Director, Design Operations - Global Wealth Management

Requisition ID: 276890

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

The Director, Design Operations contributes to the overall success of Global Wealth Management’s Digital Experience Design Team ensuring specific individual goals, plans, initiatives are executed & delivered in support of the team's business strategies and objectives, ensuring all activities are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures.

Is this role right for you? In this role you will:

• Define the Design Operations vision and strategic direction by translating the Head of Design's strategy into scalable operating models, priorities, roadmaps, governance, and measurable outcomes that strengthen design effectiveness and business impact.
• Lead and develop the Design Operations team by setting performance expectations, coaching team members, supporting career development, and building an inclusive, accountable, and high-performing team culture.
• Lead portfolio planning, demand management, and resource governance by establishing transparent intake, prioritization, capacity planning, workforce planning, and allocation practices aligned with strategic priorities and delivery needs.
• Establish and continuously improve design ways of working by defining standards, decision rights, workflows, quality checkpoints, and cross-functional engagement models that create sufficient runway for discovery, design, validation, and delivery.
• Strengthen design governance and organizational visibility by providing leaders with clear insights into demand, capacity, dependencies, delivery risks, team health, capability gaps, and progress against design priorities.
• Demonstrate and communicate the measurable impact of design by establishing performance frameworks, operational metrics, maturity measures, and executive reporting that connect design investment to customer, employee, delivery, and business outcomes.
• Build organizational design capability by scaling communities of practice, mentorship, onboarding, learning pathways, documentation, critiques, and knowledge-sharing programs across design disciplines.
• Advance tools, platforms, and vendor management by defining the design technology strategy, overseeing procurement and license governance, driving adoption, and ensuring tools meet business, accessibility, privacy, security, and risk requirements.
• Advance responsible AI-enabled design practices by establishing guidance, enablement, shared resources, and measurement approaches that improve workflow efficiency and quality while maintaining appropriate human oversight and controls.
• Partner with Product, Technology, Design Systems, Delivery, Procurement, and other disciplines to remove operational barriers, improve collaboration, and scale consistent design practices across Global Wealth Management.
• Strengthen accessibility and inclusive design operations by embedding accessibility into processes, standards, tools, learning, governance, and measurement.
• Enable effective facilitation and decision-making practices by establishing reusable methods and supporting high-stakes workshops, planning sessions, critiques, and leadership forums that drive alignment and action.
• Represent Design Operations in leadership and governance forums by providing strategic recommendations, influencing investment, and operating decisions, escalating material risks, and acting as a delegate for the Head of Design when required.

Do you have the skills that will enable you to succeed in this role? – We’d love to work with you if you have:

• Post-secondary education in Design, Design Management, Business, Organizational Development, Technology, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• 10+ years of progressive experience in design, design operations, product operations, program management, or a related field, including at least 5 years leading teams or enterprise-scale operational initiatives within complex digital product environments
• Demonstrated experience defining and implementing design operating models, governance, intake, prioritization, capacity planning, resource allocation, and workforce planning practices
• Proven ability to build and develop high-performing teams through coaching, performance management, career development, and succession planning
• Experience establishing operational metrics, maturity measures, and executive reporting that demonstrate design effectiveness, delivery performance, and business impact
• Demonstrated experience in design tools procurement, license governance, managing vendors, and technology adoption within enterprise privacy, security, accessibility, and risk requirements
• Strong understanding of human-centered design, research, accessibility, design systems, digital product delivery, and the operational conditions required for multidisciplinary design teams to succeed
• Strong business acumen and executive-level communication, facilitation, negotiation, analytical, and decision-making skills
• Knowledge of responsible AI practices and their application to design workflows, operational enablement, governance, and measurement
• Experience in financial services, wealth management, banking, or another complex regulated industry is considered an asset

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Toronto

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.