Experience System Design Lead

Khonology (Pty) Ltd; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A digital services company is seeking an Experience System Design Lead to operationalise and scale their enterprise Design System. The successful candidate will have 8–10 years of Experience Design, including 5 years in Design System leadership, and will be responsible for managing the Design System strategy, component lifecycle, and stakeholder engagement in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years’ experience in Experience Design (XD).
• At least 5 years dedicated to Design System leadership or management.
• Experience working within financial services is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Drive unification of design and development practices.
• Develop and endorse the Design System roadmap for 2026+.
• Manage component lifecycle and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Design System leadership

Stakeholder management

Figma management

Strategic insight

Presentation skills

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification in Design

Job description

Khonology is a digital services company focused on software development, Application Support, data analytics and engineering.

We are looking for a n Experience System Design Lead to operationalise and scale the enterprise Design System, aligning design and development practices to deliver consistent, efficient, and high-quality user experiences.

The role will drive the unification of the capability’s Design–Development Framework and extend adoption across teams and platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Updated and unified design–dev library architecture supporting React, Angular, and Vue frameworks.
• Standardised design tokens, components, and documentation aligned with the business units Authenticated Web library.
• Design–Development handoff model operationalised with GitHub integration and usage reporting.
• Design System roadmap and operating model for 2026+ developed and endorsed by the business units Architecture Board.
• Regular presentations to senior stakeholders showing measurable design efficiency and adoption outcomes.
• Define and execute the Design System strategy and roadmap, ensuring scalability, quality, and business alignment.
• Oversee the operation, governance, and evolution of shared Figma and code libraries across business units.
• Drive the unification of design and development by partnering with Design, Engineering, and Product teams to create seamless Figma-to-code workflows.
• Manage component lifecycle, documentation, and version control, ensuring compliance with brand, accessibility (WCAG 2.1+), and technical standards.
• Maintain and extend contribution models and frameworks for collaboration across business unit, regional and vendor teams.
• Analyse and report on adoption, usage, and efficiency metrics to demonstrate design system value and impact.
• Stay current with global Design System trends and tooling (e.g., tokens, multi-brand architecture, framework-agnostic components).
• Drive engagement and alignment with executive stakeholders (CIOs, Heads of Design, Business and Technology leads), Group Brand and Marketing, Design Systems teams across the Standard bank Group as well as external vendors.
• Present confidently at forums, leadership reviews, and cross-functional working groups to secure buy-in and alignment.

Required Skills & Experience

The resource must demonstrate proven operational and strategic expertise in running a Design System at scale within a large, complex organisation.

8–10 years’ experience in Experience Design (XD), with at least 5 years dedicated to Design System leadership or management.

Proven experience operationalising and managing the daily running of an enterprise Design System, including design–development integration, governance, and adoption across teams.

Demonstrated ability to work hands-on with both designers and developers, managing Figma libraries, tokens, coded components, and documentation processes.

Strong strategic insight to develop and evolve a Design System roadmap, stay current with industry best practices, and align to organisational architecture and brand direction.

Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently across multiple levels (Design teams, Engineering, CIOs, Heads of Business, and external vendors).

Excellent presentation and facilitation skills, with the ability to represent the Design System at executive forums and cross-functional working groups.

Relevant tertiary qualification in Design, Interaction Design, or Human–Computer Interaction.

Additional credentials such as HFI’s Certified Usability Analyst (CUA), Certified User Experience Analyst (CXA), or equivalent professional certification preferred.

Experience working within financial services is advantageous; experience within Corporate and Investment Banking will be highly regarded.