Lead Designer, Design Systems & Excellence

Scotiabank; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking a strategic and hands-on Lead Designer for its Toronto office to drive the evolution of its enterprise design system. Responsibilities include designing scalable UI components, creating documentation, and mentoring teams. The ideal candidate brings over 12 years of experience in digital product design and has a strong understanding of UI and interaction design principles. This role offers an inclusive work environment and opportunities for significant impact across all digital platforms.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in digital product design with enterprise-level design systems.
• Expertise in component architecture, responsive design, and accessibility.
• Experience driving system adoption across large teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain reusable UI components.
• Create documentation for components and guidelines.
• Provide coaching to designers and teams.
• Champion user-centered design across digital touchpoints.

Skills

Design systems leadership

UI design

Interaction design

Mentoring and coaching

Collaboration skills

Job description

Requisition ID: 240768

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

This Lead Designer role reports into the Director of Design Systems & Excellence and is both strategic and hands‑on: steering brand/UI direction and governance while also coaching and pairing with designers in the work.

About the Role

We’re looking for a strategic and hands‑on Lead Designer to drive the evolution, adoption, and governance of our enterprise design system. This role sits at the heart of our digital design practice, leading the creation of scalable UI components, defining design standards, and partnering across disciplines to ensure consistency, accessibility, and excellence in user experience. You’ll be a systems thinker and craft mentor, guiding designers and engineers in applying the system effectively while continuously improving its structure, documentation, and contribution model.

What You’ll Do

System Design & Development

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, reusable UI components, patterns, and design tokens for use across platforms
• Define and evolve design language, interaction models, and accessibility standards to ensure cohesive, inclusive experiences
• Partner with engineering to ensure components are technically sound, performant, and accessible

Documentation, Education & Governance

• Create clear, comprehensive documentation for components, usage guidelines, and contribution processes
• Establish governance frameworks that balance consistency, speed, and creative flexibility
• Lead training, onboarding, and support efforts to promote adoption and correct usage across teams
• Work closely with designers and cross‑functional teams to integrate the design system into workflows and product development
• Provide hands‑on coaching, feedback, and mentorship to elevate design quality and system fluency
• Champion consistency and user‑centered design across all digital touchpoints, embedding accessibility and system thinking into everyday practice

What You’ll Bring

• Extensive experience in design systems leadership: 12+ years in digital product design, with a strong track record of building, scaling, and governing enterprise‑level design systems
• Expertise in UI and interaction design: deep understanding of component architecture, responsive design, accessibility, and platform‑specific best practices
• Proven delivery at scale: demonstrated success in driving system adoption across large, cross‑functional teams and integrating design systems into complex product ecosystems
• Strategic and hands‑on mindset: able to set vision, define standards, and work directly with teams to bring systems to life in real‑world applications
• Exceptional collaboration and coaching skills: skilled at mentoring designers, facilitating cross‑functional alignment, and influencing through expertise and partnership
• Forward‑thinking perspective: awareness of emerging design trends, technologies, and tools, with the ability to translate them into actionable improvements for the system and team

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Toronto

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.