Sr. Director, Product Design

ZipRecruiter • Santa Monica, CA

1d • $240,000 - $310,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

ZipRecruiter is seeking a Senior Director, Product Design to lead its UX practice during a pivotal period of growth. The role focuses on increasing conversations between employers and job seekers by improving on-platform engagement and creating intuitive experiences aligned with user workflows. The successful candidate will help define the future of the Product Design function as AI reshapes the technology landscape.

This is a player-coach role: the Senior Director will personally engage with top-priority product areas while shaping design standards, AI strategy, and resource allocation across the design organization. The role partners as an equal with Product, Engineering, and Decision Science leaders.

The leader will build a deep understanding of users and their workflows, advocate for effective user experiences, and guide work ranging from iterative experiments to holistic redesigns. They will shape and execute a point of view on improving priority experiences, define team expectations and measures of success, develop talent, and foster a culture that positively influences the product roadmap and outcomes. They will also establish expectations for using AI tools and methodologies to improve how the product development organization designs and ships products.

The position offers a hybrid work environment. Most US-based positions can also be performed remotely; any exceptions are noted in the Minimum Qualifications. This is a full-time US position with a base salary range of $240,000–$310,000. Depending on the position offered, equity, bonuses, commission, or other compensation may also be provided.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of experience in Product Design.
• At least 5 years of people management experience.
• Proven ability to function as a player-coach.
• Strong customer orientation, including personally staying close to users and building teams and practices that do the same.
• Ability to identify product decisions and outcomes changed by customer insight.
• Proven initiative, influence, and positive impact on outcomes.
• Credibility and communication skills to effect organizational change.
• Strong analytical abilities to structure and solve complex problems and work backwards from a goal.
• Personal fluency with modern AI and design tools.
• Experience integrating AI tools or methodologies into a design team's workflow.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing for two-sided marketplaces or SMB employers.
• Familiarity with design engineering.
• A strong point of view on technical questions such as making a design system usable by AI coding tools so product managers and engineers can ship on-brand UI with less designer review.
• Experience working at scaled, fast-paced technology companies.

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep, empathetic understanding of users and their workflows to guide solution design and decision-making.
• Advocate for user experiences that support product success, from iterative experiments to holistic redesigns.
• Personally engage with top-priority areas aimed at increasing conversations between job seekers and employers; form and execute a point of view on improving the experience and help determine what to focus on next.
• Define expectations and success measures for the Product Design team.
• Develop talent and build a thriving team culture that has a consistent positive impact on the product roadmap and outcomes.
• Shape the future of the Product Design function in the age of AI.
• Establish and enforce expectations for using AI tools and methodologies to accelerate and elevate how the product development organization designs and ships products.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Decision Science leaders.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Exceptional benefits package.
• Flexible Vacation & Paid Time Off.
• Employer-matched 401(k) plan.
• A fun environment where work-life balance is valued.
• Depending on the position offered, equity, bonuses, commission, or other forms of compensation may be provided.
• Medical, financial, and other benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed