Director, Product Design

Articulate is the leading SaaS provider of online training solutions for the new world of work. Our industry-leading software and services make it simple for enterprises and SMBs to develop, deliver, and analyze online training that’s engaging and effective. 

As the Director of Product Design, you will play a pivotal role in driving the strategic and executional design direction of our products while supporting a team of highly talented product designers. Your deep understanding of user-centered design principles and keen eye for detail will guide our product design team in crafting outstanding and cohesive customer experiences. 

Our ideal candidate will be a strong proponent of design thinking, strategically oriented, familiar with modern design tools, deeply experienced in Figma, and someone with highly refined taste to drive quality and consistency for products across our platform. You are a strong team leader, and passionate about building a unified product + brand experience to create true connection with customers. You effortlessly shift context between solving for the larger customer journey and the micro details that make or break a good design. You have compassion for your team and work dilligently to foster a creative culture of collaboration, positivity, innovation, and growth.

Essential Functions

• Strategic Design Leadership: 
• Provide strategic direction and vision for the product design team, aligning design efforts with roadmap and overall business objectives.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, and executive leadership to define design strategies that meet customer needs and increase product engagement. 
• Team Management and Mentorship: 
• Lead, inspire, and mentor a team of product designers, nurturing their skills, and fostering growth and strategic opportunites for innovation.
• Map growth opportunities for team, provide thoughtful feedback, identify areas for improvement, and offer an expert perspective within product design critiques to drive high-quality, iterative, and customer focused design.
• Support and motivate the team to manage deadlines in collaboration with product and engineering partners to reliably deliver against roadmap goals.

End-to-End Customer Journey:

• Champion a user-centered approach to design, ensuring the end-to-end customer journey is seamless, intuitive, and delightful across our platform.
• Collaborate with product and internal customer teams to build a close connection to customers, understand user needs, and incorporate actionable insights into the design process.
  
  

Brand and Product Cohesion:

• Oversee the integration of brand elements into product design, maintaining consistency and cohesiveness across all touchpoints.
• Ensure that the design team adheres to established design guidelines and best practices. Be an advocate for design excellence and experiential best practices throughout the company.

Drive a Culture of Collaboration:

• Foster a collaborative culture that encourages open communication and effective cross-functional teamwork. Help shape our processes and approach to good design to bring exceptional work to life.
• Lead ideation sessions and emphasize the importance of live problem solving with members of design and cross-functional teams. Be willing to roll up your sleeves and demonstrate solutions by example.
• Quality Assurance and Design Standards:
• Implement design quality assurance processes to maintain high design standards and consistency in product deliverables in accordance with our design systems and brand guidelines.
• Keep abreast of design trends and industry developments, incorporating relevant advancements into the team's workflow.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, or related field
• Proven track record with 15+ years in product design with at least 5+ years experience managing or leading product design teams
• Exceptional understanding of user-centered design principles, UI design principles, and best practices
• Demonstrated expertise in crafting cohesive, exceptional customer experiences across digital products
• Strong ability to think strategically and translate business objectives into customer-focused design solutions
• Experience in conducting user research and leveraging insights to inform design decisions
• Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and inspire cross-functional teams and stakeholders
• Strategically minded individual who seeks new opportunities to make an impact
• Passionate about end-to-end customer experience holistic of product and brand 
• A compassionate doer who seeks to improve our processes and regularly works to identify areas to maximize team efficiency 
• Great team player, highly self-motivated. Ability to collaborate closely with product managers, product designers, engineers, and copywriters
• You are resilient, reliable, and optimistic
  
  

Preferred

• Previous experience working in a SaaS or software product led company 
• Familiarity with design systems and their implementation to scale design efforts
• Knowledge of front-end development technologies and their impact on design decisions

The pay range for this position is $201,000 to $301,400 for all US locations. Articulate takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. This position is also bonus eligible. Articulate also offers a robust suite of benefits, check out the website for a full list.

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