Director, Product Design and User Research

Why This Role is Exciting:

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.

Key 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. There’s no such thing as “it’s not my job” on our team and at AuditBoard. Be willing to drive forward with ambiguity and multiple priorities, planning effectively and handling iterative change.

Attributes for a Successful Candidate

• 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 SaaS 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 with Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Audit