Vice President, Product Design

HarbourVest Partners • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

For over forty years, HarbourVest has been home to a committed team of professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to deliver impactful solutions to our clients and investing partners. As our global firm grows, we continue to add individuals who seek a collaborative, open-door culture that values diversity and innovative thinking. In our congenial environment that’s marked by low turnover and high energy, you’ll be inspired to grow and thrive. Here, you will be encouraged to build on your strengths and acquire new skills and experiences. We are committed to fostering an environment of inclusion that promotes mutual respect among all employees. Understanding and valuing these differences optimizes the potential of both the individual and the firm. HarbourVest is an equal opportunity employer. This position will be a hybrid work arrangement. You will receive 18 remote workdays per quarter to use at your discretion, subject to manager approval. For example, you may choose to work in the office 4 days per week and take one remote day weekly (typically 13 weeks per quarter), leaving 5 additional remote days to be used as needed. We are seeking a Vice President of Product Design to lead the design vision for our next-generation analytics platform supporting private market investors. This is a foundational role—you will be the first design leader, responsible for shaping the product experience from the ground up and building the design function over time. You’ll combine critical thinking with hands-on execution across user research, product strategy, UX build, branding, and data visualization, ensuring our product delivers clarity and confidence to institutional investors and private markets professionals. The ideal candidate is someone who has: A successful track record of delivering intuitive, data-rich digital experiences from concept through launch. Consistent record to drive composition decisions through deep understanding of user journeys, consistently prioritizing usability and clarity for sophisticated financial workflows. Expertise in UX design, visual design, and data visualization, with a strong grasp of design systems and accessibility standards. Experience in building, scaling, and governing a comprehensive design system that enables teams to move quickly while maintaining consistency, reusability, and a unified user experience across all products. Experience inspiring change within organizations, connecting team members across multiple functions, and building and mentoring teams. Outstanding communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence collaborators and collaborate across product, engineering, and business teams.

Requirements

• Extensive expertise in the product development life cycle, UX principles, visual composition, and sophisticated data visualization techniques for analytical tools.
• Experience integrating user insights into product development.
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale invented frameworks and processes in fast-paced environments.
• Outstanding communication skills and strong ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
• Driven by achieving results, innovative attitude, and comfortable taking initiative in ambiguous situations.
• Knowledge of the investment sector, specifically institutional investors or private market investments.
• 10+ years leading digital product design in the FinTech sector.

Nice To Haves

• Previous background in financial services or investment technology, particularly catering to institutional customers or private markets, is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the development vision for a next-generation investment analytics platform, ensuring a seamless and elegant user experience.
• Lead the entire development lifecycle, including user research, ideation, prototyping, and delivery of high-fidelity designs.
• Establish a comprehensive and scalable design system and processes that accelerate development and maintain consistency.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and quantitative experts to translate complex data into intuitive visualizations and workflows.
• Engage directly with clients and internal teams to gather insights and validate development assumptions.
• Evangelize design as a strategic lever across the organization and mentor team members on best practices in UX, visual design, and data visualization.
• Develop and expand the design function over time, including recruiting and developing a high-performing design team.

Benefits

• This role is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, which is determined based on individual and overall firm performance.
• total compensation may include eligibility for long-term reward programs and a comprehensive total rewards package that may include retirement, health, insurance, paid time off, and wellness programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees