Design Director

ZenBusiness Inc.

11h•Remote

About The Position

We started our company to help others launch and run their own businesses, at any stage. The way we help is by keeping it simple and supporting entrepreneurs one step at a time. Put simply: our mission is to enable anyone to start, run, and grow their business while avoiding the common pitfalls that derail hopeful entrepreneurs. No more having to wade through forms, taxes, or ongoing state compliance. We are a remote company based in Austin, Texas. We have team members from Florida to Oregon and all points in-between. Take pride in your work knowing that it shapes how people all across the country reach their goal of starting, running, and growing their business. If the idea of helping people and working with a genuinely caring, supportive team excites you, then you’ve come to the right place. The Role We’re looking for a Design Director to serve as the day-to-day design steward of our core product experience. This role reports into the strategic leader of Design and is focused on design leadership embedded deeply within Product — working shoulder-to-shoulder with Product Management, Engineering, Research, Brand Marketing, and Design Systems to shape experiences that are clear, cohesive, and genuinely useful. You’ll lead and mentor designers while remaining hands-on when it matters, setting a high bar for craft, judgment, and experience quality. You’ll help teams navigate ambiguity, bring definition where it’s needed, and turn complex problems into intuitive, well-considered solutions others can rally behind. This role is ideal for a senior design leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution, leads through influence, and believes great design is both rigorous and deeply human.

Requirements

A senior product design leader who is comfortable operating in ambiguity and uses design as a clarifying force
Strong design sensibility and judgment, with a keen eye for quality, patterns, and emerging practices that can meaningfully inform product decisions
A proactive mindset — someone who identifies opportunities and defines thoughtful paths forward without waiting to be directed
A collaborative, human leader who builds others up, inspires trust, and leads through partnership rather than authority
The ability to express strong, well-reasoned perspectives grounded in research, data, and experience — and to adapt those perspectives as new insights emerge
Experience mentoring designers and helping elevate both individual growth and team effectiveness
Comfort balancing strategic thinking with hands-on involvement to drive clarity and quality where it matters most
Significant experience leading product design teams and shipping complex, user-centered digital products
A track record of working closely with Product and Engineering partners to deliver thoughtful, high-quality experiences
Deep understanding of UX, interaction design, and design fundamentals, and how to apply them in real-world product contexts
Experience operating across multiple levels — from detailed execution to higher-level experience strategy

Nice To Haves

Prior Director-level experience is a plus, but not required; we welcome candidates ready to step into this scope with the right leadership maturity and judgment

Responsibilities

Act as the day-to-day design leader for ZenBusiness’ core product experience, ensuring clarity, coherence, and quality across end-to-end workflows
Lead, mentor, and develop designers and design leaders, helping grow individual talent while evolving the overall design practice within Product
Work hands-on alongside designers when needed — modeling strong design judgment, craft, and problem framing
Partner closely with Product and Engineering leaders to shape direction, define opportunities, and translate strategy into shipped experiences
Collaborate with Brand Marketing and Design Systems to ensure the product experience is aligned, cohesive, and scalable
Bring structure to ambiguity by framing problems clearly, identifying opportunities, and helping teams align around thoughtful direction
Set and uphold high standards for experience quality, interaction design, and visual execution through feedback, critique, and example
Lead through influence — fostering trust, strong partnerships, and shared ownership across disciplines
Apply research, data, and lived experience to form strong opinions, while remaining open to new insights as understanding evolves.