Who We Are

At Kyndryl, we design, build, manage and modernize the mission-critical technology systems that the world depends on every day. So why work at Kyndryl? We are always moving forward – always pushing ourselves to go further in our efforts to build a more equitable, inclusive world for our employees, our customers and our communities.

The Role

Are you an associate director-level of creative technology who wants to drive strategic initiatives and create impactful experiences for the world’s critical systems? Then you’ll love working at Kyndryl Vital.

At Kyndryl Vital, we are looking for creative, curious, empathic systems thinkers who want to tackle wicked problems with some of the best technical colleagues in the world. Kyndryl Vital is a global network of designers, engineers, writers, researchers, and strategists. We are bound together by a desire to help our customers make sense of complexity and co-create intelligent and adaptive experience ecosystems that resonate with their users and transform their businesses. We believe the next evolution of experience will emerge from the artful blending of behavioral insight and business intelligence into elegantly simple, deeply human moments. We are fortunate to work with the world’s best IT experts to ensure that we can not only imagine a great experience, but that we can build it, deliver it, optimize it, and sustain it.

The Role

A Creative Technologist is a cross-disciplinary person that bridge between a design vision and engineering execution, using experimentation to solve problems in new and novel ways. They Combines technical expertise with human-centered design to prototype and implement innovative solutions. Creative technologists blend expertise in code, hardware, and emerging technologies to bring ideas to life.

As a Creative Technologist at Kyndryl Vital USA,  you will lead the overall design vision for complex client projects, collaborating with stakeholders to deliver high-impact design solutions. You will define experience strategies that integrate cutting-edge technologies—such as AI, connected systems, or immersive platforms—into broader digital transformation roadmaps.

You will act as a senior leader and advisor, managing multidisciplinary teams and mentoring designers, technologists, and researchers to elevate performance and foster a culture of experimentation. You will guide clients in adopting human-centered and iterative design practices, helping them embed these capabilities into their own organizations.

You will build and maintain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, often at the executive level, articulating how creative technology drives strategic outcomes. Internally, you’ll drive best practices, contribute to the evolution of Kyndryl Vital’s methodologies, and ensure the technical and creative quality of all design outputs—from concept through to delivery.

Kyndryl currently does not require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however, if you are hired to work at a client, customer, or partner location, you may be required to show proof of vaccination to align with their respective COVID-19 vaccination policies.  Those who believe they are eligible may apply for a medical or religious accommodation prior to the start of employment.

Who You Are

Required Technical and Professional Expertise

Human-Centered Design: You can guide large teams in user-centered practices and ensure that complex, multi-touchpoint solutions still address fundamental user needs. You likely have experience creating or approving user experience guidelines and frameworks that others follow.Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: You have an exceptional ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams. You don’t just collaborate with engineering and other departments – you orchestrate them. Under your leadership, design, engineering, business, and operations folks co-create effectively. You can resolve conflicts or misalignments between disciplines by refocusing everyone on common goals.Innovation: You are a thought leader in applying emerging technology to solve design and business problems. You have a forward-looking perspective, anticipating what technologies or trends (like agentic AI, edge computing, blockchain, etc.) might be relevant, and you incorporate that into strategic planning. You encourage a culture of continuous innovation in your team, perhaps by establishing innovation sprints or research initiatives within projects.Rapid Prototyping: You have a deep knowledge of prototyping at scale. While you may not build every prototype yourself, you know what high-fidelity prototyping entails and can set expectations and processes for your teams to prototype efficiently. You ensure that rapid experimentation remains a core part of the project approach, even at large scales or later stages of development, to validate assumptions.Feasibility Analysis: You can assess not only if a design is technically feasible, but also operationally and financially feasible for a client. This comprehensive feasibility perspective means you guide teams toward solutions that are innovative yet realistic given the client’s context (budget, tech infrastructure, talent available, etc.).Storytelling: You can craft vision narratives, white papers, or executive presentations that frame an innovative concept in terms of business value and strategic necessity. Your storytelling convinces organizations to take bold steps.AI and Data Ethics: You might be establishing guidelines or principles for ethical AI and data usage within the design practice. You ensure that any solution we propose has been vetted for ethical implications, and you can speak to how we mitigate risks related to bias, privacy, and security in front of executive stakeholders or in governance reviews. This includes responsible agentic AI patterns (tool permissioning, human-in-the-loop controls, auditability).

Preferred Professional and Technical Expertise

10+ years of experience in experience design, creative technology, or innovation roles, with at least several years in a leadership capacity. You have led interdisciplinary teams and managed senior-level client relationships.Experience in multiple industries or a deep focus in one, enabling you to bring a wealth of knowledge to strategy discussions. You might be known for expertise in a field (e.g., smart cities, healthcare innovation, financial tech) which adds credibility when advising clients in that space.Proven track record of delivering large-scale design and technology programs in enterprise environments. You understand enterprise requirements (compliance, scalability, global deployment, etc.) and have led projects that navigated these successfully while still innovating.Experience in consulting or agency leadership, including responsibilities for account growth or business development. You know how to identify client needs and propose creative solutions, often leading to follow-on work or expanded engagements (this business acumen supports strategic initiative driving).Strong familiarity with IT governance, security standards, and system integration at a high level – ensuring that any cutting-edge solution proposed can pass enterprise scrutiny and be integrated into the client’s ecosystem.Experience building or scaling a team or practice. Perhaps you have hired talent, defined team roles, or instituted training programs. This experience means you can help grow Kyndryl Vital’s Creative Technology practice itself, not just deliver on projects.Hands-on background in technology (software development, data science, etc.) earlier in your career is a plus. While now you operate at a strategic level, having that hands-on foundation helps you guide technical conversations credibly and mentor technical staff effectively.

As an associate director, your specialization might be more about thought leadership than technical skills alone. For instance, Digital Transformation Strategy with Emerging Tech, AI-driven Experience Innovation, or Omnichannel Service Design could be areas you’re known for. You leverage these specializations to influence both client strategy and our internal offerings.

Required Education

Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field (or equivalent demonstrable portfolio of work).

Preferred Education

Advanced degree or certification in design, HCI, computer science, or related (e.g., MDM, MDes, MFA, d.MBA or equivalent) is a plus.

The compensation range for the position in the U.S. is $138,480 to $263,160 based on a full-time schedule.  

Your actual compensation may vary depending on your geography, job-related skills and experience.  For part time roles, the compensation will be adjusted appropriately. The pay or salary range will not be below any applicable state, city or local minimum wage requirement.

There is a different applicable compensation range for the following work locations:

California (San Francisco Bay Area):$166,200 to $315,720 

California (All Other):$152,400 to $289,440 

Colorado: $138,480 to$ 263,160 

Massachusetts $138,480 to $289,440 

New York City: $166,200 to $315,720 

Washington: $152,400 to $289,440 

Washington DC:$152,400 to $289,440 

         

This position will be eligible for Kyndryl’s discretionary annual bonus program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Kyndryl’s applicable plans. You may also receive a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical and dental coverage, disability, retirement benefits, paid leave, and paid time off.  Note: If this is a sales commission eligible role, you will be eligible to participate in a sales commission plan in lieu of the annual discretionary bonus program.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

EEO language

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. 

 Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal                                                                                      

 Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision     

Being You

Diversity is a whole lot more than what we look like or where we come from, it’s how we think and who we are. We welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. But we’re not doing it single-handily: Our Kyndryl Inclusion Networks are only one of many ways we create a workplace where all Kyndryls can find and provide support and advice. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you – and everyone next to you – the ability to bring your whole self to work, individually and collectively, and support the activation of our equitable culture. That’s the Kyndryl Way.

What You Can Expect

With state-of-the-art resources and Fortune 100 clients, every day is an opportunity to innovate, build new capabilities, new relationships, new processes, and new value. Kyndryl cares about your well-being and prides itself on offering benefits that give you choice, reflect the diversity of our employees and support you and your family through the moments that matter – wherever you are in your life journey. Our employee learning programs give you access to the best learning in the industry to receive certifications, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Skillsoft, and many more. Through our company-wide volunteering and giving platform, you can donate, start fundraisers, volunteer, and search over 2 million non-profit organizations.  At Kyndryl, we invest heavily in you, we want you to succeed so that together, we will all succeed.

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.