Design Systems Director

Design Systems Director Location: London WHO WE ARE Accenture Song is the tech-powered creative hub within Accenture. We are a fusion of over 40 world-renowned acquisitions (from Fjord and Karmarama to Droga5 and Work & Co) continuing the design studio mentality, both creatively and culturally.  We think and create across industry, for brands and businesses inspiring change – our impact is evolving the way people live, bank, shop, work, and travel. Today, our practices span Commerce, Service, Marketing and Design & Digital Products. And our team is shaped by over 65 of the sharpest creative and strategic minds in the industry, collaborating to accelerate ideas into reality. Underpinning it all is a treasure trove of technology, data and insights powered by Accenture’s global capabilities. Purpose   Lead the creation, evolution, and adoption of   a   design systems   practice   that enable Accenture Song to deliver consistent, high-quality digital experiences at scale — for our clients and for ourselves.   Orientation   Own the vision, governance, and roadmap for design systems across engagements; bridge design and engineering through rigorous   component   thinking; build the tools, documentation, and contribution models that allow diverse teams to move fast without sacrificing quality.   Be the go-to   person for selling in projects across industry, specific to design systems.   Expectations   Be visionary. Set the standard. Build the culture. Lead with empathy at scale. Drive strategic clarity. Develop others relentlessly. Hold a high bar. Champion design with courage and conviction.   Years of Experience   10–14 years of experience, with 4+ years focused on design systems at scale.   Demonstrable   track record   building and evolving design systems for large organisations or complex product portfolios.   Experience collaborating with front-end engineers on design token pipelines and   component   libraries.   Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Design or a related field.   Leadership & Personal   Bring a clear, authoritative point of view on design systems — their role, architecture, and governance — and advocate for that view at senior levels.   Champion the system as a product:   maintained , versioned, documented, and actively adopted across teams.   Stay current with the evolving design systems landscape, feeding new thinking back into the practice.   Contribute to business development — articulating the value of design systems investment to client leadership.   Craft & Standards   Own the architecture and   component   structure of design systems, ensuring scalability and maintainability.   Work closely with engineering teams to align design tokens, components, and patterns to coded output.   Establish contribution models, versioning, and documentation standards that enable wide adoption.   Audit existing design systems and deliver clear, prioritised recommendations for improvement.   Embed accessibility and inclusive design into the system by default.   Develop and   maintain   a design system roadmap aligned to client and product priorities.   People & Organisation   Lead and develop a team of design systems practitioners across design and engineering disciplines.   Train and mentor designers and developers in design system thinking, usage, and contribution.   Contribute to hiring and talent development for the design systems capability.   Client & Delivery   Manage the design system workstream across projects, aligning stakeholders around governance and adoption.   Advocate for design system investment at client leadership level, framing the business case clearly.   Act as the senior design systems authority in client conversations.   Industry & Community   Build Accenture Song design systems practice — contributing to internal standards and shared tooling.   Engage with the broader design systems community through talks, articles, or