Head of Design Operations

Lloyds Banking Group; Leeds; On-site; GBP 104,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

A major UK financial institution is seeking a Head of Design Operations to lead its design delivery efforts. This role requires strong leadership skills, expertise in design management, and innovation. The successful candidate will enhance design quality and build a cohesive practice, ensuring effective collaboration and strategic design practices across the organization. The position is hybrid, offering flexibility while maintaining a commitment to inclusivity and diversity.

Benefits

Generous pension contribution up to 15%

Annual performance-related bonus

Share schemes including free shares

Discounted shopping benefits

30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Strong ability to lead teams and solve complex problems.
• Experience in establishing effective Design Management practices.
• Experience managing and scaling design systems effectively.
• Ability to provide evidence of design team's impact.
• Credibility in managing complex markets and organizations.
• Ability to inspire and exceed expectations within a team.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to influence across design disciplines.
• Strong communication skills with stakeholders at all levels.
• Understanding of digital and financial services.

Responsibilities

• Establish and evolve a centre of design delivery across disciplines.
• Drive leadership understanding in customer-centric design.
• Build a world-class design practice within the Group.
• Ensure effective reuse of design assets consistent across divisions.
• Deploy advanced tools and methods to maintain design quality.
• Collaborate to rapidly resolve design challenges while ensuring quality.
• Develop strong relationships to influence future design direction.

Skills

Leadership

Design Delivery Expertise

Design Systems

Measurement

Credibility

Drive

Problem-solving

Influence

Digital & Tech

Education

5+ years of scaled design operations leadership experience

Job description

End Date

Thursday 08 January 2026

Salary Range

£104,992 - £123,520

Flexible Working Options

Hybrid Working, Job Share

Job Description Summary

At Lloyds Banking Group, we have a clear purpose – to help Britain prosper and build deep, enriching relationships with our customers. Through our brands, we have a relationship with just about every household and community in the UK. We underpin the lives of millions of individuals and businesses, and play a key role in helping to build a growing UK economy.

We’re building an inclusive, values‑led culture where colleagues feel recognised and rewarded for their contributions. Join us and you’ll have the opportunity to reach your full potential, whatever your role or background.

Job Description

JOB TITLE

Head of Design Operations

LOCATION

Edinburgh / Leeds / Halifax / Manchester / Bristol

HOURS

Full‑Time

WORKING PATTERN

Our work style is hybrid, which involves spending at least two days per week, or 40% of our time in the office.

About this opportunity

The services we design are integral to our customers’ lives, and this role focuses on their entire experience—at every stage, across all touchpoints. You’ll be part of a team designing from concept through to production, shaping how we engage and build relationships with customers, support their needs, and deliver the right products.

Design Operations is the central function within Experience Design that enables our Design Directors and platform‑embedded squads to work effectively. Its mission: improve design quality, increase productivity, grow design capability, and maximise design’s impact.

As Head of Design Operations, you’ll champion design thinking and a design‑led culture, blending creativity with programme disciplines such as strategy, standards, continuous improvement, business architecture, and technology. This is a leadership role that requires deep design expertise and the ability to influence investment in customer‑centric design.

What you’ll do

• Establish and evolve a centre of design delivery, creating cohesive ways of working across design disciplines, embedding them into delivery.
• Drive leadership understanding and organisational capability in customer‑centric design.
• Build a world‑class design practice and environment within the Group, growing a great culture and attracting and retaining market‑leading talent.
• Ensure effective reuse of design assets that are fit for purpose, consistent, and aligned with design standards across all divisions.
• Keep the team at the forefront of design methodology, principles, and technology—deploying advanced tools and methods to deliver cutting‑edge capabilities.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders and directors to resolve design and delivery challenges quickly, protecting design quality while enabling rapid delivery.
• Develop strong relationships across Group businesses, strategy, risk, and Brands Marketing & Experience to influence future design direction.

Key skills and experience

• Leadership: Proven ability to lead teams solving complex problems and translate strategic intent into scaled solutions.
• Design Delivery Expertise: Track record of establishing and driving effective Design Management practices.
• Design Systems: experience of managing and scaling effective design systems.
• Measurement: employs approaches that ensure design teams can evidence their impact.
• Credibility: Experience in complex markets and organisations.
• Drive: Resilience, self‑awareness, and a passion for exceeding expectations while inspiring your team.
• Problem‑solving: Strategic and innovative mindset with the ability to influence across design disciplines.
• Influence: Strong presence in executive forums and ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Digital & Tech: Understanding of digital and financial services, with a vision for where the industry is heading.

We’re looking for someone who

• Has 5+ years of scaled design operations leadership experience.
• Can navigate large organisations’ platforms, channels, and codebases to shape sustainable strategies.
• Advocates for accessibility and inclusivity in design and code.
• Has a continuous improvement mindset.
• Can manage multiple deliveries simultaneously.
• Has experience building and leading multi‑disciplinary teams in an agile environment.
• Inspires confidence, creates the right conditions for collaboration, and builds strong networks across the organisation.

About Working For Us

Our focus is to ensure we're inclusive every day, building an organisation that reflects modern society and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We want our people to feel that they belong and can be their best, regardless of background, identity or culture.

We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and a dedicated Working with Cancer initiative. And it’s why we especially welcome applications from under‑represented groups.

We’re disability confident. So if you’d like reasonable adjustments to be made to our recruitment processes, just let us know.

We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes

• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%
• An annual performance‑related bonus
• Share schemes including free shares
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top
• A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies

Ready to start growing with purpose? Apply today and let’s create something extraordinary together!

About the Company

At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop.

We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks. We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person.

We're focused on creating a values‑led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.