Experience Design Director

The Design Director is responsible for driving Absa Personal and Private Banking’s customer experiences and design thinking across a business unit, channel or a combination. She/he supports senior business leaders in embedding customer-centric thinking in business strategy and decision-making and provides insights and input to process design. This role manages multiple design projects and ensures design teams deliver coherent, world-class customer experiences aligned to business goals and customer needs.

• Partner with business and product leadership to provide input on customer experience and align with business strategy.
• Continually elevate the quality of experiences, products, and services designed.
• Work with UX, product and business metrics to monitor and manage design delivery quality.
• Stay abreast of industry trends to ensure competitive experience design.
• Define design objectives and manage expectations.
• Allocate resources to ensure design quality work is completed on time and budget.
• Direct designers and process engineers while ensuring high design standards.
• Provide updates and present final designs to senior leadership.
• Actively measure design impact on customer and business.
• Participate in shaping overall strategy for experiences, products, and services.
• Evangelize the benefits of design to the wider business.
• Promote the professional development of team members.
• Contribute to knowledge management and collaboration.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Social Science or equivalent.
• 5+ years’ experience in directing design projects at a leading agency or major brand.
• Design practitioner background with significant contributions to digital strategy.
• Strong track record of delivering high-quality design projects.
• Experience in usability research to inform design decisions.
• Familiarity with designing across multiple touchpoints.
• Experience with large budgets and major brands.
• Other commercial experience advantageous.