What does Design Operations look like at Virgin Money

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up as the Design Operations Manager here at Virgin Money?

Hi, I'm James and I've worked in this role for the past 4 years. It's the perfect blend of my skills and my vocational history. My background is in graphic design, web design, project management and producer delivery. I'm a creative person, it's what I'm most passionate about. Working in this role means I'm surrounded by innovative projects and I get to use my management skills to support the team.

What exactly does ‘Design Operations’ mean?

I always say that Design Operations is the ability to take away the ‘noise and admin’ and allow the team to do what they do best, and design! The HCD team here at Virgin Money is so talented and my job is to make sure those talents and skills are used in the best ways.

In a nutshell, my job is to create a streamlined and efficient working environment. I'm constantly refining our design solutions, processes and practices for the whole team.

What are your main responsibilities?

I like to break down Design Operations into 5 key areas.

1. Software and tooling - The team need a range of tools and software to do their jobs. They also need consistent processes and tools across the team so they can seamlessly share work and practices. The team and data needs to be safe and secure so I've worked on developing the governance within the team that comes with using external tools and software.
2. Putting people in the right places – We have a team of over 40 so we need a holistic view of which projects and areas we place everyone. I support the Leads with matching up individual's skills and expertise to each project and doing the leg work to make any changes required. I'm also responsible for making sure that all Leads and People Leaders have the opportunity to discuss and track any blockers and potential resource issues in the future, due to deadlines, new strategies or even just annual leave within the team.
3. Keeping an eye on our budgets - Like all companies, we have budgets we have to stick to here at Virgin Money. And the HCD team are no different, it's important that we can justify all spending within the team. It's my job to analyse the tools that the team needs. I then forecast our spending, seek approval and track the budgets and spending over the year.
4. Careful controls – I have to make sure that everyone and their data is safe. I identify any risks in the team’s design practices and record these with the relevant business area. I work with our Head of HCD, to figure out the controls we need in place to prevent any information and data security issues coming up.
5. Building a creative culture – I couldn't miss out mentioning our work culture. I organise regular team meetings, show and tells, collaboration sessions and set principles that the team can follow and champion. I also build personal relationships with everyone, I send a lot of Teams messages! All these chances for everyone to connect has resulted in a strong and collaborative environment. I even co-organised a fun, remote sketching event for a Christmas catch up. This was a fantastic way to bring the team together and get everyone having fun. I still chuckle at some of the 'art' that was produced!

What's the hardest part of your job?

The biggest challenge is prioritising. I cover so many areas and the role is still evolving so I get a lot of questions and requirements thrown at me daily. I need to be able to understand these and prioritise them quickly. I'm normally doing that whilst I'm trying to finish another task off at the same time. Experience has taught me to assess what is urgent and what is not! I'll look at deadlines and impact and do everything I can to make sure no one in the team is blocked from doing their work.

The other big challenge is that I work mostly remotely now. It's absolutely fantastic for work life balance but I don't get daily in-person time with the team. This means I sometimes have to wait for any issues to land with me rather than spotting them earlier. This is why reaching out regularly to everyone on Teams is so important for me.

What’s one of your achievements in this role?

We recently launched the Virgin Money Design website, where you’re reading this article! I project managed this “side of desk” and brought it to life. This website talks about the culture and structure of the HCD team at Virgin Money. It's been a great success! We've used it in discussions with our stakeholders and leadership team about design processes and visions. The website bring s a strong identity to the team and supports the culture and collaboration.

What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into a Design Operations role?

I’d say it’s perfect for you if you’re a people person. I know that can sound very generalised, but I have to liaise with so many different colleagues on a daily basis. I work with internal and external people and I need to be able to build lasting relationships with each and every one of them. I try to create the kind of environment and culture where anyone in the team can contact me at any point. So, if you love variety at work, multi-tasking and stakeholder management then it's a great career choice.

What's next for Design Operations?

There are a couple of exciting things on the horizon…

One stand out is an initiative called SkillBlend. It's all about encouraging each discipline to share their knowledge with their peers. I'm setting up fortnightly sessions for the team to present on various topics of their choosing. This will be a great opportunity for the team to learn first-hand about other areas and skills.

The overall future of Design Operations at Virgin Money is yet to be set! But what I do know is that it's firmly embedded into the HCD team. I'll keep supporting every team member and building even more super-slick processes for a while to come!