The role: 

• As a member of our Design team, the Director, Product Design will lead the strategy & vision for design across our products. 
• You are a strong leader, design evangelist, & thought partner with comprehensive industry knowledge. 
• You will retain, motivate, & develop a high-performing design team while fostering an environment for helping others learn & grow.You do not shy away from difficult conversations & you will coach & mentor team members by providing effective performance feedback to improve & develop optimum performance through day-to-day design challenges.
• You will produce non-obvious user experience insights to create innovative designs for Newsela & identify ways to improve the user experience both visually & by measurable user outcomes. 
• You will independently produce, deliver, & validate high-quality end-to-end product(s), with a focus on ideating short-term design strategies & features with our product team that balances strategic business goals with the needs of clients.
• You will collaborate with core team members to introduce new product features & create a better user experience based on user feedback. 
• You will partner closely across our cross-functional team to bring the voice of the customer to every conversation & ensure we are building the best products in the market.
• You will be building the org by creating & executing on design vision with a focus on quality metrics for usability while delivering experiences that drive growth. You will be leading the design strategy & influencing direction by using data, examples, & sway to create the vision for where the product design should head for dynamic experiences.

Why youll love this role:

• You will have the opportunity to have an impact on the design strategy & vision across Newselas products. 
• You will be joining a fun team with the opportunity for virtual get-togethers & on-site events throughout the year.
• The team is a blend of high-functioning & collaborative Product Designers & User Researchers who are key in shaping our features & products.
• You will have a direct impact on our customer-obsessed team who deeply cares about shaping our teacher & student experience, which will ultimately scale Newselas ability to bring engaging, culturally responsive learning content to K-12 classrooms nationwide.

Why youre a great fit:

• 3+ years of experience leading design teams & a minimum of 7+ years of product design experience. Skilled at implementing & optimizing the organizational structure & creative development processes that allow the design team to scale with the company.
• Experience with a wide range of design prototyping tools & methods like sketching, storyboarding, diagramming, wireframing, prototyping, & user research.
• Deep knowledge in 2-3 key areas: UX/Prototyping & Interaction Design, UI/Visual Design, Understanding Human Behavior, Business & Product Strategy, Design Thinking, Accessibility & Inclusive Design, Information Design, Information Architecture, & Design Systems.
• Product-minded design leader with the confidence & ability to be a thought partner to business leads & our Senior VP of Product.
• Cross-functional partnership experience across the organization, including Product, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Services, Sales, & Leadership.
• You can effectively guide designers to communicate & negotiate with other cross-functional members.
• You have proven experience fostering strong relationships with cross-functional agile teams while successfully managing many stakeholders through all phases of the design process.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal, & negotiation skills for a broad range of audiences including leadership.
• Ability to drive end-to-end product design & lead the design strategy of our entire product portfolio.
• You are confident engaging with executives & updating the design framework & processes to meet emerging customer & internal needs.

Base Compensation: $160,000+. Total compensation for this role also incentive stock options, bonus, & benefits. This compensation range may be adjusted based on actual experience.