Senior Product and Service Designer

Join Harambee as a Senior Product and Service Designer!

Are you a designer who believes great design can change lives? Do you thrive at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and social impact? If you love solving complex problems with human-centered thinking — and want your work to matter — Harambee wants you on our team!

About Harambee

We're not your typical organisation. At Harambee, we're driven by integrity, results, and a deep commitment to solving youth unemployment through innovative partnerships. Our work is dynamic and fast-paced, powered by collaborations with key stakeholders like The Presidency of South Africa, Business Unity South Africa, Youth Employment Service (YES), and more.

The Role

At Harambee, design is a tool for impact. The Senior Product and Service Designer shapes the experiences of the young people and employers we serve — creating user-centered, visually compelling products and services that reflect our mission. This role collaborates across teams to keep design aligned with strategic goals, while mentoring the next generation of designers and helping to define what great design looks like at Harambee.

Your Key Responsibilities

Work closely with business and young people to identify new product opportunities and improve existing products and services.

Design solutions that drive impact and increase the likelihood of young people finding learning and earning opportunities near them.

Work across different channels and touchpoints to co-create the best engagement interventions for young people at each stage of their journey.

Use human-centered design principles and tools to develop actionable artefacts — personas, user journeys, wireframes, and prototypes.

Work closely with analyst and development teams to turn design requirements into clear specifications documents.

Set design and experience standards, building on existing interface elements to raise the overall quality across our products and services.

Lead and conduct user research activities — including interviews, contextual inquiry, and surveys — synthesising findings into actionable design recommendations. Plan and facilitate usability testing sessions to validate design decisions, identify friction points, and refine solutions before and after release.

Define success metrics for design initiatives and track performance post-launch, using data and feedback to iterate and continuously improve products and services.

Build design thinking capability throughout the business and with external partner organisations through thought leadership, facilitation of collaborative workshops, and active participation in the broader design and social impact community.

Mentor mid-level and junior designers, actively contributing to a culture of craft and excellence within the team.

What We're Looking For:

Must Haves

A recognised tertiary qualification in Design, UX, Informatics, Web, Product, Visual, Multimedia, or a related field.

5-7+ years of experience in an agile product design environment, with a portfolio of design artefacts to show for it.

Proven track record of exceptional quality delivery and cross-team collaboration.

Strong knowledge of human-centered design, iterative design, or other problem-solving methodologies.

Experience leading projects within a design team and supporting younger designers.

Advantageous

Experience with design system crafting, building, and maintaining.

A passion for embracing innovative technologies and processes.

Who You Are

You get excited when junior team members thrive — you care about the quality of the team's output, not only your own.

You embrace Harambee's culture, are passionate about our mission, and you leave things better than you found them.

You are passionate about creating inclusive digital products that scale.

You're curious, innovative, and agile. Change is a constant — and that excites you.

You have a generalist mindset with an appetite to collaborate with specialists and gather the right information at the right time.

You know when to invest in craft vs. thought leadership, and you know how to switch between the two.

What You Should Be Competent At

Strategic Decision Making: Makes thoughtful decisions while maintaining pace with Harambee's organisational needs.

Conflict Resolution: Manages complexity, disagreement, and conflict effectively to ensure smooth operations.

Business Acumen: Understands Harambee's business and marketplace to define optimal design solutions.

Alignment with Vision and Values: Demonstrates understanding and adherence to Harambee's mission in all decisions and actions.

Commitment to Excellence: Sets high standards for self and others, striving for quality at every touchpoint.

Situational Awareness: Reads changing situations, adopts the right approach, and takes timely action.

Why Join Us?

At Harambee, you'll be part of a purpose-driven team dedicated to solving youth unemployment through the power of design and partnership. We're not your typical organisation — and this is not a typical design role.

Impactful Work: Every design decision you make contributes to real change — helping young people access learning and earning opportunities.

High Engagement: Our culture is built on trust, open communication, and a shared commitment to continuous improvement.

Collaborative Environment: You'll work alongside passionate colleagues and partners who share your drive for meaningful impact.

Amazing Culture: We celebrate diversity, champion inclusion, and foster a flexible, supportive environment where great design can thrive.

Growth: At Harambee, we invest in our people. Your development matters as much as your output.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We encourage applications from people with disabilities and are happy to provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support or adjustments, please let us know — we’re here to help you succeed.

If you thrive in a fast-paced, change-ready environment and want to be part of a team that's using design to change the world — we invite you to apply.