Head of Design Research

**Job Purpose**
- Contribute to Nedbank’s solutions by discovering, interpreting, and communicating findings, insights, and opportunities in an actionable way. Play a crucial role in the design process by leading research efforts for Nedbank’s products and services. Lead the research team, drive the development and implementation of research initiatives, and establish a culture of research excellence at Nedbank.**Responsibilities**:

- Adopt a customer-focused framework of research methods that enable the organisation to understand user needs; the problems they’re facing; and the way in which they’ll use our products.
- Develop and implement research best practices to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance with industry standards.
- Manage research resources including staffing, tools, equipment to support efficient and effective operations.
- Identify and determine appropriate research methods/approach based on the underlying design challenge.
- Lead the development and execution research initiatives and programmes that align with Nedbank’s strategic objectives.
- Prepare research data and synthesise the data in collaboration with CX colleagues and others, to surface observations, themes, and insights.
- Balance both agile and strategic research methods daily to influence solution direction, and overall user experience across all touchpoints.
- Partner and collaborate with multiple disciplines (especially UX and UI design) on aligned goals and influence business stakeholders.
- Translate goals into research questions and design research plans
- Produce qualitative exploratory research, including market research
- Oversee and execute usability testing, heuristic evaluations, user interviews, surveys, and ethnography.
- Define and implement the NCIB voice of the client program, while tracking and monitoring user experience across the digital platforms.
- Collaborate with the CX team to develop and design personas and inform client journeys, scenarios, and red routes.
- Define and conduct empathetic studies to better understand behaviour
- Design and conduct environmental analyses to get a 360-degree views of clients
- Consult and collaborate with various product development team
- Help the business to understand the relevant social, cultural, political, and economic factors that determine the relevant products and experiences that will land best
- Simplify the complexities of South African societies to help business create appropriate and meaningful experiences.
- Detail the relevant Micro and Macro life moments to find opportunities to best serve clients.
- Lead efforts to establish a culture of research within NCIB, including research ambassador, foster collaboration and communication.

**Minimum Experience Level**
- 5 to 8 years of experience in Client Experience and Design
- 3 to 5 years of management experience with demonstrated ability to manage managers in the pursuit of strategic objectives.

**Essential Qualifications - NQF Level**
- Post graduate degree in Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology or equivalent.

**Certification**
- Scaled Agile Framework

**Technical / Professional Knowledge**
- Product design
- Process design
- Digital culture
- Writing, Editing, Proofreading, Layout and Design Skills
- Web Design
- Leadership Skills
- Organisational Awareness
- Relevant regulatory knowledge
- Performance management

**Behavioural Competencies**
- Customer Focus
- Operational Decision Making
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Driving Execution
- Driving Innovation
- Digital Acumen
- Guiding Team Success
- **_Please contact the Nedbank Recruiting Team at +27 860 555 566_