Experience Design Operations Head

Standard Bank Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 100 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services group in Africa is seeking a strategic leader to create and optimize design operations across the organization. The ideal candidate will manage cross-functional initiatives and collaborate with various teams to ensure effective design delivery and employee engagement. A postgraduate degree in Information Studies, Information Technology, or Psychology is required. This role offers a chance to make a significant impact in a high-performance culture.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of design operations and strategy.
• Experience in managing complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to foster an inclusive and high-performance design culture.

Responsibilities

• Create and own a long-term design operations strategy.
• Lead strategic design programs across business units.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to address challenges and dependencies.

Skills

Articulating Information

Examining Information

Generating Ideas

Interpreting Data

Producing Output

Providing Insights

Education

Post Graduate Degree in Information Studies, Information Technology, or Psychology

Job description

Company Description

Standard Bank Group is a leading Africa-focused financial services group, and an innovative player on the global stage, that offers a variety of career-enhancing opportunities – plus the chance to work alongside some of the sector’s most talented, motivated professionals. Our clients range from individuals, to businesses of all sizes, high net worth families and large multinational corporates and institutions. We’re passionate about creating growth in Africa. Bringing true, meaningful value to our clients and the communities we serve and creating a real sense of purpose for you.

Job Description

To create and own a long-term design operations strategy that defines and optimises design standards, processes and frameworks for operational efficiency across Experience Design (research, product, service, content, prototyping, innovation). To lead strategic initiatives that drive improvement and foster a high-performance culture across the Experience Design Group.

Qualifications

• Post Graduate Degree: Information Studies, Information Technology, Psychology

Experience Required

• To take accountability for the Design Community within Standard Bank Group in order to foster an inclusive, high performance design culture that promotes innovation and continuous learning. Drive the thought leadership on the evolution of Design by keeping abreast of industry developments. Organise and attend guilds and other events to encourage cross collaboration and knowledge sharing
• Establishes and evolves robust design processes, rituals and tooling that enables high quality repeatable design delivery at scale. Drives design consistency and accountability through contribution models and standards across design teams.
• Leads strategic design programs and initiatives across business units, ensuring they are well scoped, resourced, and governed. Manages complex, cross-functional initiatives—balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term capability building.
• Act as the custodian for the Design Operations Practice within the Standard Bank Group assess the level and health of the employee engagement of designers, to identify issues and concerns they may, to resolve the issues and concerns in order to optimise employee experience within the Design Operations Practice.
• Collaborate with experience Design Heads and Leads at a Standard Bank Group level and individual team members within the Experience Design team to actively exchange information, decisions and conduct collaboration sessions to ensure dependencies, challenges and overlaps are addressed.
• Create a long term financial view (3 years and above) of anticipated costs of Design Operations within Standard Bank Group and manage and track the budget ensuring any deviation is escalated with an action plan. Develop and drive cost management and budgetary control within the area of control to manage operating expenditure.

Behavioural Competencies

• Articulating Information
• Examining Information
• Generating Ideas
• Interpreting Data
• Producing Output
• Providing Insights

Technical Competencies

• Business Acumen
• Collaboration
• Continuous Improvement
• Creative Problem Solving
• Financial Acumen
• Market & Customer Insights