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Head of Design

Recru-it

  • R Undisclosed
  • Permanent Senior position
  • South Africa
  • Posted 11 May 2026 by Recru-it
  • Expires in 29 days
  • Job 2638574 - Ref PE011593

About the position

What will you do?
The Design Lead is accountable for intermediary experience across the company, with specific ownership of experience on the company intermediary digital platform.
 
The role leads the design capability responsible for shaping coherent, end-to-end intermediary experiences across journeys delivered by multiple teams. Working closely with product, technology, data, marketing and business stakeholders, the Design Lead ensures that design translates strategic intent into practical, usable solutions that materially improve intermediary efficiency, effectiveness and experience.
 
What will make you successful in this role?
 
The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

 Craft and execution:

  • Use, apply and disseminate best-practice design methodologies, tools and frameworks amongst design practitioners and teams to solve for, and design, effective intermediary experiences.
  • Lead and contribute to the definition of interactions, journeys and services, taking into account intermediary needs, business objectives, technical considerations and design best practice.
  • Drive and guide user research and usability testing activity to ensure validated design solutions, capturing insights and testing outcomes and packaging these for broader sharing and feedback.
  • Interpret research and data to inform design direction and prioritisation, ensuring solutions are grounded in the real contexts in which intermediaries support their clients.
  • Own and contribute to the delivery of UX, UI and interaction design outputs as agreed during performance contracting, ensuring quality, consistency and fitness for purpose.

 
 Project and team:

  • Collaborate across the company to identify strategic objectives and contribute to the definition of intermediary experience initiatives and focus areas, representing the role of design in achieving these objectives.
  • Support the company leadership to articulate and evangelise a clear intermediary experience vision and design approach.
  • Build and lead a design capability able to deliver consistent, high-quality intermediary experiences across journeys, channels and digital platforms
  • Nurture design talent and skills, instilling strong design practices and creating a compelling employee proposition for designers.
  • Create a productive, inclusive and vibrant design culture and community in the company.
  • Define, drive and act as custodian of design governance, processes, tools and templates to support everyday design activities.
  • Manage the ongoing evolution of the intermediary design system and shared design assets. Create unified standards for delivering consistent and high-quality intermediary experiences across multiple teams and initiatives.
  • Stay informed of the competitive landscape and emerging best practices to continuously bring new and differentiated thinking into experience, service and product design.

 
 Organisation:

  • Contribute to the broader transformation of the company into a digitally enabled, experience-led organisation.
  • Apply human-centred design practices to understand intermediary needs, inform strategic planning and uncover opportunities to improve intermediary efficiency, effectiveness and experience. Represent the company in the market as a custodian of experience and design quality, contributing to the company reputation and stature as an innovator.
  • Act as an agent for collaboration across design, experience, product, channels, marketing and brand, and technology, bringing cross-functional and holistic thinking to problem-
  • Support the company CIO and broader leadership team to shape creative and strategic thinking that frames strong end-to-end intermediary journeys, services and solutions.

 
Qualifications and experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in a related field.
  • 8-12 years’ experience in the discipline of Product Design across varied users, business problems,
  • and devices.
  • Experience in leading design teams in, and senior participation in designing products and services for
  • Financial Services institutions.

 
Knowledge and skills:

  • Knowledge in management of design teams, and related operational efficiencies in ensuring optimal design quality and throughout, within agile environments
  • Knowledge in defining, disseminating and driving the application of user-centered design processes and practices to develop new products and services.
  • Knowledge of interaction models, flows and wireframes.
  • Knowledge of rapid prototyping methods, ranging from paper sketching to digital prototypes.
  • Understanding of contextual uses for experience maps, user journeys and service blueprints.
  • Understanding of areas of specialization within the greater design landscape, including but not limited to Design Research, Visual Design, and Content Design.
  • High dexterity in speed and quality with the tools of your trade.
  • Knowledge of and curiosity about technology and its impact on design solutions.
  • Knowledge of the process in conducting user research and capturing user insights using qualitative and quantitative methods

 
Core competencies:

  • Communicate effectively
  • Decision quality
  • Analytical thinking
  • Cultivate innovation
  • Optimize work processes
  • Plans and aligns
  • Concern for accuracy
  • Customer focus
  • Balances stakeholders
  • Collaborates
  • Drives engagement
  • Drives results
  • Nimble learning
  • Being resilient


What will you do?
The Design Lead is accountable for intermediary experience across the company, with specific ownership of experience on the company intermediary digital platform.
 
The role leads the design capability responsible for shaping coherent, end-to-end intermediary experiences across journeys delivered by multiple teams. Working closely with product, technology, data, marketing and business stakeholders, the Design Lead ensures that design translates strategic intent into practical, usable solutions that materially improve intermediary efficiency, effectiveness and experience.
 
What will make you successful in this role?
 
The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

 Craft and execution:

  • Use, apply and disseminate best-practice design methodologies, tools and frameworks amongst design practitioners and teams to solve for, and design, effective intermediary experiences.
  • Lead and contribute to the definition of interactions, journeys and services, taking into account intermediary needs, business objectives, technical considerations and design best practice.
  • Drive and guide user research and usability testing activity to ensure validated design solutions, capturing insights and testing outcomes and packaging these for broader sharing and feedback.
  • Interpret research and data to inform design direction and prioritisation, ensuring solutions are grounded in the real contexts in which intermediaries support their clients.
  • Own and contribute to the delivery of UX, UI and interaction design outputs as agreed during performance contracting, ensuring quality, consistency and fitness for purpose.

 
 Project and team:

  • Collaborate across the company to identify strategic objectives and contribute to the definition of intermediary experience initiatives and focus areas, representing the role of design in achieving these objectives.
  • Support the company leadership to articulate and evangelise a clear intermediary experience vision and design approach.
  • Build and lead a design capability able to deliver consistent, high-quality intermediary experiences across journeys, channels and digital platforms
  • Nurture design talent and skills, instilling strong design practices and creating a compelling employee proposition for designers.
  • Create a productive, inclusive and vibrant design culture and community in the company.
  • Define, drive and act as custodian of design governance, processes, tools and templates to support everyday design activities.
  • Manage the ongoing evolution of the intermediary design system and shared design assets. Create unified standards for delivering consistent and high-quality intermediary experiences across multiple teams and initiatives.
  • Stay informed of the competitive landscape and emerging best practices to continuously bring new and differentiated thinking into experience, service and product design.

 
 Organisation:

  • Contribute to the broader transformation of the company into a digitally enabled, experience-led organisation.
  • Apply human-centred design practices to understand intermediary needs, inform strategic planning and uncover opportunities to improve intermediary efficiency, effectiveness and experience. Represent the company in the market as a custodian of experience and design quality, contributing to the company reputation and stature as an innovator.
  • Act as an agent for collaboration across design, experience, product, channels, marketing and brand, and technology, bringing cross-functional and holistic thinking to problem-
  • Support the company CIO and broader leadership team to shape creative and strategic thinking that frames strong end-to-end intermediary journeys, services and solutions.

 
Qualifications and experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in a related field.
  • 8-12 years’ experience in the discipline of Product Design across varied users, business problems,
  • and devices.
  • Experience in leading design teams in, and senior participation in designing products and services for
  • Financial Services institutions.

 
Knowledge and skills:

  • Knowledge in management of design teams, and related operational efficiencies in ensuring optimal design quality and throughout, within agile environments
  • Knowledge in defining, disseminating and driving the application of user-centered design processes and practices to develop new products and services.
  • Knowledge of interaction models, flows and wireframes.
  • Knowledge of rapid prototyping methods, ranging from paper sketching to digital prototypes.
  • Understanding of contextual uses for experience maps, user journeys and service blueprints.
  • Understanding of areas of specialization within the greater design landscape, including but not limited to Design Research, Visual Design, and Content Design.
  • High dexterity in speed and quality with the tools of your trade.
  • Knowledge of and curiosity about technology and its impact on design solutions.
  • Knowledge of the process in conducting user research and capturing user insights using qualitative and quantitative methods

 
Core competencies:

  • Communicate effectively
  • Decision quality
  • Analytical thinking
  • Cultivate innovation
  • Optimize work processes
  • Plans and aligns
  • Concern for accuracy
  • Customer focus
  • Balances stakeholders
  • Collaborates
  • Drives engagement
  • Drives results
  • Nimble learning
  • Being resi

Recru-it

About the agency

Recruit IT Recruitment IT Recruitment and Talent Sourcing Specialists Offices in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as well as Consultants working remotely across the country Telephone number 087 805 8536 www.recru-it.co.za >recru-it* COMPANY PROFILE Certified at a BEE Procurement Recognition Level of 110% >Introduction* >recru-it*was established in August 2005 & specializes in and focuses on the full spectrum of positions within the IT and other sectors. We focus our approach on delivering a superior service to both our client and candidate, in all portfolios and phases throughout the Recruitment process, supporting real transformation within the IT Industry and other sectors through ethical and transparent business practices >Value added services* • Advertising Client Roles • Screening Applications • CV searches • Head Hunting Candidates • CV Selection • Labour Broking • Pay structure advice for client & candidate >Additional services on request* • Personal Reference checks • Credit checks • Criminal checks • ID checks • Academic checks • Qualification checks >Placements portfolio* • Software Engineering & Development • I.T. Solution Sales and Strategic Sales • Sales & marketing • Finance and Insurance • HR • Engineering • Administration / Office Management • Healthcare • FMCG • Warehousing / Logistics • Telecommunications • Training and Development • Executive and senior level placements • ERP & CRM Consultants • Project Management & Administration • I.T Executive Management • Business Analysis • Business Intelligence • Consulting • Network Engineering • Support • Testing • Product Support Specialists   >Operational structure * >recru-it*uses a flat open structure in our approach  Each consultant takes personal ownership for each client request. The consultants are account managers with their respective clients ensuring professional and personal interaction at all times.  Our team supports each other in an interactive, transparent manner to deliver highest quality candidates on each specification, thus ensuring a fast and effective turnaround time to fulfill your every labour requirement. >recru-it*was established in August 2005. Carbon foot print  We practice a 90% paperless environment as most of our duties are internet and electronic. >BEE Profile*  >recru-it*is owned by 2 individuals with 8 additional staff members • 50 % of the business is owned by a black person. • 50% of the business is women owned.  >recru-it*has been officially & precisely rated according to our company structure. • We have been certified at a BEE Procurement Recognition Level of 110%. • Enterprise development – on site as well as external training courses for staff ensuring continuous skill improvement. • Corporate Social Investment – we do not have a formal CSI policy, but we do annual donations.

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