SC Design System Lead

We are seeking an experienced Design System Lead to own and scale our Global Design System (GDS), which underpins the digital experiences across CIB. This role is pivotal in harmonising multiple existing design systems into a unified, enterprise-wide standard. As the design system lead, you will need to collaborate closely with Design Directors, designers, developers, and business stakeholders to define design standards, components, and interaction patterns that align with the Bank’s brand and regulatory requirements.

Beyond governance, you champion design quality and advocate for user‑centred thinking, ensuring that digital experiences are both visually cohesive and operationally scalable across platforms and regions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and communicate the long‑term vision, scope, and roadmap for the Global Design System (GDS).
• Harmonise multiple design systems into a single, scalable enterprise platform aligned with brand and regulatory needs.
• Position the GDS as a strategic enabler of speed, quality, and consistency in client digital experiences.
• Experience in auditing existing UIs and identifying patterns for systemisation.
• Hands‑on experience of prototyping/design methods and tools (Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc) and user testing methodologies. Excellent visual designing skills for web, dashboard, mobile, PowerPoint, to drive concept to actual solution.

Business

• Partner with product, tech, and business teams to link GDS outcomes with commercial impact (time‑to‑market, cost efficiency, customer satisfaction).
• Identify and prioritise business use cases where GDS adoption will deliver measurable ROI.
• Act as an advocate for GDS adoption to senior stakeholders, demonstrating value to the wider organisation.
• Understanding of the transaction banking domain and Financial Market domain will be added advantage but not mandatory.

Processes

• Establish and own the end‑to‑end processes for contribution, versioning, testing, and release management.
• Drive documentation standards to ensure design, code, and content are easily discoverable and reusable.
• Integrate GDS workflows seamlessly into existing product development and Agile processes.
• Understand design tokens and how they map to code.
• Familiarity with version control concepts and design system documentation tools.
• Basic understanding of HTML, CSS and component‑based frameworks (e.g. REACT).
• Knowledge on atomic design methodology and component architecture.
• Good understanding of the innovation and client co‑creation development lifecycle using human‑centric design approach and relevant prior experience in collaborative work with design teams, research teams and product development teams.
• Prior knowledge and first‑hand experience in user interface (UI) oriented assignments, particularly on fast‑emerging touchpoints such as mobiles and tablets as well as the conventional channels such as Web and Host‑to‑Host.
• Good knowledge about the collaborative digital tools for conducting virtual co‑creation workshops.
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and lateral thinking skills to manage complex client requirements and conflicting business priorities.

People & Talent

• Build, coach, and mentor a cross‑functional partners of designers, engineers, and content specialists contributing to the system.
• Foster a community of practice around design systems across hubs (SG, MY, IN).
• Drive GDS adoption through training, advocacy, and internal showcases.
• Self‑driven and highly motivated professional with a strong sense of ownership and a passion towards delivering high‑quality client solutions.
• Ensure GDS complies with accessibility, security, and regulatory standards (e.g. WCAG standards).
• Monitor adoption metrics to detect risks of fragmentation or shadow systems.
• Put in place escalation and remediation plans when governance breaches or quality gaps occur.

Governance

• Lead the GDS governance council to align design, tech, and business stakeholders on priorities.
• Define and enforce contribution models, review cycles, and approval processes.
• Report on performance, adoption, and risk indicators to senior leadership.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of…