Design Standards & Services Manager - Sandton at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• The Absa CIB Product Design team has come a long way. We are one of the few places in South Africa’s UX Corporate space where Design teams don’t only have a voice but are acknowledged as an essential partner to Business and Development teams. Join the team as a Design Standards and Services Manager and be responsible for establishing and maintaining design standards and principles, managing the design system, and overseeing the design research and testing capability within the corporate and investment bank. This role plays a critical role in ensuring consistency, coherence, and high-quality design across all digital assets and touchpoints. The Design Standards and Services Manager will develop and implement governance processes and/ or frameworks to implement design standards, maintain the integrity of the design system, and support other teams with validation and testing requirements. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams to entrench design governance practices, ensure design system components are validated, and ensure user-centricity through research and testing.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

• Manage the strategy and roadmap to develop, establish and maintain a robust design system that includes components, patterns, guidelines and code snippets for efficient and consistent design implementation across a complex digital estate, together with a team of senior designers and developers.
• Manage the application of design thinking techniques to the design system itself, ensuring that the needs of its users are met and is created in such a way that is delightful.  
• Manage, drive and support collaboration with design teams, product managers, and developers to ensure the design system is effectively integrated into the digital development process.
• Define and manage the implementation of governance processes and frameworks to implement design standards and ensure adherence to the design system across the organization.
• Guide the design system backlog prioritisation and support the teams capacity to focus and be accountable towards continuous improvement of the design system outcomes.
• Define and manage the implementation of the design system communication, engagement and change management strategies.
• Define and implement metrics and measures to enable the continuous evaluation, improvements and effectiveness of usage and implementation of the design system across the digital estate.
• Manage the design research, testing capability and tooling, supporting other teams with validation and testing requirements.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve design-related issues, provide recommendations, and ensure alignment with overall design strategy.
• Identify training needs and manage the coaching of design thinking, design standards, research methods, usability testing, and the effective use of the design system with stakeholders across the organisation.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and drive design excellence and user-centricity with a team of subject matter experts in design and development.
• Conduct continuous research and understanding to keep abreast of industry trends on design standards, principles, research methodologies, and best practices.

Education and Experience Required

• 7+ years of experience in digital product management and delivery, strategy and leadership, research, or a similar role.

Education

• Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)