Digital Channels Design Lead

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

As the Design Lead for the Digital Channels Portfolio, the individual is accountable to manage the design of product experience across multiple Digital Channels products and implementation streams, including but not limited to the App, Public and Secure Websites, WhatsApp, the Sales and the Servicing Journeys.

The individual leads the design outcomes of the portfolio, from the design strategy for Digital Channels, through the design-led exploration of digital propositions, through the implementation of solutions and to the realisation of value post-launch and the continuous improvement of solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Digital Channels Design Leadership
• Lead the design strategy for Digital Channels, in support of the business strategy of the business owner of Digital Channels. This both involves responding to the strategic requirements in a design strategy, and supporting the business strategy development through design thinking and discovery.
• Facilitate strategic design thinking, planning and collaboration sessions to build unified understanding, commitment and ability to realise the design strategy.
• Manage the design strategy and its design execution over time, working with the business and technology leadership teams to learn from experiments, adapt to changing conditions and streamline execution.
• Support product owner and design teams is executing proposition discovery and solutioning with design contribution, connecting each solution into the broader design strategy and design architecture of the Digital Channels business.
• Act as the bridge between the Design CoE and the business and technology teams within Digital Channels, championing the design value chain and supporting the integration of methods and standards into design efforts.
• Lead the multi-disciplinary design collaboration that takes place, both from within the portfolio across design, technology and business team members, but also from key design partners across the business that are represented in the work, such as customer experience, the Agile CoE, the segments, Financial Wellness and design teams across the group.
• Ensure that the design planning and backlog in the environment is done according to required standards, supports business objectives and is aligned to the capability of response within the team.
• Work with design ops to ensure the smooth execution of operations within the Digital Channels design portfolio, collaborating on requirements such as governance, vendor management and workforce management.
• Represent Digital Channels design to the group, reporting on its performance, championing its value and achievements and building sponsorship for design.
• Be a thought leader in design, staying abreast of methods, tools, technology and platforms and guide Digital Channels to hold a competitive edge.

Design Quality & Delivery Management
• Establish quality management frameworks within the Digital Channels design portfolio, ensuring strategic alignment, value orientation, best practices, user centricity and excellence in design processes and outcomes, across the portfolio.
• Ensure the creative and functional design of the products in the portfolio meet the highest standards of experience design, and support the brand and customer experience objectives of the group.
• Construct experiments and research activities that build a knowledge framework for Digital Channels, used to ensure that strategy, design and propositions work is informed by deep contextual understanding, and is refined through continuous learning from across the participation ecosystem.
• Work with the Business Owner, Product Owners, Technology Leaders and Agile Delivery Structures within the portfolio to ensure the productivity of the team is optimised. Play a leading role is supporting other partner areas to operate in a manner that enables high-performance and high-quality design.
• Report appropriately to the Design CoE on performance and governance requirements, ensuring compliance and supporting collaboration across teams.

Design Team & Stakeholder Management
• Build and sustain effective relationships with key stakeholders, including business owners, segment heads, design partner leaders, product owners, digital marketing, and technical teams, to ensure design objectives are aligned with overarching business goals and integrated into operational processes and frameworks.
• Present strategic design concepts, progress, and portfolio performance metrics to senior leadership, highlighting the role of design in driving business outcomes.
• As a leader, emphasise mentorship and personal growth by dedicating time to teaching, guiding, and fostering the development of the design team, building a positive, engaging and progressive culture within the team.

Design Execution
• As a principal designer, contribute to strategic design problems, structural design solutioning and high-impact customer research and experimentation.
• Personally lead and facilitate strategic design thinking sessions, and own the creation and management of the design strategy.
• Directly contribute to the formation and alignment of the design architectures that support Digital Channels in conjunction with the Design Strategy and Architecture function within the Design CoE.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in design (Interaction, Graphic, Industrial), marketing, technology, business administration or a related field. With an Honour’s or Master’s degree as a plus.
• 9+ years working in the field of product design, 5+ within roles that involved design leadership.
• Experience working in an Omni-Channel Digital and Agile environment, with cross-functional collaboration, working with product, engineering, and business teams.
• Proven track record of delivering high-performance team and strategic and propositional design outcomes across complex, omni-channel design environments.

Technical Expertise

• Expert in UX/UI methodologies, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, accessibility and visual design.
• Expert in the tools landscape of design (e.g. Figma, Sketch, Jira etc.) and how these are used by teams to drive efficiency and effectiveness in design collaboration and execution.
• Expert design thinking facilitator and strategic designer, building cohesive design strategies and design solutions that shift competitive advantage for the business.
• Very strong sense of both visual and functional design, to generate brand aligned and aesthetically pleasing design that delivers relevant and usable experiences.
• Excellence in structural and strategic design knowledge and practices, such as design of workflows, information architecture, navigational models, workspaces, templates and patterns for many varied user contexts and audiences.

Closing Date

06 March 2025 , 23:59