About the Role
As Director of Design, you’ll lead the growth and impact of a team of product designers, researchers, and content strategists. You’ll be a force multiplier for a team responsible for creating world-class user experiences across our entire product portfolio—from developers building mapping applications, to end-users engaging with our products in complex workflows. You’ll combine your exceptional design and product leadership abilities to cultivate strong design processes and a high-performance, human-centered culture. This role reports to the VP of Product.
What You’ll Do
- Drive and evangelize a unified design strategy and vision across multiple product areas.
- Lead, mentor, and empower a diverse team of product designers, researchers, and content strategists to achieve their full potential.
- Foster a culture of human-centered design, innovation, and continuous improvement, ensuring that user needs are at the forefront of every product decision.
- Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and other cross-functional partners to define product strategy, roadmaps, and requirements.
- Establish and maintain high standards for design quality, consistency, and accessibility across all products and platforms.
- Represent the design organization in executive-level discussions and presentations, advocating for the user and demonstrating the impact of design on business outcomes.
- Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in design, continuously seeking opportunities to innovate and improve our design processes and methodologies.
- Recruit, hire, and onboard top design talent, building a strong and diverse team that reflects our commitment to excellence and inclusivity.
- Manage the design budget and resources effectively, ensuring optimal allocation and utilization to achieve strategic objectives.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor’s degree in Design, HCI, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in product design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing and mentoring design teams.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping complex, user-centered products that have had a significant business impact.
- Deep expertise in product design principles, methodologies, and tools, with a strong portfolio showcasing your work and leadership.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts and strategies to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a passion for tackling complex challenges and driving innovative solutions.
- Experience working in an agile development environment, collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Familiarity with geospatial technologies or data visualization is a plus.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a proven ability to create an inclusive and supportive team environment.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, managing multiple priorities and adapting to changing requirements.
