VP, Design Studio

Headspace

4d•$183,000 - $335,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a visionary and strategic Vice President of Design Studio to lead and scale our multidisciplinary design organization, encompassing Design Research, Experience & Interface Design, and Creative Design. This executive leader will define and elevate the role of design across the company, ensuring that every product, service, and brand interaction delivers meaningful, human-centered experiences aligned with our mission to improve mental health worldwide. Reporting to Chief Product & Design Officer, this role is responsible for setting the end-to-end design vision and strategy across Headspace portfolio, from discovery and research through experience definition and creative expression. You will help define how AI, content and care come together to shape the future of mental health experiences. You will lead a high-performing team of researchers, product designers, content designers, and brand creatives, fostering a culture of craft excellence, innovation, and measurable impact. You will be accountable for ensuring design directly drives measurable product and business outcomes, including engagement, retention and long-term member value. You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Clinical, and Commercial teams to shape strategy, inform product direction through deep user insight, and deliver cohesive, high-quality experiences across all touchpoints. This leader will play a critical role in scaling design systems, embedding research into decision-making, and ensuring creative excellence that differentiates Headspace in a competitive, fast-evolving health tech landscape. You will bring clarity and focus to complex, evolving challenges.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive experience in design, including 10+ years in senior leadership roles overseeing multiple design disciplines (research, CX, and creative)
Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing design organizations and proven experience leading leaders and building leadership bench strength across layers
Deep expertise in human-centered design, design research methodologies, and experience design across digital products and services
Strong creative leadership with experience shaping and evolving brand identity and storytelling across channels
Demonstrated ability to integrate design strategy with business objectives, driving measurable impact on growth, engagement, and customer satisfaction
Experience working in cross-functional environments, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and other executive stakeholders
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels of the organization
Passion for mental health, wellbeing, and creating meaningful user experiences that improve lives
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, HCI, Psychology, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Nice To Haves

Experience in consumer subscription products, digital health, or wellness platforms
Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design practices
Experience integrating AI and data-driven personalization into user experiences
Background in building and scaling design systems across complex product ecosystems

Responsibilities

Define and drive a holistic design vision and strategy that integrates research, experience design, and creative across all products and brand touchpoints, and translate design strategy into measurable outcomes tied to engagement, retention and growth
Own design accountability for outcomes, ensuring design impact is measurable, visible and aligned to business performance
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team and leadership bench, including leaders across research, product design, and creative. Set and continuously raise the bar, ensuring a high-performance, high-accountability culture.
Establish research as a strategic pillar by embedding user insights into product development, business strategy, and innovation pipelines
Elevate experience design practices, ensuring intuitive, accessible, and engaging end-to-end user journeys across platforms (mobile, web, enterprise)
Oversee and evolve Headspace’s creative direction and brand expression, ensuring consistency, emotional resonance, and differentiation across all channels
Develop and scale design systems, frameworks, and tooling that enable consistency, efficiency, and quality across teams
Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Clinical leaders to align design strategy with business goals, driving measurable outcomes such as engagement, retention, and customer satisfaction, and influencing roadmap decisions, prioritization and investment tradeoffs.
Lead the integration of AI-first thinking, shaping how intelligent systems redefine user experience and care delivery;
Champion a culture of experimentation and innovation, leveraging emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven personalization, immersive experiences) to enhance member experiences
Own design accountability for outcomes, ensuring design impact is measurable, visible and aligned to business performance (e.g., usability, NPS, conversion, accessibility), using data to continuously improve outcomes