Head of Design

Who We Are…
Founded in 2002, ELMO Software is The Complete AI Workforce PlatformUnify HR, Payroll and Rostering on one ANZ‑compliant data foundation, with native AI that surfaces workforce insights and turns them into action in the same platform. Our local experts guide you from getting the basics right to building an AI‑ready workforce, so change feels practical, not overwhelming.
Purpose-built for mid-sized organisations across ANZ and trusted by 1.2M users.
About the Opportunity:
This is a new position for a Head of Design to join the team at ELMO, reporting to the VP of Product, this is the senior design leader accountable for design discipline, the ELMO design system, and design quality across ELMO's product organisation.
Product Designers and Senior Product Designers report directly to this role and are matrixed into cross-functional squads, mirroring how Product and Engineering operate. In the AI-Native model, the Head of Design ensures that AI-accelerated design generation translates into measurable improvements in usability, accessibility, and design system fidelity, not just faster pixels. ELMO operates a product-led model.
This role operates at approximately 35% tactical / 40% strategic / 25% management. The Head of Design is hands-on by design and directs design personally on the highest-leverage strategic initiatives, holds the bar through craft, and leads the discipline through standards, the design system, and direct development of the team.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership & People: Direct line-manage five Mid & Senior Product Designers; set career pathways, hiring standards, and lead team development in AI-native practices.Usability & UX Research: Own UX research practices and hold final sign-off authority on usability and WCAG AA accessibility standards before release.Multi-Modal AI Design: Establish design rules and seamless hand-offs between traditional UI, conversational AI, and agentic workflows.Design System & Pipelines: Strategic ownership of the ELMO design system; partner with Engineering to maintain high design-to-code and AI generation accuracy.Operations & Commercials: Manage design budgets, headcount, and tool strategy while maintaining tight cross-functional alignment with Product and Engineering.
What We Are Looking For:
Design Leadership: Ideally, you have experience leading cross-functional Product Designers embedded into teams that collaborate closely with Engineering and Product Owners & Product Managers. Experience setting standards and leading designers across cross-functional squads without becoming a bottleneck.Hands-on Craft: A senior-level practitioner capable of personally directing design on complex, novel AI features.AI & Multi-Modal Expertise: Strong grasp of conversational AI design, AI-native design tooling, and AI-to-code pipelines.Research & System Mastery: Deep knowledge of UX research frameworks, accessibility compliance (WCAG AA), and platform-scale design systems.Commercial Acumen: Clear understanding of budget management, headcount planning, and tying design outcomes to business impact.
Life & Culture:
At ELMO, you will be joining an epic team with the opportunity to make a big impact. We foster an authentic, collaborative, fun working environment and being an ELMOnian means you're part of an amazing team that will push you to grow, support you with challenges, and allow you to shine.
Some of our benefits include:
Hybrid work set upPaid Parental leave - 12 weeks primary, 6 weeks secondaryBirthday leave, YOU day each year, as well as connecting people leave (up to 2 weeks working from anywhere)In-house Learning and Development initiativesELMO Social and Diversity clubsWellbeing initiativesMental Health/EAP programsFlare Benefits (great discounts, novated leasing, salary sacrifice)
Our Values:
Reimagine What's Possible - We believe innovation is human at its core. By staying open, fearless, and adaptive, we continuously push boundaries - while keeping people at the heart of everything we do.Obsess over Customers – Everything we do is designed to positively impact our customers.Help Others Thrive - Be they colleagues, communities or customers, we champion ways to help others thrive.Be Fearlessly Optimistic - We bring unwavering positivity to any challenge, as we know it will drive meaningful change.

Apply now and be part of the team shaping the future of work at ELMO.
ELMO Software Pty Ltd is an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to join our team - a commitment reflected in our Reconciliation Action Plan.
As the first software company in Australia and New Zealand to achieve ISO 42001:2023 Certification, we're passionate about responsible, secure and safe AI. Key to this role is an awareness of data privacy and security, as you'll be working with sensitive employee data in accordance with our ISO 27001:2022 Certified security policies.
Please Note: Our internal Talent Acquisition team has got this covered; we are not open to using an agency for this role.