Director of Design

Versant•Carlsbad, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Full Swing is seeking a Director of Design to build and lead a Design Center of Excellence and establish design as a strategic, well-run company function. The role owns the design vision and standards across the company’s products and leads the team responsible for executing them across simulator software, companion apps, and web platforms. The Director will establish an end-to-end design process, including predictable reviews from concept and architecture alignment through final UI/UX sign-off, and serve as the design voice in cross-functional planning with engineering, product, and program leadership. Success is measured by consistent design quality across product lines and design’s role as a strategic planning partner. The Director will develop the existing design team through hiring, mentorship, career paths, leveling, and performance standards; establish and maintain shared design systems and resources; plan design capacity across concurrent product lines; and represent design strategy, trade-offs, and resourcing needs to senior leadership. The role partners with QA and Release Management to make design sign-off a genuine readiness gate and maintains the organization’s craft standards through critique and direct feedback. The role operates in a hybrid or office-based environment, depending on company needs. Work is primarily in an office setting with standard working hours, with occasional after-hours support potentially required. The position involves frequent collaboration across departments, extended periods sitting and working at a computer, and the ability to lift 25 pounds. The salary range is $170,000–$195,000. Compensation may also include benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off; specific benefits are not detailed.

Requirements

10+ years of UX/UI or product design experience, including substantial experience leading and managing a design team.
Track record of building or significantly scaling a design organization or practice, including establishing standards, systems, and review processes.
Experience partnering directly with engineering, product, and program leadership on cross-functional roadmaps and delivery, and presenting design strategy and trade-offs to senior or executive stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to allocate design-team capacity across multiple concurrent product lines and defend resourcing decisions with evidence.
Experience establishing or maintaining an organizational design system, pattern library, or style guide.
A strong portfolio demonstrating individual design craft and the outcomes of teams led.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with comfort setting a bar and holding the team and stakeholders to it.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading design for a games, simulation, consumer hardware, or interactive entertainment product.
Experience designing both consumer-facing apps and internal or administrative tools, such as admin consoles and back-office utilities.
Experience leading design across multiple distinct product lines or brands with different visual identities under one shared design system.
Experience designing data-dense, real-time, or performance-data interfaces for non-technical consumer audiences.
Familiarity with Jira and Confluence-based design review and PRD workflows.
Interest or hands-on experience applying AI tools to design practice, including prototyping, critique, or design operations.

Responsibilities

Own the design vision and standards for Full Swing products, ensuring consistency in brand, UX, and interaction design across active product lines.
Establish and lead a formal design review process from concept and architecture alignment through final UI/UX sign-off.
Hire, mentor, and support career growth for the design organization, including setting leveling, growth paths, and performance standards.
Establish and maintain a shared design system, pattern library, and style guide across software and web products.
Plan design capacity across concurrent product lines and make evidence-based cases for additional headcount using workload data and product roadmaps.
Partner directly with engineering, product, QA, platform, and program management leadership to engage design during requirements and architecture work.
Represent design in executive and cross-functional planning, presenting strategy, trade-offs, and resourcing needs to senior leadership.
Partner with QA and Release Management so design sign-off functions as a readiness gate.
Set and maintain the organization’s craft standards through design critique, direct feedback, and consistent execution expectations.