Senior, Product Design at Semicolon Village Limited

Semicolon Ventures is a venture builder investing in early-stage high-growth start-ups by taking a holistic approach towards developing companies. Working with our innovative entrepreneurs, we utilize our experience and diverse skills to build pioneering start-ups. We offer shared services, a clear product development methodology, business management training, and funding aimed at building truly innovative start-ups capable of transforming the technology landscape on the continent and providing positive returns for investors. Through our parent company Semicolon Village, who trains software engineers, we are able to source sound leaders with the required technical skills to lead and support start-ups.

We nurture start-ups by developing our founders' strong business ideas into viable products by providing administrative, training, mentorship, and financing support. Our intense venture-building program aids in our portfolio companies' swift development and launch.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior, Product Design

Location: Yaba, Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
Reports to: Engineering Lead
Manages: Product Design Team

Job Summary

• The product design lead is a critical member of Semicolon’s team who oversees digital product design and leads the design team in designing, modeling, prototyping, testing, and defining product interfaces and interactions to deliver an exceptional user experience.
• This is a multifaceted role that involves working closely with user research teams, product management, and members of the agile sprint teams.
• S/he plays an important role during all stages of product development.
• S/he should be skilled at translating the goal of the product into a functional user experience and nurturing that experience as the product matures through different stages of the product life cycle.
• Our Ideal Product Designer Lead is a tech-driven individual with strength in UI/UX design, product design, and Graphic design, alongside interaction design, information architecture, etc.
• You will work on various products we develop for our users, tech founders, and clients. You will work with other designers and cross-functional team members and will rely heavily on both qualitative and quantitative data to make informed decisions.
• You will be focused on the needs of the users. You will be responsible for defining product specifications, creating digital and print designs/drawings, and designing fully functional products. You should have an eye for color and shape and be able to translate requirements into practical product features. Ultimately, you will help us build products that address pain points, are easy to use, and visually appealing to our potential customers.

Responsibilities

• By partnering with cross-functional teams and customers, you will turn your insights into delightful products in a creative environment that requires proven leadership skills and the ability to execute a creative vision.
• Analytical/Decision-Making Responsibilities:
• Advise and help guide user research (evaluative and generative) studies and observe and analyze end-user behavior
• Contribute to ideation sessions by helping to sketch initial design ideas
• Perform market research to identify design models to consider for a given interaction
• Creation of web and mobile app prototypes and clickable wireframes used in user testing
• Oversee and aid in conducting testing designs with end-users (e.g., A/B testing, multivariate testing, etc)
• Produce detailed, pixel-perfect final specifications for product interface and interactions
• Identify product UX/UI inconsistencies across multiple products in a given suite
• Maintain a comprehensive interactive style guide to ensure clarity of the design principles and specifications that should be used by the agile sprint teams
• Work directly with the agile sprint teams to present and communicate design concepts and answer related questions

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Able to complete multiple mid-large-sized projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Receives moderate supervision from product management and functional leaders
• Manages and oversees team resources as needed and acts autonomously
• Supervise team on daily basis in product design and development activities.
• Provide direction and guidance to product design teams to meet timely deliveries.

General Responsibilities:

• Identify opportunities for new products
• Analyze how a new product ties in with market needs and consumer preference
• Prototype and design fully functional products.
• Test functionality of new products.
• Execute day-to-day tasks around Information Architecture, Interaction design, Visual Design, Branding, and Illustration.
• Create digital and print designs; for branding, brand awareness, and product positioning on both traditional and digital media/platforms.
• Analyze briefs from internal teams and external partners and factor them in when setting design requirements.
• Improve the design of existing products
• Gather feedback from product users
• Provide assistance to product engineers when needed.
• Research and recommend new tools and technologies by staying abreast of the latest trends and techniques
• Other Design duties as assigned.

Education and Job Experience Criteria

• B.Sc in any discipline, preferably Product Design, Manufacturing Design Engineering, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) or any relevant field.
• A portfolio that demonstrates strength in user experience and visual design of digital products
• 5+ years of industry-standard experience as a Product Designer or in a similar role
• Proven experience in the various phases of the product life cycle, and design process, including user research, copywriting, wireframing, prototyping, Illustration, visual design, branding, interaction design, and usability testing.
• A well-rounded portfolio of client work, demonstrating a strong understanding of client objectives.
• Passion for design; not satisfied with the status quo and always thinking of ways to improve

Knowledge and Skills Requirements:
Technical Skills:

• Ability to use a variety of design tools including but not limited to; Figma, Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop, Coreldraw, etc,
• Knowledge of and ability to use prototype models.
• HTML and CSS knowledge including experience working with responsive web design frameworks such as Bootstrap
• Ability to rapidly produce multiple design mock-ups
• Experience creating clickable prototypes
• Ability to structure and conduct user tests and interviews
• Mobile app design experience
• Knowledge of javascript is a plus

Soft skills needed to excel in this role:

• Creative problem-solving skills
• Dynamic, creative personality, effective at engaging and influencing a various audience
• Excellent time management and adaptability
• An intuitive eye for customer needs beyond the obvious
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional team members
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with an ability to receive and share constructive criticism with team members and persuade around design concepts.
• Ability to collect and interpret both qualitative and quantitative feedback

Expectations on how you will be working
This will include, but will not be limited to the following areas:
Operational Excellence:

• Support the engineering lead to ensure all outputs from the product design unit meets Semicolon’s high standards of delivery.
• Support the engineering lead in contributing to a learning culture of sharing best design practices and supporting all-round organizational growth
• Take responsibility for your own continuous professional development by proactively identifying and participating in formal/informal learning opportunities
• Support the engineering lead in carrying out continuous process improvement by evaluating ongoing processes within the design team, and identifying critical areas for improvement / modification

Strategic Capability:

• As a member of the engineering team, you are expected to demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills to carry out your assignments and drive continuous improvement in the design functions.
• You are expected to have a clear focus on Semicolon’s goals, amid competing demands, and a capacity to prioritize effectively.

Driving for Results:

• You are expected to exhibit a results-driven approach with the confidence and resilience to take ownership and responsibility across various tasks within the design team.
• Take a proactive approach, ask challenging questions and pursue excellence in a demanding environment.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and entrepreneurial environment

Personal Attributes:

• Strong alignment with Semicolon’s core values.
• Highly professional, organized, and efficient; able to prioritize work independently
• An innovative and enterprising approach that is quick to search out alternative solutions to needs or problems.
• Integrity and honesty.

Application Closing Date
31st December, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV to: hr.semicolonafrica@gmail.com using the Job Title as the subject of the email.