Head of Design

Allocate•Palo Alto, CA

11d•$225,000 - $260,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Allocate is seeking a Head of Design to own and build the design function at the company. This role reports directly to the CEO and collaborates closely with product and engineering leadership. The position is hands-on, involving shaping complex user flows, prototyping, and focusing on the details that matter. The core philosophy is client-centric, working backward from the needs of advisors and fund managers in the private markets. Candidates must have a strong understanding of private markets, including funds, co-investments, capital calls, distributions, and portfolio reporting. The design process currently utilizes Figma, Magic Patterns, and Anthropic for rapid prototyping and validation, aiming to reduce engineering risk before development. Design is crucial for translating Allocate's complexity into clarity and building trust with clients who manage significant capital.

Requirements

10+ years in product design, with several years spent leading and managing designers.
Experience building or substantially growing a design function, including hiring, leveling, coaching, and setting practice.
Proven ability to lead distributed design teams and maintain craft and cohesion remotely.
Hands-on design experience, with a desire to lead and make simultaneously.
Strong systems thinking, with experience in growing a design system.
Comfort and capability across both product and brand design.
Direct experience designing for private markets or a similarly complex institutional finance domain.
Fluency in Figma and Magic Patterns, with the ability to prototype rapidly.
Pragmatic approach with a willingness to experiment, validate early, and prioritize evidence over opinion.
Strong collaboration skills with engineers, PMs, and stakeholders.
Excellent communication and storytelling abilities.
Based in the Bay Area or willing to relocate to Palo Alto.
Broadband internet connection required.
Must be I-9 eligible.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-assisted tools like Anthropic for research synthesis, exploration, and prototyping.

Responsibilities

Product design across Allocate, encompassing the advisor and GP experience, unified and end-to-end.
Applying and deepening private markets knowledge to ensure design decisions are grounded in understanding.
Establishing and maintaining a high quality bar through clear definitions of done, pre-launch usability gates, and monitoring live product friction.
Managing the hardest problems from research and framing through prototyping and handoff.
Building and leading the design team, including hiring, defining levels and growth paths, and coaching.
Collaborating with product and engineering leadership on the roadmap, focusing on well-defined problems and early tradeoff decisions.
Contributing to product strategy with a design perspective, emphasizing client value and business outcomes.
Evolving the design system to ensure consistency and speed.
Overseeing brand expression across marketing materials, campaigns, launch moments, and client collateral.
Establishing a validation habit that is fast, evidence-led, prototype-first, and user-centric.
Leveraging AI-assisted tools for research synthesis, exploration, and prototyping to free up the team for higher-level craft.
Defining and improving how design interacts with the rest of the company through rituals, tooling, and processes.