Product Design and Research Director

About the Role

We are seeking a talented and visionary Director to lead our Product Design and User Research teams and elevate the user experience of our products. In this role, you will work closely with cross-functional teams, including product management and engineering, to create intuitive user-centric designs that meet our customers' needs and drive business growth. The ideal candidate has a strong background in product design & user research, a passion for user-centered design principles, and a proven track record of delivering exceptional design solutions.

As you talk with our team, your portfolio should contain case studies that demonstrate strong user research skills, use of detailed and effective designs, and clear results showing how your work has provided the building blocks for teams to succeed.

We appreciate team members who are curious, humble, think deeply, speak clearly, and thrive on collaboration and feedback. Fivetran is a start-up company where everyone rolls up their sleeves and digs into work, and this role is no different. This role reports directly to the VP Product & is a member of the product leadership team.

What You'll Do

• Lead all aspects of our Product Design & User Research teams
• Drive our Ease of Use product pillar across Fivetran’s entire product surface area through dedicated squads & targeted initiatives.
• Build out a compelling vision for our Fivetran Design System, collaborating with Designers, Product Managers, and Engineers who are also passionate about user experience.
• Continuously improve rituals, artifacts and tooling to drive better organizational performance.
• Own & evangelize across the company the design and experience vision for Fivetran users.
• Partner with our Brand Studio team to ensure the right voice and tone is reflected in our front end work.
• Mentor and grow Designers and User Researchers on best practices for their crafts & how they can flex into adjacent domains.

Skills We're Looking For

• You effectively partner with others while driving projects via front-end coding, concept design, design systems construction, and basic usability testing.
• A strong portfolio featuring examples of your work, your build process, and the corresponding results.
• Ability to direct & execute user research studies
• Heavy focus on details with an eye for pixel perfection. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of React, CSS, HTML
• Ensure successful integration of components and processes with a decentralized (remote) Design team and various international Engineering teams. 
• Entrepreneurial and self-motivated with a bias toward action – there’s tons of greenfield opportunity here, and you’ll need to lean into ambiguity and lead projects to completion.
• Track record of shipping high impact products in a fast-moving and changing environment.
• Ability to craft engaging experiences that materialize the vision of Design partners. 
• Ability to work in code with Engineering team partners across different teams. 
• You are driven by a deep understanding of how products get used, concept validation, contextual inquiry, and usability testing.
• Excitement for the chance to shape the design culture at a growing company and to inspire people with your unique perspective.

Bonus Skills

• Design skills for UX processes (not solely UI patterns or Interaction Design)
• Experience working in data, AI, or data analytics.
• Experience independently partnering with design operations and front-end eng organizations.
• A desire to have fun while building a great product!

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