Associate UI/UX Design Manager, Zalo
At Zalo, we believe that world-class technology is defined not just by code, but by the seamless experiences it delivers. Imagine a product interface interacted with by millions of users, every single day. We are building a dynamic playground where product thinkers can thrive. Step in to dismantle the reactive "service" mindset, establish robust design workflows, and empower the entire design team to confidently drive the "Why" behind every product decision.
This role demands a Strategic Partner and Quality Guardian who drives the UI/UX vision for an entire Vertical. Beyond shaping the platform's architectural integrity, you bridge the gap between complex business goals and user experience. As a dedicated Line Manager, you take full ownership of the design outcome while mentoring and scaling a high-performing team of Lead and Senior designers.
🤖 What you will do
Strategic Direction & Quality Governance
- Experience Strategy: Collaborate with Product Owner to define the experience vision, applying System Thinking to solve large-scale business challenges;
- Quality Ownership: Take full accountability for endorsing the output quality of the Vertical. Apply expertise in Validation Design to lead the solution acceptance process, ensuring all designs meet the highest standards of usability and comprehensively solve the product problem;
- System Governance: Oversee the evolution of the Vertical's Design Language, ensuring visual and functional consistency across all product touchpoints and platforms;
- Professional Anchor: Directly resolve professional bottlenecks and provide Interaction Design direction for the most highly complex product flows.
DesignOps & Cross-Functional Partnership
- Strategic Product Partner: Engage early with Product Owner. Leverage Design Research, data and deep user understanding as negotiation weight to balance User Experience, Business Goals, and Technical Constraints;
- Workflow Optimization: Own and continuously refine the end-to-end design process. Build scalable design-to-development pipelines that reduce operational friction and ensure velocity without compromising quality;
- Infrastructure & Tooling: Standardize design tools, asset management, and documentation practices across the Vertical. Establish a single source of truth to maximize the team's operational efficiency;
- Design Rituals: Establish and facilitate regular design critiques, peer reviews, and knowledge-sharing sessions to continuously elevate the team's craft and foster a collaborative environment.
Design Leadership
- Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing design team;
- Foster a collaborative culture driven by continuous learning, evidence-based decisions, and outcome-oriented design.
👾 What you will need
- Minimum 7-9+ years of experience in UI/UX Design, with at least 2-3 years in a Lead/Manager role leading design teams for high-scale consumer apps.
- A portfolio that clearly demonstrates strategic design thinking, complex problem-solving capabilities, and business metrics achieved (Outcome-driven);
- System Thinking & Interaction Design: Sharp system thinking and a solid foundation in Interaction Design to architect information for complex product ecosystems, ensuring high Scalability;
- Research & Validation Design: Make Evidence-based design decisions with the ability to execute Research and a deep understanding of design validation methods;
- Design Language: Proven track record of architecting, scaling, and driving the adoption of complex Design Languages across large-scale engineering and design teams;
- DesignOps Expertise: Proven ability to build and scale design processes, manage tooling infrastructure, and optimize handoff workflows between Design and Engineering;
- Strategic Partnership & Influence: Excellent negotiation and Influence skills. Possess the professional courage to converse as an equal and defend design decisions using data with C-level executives, Product Heads, and Tech Leads.
