Lead UX Designer (Ghana or Kenya-based)

What we're looking for

We’re seeking a mid-senior (7-10 years of experience) Lead UX Designer with experience in Fintech to help drive the growth of digital products for our private and public sector clients, mainly in Africa but occasionally elsewhere in Latin America and Asia. 

The ideal candidate should be willing to move to Accra, Ghana, preferably, or Nairobi, Kenya, as a second option, within 3-6 months of commencing their contract (or based there already) and commit to residing in their chosen location for a duration of at least 18 months to 2 years.

This is an excellent chance for those seeking an adventurous experience abroad while enhancing their global design skills.

It's available to applicants worldwide, and we'll help with your move, ensuring a seamless shift to work and life in either Accra, Ghana, or Nairobi, Kenya.

You should have a passion for understanding user needs, a strong background in digital technologies, and a proven track record in project management. In this role, not only will you be responsible for skillfully leading small teams of 2-3 members, but you'll also be expected to roll up your sleeves and actively contribute to the work on the ground.

You’ll use your skills in design and team leadership expertise to craft functional experiences that delight customers. From conducting research and analysis to prototyping, testing, and building, we are looking for someone who has a breadth of experience across product development. You will be expected to generate research-informed insights, personas, and customer journeys, as well as be able to develop low to high-fidelity prototypes of digital products and designs ready to hand off for development. Moreover, you will use your communication skills to deliver presentations and write thought-leadership pieces.

On one hand, you should be proactive and self-motivated to work independently; on the other, you’ll collaborate with cross-functional subject-matter experts in different time zones. Above all, we are looking for candidates who share our firm values:

• Integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is looking;

• Quality – we are experts in our craft and take pride in our high-quality work;

• User-centricity – we keep the client and the end-user at the center of our engagements;

• Strong Bias to Action and Urgency – taking action rather than overanalyzing decision-making;

• Solution-oriented mindset – a focus on finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems or obstacles.

A bit about us, and how we’re different

Digital Disruptions is a boutique US-based strategy and design innovation consulting firm focusing on Fintech and digital financial services (DFS) in emerging markets. Since our founding in 2014, we’ve been re-thinking – and re-doing – the way Fintech consulting work is done in emerging markets. [Read more about our unique traits].

Our mission is to apply and adapt best-in-class innovation tools, methods, and mindsets to the Fintech sector, and work diligently yet swiftly from research and design to build and launch phases.

We take a start-up style approach that fuses analytical and creative thinking that results in tangible progress for our clients – and meaningful outcomes for the people and communities they serve.

We’ve been trusted by top-tier clients both in the public sector (e.g., World Bank, IFC, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Economic Forum) and private sector (Amazon Web Services, Vodafone M-Pesa, Mastercard, Ecobank, VC-backed start-ups). [See the Work section on our website for a sample of our past engagements.]

What you'll be doing

As a Lead UX Designer at Digital Disruptions, you will work and manage a wide variety of exciting, meaningful projects around Africa, as in the following examples:

• Redesigning a leading bank’s remittance product to make it easier and cheaper for migrants based in Europe to send money to Africa;

• Building low-fidelity prototypes for concept testing of a payment solution for SMEs in East and Southern Africa;

• Conduction exploratory research to explore users’ needs around micro-credit products in West Africa.

Projects last anywhere from 2-weeks to 18-month long engagements. You’ll work closely with our Head of UX and Design and as part of a broader team of specialists in product, marketing, strategy, project management, and data analysis, depending on the project.

What the role offers

You’ll have the opportunity to work on innovation projects that have the potential to impact people’s lives, predominantly low-income individuals and SMEs in developing countries. 

We work with a number of top-tier clients who are at the forefront of the Fintech sector and are fortunate to have a wide variety of projects that require our knowledge, skills, and passion to bring to fruition. We’re fast-paced yet down-to-earth, and eager to make a lasting impact.

The role can be either near full-time (~80%, leading to 100% full-time if desired) or full-time from the start. We trust our colleagues to get their work done how they see fit: there are neither strict office hours nor office politics, with us.

As part of our consulting engagements, you might be required to travel for 1 to 2-week engagements roughly every quarter to markets in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.

We see every team member’s professional development as a priority and offer many opportunities to grow with the firm, as well as learn from talented colleagues who are also genuine experts in their subject-matter areas.

In addition to the above:

• Remuneration is competitive and market-based (Ghana or Kenya) with performance bonuses.
• Annual professional development allowance.
• Stipend to cover initial flight and first few months of accommodation (Ghana or Kenya).
• 34 days of paid time off, which includes public holidays.

Sound interesting? You should have:  

• 7 to 10 years of solid, hands-on experience working as a UX Designer or similar roles such as Service Designer or Strategic Designer. At least some experience with user experience research, such as conducting user interviews and synthesizing insights, is essential.

• 1-2 years of experience leading small design teams.

• Familiarity with innovation frameworks and concepts such as Design Thinking, Lean Start-Up, Behavioral Design, and Agile;

• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate design processes, ideas, and solutions to teams and clients;

• Verbal and written fluency in English;

• Bachelor or Master’s in Design, Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Social Sciences or related field.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to the volume of applications received. We also encourage you to sign up for our Associate Consultant network here as other project-based opportunities arise.