diff --git a/.planning/REQUIREMENTS.md b/.planning/REQUIREMENTS.md
index 4425678..ba57610 100644
--- a/.planning/REQUIREMENTS.md
+++ b/.planning/REQUIREMENTS.md
@@ -56,6 +56,14 @@ Requirements for beta-ready release. Each maps to roadmap phases.
 - [x] **RBAC-05**: Portal navigation, pages, and UI elements adapt based on user role (platform admin sees tenant picker, customer admin sees their tenant, operator sees read-only views)
 - [x] **RBAC-06**: API endpoints enforce role-based authorization — unauthorized actions return 403 Forbidden, not just hidden UI
 
+### Employee Design
+
+- [ ] **EMPL-01**: Multi-step wizard guides user through AI employee creation (role definition, persona, tools, channels, escalation rules) without requiring knowledge of system prompt format
+- [ ] **EMPL-02**: Pre-built agent templates (e.g., Customer Support Rep, Sales Assistant, Office Manager) available for one-click deployment with sensible defaults
+- [ ] **EMPL-03**: Template-deployed agents are immediately functional — respond in connected channels with the template's persona, tools, and escalation rules
+- [ ] **EMPL-04**: Wizard and templates accessible to platform admins and customer admins (RBAC-enforced, not operators)
+- [ ] **EMPL-05**: Agents created via wizard or template appear in Agent Designer for further customization
+
 ## v2 Requirements
 
 Deferred to future release. Tracked but not in current roadmap.
@@ -135,12 +143,16 @@ Which phases cover which requirements. Updated during roadmap creation.
 | RBAC-04 | Phase 4 | Complete |
 | RBAC-05 | Phase 4 | Complete |
 | RBAC-06 | Phase 4 | Complete |
+| EMPL-01 | Phase 5 | Pending |
+| EMPL-02 | Phase 5 | Pending |
+| EMPL-03 | Phase 5 | Pending |
+| EMPL-04 | Phase 5 | Pending |
+| EMPL-05 | Phase 5 | Pending |
 
 **Coverage:**
 - v1 requirements: 25 total (all complete)
-- RBAC requirements: 6 total (Phase 4)
-- Mapped to phases: 25
-- Unmapped: 0
+- RBAC requirements: 6 total (Phase 4, all complete)
+- Employee Design requirements: 5 total (Phase 5)
 
 ---
 *Requirements defined: 2026-03-23*
diff --git a/.planning/ROADMAP.md b/.planning/ROADMAP.md
index cf3c6bf..f60b036 100644
--- a/.planning/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/.planning/ROADMAP.md
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ Plans:
 ## Progress
 
 **Execution Order:**
-Phases execute in numeric order: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4
+Phases execute in numeric order: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 5
 
 | Phase | Plans Complete | Status | Completed |
 |-------|----------------|--------|-----------|
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ Phases execute in numeric order: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4
 | 2. Agent Features | 6/6 | Complete    | 2026-03-24 |
 | 3. Operator Experience | 5/5 | Complete    | 2026-03-24 |
 | 4. RBAC | 3/3 | Complete    | 2026-03-24 |
+| 5. Employee Design | 0/0 | Not started | - |
 
 ---
 
@@ -111,6 +112,21 @@ Phases execute in numeric order: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4
 
 **LLM-03 conflict resolved:** BYO API keys confirmed in v1 scope per user decision during Phase 3 context gathering. Implemented via Fernet encryption in Phase 3.
 
+### Phase 5: Employee Design
+**Goal**: Operators and customer admins can create AI employees through a guided wizard that walks them through role definition, persona setup, tool selection, and channel assignment — or deploy instantly from a library of pre-built agent templates
+**Depends on**: Phase 4
+**Requirements**: EMPL-01, EMPL-02, EMPL-03, EMPL-04, EMPL-05
+**Success Criteria** (what must be TRUE):
+  1. An operator can create a fully configured AI employee by completing a multi-step wizard without needing to understand the underlying system prompt format
+  2. Pre-built agent templates (e.g., Customer Support Rep, Sales Assistant, Office Manager) are available for one-click deployment with sensible defaults
+  3. A template-deployed agent is immediately functional — responds in connected channels with the template's persona, tools, and escalation rules
+  4. The wizard and templates are accessible to both platform admins and customer admins (respecting RBAC)
+  5. Created agents appear in the Agent Designer for further customization after initial setup
+**Plans**: 0 plans
+
+Plans:
+- [ ] TBD (run /gsd:plan-phase 5 to break down)
+
 ---
 *Roadmap created: 2026-03-23*
 *Coverage: 25/25 v1 requirements + 6 RBAC requirements mapped*
diff --git a/.planning/phases/05-employee-design/.gitkeep b/.planning/phases/05-employee-design/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29