineers, and commercial teams around unified goals. Preferred Skills and ExperienceMaster’s degree or MBA in Design, HCI, Innovation, Business, or a related field. Background working within a design consultancy, innovation lab, product studio, or creative agency. Cross-industry exposure (e.g., Financial Services, Retail, Healthcare) across global markets. Hands-on familiarity with digital, spatial, or physical prototyping, design tools (Figma, Miro), and enterprise AI governance. Being You The “Kyn” in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our customers and our communities. We focus on ensuring all Kyndryls feel included and we welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. We believe in growth, and we’re excited to see what you can bring. At Kyndryl, employee feedback has told us that our number one driver of employee engagement is belonging. That sense of belonging — being a valued, respected, trusted member of the team — is fundamental to our culture and fueling great experiences for our customers. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you the ability to thrive and contribute to our culture of empathy and shared success. That’s The Kyndryl Way. What You Can Expect Your career with us isn’t just a job—it’s an adventure with purpose.  We offer a dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well-being and empowers you to grow. Our Be Well programs are thoughtfully designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health—because we know that when you feel your best, you do your best. From your very first day, you’ll dive into impactful work that powers the systems our customers rely on every day. You won’t just contribute—you’ll make a difference, tackling meaningful projects that sharpen your skills and fuel your growth. We’re here to champion your journey. With powerful tools to chart your career path, personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions, and continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track, you’ll have everything you need to thrive and evolve. You’ll develop in-demand skills to grow your career and achieve your ambitions with access to cutting-edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands-on experiences. And through it all, you’ll be part of a culture that values empathy, restless learning, and a devotion to shared success. We want you to thrive here—and we’re committed to helping you do just that. Ready to make an impact? Join us and help shape what’s next. Get Referred! If you know someone that works at Kyndryl, when asked ‘How Did You Hear About Us’ during the application process, select ‘Employee Referral’ and enter your contact's Kyndryl email address.