Senior Design Lead

Indsafri; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Indsafri is seeking a seasoned design leader to custodian design methodology, providing strategic direction to the design team and advancing design processes through collaboration with cross-functional teams. The role emphasizes high-quality design, project management, stakeholder engagement, and capability building.

You will mentor designers, align teams to the creative brief, and measure impact on customer experience.

Qualifications

• Matric / Grade 12 / National Senior Certificate.
• Certification in Design from an accredited Design School.
• 7–10 years of experience in design, with 1–2 years in a managerial role.
• Expertise in process design and UI/UX design.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional design projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction to the design team and develop design processes.
• Lead high-quality design across projects and ensure best practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve customer experience.
• Manage day-to-day project delivery and track design quality.
• Coach and mentor designers to foster engagement and growth.

Skills

Design Leadership

UI/UX Design

Process Design

Project Management

Team Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Strategic Direction

Education

National Senior Certificate

Design Certification

Tools

Figma

Adobe XD

Job description

Act as the custodian for design methodology by being responsible for providing strategic direction to the design team by developing and implementing design processes through collaboration with cross‑functional teams.

Job Responsibilities

High Quality Design

• Provide opportunities for teams to build creative, innovative and high-quality design solutions to create a best‑in‑class customer experience across the design projects.
• Ensure teams apply design thinking and best practice standards in developing design options and narrowing down the final solution.
• Source relevant insights and data, such as market analysis to ensure that teams design products / services / solutions around the customer and deliver improved experience, surface and share insights to the broader team.
• Ensure design teams adhere to the necessary guidelines or frameworks of providing design scenarios, mock‑ups and prototypes as necessary for each stage of the project, ensuring the continuous iterations to achieve the optimal output.

Project Management

• Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders to challenge the constraints of project / solution delivery.
• Manage the day‑to‑day delivery of the design teams output against the plan, continuously interrogating the design quality and customer experience to deliver high‑quality output in each stage of the project across multiple squads.
• Engage with business stakeholders to clarify the design requirements and with Head Design, jointly establish a clear scope, creative brief, and project plan for design projects.
• Manage the day‑to‑day delivery of the design teams output against the plan, continuously interrogating the design quality and customer experience to deliver high‑quality output in each stage of the project.

Job Responsibilities Continue

• Responsible for the customer experience within the project/s and constructively challenge business and technical decisions to ensure the best possible user experience.
• Lead the project team/s by aligning, managing, and coaching team members, supporting them in setting goals, overcoming obstacles and delivering outstanding outcomes, while ensuring a fully unified end product.
• Develop and nurture relationships across teams and disciplines to promote collaboration and efficiency.
• Continuously measure the impact of the design to the customer and business, reporting the insights to senior management and business stakeholders.
• Effectively manage teams, their resources, capacity planning, development, and overall performance.

Capability Build

• Coach and mentor designers in the project team.
• Foster a team environment in which designers feel engaged and motivated.
• Continuously build your expertise by actively seeking and incorporating feedback, and following external trends and practices.
• Contribute to the knowledge building of the entire team by actively sharing insights and success stories and providing feedback and ideas across different design projects.

People Specification

Essential Qualifications - NQF Level

• Matric / Grade 12 / National Senior Certificate

Preferred Certifications

Certification in Design from an accredited Design School

Minimum Experience Level

7 - 10 years

1 - 2 years Managerial experience

Technical / Professional Knowledge

• Process Design
• UI/UX Design
• Project Management
• High performance, purpose‑led: Create a culture of purpose‑led, client‑centred, and values‑driven performance.
• Driving Successful Customer Engagements
• Driving Innovation
• Building Talent
• Accountability