--- title: "cv - Derek Arrington" language: "en-US" canonical_url: "https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/cv" source_url: "https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/cv/" content_type: "text/markdown" --- [Download CV //](https://justbeahuman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DerekArringtonResume.pdf) Brooklyn, NY    |    [View Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-arrington/) ## Derek Arrington #### Senior Design Director & XD Strategist #### about me A visionary design-thinker with the ability to lead human-centered strategies, delivering exceptional digital product designs, and creating compelling narratives to generate intuitive customer-centric experiences. I excel in fostering collaboration, inspiring teams, and standardizing design processes to lead successful organizational transformations. I aim to apply my expertise to drive impactful and positive change within your organization. #### experience ORION INNOVATION // SENIOR XD DIRECTOR & STRATEGIST DECEMBER 2021 - JUNE 2023 // NEW YORK, NY - Championed the Orion Design Maturity Initiative, implementing a comprehensive, organizational design-first framework that unified cross-functional teams and enhanced collaboration throughout the XD group. - Spearheaded a comprehensive redesign of a major financial advisor SaaS platform, achieving 100% user satisfaction across all metrics and reducing project lifecycle by 50%. - Conceptualized and directed the Orion XD Sales Hub development, resulting in a 15% increase in successful client engagements through enhanced sales tools and educational XD resources. - Implemented agile methodologies and rapid workshopping techniques, boosting team efficiency by 30% and establishing robust design operations aligned with strategic business outcomes. - Served as key XD liaison between C-suite stakeholders, sales channels, and clients, crafting and executing comprehensive CX/XD strategies with clear OKRs and KPIs. - Facilitated high-impact strategic design-thinking workshops and led strategic discussions, ensuring quality control and adherence to client brand guidelines while driving innovation across departments. MCKINSEY & COMPANY // SENIOR DESIGN & STRATEGY LEAD MAY 2019 - SEPTEMBER 2021 // NEW YORK, NY - Directed the Professional Development Platform (PDP), implementing change programs and launching three new service lines to modernize McKinsey’s talent processes. - Led a global design team of 10+, overseeing vision-setting, product ideation, and change management to digitally transform talent diversification and development. - Unified three disjointed design teams into a cohesive group, improving collaboration and streamlining workflows. - Co-created McKinsey’s internal design system, increasing team efficiency by 40% and overall organizational productivity by 15% through governance and methodology. - Championed customer-centricity by designing a change program and a design maturity model to energize the organization around customer-led strategies. - Coached designers and researchers to maximize their impact on day-to-day design activities and contributed to bi-annual global design chapter reviews. PRUDENTIAL // SENIOR DESIGN DIRECTOR DECEMBER 2013 - MARCH 2019 // NEW YORK, NY - Expanded the internal design team from 6 to 30+ members, unifying five business verticals to foster collaboration, drive innovation, and align design strategies with business growth opportunities. - Created Prudential’s internal, on-site user research and user testing lab, streamlining data-driven decision-making and improving product usability. - Design lead for the “Prudential Playbook” design system, increasing overall cross-functional team efficiency by 25% and reducing production timelines by 30%. - Directed the creation of Prudential’s first native iOS and Android apps for the retirement business unit, boosting user engagement by 45%. - Introduced design sprints and workshops, cutting project delivery time by 30% and enhancing cross-functional alignment. - Led design and strategy of multiple B2B/B2C tools, increasing user satisfaction and engagement by 35%. LIBERTY TAX // DESIGN DIRECTOR & FED MARCH 2013 - OCTOBER 2013 // REMOTE - Led the vision, strategy, and UI/UX design for Liberty’s online DIY tax tool, delivering the full, finished product within eight months. - Defined and implemented front-end development processes, design standards, and quality assurance frameworks, ensuring consistent and scalable results. - Transformed a failing project into a successful product, achieving operational stability and long-term viability. EQUINOX FITNESS // DIGITAL ADVERTISING DESIGN DIRECTOR SEPTEMBER 2012 - APRIL 2013 // NEW YORK, NY - Led a small team of designers for all internal and external digital advertising and marketing assets. - Ensured adherence to established branding campaigns and collaborated with marketing team and sales. #### expertise - Agile methodology & lean UX practices - Branding design & brand development - Change management & corporate strategy - Content design & content strategy - Customer experience design (CX/XD) - Customer insights & journeys - Design-ops & design systems - Design sprint & workshop facilitation - Digital product development - Digital transformation - Enterprise software, systems & platforms - Financial services & fintech - Human-centered design thinking & strategy - Operational leadership & efficiency - Organizational transformation & strategy - Product design & service design - Product management & product strategy - Systems thinking & design - User experience & user interface design (UX/UI) - Value proposition design #### personal skills - Adaptable, articulate & attention to detail - Ambitious, confident, creative & innovative - Cross-functional team collaboration - Detail-oriented & highly motivated - Excellent written & verbal communication skills - Exceptional storytelling & presentation skills - Stakeholder management - Strategic leadership skills - Superb strategic thinking & problem-solving - Team building & team development - Team leadership, coaching & mentorship #### technical knowledge - Data analytics & data-driven insights - Data visualization & infographics - HTML, CSS & Javascript - Information architecture - Interaction design - Journey mapping & user flows - Omni-channel experiences - Personas creation & user needs assessment - Product planning & product roadmaps - Progressive web & mobile apps - Qualitative research - Quantitative research - User research & usability testing (A/B testing) - Visual design & typography - Wireframing & rapid prototyping #### software proficincies - Adobe Creative Suite - Confluence & Jira - CRM, SMB & SaaS products - Figma & Figjam - Gen AI, AI agents & ML - Invision & Zeppelin - Miro - MS Office 365 - Sketch - Workfront #### award & achievements - Orion Global MVP for organizational design impact - Orion U.S. MVP award for client project impact - Orion Global Hackathon honorable mention - Three consecutive Prudential “Big Rock” design awards #### education UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON - Bachelor of Arts: Professional Writing & Journalism  - Bachelor of Arts: Creative Writing - Bachelor of Arts: Visual Art & Design [orion //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/orion) [mckinsey //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/mckinsey) [prudential //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/prudential) [older work //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/older-work) [personal projects //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/passion-projects) [free time fun stuff //](https://jnytjp2rc55aygc.onstatic.studio/project/free-time) [cv //](https://justbeahuman.com/resume) [email //](mailto:derek.arrington@justbeahuman.com) [linkedin //](https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-arrington/) View 239