Design Operations Lead
- University of New South Wales
- Australia, NSW
- Jul 22, 2026
Job Description:
- Employment Type: Full-time (35 hours per week)
- Duration: Fixed-term contract for 1.5 years
- Remuneration: $148012 - $157056 + 17% super + leave loading
- Location: UNSW Kensington Campus
- Hybrid: 2 Days on Campus, and a 3rd day as needed
About UNSW:
UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community, a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.
Why Your Role Matters:
As Design Operations Lead, you will play a pivotal role in enabling design excellence across UNSW by creating the operational foundations that empower teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. You'll lead the evolution of design operations through scalable frameworks, governance, and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring design practices remain efficient, consistent, and aligned to strategic priorities.
Partnering with leaders across design, technology, product, and business functions, you'll foster collaboration, strengthen Human-Centred Design capability, and help embed innovative, customer-focused ways of working that create lasting impact across the University.
You'll also provide strategic leadership across multiple product and service portfolios, shaping the design operations strategy and driving large-scale operational initiatives that improve the quality, efficiency, and scalability of design delivery. Through data-driven insights and operational governance, you'll influence strategic decision-making and help ensure design investment delivers measurable value.
Leading a high-performing team, you'll champion best practice in Design Operations while coaching and developing capability across the organisation. By empowering teams to adopt structured innovation pathways and Human-Centred Design methodologies, you'll help build a culture of continuous improvement that supports UNSW's long-term strategic objectives.
Responsibilities Summary:
Reporting to the Head of Innovation, you'll provide strategic leadership for Design Operations across multiple portfolios, driving operational excellence and enabling high-quality design delivery. Your key responsibilities will include:
- Developing and executing the Design Operations strategy aligned with organisational priorities.
- Leading large-scale operational improvement and transformation initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and scalability.
- Establishing and evolving design systems, governance frameworks, processes, toolkits, and delivery standards.
- Optimising workflows, project pipelines, resource planning, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Monitoring operational performance through metrics and insights to drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
- Leading and developing a high-performing Design Operations team while fostering a culture of innovation and operational excellence.
- Building Human-Centred Design capability through coaching, training, and structured innovation practices.
- Partnering with senior stakeholders across design, technology, product, and business teams to influence strategic outcomes and organisational priorities.
For more information regarding the responsibilities for this role, please refer to the Position Description at JOBS@UNSW.
Skills and Experience Summary:
We're seeking an experienced Design Operations or Service Design leader with a proven track record of driving operational excellence within large, complex organisations. You'll bring:
- Extensive experience leading Design Operations, service improvement, transformation, or operational excellence initiatives.
- Demonstrated success developing design systems, governance frameworks, operational processes, and scalable delivery models.
- Strong leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and influencing senior stakeholders across complex environments.
- Expertise in process optimisation, portfolio planning, project management, and operational performance reporting.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate strategy into practical outcomes.
- Experience leading organisational change, continuous improvement, and Human-Centred Design capability uplift through coaching, mentoring, and training.
- Relevant tertiary qualifications and extensive experience delivering technology-enabled transformation from strategy through implementation.
Benefits and Culture: People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world. Our benefits include:
- Career development opportunities
- 17% Superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments
- Additional 3 days of leave over Christmas period
- Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness)
How to Apply: Submit your CV along with a cover letter addressing your suitability for the role via the application portal before 11:30pm on the 5th of August, Wednesday 2026.
A copy of the Position Description can be found on JOBS@UNSW.
For queries regarding the recruitment process, contact Ayla Kamal, Talent Acquisition Partner, UNSW : [email protected]
*Applications sent via email will not be accepted, please apply via the application portal.
Pre-Employment Checks
As part of our recruitment process candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment screening, which may include reference checks, qualification verification, right-to-work verification, and criminal history screening where relevant to the role.
UNSW is committed to evolving a culture that embraces equity and supports a diverse and inclusive community where everyone can participate fairly, in a safe and respectful environment. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and encourage applications from people of diverse gender, sexual orientation, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, people with disability and those with caring and family responsibilities. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.
The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.
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Job Description:
- Employment Type: Full-time (35 hours per week)
- Duration: Fixed-term contract for 1.5 years
- Remuneration: $148012 - $157056 + 17% super + leave loading
- Location: UNSW Kensington Campus
- Hybrid: 2 Days on Campus, and a 3rd day as needed
About UNSW:
UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community, a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.
Why Your Role Matters:
As Design Operations Lead, you will play a pivotal role in enabling design excellence across UNSW by creating the operational foundations that empower teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. You'll lead the evolution of design operations through scalable frameworks, governance, and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring design practices remain efficient, consistent, and aligned to strategic priorities.
Partnering with leaders across design, technology, product, and business functions, you'll foster collaboration, strengthen Human-Centred Design capability, and help embed innovative, customer-focused ways of working that create lasting impact across the University.
You'll also provide strategic leadership across multiple product and service portfolios, shaping the design operations strategy and driving large-scale operational initiatives that improve the quality, efficiency, and scalability of design delivery. Through data-driven insights and operational governance, you'll influence strategic decision-making and help ensure design investment delivers measurable value.
Leading a high-performing team, you'll champion best practice in Design Operations while coaching and developing capability across the organisation. By empowering teams to adopt structured innovation pathways and Human-Centred Design methodologies, you'll help build a culture of continuous improvement that supports UNSW's long-term strategic objectives.
Responsibilities Summary:
Reporting to the Head of Innovation, you'll provide strategic leadership for Design Operations across multiple portfolios, driving operational excellence and enabling high-quality design delivery. Your key responsibilities will include:
- Developing and executing the Design Operations strategy aligned with organisational priorities.
- Leading large-scale operational improvement and transformation initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and scalability.
- Establishing and evolving design systems, governance frameworks, processes, toolkits, and delivery standards.
- Optimising workflows, project pipelines, resource planning, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Monitoring operational performance through metrics and insights to drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
- Leading and developing a high-performing Design Operations team while fostering a culture of innovation and operational excellence.
- Building Human-Centred Design capability through coaching, training, and structured innovation practices.
- Partnering with senior stakeholders across design, technology, product, and business teams to influence strategic outcomes and organisational priorities.
For more information regarding the responsibilities for this role, please refer to the Position Description at JOBS@UNSW.
Skills and Experience Summary:
We're seeking an experienced Design Operations or Service Design leader with a proven track record of driving operational excellence within large, complex organisations. You'll bring:
- Extensive experience leading Design Operations, service improvement, transformation, or operational excellence initiatives.
- Demonstrated success developing design systems, governance frameworks, operational processes, and scalable delivery models.
- Strong leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and influencing senior stakeholders across complex environments.
- Expertise in process optimisation, portfolio planning, project management, and operational performance reporting.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate strategy into practical outcomes.
- Experience leading organisational change, continuous improvement, and Human-Centred Design capability uplift through coaching, mentoring, and training.
- Relevant tertiary qualifications and extensive experience delivering technology-enabled transformation from strategy through implementation.
Benefits and Culture: People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world. Our benefits include:
- Career development opportunities
- 17% Superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments
- Additional 3 days of leave over Christmas period
- Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness)
How to Apply: Submit your CV along with a cover letter addressing your suitability for the role via the application portal before 11:30pm on the 5th of August, Wednesday 2026.
A copy of the Position Description can be found on JOBS@UNSW.
For queries regarding the recruitment process, contact Ayla Kamal, Talent Acquisition Partner, UNSW : [email protected]
*Applications sent via email will not be accepted, please apply via the application portal.
Pre-Employment Checks
As part of our recruitment process candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment screening, which may include reference checks, qualification verification, right-to-work verification, and criminal history screening where relevant to the role.
UNSW is committed to evolving a culture that embraces equity and supports a diverse and inclusive community where everyone can participate fairly, in a safe and respectful environment. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and encourage applications from people of diverse gender, sexual orientation, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, people with disability and those with caring and family responsibilities. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.
The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.
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