Director of Product Design & User Research

Overview

Position:  Director of Product Design & User Research

Location: Remote - hybrid if 31 miles from Tustin, CA or Austin, TX. 2 days on-site.

Salary: $180K - $200K/yr d.o.e.

We are looking for a Director of Product Design & User Research to take on the challenge of managing and scaling a talented team of high-performance Product/UX designers and researchers. This team is chartered with partnering, supporting and driving product discovery and development initiatives with our Product Management and Engineering partners. You will be expected to drive cross-functional collaboration with our Product Management and Engineering teams while also working on a day-to-day basis to support and level-up designers on the team. You will wear the hats of being a mentor, leader, user-experience expert, and project manager.

Responsibilities

Lead and inspire. As a leader, your primary objective is to develop your team of designers, both as individuals and as a team. You will help them find their career path and create opportunities for them to grow. You will also be responsible for taking company and marketing objectives and translating them into a vision and objectives relatable and inspiring to a team of designers.

Coach. You will provide mentorship and coaching to develop designers in all areas of the craft, including UX Design, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Research, and Communication.

Project Manage. You will closely collaborate with stakeholders to understand project needs, break down and scope projects, plan team capacity, and prioritize commitments. You will be accountable for project success (timeliness and quality), while also ensuring the health of the team.

Build to Scale. Design communication strategies, operational processes, and UX methodologies that improve how we work and the experience of the team. Plan for growth by developing training programs, career ladders, and hiring plans.

Measure success. You will help the team understand and measure success by helping them understand business requirements, identify design goals, as well as finding ways for the team to realize and see the results of designs they produce.

Design for users. Level-up the team by being a strong advocate for data-driven UI/UX strategy and first-class user-experience practices. Stay up to date with the latest UI/UX trends, techniques and technologies.

Always be learning. You should always be pushing yourself to be a better manager and designer. Learn from your team, your peers, and even people with entirely different experiences. Absorb your craft but also the entire business context for your own growth and to support your team.

If you see it, solve it. Be a self-starter, if you see a problem beyond your immediate responsibilities, work to help solve it. Be willing to drive forward with ambiguity and multiple priorities, planning effectively and handling iterative change.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree in Design (e.g. interaction, graphic, visual communications, product, etc), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of experience managing a design team.
• Experience delivering B2B & B2C Products
• Excellent leadership, communication and collaboration skills.
• Experience in mentoring career growth and providing constructive feedback.
• Demonstrable digital design skills with a portfolio that showcases a breadth of styles and approaches
• Strong design thinking skills with a focus on user experience.
• Adept in designing for complex business needs and various buyer personas.
• Bonus: Experience within Mortgage Lending/Servicing/Real Estate Tech

Work Authorization: Must be able to verify identity and employment eligibility to work in the U.S.

Other Duties: This job profile is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties and responsibilities, as one may perform additional related duties as assigned in order to meet the needs of the organization.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to lift up to ten pounds. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to op