Head of Design

About Citizen

Citizen is the No. 1 public safety app in the U.S., with a mission to make the world a safer place. Citizen provides 911 alerts so people can use their phones to keep themselves, and the people and places they love, safe. Citizen has notified people to evacuate burning buildings, deterred school buses from nearby terrorist attacks, and led to the rescue of kidnapped children and missing people. 

Citizen’s 911 alerts are accompanied by live stories, real-time updates, and user-generated content so app users never have to wonder why there are helicopters overhead or fire engines passing by. By broadcasting from the scene of an incident, communicating with one another, and reading live updates, communities are empowered by Citizen. We act fast, break news, and give people the immediate information they need to stay safe. And we’re just getting started.

Our paid products—Citizen Protect and Citizen Plus, enhance the Citizen experience by offering users powerful features like police scanner radio, historical incidents, custom alerts zones, and access to a digital guardian 24/7 help. Subscribers have used Citizen Protect to de-escalate tense domestic situations, guide emergency response to remote hiking locations, travel safely on late-night walks and Ubers.

Already relied on by millions of people every day, Citizen will expand even further across the United States this year to keep more users safe and informed. We’re looking for hardworking, mission-driven individuals to help bring Citizen to hundreds of cities nationwide.

Citizen is backed by 8VC, Founders Fund, Goodwater Capital, and Greycroft and has raised $100M+ in VC funding.

About the Role

Citizen is seeking a passionate and mission-driven design leader to join its leadership team as Head of Design. Reporting to the Head of Product, the Head of Design will be responsible for shaping the product experience for our members and overseeing the operations of the Design team.

The Head of Design will collaborate closely with Citizen’s CEO, Head of Engineering, and Head of Product to define the product strategy and vision. The ideal candidate has a strong interest in public safety. This leader must have an aptitude for solving real-world problems and upholding a high-quality bar in craft and execution.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the design team and its day-to-day operations
• Inspire, lead and mentor a small, growing team of designers, driving focus and execution from concept to completion of product features
• Recruit and hire a world-class design team
• Help establish and continually improve the design team processes, systems, and culture
• Be able to flexibly support the team across different types of projects, sometimes providing the guidance and direction to set others up for success and other times, rolling up your sleeves as an individual contributor to execute alongside the rest of the team
• Effectively communicate with and be a strong thought partner to cross-functional peers in leadership, product, engineering and operations teams to shape and execute the company’s vision and mission

Requirements

• 10+ years demonstrated hands on design experience in consumer in the mobile space
• 5+ years managing and scaling internal design teams, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability 
• A proven track record in building a great team, providing vision, taking on organizational challenges, and shipping great experiences
• Ability to transform defined customer needs and business goals into estimated plans with appropriate resources
• Prior experience building a data-driven, process-oriented design culture 
• History of developing product vision and strategy and helping peers translate that into product roadmaps and experiences

Salary Range & Benefits:

The below represents the expected salary range for this position in New York, New York. We take a number of factors into account when determining compensation including your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Salary Range: $190,000 to $210,000 annually + equity + benefits

Citizen offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, paid time off, company holidays, stock option plan, commuter benefits, and various wellness perks.

Citizen is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class.