Senior UX Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer

Company: Safaricom Candidate Experience site

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Design Operations

Date Posted: November 13, 2025

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and cultivate a high-performing design chapter focused on enhancing internal tools and the software factory.

• Provide hands-on UX design contributions, mentorship, and team coaching to foster designer growth and skill development.

• Ensure design consistency, quality, scalability, and strategic alignment across all internal tools and software factory initiatives.

• Collaborate closely with product and engineering teams to deliver intuitive, effective, and user-centric internal experiences for Safaricom's teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly described as a "Chapter Lead" for UX Designers, indicating a focus on people management, skill development, and ensuring design standards within a specific domain (internal tools and software factory). This goes beyond a typical individual contributor UX role and leans into Design Operations and Team Leadership. The emphasis on "internal tools and software factory" suggests a B2B or internal-facing product development environment, which requires a different strategic approach than consumer-facing products.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Guide and foster the professional development and career progression of a chapter of approximately five UX designers.

• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and skill assessments to support individual designer growth and development plans.

• Champion and enforce design best practices, standards, and quality assurance across the entire internal tools and software factory design landscape.

• Collaborate with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to define product roadmaps, prioritize design initiatives, and ensure seamless integration of UX solutions.

• Drive the adoption of scalable design systems and patterns to maintain consistency and efficiency across diverse internal applications.

• Actively participate in design critiques, providing constructive feedback and ensuring design solutions meet user needs and business objectives.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across product, engineering, and business units to advocate for user-centered design principles.

• Contribute to the strategic vision for internal tool design, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency gains.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities have been expanded to reflect the "Chapter Lead" aspect, emphasizing people management, career development, and strategic alignment, which are critical for a leadership role in a design chapter. The focus on "internal tools and software factory" has been integrated to highlight the specific domain of this role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 5-10 years of progressive experience in UX design, with a significant portion focused on enterprise-level internal tools, SaaS platforms, or complex software systems.

• Demonstrated experience in leading or mentoring design teams, with a proven track record of fostering talent and driving team performance.

Required Skills:

• UX Design Expertise: Proficient in user research methodologies, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and information architecture.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Proven ability to guide, coach, and develop designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Strong ability to partner effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and other business stakeholders.

• Design Systems & Consistency: Deep understanding of design systems, style guides, and best practices for ensuring visual and functional consistency across products.

• Quality Assurance & Scalability: Commitment to delivering high-quality, scalable design solutions that meet enterprise requirements.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to align design initiatives with broader business objectives and technology roadmaps.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with design operations principles and practices.

• Familiarity with various UX research tools and techniques (e.g., user interviews, surveys, A/B testing).

• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, or similar.

• Experience in a "Software Factory" environment or with internal developer tools.

• Knowledge of UX best practices for enterprise applications and internal workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications have been fleshed out to align with a "Senior" role and "Chapter Lead" responsibilities, including specific experience in enterprise/internal tools and leadership/mentorship. The distinction between required and preferred skills helps candidates understand immediate needs versus areas for growth.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 5-10 projects, with at least 2-3 projects demonstrating leadership, mentorship, or team guidance in a design context.

• Projects should highlight contributions to internal tools, enterprise software, or complex digital platforms, emphasizing problem-solving and user impact.

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the end-to-end design process, including user research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation.

• Include case studies that detail the design challenges, your specific role and contributions, the methodologies used, and the measurable outcomes or ROI achieved.

Process Documentation:

• Examples of how you have documented and optimized design workflows, from initial concept to final handoff to engineering.

• Evidence of implementing or contributing to processes that ensure design quality, consistency, and scalability across multiple projects or product lines.

• Demonstrate experience in creating or improving processes for design reviews, feedback loops, and stakeholder communication within a product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is critical for operations-focused roles. The emphasis is on demonstrating process ownership, optimization, and the ability to create scalable, repeatable design practices, which are core to Design Operations and effective Chapter Leadership. The portfolio requirements are tailored to showcase leadership and impact within an enterprise context.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision) for employees and dependents.

• Competitive pension/provident fund contributions.

• Paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and public holidays.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and further education aligned with career growth.

• Employee well-being programs and initiatives.

• Potential for performance-based bonuses and incentives.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

• Flexibility may be offered on start and end times, subject to team and operational needs, to support effective collaboration with global or cross-functional teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation for Nairobi, Kenya, is provided based on general market data for senior tech/design roles and Safaricom's standing as a major corporation in the region. The benefits are typical for a large, established company and are presented with operations professionals in mind, focusing on stability and growth.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Telecommunications & Technology. Safaricom is a leading mobile network operator in Kenya, continuously innovating in digital services, financial technology (M-Pesa), and enterprise solutions. This context means a fast-paced, technologically driven environment with a strong emphasis on customer experience and operational excellence.

Company Size: Large enterprise (Safaricom is one of the largest companies in East Africa by market capitalization and employee count). This implies structured processes, opportunities for impact at scale, and a robust organizational framework.

Founded: 1997. With a long history, Safaricom has established a strong market presence and evolved significantly, demonstrating adaptability and a commitment to long-term growth.

Team Structure:

• The UX Design Chapter will likely be part of a broader Product or Technology department, potentially within a dedicated UX/Design team or a specialized "Software Factory" unit.

• The Chapter Lead will report to a higher-level design manager, Head of UX, or Director of Product, with direct reports being the UX Designers within the chapter.

Methodology:

• Safaricom likely employs a mix of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) for its product development, emphasizing iterative development, continuous integration, and fast feedback loops.

• Design operations principles are likely being adopted or matured to ensure efficiency, consistency, and scalability in design processes.

• Data-driven decision-making is crucial, with a focus on leveraging analytics, user feedback, and A/B testing to inform design improvements for internal tools.

Company Website: https://www.safaricom.co.ke/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is tailored to Safaricom's profile as a major telecommunications and technology leader in Kenya. The "Software Factory" aspect is highlighted as a key operational domain, implying a focus on efficient software development and internal tool optimization, which is of high relevance for operations professionals.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a significant step into design leadership and management within an operations-focused domain (internal tools/software factory). It's positioned at a senior level, requiring both deep UX expertise and people/process management capabilities. This is a critical role for shaping the internal user experience and the efficiency of Safaricom's product development lifecycle.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer (Chapter Lead) will report to a UX Design Lead, Head of UX, or a similar senior design or product leadership role. They will directly manage a team of approximately five UX Designers, acting as their primary point of contact for career development, performance, and day-to-day guidance.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant. By improving internal tools and the software factory, the design chapter can:

• Boost employee productivity and efficiency across various departments.

• Reduce operational friction and time spent on administrative tasks.

• Enhance the developer experience, leading to faster and higher-quality software delivery.

• Contribute to cost savings through optimized workflows and reduced error rates.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into a Head of UX, Director of Design, or a broader Design Operations leadership role, managing larger teams or multiple chapters.

• Strategic Design Influence: Opportunity to shape the long-term vision and strategy for internal product design at Safaricom, influencing technology adoption and process improvements.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in Design Operations, UX Strategy for Enterprise, or Agile team management.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain extensive experience working across diverse business units and technology initiatives within a large, complex organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section details the career trajectory and impact specifically for an operations-minded professional. It frames the role not just as a design position but as a strategic operational lever for efficiency and productivity within Safaricom.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Safaricom likely operates a modern, professional office environment, potentially with dedicated co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and collaborative hubs designed to foster innovation and teamwork. Given the "on-site" nature, expect a structured office setting.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Nairobi, Kenya. Safaricom has a significant presence in Nairobi, with its headquarters and various operational centers. Specific office details would be provided upon further engagement.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative: The environment will encourage interaction with fellow designers, product managers, and engineers, facilitating brainstorming sessions, design reviews, and problem-solving workshops.

• Tool-Rich: Access to standard professional design software, collaboration tools, and potentially specialized internal systems for project management and communication.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities to engage with the UX Design Chapter, other design teams, and cross-functional product squads, promoting knowledge sharing and a cohesive team culture.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week (Monday-Friday) is typical. While core hours will be expected for team collaboration and meetings, there might be some flexibility to accommodate diverse project timelines and cross-functional team needs, especially if working with distributed teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description is grounded in the context of a large corporate entity in Nairobi, emphasizing collaboration and professional infrastructure, which are key considerations for many operations professionals seeking stability and a structured workplace.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or a recruiter will assess your resume and initial qualifications, focusing on leadership experience, UX expertise, and alignment with the role's core responsibilities.

• Hiring Manager / UX Lead Interview: A deeper dive into your experience, leadership style, mentorship approach, and understanding of design operations. Expect behavioral questions related to team management and conflict resolution.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A critical stage where you will present your portfolio, focusing on leadership projects and how you've driven consistency, quality, and scalability. You may also be given a design challenge or case study to solve, assessing your problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and ability to articulate your process.

• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meet with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess your collaboration skills, communication style, and ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams.

• Final Interview: Likely with a senior executive (e.g., Head of Product, CTO, or VP of Engineering) to discuss strategic alignment and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Leadership: Prioritize projects where you demonstrated mentorship, team guidance, or process improvement. Quantify your impact whenever possible.

• Focus on Internal Tools/Enterprise: Highlight projects that showcase your understanding of complex systems, stakeholder management, and the unique challenges of B2B or internal-facing products.

• Articulate Process & Rationale: Be prepared to walk through your design process, explain your decisions, and discuss how you ensured consistency, quality, and scalability.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: Show how you partnered with product and engineering, and how you managed feedback and trade-offs.

• Address Design Operations: If you have experience in design systems, process optimization, or establishing design standards, make sure to highlight it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research Safaricom's internal tools and software factory if possible. Think about common challenges in enterprise software and developer tools.

• Structure Your Approach: For any case study or challenge, use a structured problem-solving framework (e.g., define, ideate, prototype, test, iterate).

• Focus on Impact: Frame your solutions in terms of business value, efficiency gains, and user experience improvements.

• Communicate Clearly: Practice articulating your thought process and decisions concisely and persuasively.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides tactical advice for navigating the application process, with a strong emphasis on portfolio content and interview preparation relevant to a leadership and operations-focused UX role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision (proficiency in at least one leading tool is expected).

• User Research: UserTesting.com, Lookback, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or similar tools for qualitative and quantitative data collection.

• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello.

• Design Systems Management: Tools for managing and documenting design system components and guidelines.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (for understanding user behavior on internal portals or tools if applicable).

• Performance Tracking: Tools for tracking key UX metrics, adoption rates, and user satisfaction within internal applications.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools for presenting insights and performance data to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how CRM systems impact internal workflows and data management can be beneficial.

• Familiarity with workflow automation tools or principles that can streamline design processes or integrate with development pipelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are standard for senior UX roles and Design Operations, with an emphasis on collaboration, process management, and data analysis pertinent to an enterprise environment.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the needs of internal users (employees, developers) to drive efficiency and satisfaction.

• Excellence & Quality: Striving for high standards in design execution, craftsmanship, and the overall quality of internal tools.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering an open environment where ideas are shared, feedback is constructive, and teams work together towards common goals.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Designing solutions and processes that are not only effective but also efficient to implement and scalable to meet Safaricom's evolving needs.

• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of learning, iterating, and proactively seeking ways to enhance both the user experience and the design process itself.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Working closely with product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment and shared ownership of internal tool development.

• Empowerment & Autonomy: The Chapter Lead model encourages empowering designers while providing guidance, fostering a culture of ownership and accountability.

• Feedback-Driven: An environment where constructive feedback is regularly exchanged, both in design critiques and team retrospectives, to drive continuous learning and improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively promoting the sharing of best practices, learnings, and insights across the design chapter and wider organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture and values are aligned with a progressive, operations-minded design team within a large corporation, emphasizing efficiency, collaboration, and user focus – all critical for an internal tools context.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing diverse requirements and expectations from various internal departments and leadership.

• Driving Adoption of New Tools/Processes: Encouraging teams to embrace new design practices or tools, especially within established workflows.

• Measuring Internal UX Impact: Quantifying the ROI and business value of UX improvements for internal tools can be complex.

• Scaling Design Systems: Ensuring that design systems remain robust, up-to-date, and effectively utilized across a growing portfolio of internal applications.

• Leading a Diverse Team: Mentoring and guiding designers with varying levels of experience and specialization towards unified goals.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Formal Leadership Training: Access to Safaricom's leadership development programs.

• Industry Conferences & Workshops: Opportunities to attend UX and Design Operations conferences (e.g., UXPA, NN/g, IA Summit) or specialized workshops.

• Advanced UX & Design Ops Certifications: Pursuing certifications in areas like Agile coaching, UX strategy, or Design Operations.

• Mentorship Programs: Potential to be mentored by senior leaders within Safaricom or to mentor emerging talent.

• Exposure to Enterprise Technology: Deepen understanding of enterprise-level software development, infrastructure, and technology strategy within a leading telecom.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section directly addresses potential operational challenges and growth paths, framing them as opportunities for skill development and career advancement, which is highly relevant for operations professionals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders to adopt a new design process or tool. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on influence, change management, and process implementation).

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers? Provide an example of how you helped a team member grow their skills or overcome a challenge." (Focus on leadership, mentorship, and people development).

• "Walk us through a project where you significantly improved the user experience of an internal tool or enterprise system. What were the key challenges, your approach, and the measurable impact?" (Focus on problem-solving, design process, and ROI).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about Safaricom's internal tools or software factory, and what opportunities do you see for UX to impact them?" (Demonstrate research and strategic thinking specific to the company's operational context).

• "How do you foster a collaborative and high-performing design team culture?" (Align with Safaricom's values and team structure).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize Leadership & Process: Select 2-3 key projects that best showcase your ability to lead, mentor, and optimize design processes, especially for internal tools.

• Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs and process improvements (e.g., increased efficiency, reduced errors, higher adoption rates).

• Tell a Story: Structure your presentation around the problem, your solution, your role, the process, and the results. Emphasize your leadership contributions and how you fostered team growth.

• Be Ready for Q&A: Anticipate questions about trade-offs, challenges, and alternative approaches. Be prepared to discuss your rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for interview preparation, focusing on the specific skills and experiences relevant to a leadership role in UX and Design Operations within an enterprise context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer (Chapter Lead) position:

• Submit your application through the Safaricom Candidate Experience portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight leadership experience, team mentorship, UX design for internal/enterprise tools, and any experience with design systems or process optimization. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select projects that best demonstrate your leadership, mentorship, and ability to drive quality, consistency, and scalability in design. Prepare a concise narrative for each.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio, focusing on your leadership role, the challenges you overcame, and the impact you delivered. Be ready to discuss your approach to team management and process improvement.

• Research Safaricom: Understand their business, their role in the Kenyan market, and if possible, any insights into their internal technology or software development practices. Consider how UX contributes to operational efficiency.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

---