Experience Design CoE Lead

About the Role: Experience Design CoE Lead at PwC Canada

Reporting to the Products & Experiences (P&E) Leader, the Experience Design CoE Lead at PwC Canada is a pivotal Senior Manager role responsible for spearheading the Service Design, User Experience (UX), User Experience Research, User Interface (UI), and Visual Design functions within PwC Canada’s Design Center of Excellence (CoE). This position is critical not only for ensuring the high quality and impact of design deliverables but also for continually evolving how design is practiced, enabled, and scaled across the firm to align with the dynamic needs of PwC Canada, its clients, and the technology landscape.

A primary focus involves redefining the interaction between design and its internal clients, along with modernizing the CoE’s practices and operational model. The Experience Design CoE Lead will transform the CoE into a highly client-centric, advisory-led organization, cultivating a team of design professionals who serve as trusted partners with a deep understanding of customer needs, business context, and delivery constraints. This transformation includes driving the adoption of innovative design approaches, methodologies, and technologies, notably incorporating generative AI for rapid prototyping to enhance insight generation, accelerate delivery, and elevate the strategic value of design in product and technology initiatives. The role ensures that design talent is seamlessly integrated and aligned with product, engineering, and other P&T counterparts, empowering design to influence decisions effectively early in the lifecycle of work.

As a leader of people and practice, the Experience Design CoE Lead fosters a culture that harmonizes innovation with accountability. This encompasses setting stringent expectations for craft excellence, technical proficiency, and client impact; continuously adapting skills, roles, and workflows to support the future of design; and engaging in direct, constructive dialogues regarding performance or capability gaps. Success in this role is measured by tangible shifts in how design is implemented, perceived, and utilized across PwC Canada – moving from a predominantly delivery-focused function to a modern, technology-enabled, strategic partner that delivers significant business value.

Meaningful Work You'll Be Part Of

As an Experience Design CoE Lead at the Senior Manager level, you will collaborate with a team of problem solvers, addressing business challenges, delivering exceptional client service, and optimizing operational efficiency. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the transformation of the Experience Design CoE by redefining its role, operating model, and value proposition to establish a more client-centric, advisory-driven, and outcomes-focused design capability within P&T.
• Drive the evolution of design practices, methodologies, and ways of working, ensuring the CoE adopts modern, fit-for-purpose approaches that enhance speed, quality, and alignment with product and technology delivery.
• Enable Design-to-code delivery with a strong emphasis on rapid prototyping for quickly creating and testing interactive designs, facilitating early and frequent feedback loops.
• Provide strategic oversight for delivering high-quality, customer-centric design solutions across the Experience Design CoE, ensuring consistency, rigor, and measurable impact.
• Ensure design outcomes are deeply rooted in user and client insights, informed by thorough research, and aligned with clear success metrics and business objectives.
• Establish and maintain standards for experience quality, usability, accessibility, and coherence across all interfaces, user journeys, touchpoints, and services.
• Oversee research, testing, and validation practices to inform decisions, mitigate delivery risk, and promote evidence-based improvement.
• Govern the evolution and utilization of shared assets such as design systems, patterns, and guidelines, balancing brand alignment with delivery flexibility.
• Enable seamless collaboration between design, product, engineering, and delivery teams to ensure design intent is feasible and fully realized end-to-end.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary design team, clearly articulating expectations, coaching performance, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous learning.

Experiences and Skills You’ll Use

• Extensive experience in design, product, business, or IT portfolio roles, including proven people leadership experience.
• Deep understanding of experience design encompassing service design, UX, UI, visual design, and research to deliver comprehensive end-to-end experiences.
• Hands-on experience in creating design artifacts such as wireframes, personas, customer journeys, mockups, and high-fidelity prototypes.
• Strong knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design standards, including WCAG 2.0.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative user research methods, including interviews, workshops, and rapid prototyping.
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools and platforms (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Miro, Mural, Jira, Azure DevOps) and Agile methodologies.
• Solid foundation in human-centered and customer-centered design methodologies, from discovery through iterative development.
• Understanding of how generative AI and emerging technologies can augment design research, ideation, and delivery workflows.
• Experience in designing and evolving operating models, including intake, prioritization, resourcing, and engagement processes.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally and engage senior stakeholders.

Key skills/competency

• Service Design
• User Experience (UX)
• User Interface (UI)
• User Research
• Visual Design
• Generative AI
• Rapid Prototyping
• Design Systems
• Agile Methodologies
• People Leadership