Out Client is seeking a highly experienced Director of Design to lead and scale a high-impact design function. This role sits at the intersection of product, engineering, and business, driving end-to-end design excellence across complex, regulated environments. You will shape product strategy, build strong design culture, and lead teams to deliver meaningful user outcomes from early discovery through to execution and iteration.
Key Responsibilities
Design Leadership and Strategy
- Define and drive the overall design vision in alignment with product and organisational strategy
- Lead design across the full product lifecycle, from 0 to 1 development through scaling and optimisation
- Translate complex systems, policies, and technical constraints into intuitive, user-centric experiences
- Champion user experience at both product and system levels, ensuring cohesive journeys across touchpoints
- Contribute to product strategy through deep involvement in upstream discovery, research, and problem framing
Stakeholder Management and Collaboration
- Partner closely with senior leadership, product, and engineering to influence strategic direction and outcomes
- Navigate and manage stakeholders in regulated environments, ensuring alignment with compliance and operational requirements
- Facilitate alignment across cross-functional teams, balancing user needs with business and technical considerations
- Communicate design decisions and insights effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Team Leadership and Culture Building
- Build, mentor, and scale high-performing design teams across multiple product areas
- Establish and continuously improve design standards, processes, and best practices
- Foster a strong design culture grounded in systems thinking, user-centricity, and strategic impact
- Coach designers across different levels, supporting their growth and raising the overall quality of work
Execution and Delivery Excellence
- Lead teams in tackling complex, ambiguous problem spaces with structured design approaches
- Ensure design is embedded across all phases of delivery, from discovery to post-launch measurement and iteration
- Drive consistency and quality in design outputs across programs
- Introduce and adopt new tools, methodologies, and workflows to enhance team effectiveness
Performance and Impact
- Define and track design metrics, ensuring alignment with broader product and organisational goals
- Ensure consistency and alignment across multiple design teams and initiatives
- Continuously identify opportunities to expand the impact and influence of design across the organisation
Requirements
- 12 + years of experience in design, with at least 6 years in a leadership role
- Proven experience managing and scaling design teams in enterprise environments, with exposure to startup settings as a plus
- Strong background in product design with hands-on experience in 0 to 1 product development
- Deep expertise in user experience, research, and interaction design
- Demonstrated experience working in regulated environments and managing complex stakeholder landscapes
- Strong capability in upstream product discovery, including problem definition, user insight generation, and strategic framing
- Track record of influencing product strategy and shaping direction through design
- Experience working in cross-functional teams alongside product and engineering
- Proficiency in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite or similar
