Design Lead

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing

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Job Description

The Design Lead manages all aspects of the design process, from research and ideation to creative conceptualisation and design. He/She collaborates with stakeholders to research and develop cohesive design plans, create concepts, and oversee the development of prototypes.

As a team lead reporting to the Design Manager, he/she initiates design and research activities to be performed to enhance the core competence of his team members. He/She also works with a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders to ensure final design output meets the needs of the organisation or customers.

He/She possesses good collaboration skills, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to develop creative design solutions that meet business objectives and goals, manages all aspects of the design process, from research, and ideation to creative conceptualisation and design. The ability to delegate and lead design project teams towards successful adoption of new design ideas is essential for the Design Lead. He/She possesses a strong mastery of design fundamentals in their own field of specialisation and can generate creative work that meets the requirements of stakeholders.

He/She is able to work on a small number of projects concurrently and deliver on expectations within deadlines with a high level of changes and iterations required. In addition, he/she is up-to-date with the latest developments in the design and technology sectors, and is highly proficient in negotiation and problem-solving for the future.

Deliver human-centred design solutions

• Lead the design teams in creating product design development and its features and functions that meet the users' (latent) needs, through: Initiate context and insight gathering activities in accordance to project requirements if/when needed; Frame objectives and agendas for the design project, based on critical assessment of the design project brief and/or conversations with project sponsors/ stakeholders; Analyse and synthesise findings/insights to inform design directions; Review design reports before circulation to stakeholders; Communicate proposed design solutions to relevant stakeholders for informed decision-making during product creation and development phase;
• Assist stakeholders throughout the execution of end-to-end human centred design process by providing understanding of the process, gaining alignment in each phase, and optimising work processes to meet the business goals
• Organise workshops with agendas that promote creative problem solving
• Analyse results of feasibility tests and synthesize insights through regular design project reviews for enhancing visual delivery adhering to deliver good user experience
• Drive the dissemination of design recommendations, proposals and options to stakeholders, especially for top priority projects

Plan and assign a small to medium-sized team of resources to enhance the delivery of design outputs

• Understand business needs and design deliverables for identifying resource needs and assigning resources to the mission (s) by regularly and systematically align with stakeholders to understand business needs
• Oversee the development of a cohesive design project brief, design concepts, and prototypes in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
• Approve schedules, timeline and budgets for projects with the ability to troubleshoot issues arising from/during project implementation
• Facilitate the resolution of project resourcing issues and develop resource plans using resource scheduling tools
• Identify for the design resources needs based on mission and project requirements and available designers' skillsets

Maintain design development quality

• Provide technical expertise and guidance on issues related to product design, development, and deployment for the product portfolios by conducting regular design reviews
• Provide justification for the features and benefits of the recommended design production solutions on behalf of the users
• Collaborate and negotiate with stakeholders on behalf of the design teams to translate product plans to design production needs with project management plan
• Oversee the production process for projects to ensure all parameters in the design production plan are met
• Recognise as many constraints as possible – including potential threats, unintended risks, and problems before it arises – as anticipation to inform the continuous development and iteration of the products and its features to work within the constraints
• Safeguard the design production quality when implementing the recommended design development solutions and communicate its implications and/or trade offs, if any, to relevant stakeholders

Create and build relationships with internal stakeholders

• Review final design production plans and prototypes for the features and benefits of the recommended design based on justifications provided, prior to getting Design Manager's approval, especially for key priority design projects
• Work cross-functionally with internal stakeholders and external design stakeholders/vendors
• Engage business and/or product managers regarding the (pre)requirements for upcoming plans and/or design concepts and development

Influence organisational development

• Provide design performance and performance review feedback to the design teams, especially to direct reports
• Working closely with the Design Academy to develop design teams' capability development and coaching through on-thejob training to Designers
• Be willing to take the blame for the whole team's mistakes and conduct objective debrief to learn from the mistakes to reduce/anticipate for future risks, including disseminating the learning to other Design Leadership members
• Celebrate team recognition instead of individual, be willing to defend for the Design team to non-Design stakeholders
• Ability to trust other people's talents and to delegate authority, show the willingness to work comfortably with others, not just alone
• Address complaints and key concerns impacting the design teams' morale and performance
• Ensure clear, aligned, and updated communication among the design team members under management with the other
• Business Unit or Function's design teams and stakeholders
• Work closely with the Design Leadership members and other upper management stakeholders to foster alignment on business goals, project priorities, optimisation of design processes, processes, and Design team's structure with company-wide organisational structure

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Requirements

Minimum qualifications

• Overall 7~9 years of total work experience in the design domain, with at least 2 years of project management, or in a leadership position with a history of strong project management skills, well-versed in data-informed product design and development.
• Minimum of 4 years as a hands-on Designer (education background could range from Visual Communication Design, UI/Interaction Design, Product Design, or any other relevant Design disciplines).
• Portfolio that showcases design craft with deep understanding of the Human Centered Design methodology (along with its methods and tools), willingness to learn and iterate, and passion for design and storytelling.
• A track record of mentoring high-performing interdisciplinary design teams.
• The ability to form consensus across a broad, fast-moving organization through effective communication and interpersonal skills (including: negotiation, constructive feedback, presentation, managing expectations).
• Keen eye for details and of organised nature, highly motivated to problem solve, and the ability to calculate potential risks while anticipating unintended consequences.
• Possessed maturity in thinking big picture and combined with a deep sense of accountability, adaptability, and embracing ambiguity working in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluency in English communications (both verbal and written).

Preferred qualifications

• Familiarity in using design systems and any other digital design, prototyping, and/or resource & project management tools.
• Deep understanding of the eCommerce and/or digital travel and lifestyle industries, extra points for having successfully deliver products in/for the SE Asia and/or regional markets.

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If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us