Head of Product Design Job NCBA

The Head of Product Design will be a pivotal leader in shaping the future of LOOP DFS digital financial products, with a strong emphasis on user research and UI design. You will be responsible for defining and executing the product design strategy, leading a team of talented designers, and ensuring that LOOP products are intuitive, engaging, and aligned with the business objectives. You will champion user-centred design principles, guide impactful user research initiatives, and oversee the creation of compelling UI that drives customer satisfaction and business growth.

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Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & User Research Focus 30

• Develop and implement a comprehensive product design strategy that heavily integrates user research and aligns with the company’s overall business objectives.
• Establish and maintain design standards, guidelines, and processes, with a particular focus on robust user research methodologies.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in user experience, design, and user research.
• Advocate for user-centered design principles, championing the importance of user experience and data-driven design decisions throughout the organization.
• Direct and guide the user research strategy, ensuring that research insights are effectively translated into actionable design improvements.

Team Management & Development 20

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of product designers and user researchers, fostering a collaborative and high- performing environment.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop design and user research talent to build a strong and scalable design team.
• Provide constructive feedback, coaching, and performance evaluations to support the professional growth of team members.
• Manage team workload, prioritize projects, and ensure timely delivery of design and research deliverables.

Product Design & Execution 20

• Oversee the design process from concept to delivery, ensuring that designs are user-friendly, visually appealing, and technically feasible, with a strong focus on UI excellence.
• Collaborate with product managers and developers to define product requirements and translate them into effective design solutions, informed by user research.
• Conduct and oversee user research, usability testing, and data analysis to gather insights and inform design decisions, especially UI decisions.
• Create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity UI designs that effectively communicate design concepts and user flows.
• Ensure that designs are accessible and inclusive, catering to the diverse needs of our user base.
• Maintain consistency of UI across all products.

Cross-Functional Collaboration 20

• Work closely with product managers, developers, marketing, commercial, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and collaboration throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Communicate design concepts and rationale effectively to stakeholders, articulating the value of design and research decisions.
• Participate in product planning and strategy sessions, providing design and research input and contributing to product roadmaps.
• Ensure design and research deliverables are provided in a timely manner to keep development cycles on track.
• Ensure that all product design is consistent with the company’s brand guidelines.

Brand Stewardship 10

• Contribute to the evolution of the brand’s digital presence, with a keen eye on UI consistency.

Qualification Profile

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Visual Design, or a related field

Desired Work Experience:

• Minimum 8+ years of experience in product design, with a proven track record of leading design teams and delivering successful digital products, and proven experience conducting user research
• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of design projects and demonstrating expertise in user- centered design principles, UI design, and user research methodologies
• Excellent understanding of user research methodologies, usability testing, and data analysis
• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar
• Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills
• Experience working in the fintech or digital financial services industry is highly desirable
• Strong understanding of UI design principles, and best practices
• Experience with mobile first design
• Understanding of accessibility standards

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Design Software: Expert-level proficiency in industry-standard UI/UX design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD
• High-Fidelity Prototyping: Ability to create complex, interactive prototypes that accurately simulate user experiences for testing and stakeholder communication
• Design Systems Expertise: Deep understanding of design system principles, creation, implementation, and governance. Familiarity with tools and methodologies for managing design systems
• Information Architecture (IA) and User Flows: Strong grasp of IA principles, ability to create clear and effective site maps, user flows, and task flows
• Interaction Design (IxD) Principles: A solid understanding of interaction design patterns, micro-interactions, and animation principles to create intuitive and engaging user experiences
• Familiarity with User Research Tools: Understanding of various user research platforms for surveys, remote testing, and analytics (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Google Analytics, Mixpanel)
• Basic Data Analysis Skills: Ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative research data to inform design decisions. Familiarity with basic data analysis tools or spreadsheets
• Understanding of A/B Testing: Knowledge of A/B testing methodologies and tools to optimize design solutions based on data
• Understanding of Mobile Platform Guidelines: Knowledge of platform-specific design guidelines and best practices for iOS (Human Interface Guidelines) and Android (Material Design)
• API Awareness: Basic understanding of how APIs work and how design integrates with backend systems
• Accessibility Standards (WCAG): Strong understanding of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the ability to design inclusive and accessible products
• Performance Considerations: Awareness of design choices that impact application performance (e.g., image optimization, animation complexity)
• Technical Communication: Ability to clearly communicate design specifications and requirements to engineering teams
• Familiarity with Collaboration Tools: Proficiency in using collaboration platforms like Jira, Confluence, Slack, and Miro
• Technical Feasibility Assessment: Ability to evaluate the technical feasibility and complexity of design proposals

Qualification Profile

• Strategic Technology Alignment: Understanding how design can leverage emerging technologies to create innovative user experiences
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Using data and analytics to inform strategic design decisions and measure impact

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How to Apply

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