Product Design Manager (f/m/d)

Your role

• You will lead design initiatives across multiple product squads, working closely with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to drive strategic design decisions that balance business needs with intuitive interactions.
• You will build and nurture a high-performing design team, establishing design culture, processes, and standards that enable the team to scale effectively.
• Your leadership will directly impact how investors engage with our platform, ensuring simplicity, clarity, and efficiency across all touch points.

Top responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development
• Lead & Mentor: You will be the functional leader of a team of 3 product designers, providing mentorship, regular feedback, in collaboration with the VP Product.
• Hiring & Team Building: Participate in future recruiting efforts to grow the design team and establish a strong design culture.
• Design Critiques & Reviews: Facilitate design critiques, set quality standards, and provide constructive feedback to elevate team output.
• Resource Allocation: Assign projects strategically based on designer strengths, development goals, and business priorities.
• Performance Management: Conduct performance reviews, set objectives, and ensure team members are supported and challenged.
• Design Strategy & Operations
• Design Vision & Strategy: Define and communicate the design vision and strategy in alignment with product and business goals.
• Design System Ownership: Oversee the development and governance of design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across the platform.
• Process & Workflow Definition: Establish repeatable, efficient design workflows for wireframing, prototyping, handoffs, and user testing.
• Design Handoff Standards: Define structured processes for design-to-development handoffs, ensuring clearly defined assets, specs, and interactions.
• Automation & Tooling: Identify and implement automation solutions (e.g., Figma plugins, design token automation) to improve team efficiency.
• Documentation & Standards: Create and maintain design pattern libraries, usability guidelines, and best practices to ensure knowledge-sharing.
• Hands-On Design Leadership
• End-to-End Product Design: Lead complex, high-impact design initiatives from ideation to execution, setting the example for design excellence.
• User Research & Testing: Champion user research practices, conduct studies, and synthesize insights to inform design strategy.
• Wireframing & Prototyping: Create and guide the creation of wireframes and interactive prototypes to communicate design concepts effectively.
• Data-Driven Design: Leverage user data, behavioral insights, and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.
• Accessibility & Usability: Ensure all designs meet accessibility standards and create inclusive experiences for all users.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Stakeholder Management: Partner with VP Product, product managers, and engineering to align design solutions with business objectives.
• Design Advocacy: Champion user-centered design across the organization and educate stakeholders on design thinking and methodology.
• Technical Collaboration: Work closely with engineering teams to ensure design feasibility and maintain quality through implementation.

About You

• Leadership & Experience
• Experience: 8+ years of experience in product design, with at least 2+ years in a lead or management role overseeing designers.
• Team Leadership: Proven track record of building, mentoring, and growing design teams in fast-paced environments.
• Design Management: Experience establishing design processes, systems, and culture that enable teams to scale.
• Design Excellence
• Portfolio: A strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, user-centered design work, and ability to simplify complex workflows.
• Industry Experience: Preferably in fintech, B2B SaaS, or other complex product environments.
• Design Systems: Deep expertise in creating and maintaining scalable design systems and component libraries.
• Technical & Collaborative Skills
• Tools: Expert proficiency in Figma, with knowledge of design operations tools and automation.
• User Research: Strong experience conducting and leading user research and usability testing initiatives.
• Technical Understanding: Solid grasp of front-end development principles to effectively collaborate with engineers.
• Agile Methodologies: Deep familiarity with agile and iterative product development cycles.
• Communication & Leadership
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to present design strategies and articulate complex design rationale to diverse audiences.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to balance tactical execution with strategic, long-term design thinking.
• Ownership Mentality: Proactive leader who takes initiative, drives results, and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Empathy & Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with ability to build trust, foster collaboration, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.