Director of Product Design

Xero

10d ago

Job
Full-time
Expert Level
London
Quick Apply

AI generated summary

You will lead product design direction, mentor your team, collaborate with leadership, drive design standards, and enhance team culture while ensuring high-quality outputs align with business goals.
You will lead design direction, mentor team members, collaborate with cross-functional teams, manage design standards, and drive strategic initiatives while ensuring high-quality product outcomes.

Requirements

- Product Design Directors are responsible for the design direction and vision for product areas and initiatives within a domain, working in partnership with GM Product Design, Principal Designers, Design Leadership Team and product and engineering leaders.
- You’ll support, contribute to and coordinate with the overall design direction of a global design team as well as providing local leadership for the team members in your office location.
- You’ll lead a group of passionate Lead Product Designer, Seniors Designers, Designers and in some cases Graduate Designers, supporting and growing their capabilities through design critique, mentorship and coaching.
- You’ll help define the standards and refine our design practice to drive operational excellence within your team and the delivery of consistent and beautiful product experiences for our customers.
- You’ll lead by example, contributing design solutions and deliverables.
- Partnering with Product GMs, and Engineering leaders for product areas within a portfolio, you’ll help define product strategy, promote the value of design and ensure quality of relationship and work product.
- You’ll build strong relationships with all parts of the business to help define viable approaches / methodologies in line with relevant industry standards and best practices.
- Work with the GM Product Design and other Product Design Directors to manage your product design team, programs and processes that support a world-class design team.
- Solve problems together and work as a team to influence and drive key strategic initiatives forward.
- Collaborate with others on the Design Leadership Team to continuously cultivate a vibrant team culture, work on strategies, problem solve and respond to team or organisational needs.
- Provide vision and enthusiasm, supporting your leads and designers to continuously challenge themselves and their work.
- Identify and prioritise future roles based on team workload, wellbeing, development and business priorities.
- Recruit, onboard and manage new Product Designers of all seniority.
- Provide direction, mentoring, coaching and feedback, enabling team members to hone their skills as designers, communicators and influencers, and deliver beautiful and meaningful experiences for customers.
- Partner with the operations team to manage logistical aspects like team budgets, training, and performance.
- Encourage and enable team members in their career development, identifying opportunities for them to grow and achieve their goals.
- Work with your team to ensure high quality outputs are delivered in a timely, efficient way to meet business objectives within your product areas or portfolio.
- Maintain standards and rigour across the practice, through product principles, process and systems.
- Align your team to the overall strategy of Design, Product, and Xero, collaborating with your peers across product portfolios to connect the dots, reviewing your team's performance, running design critique efforts and managing resource requests for your product areas or portfolio.
- Partner with the Principal Designer(s), the Design Leadership Team and Design Operations Leads to implement initiatives which help to continually evolve and grow our design practice.
- Introduce new technologies, techniques and design tools to improve performance and process.
- Encourage and support team members to collaborate effectively across Design, Research, Accessibility, Product, Engineering and Product Marketing to fulfill user needs and business objectives across your product areas or portfolio.
- Work with the GM Product Design in your portfolio to help define the design strategy and contribute to the product strategy for your product area, in partnership with the product leadership team.
- Help define the why and how behind products for your team and get teams working in a way that makes great products.
- Partner with peers across Product and Technology to define strategies and objectives, scope road maps, agree priorities and plan work programs to support high quality, high value outcomes.
- Contribute to Product visions, along with plans for evolutionary, iterative updates, that allow the Product vision to be realized over time in partnership with Product, Strategy and Technology.
- Collaborate with peers across other product areas to understand connections and opportunities to learn from what others have done, leverage each other's work or work in more efficient ways.
- You’re leading a thriving, productive and connected team of designers
- You’re enabling your team to continually challenge themselves to grow and develop in their relationship skills, design expertise and career
- You’re respected by your peers, the design team, and Product leaders
- You’re helping improve and standardize the way we do things in the Design team
- You’re collaborating and communicating well with all Xero colleagues, especially Design, Product and Engineering Leadership teams.

Responsibilities

Product Design Directors are responsible for the design direction and vision for product areas and initiatives within a domain, working in partnership with GM Product Design, Principal Designers, Design Leadership Team and product and engineering leaders.
You’ll support, contribute to and coordinate with the overall design direction of a global design team as well as providing local leadership for the team members in your office location.
You’ll lead a group of passionate Lead Product Designer, Seniors Designers, Designers and in some cases Graduate Designers, supporting and growing their capabilities through design critique, mentorship and coaching.
You’ll help define the standards and refine our design practice to drive operational excellence within your team and the delivery of consistent and beautiful product experiences for our customers.
You’ll lead by example, contributing design solutions and deliverables.
Partnering with Product GMs, and Engineering leaders for product areas within a portfolio, you’ll help define product strategy, promote the value of design and ensure quality of relationship and work product.
You’ll build strong relationships with all parts of the business to help define viable approaches / methodologies in line with relevant industry standards and best practices.
Work with the GM Product Design and other Product Design Directors to manage your product design team, programs and processes that support a world-class design team.
Solve problems together and work as a team to influence and drive key strategic initiatives forward.
Collaborate with others on the Design Leadership Team to continuously cultivate a vibrant team culture, work on strategies, problem solve and respond to team or organisational needs.
Provide vision and enthusiasm, supporting your leads and designers to continuously challenge themselves and their work.
Identify and prioritise future roles based on team workload, wellbeing, development and business priorities.
Recruit, onboard and manage new Product Designers of all seniority.
Provide direction, mentoring, coaching and feedback, enabling team members to hone their skills as designers, communicators and influencers, and deliver beautiful and meaningful experiences for customers.
Partner with the operations team to manage logistical aspects like team budgets, training, and performance.
Encourage and enable team members in their career development, identifying opportunities for them to grow and achieve their goals.
Work with your team to ensure high quality outputs are delivered in a timely, efficient way to meet business objectives within your product areas or portfolio.
Maintain standards and rigour across the practice, through product principles, process and systems.
Align your team to the overall strategy of Design, Product, and Xero, collaborating with your peers across product portfolios to connect the dots, reviewing your team's performance, running design critique efforts and managing resource requests for your product areas or portfolio.
Partner with the Principal Designer(s), the Design Leadership Team and Design Operations Leads to implement initiatives which help to continually evolve and grow our design practice.
Introduce new technologies, techniques and design tools to improve performance and process.
Encourage and support team members to collaborate effectively across Design, Research, Accessibility, Product, Engineering and Product Marketing to fulfill user needs and business objectives across your product areas or portfolio.
Work with the GM Product Design in your portfolio to help define the design strategy and contribute to the product strategy for your product area, in partnership with the product leadership team.
Help define the why and how behind products for your team and get teams working in a way that makes great products.
Partner with peers across Product and Technology to define strategies and objectives, scope road maps, agree priorities and plan work programs to support high quality, high value outcomes.
Contribute to Product visions, along with plans for evolutionary, iterative updates, that allow the Product vision to be realized over time in partnership with Product, Strategy and Technology.
Collaborate with peers across other product areas to understand connections and opportunities to learn from what others have done, leverage each other's work or work in more efficient ways.

FAQs

What is the primary purpose of this role?

The primary purpose of the Director of Product Design role is to lead the design direction and vision for product areas and initiatives within a domain, ensuring the delivery of consistent and beautiful product experiences for customers.

What kinds of teams will the Director of Product Design be managing?

The Director will lead a team that includes Lead Product Designers, Senior Designers, Designers, and sometimes Graduate Designers, fostering their capabilities through mentorship and design critique.

How does the Director of Product Design contribute to team culture?

The Director collaborates with the Design Leadership Team to cultivate a vibrant team culture, providing vision and enthusiasm while supporting team members to continually challenge themselves and their work.

What kind of professional development opportunities does Xero offer for team members?

Xero encourages career development by identifying opportunities for team members to grow, providing mentoring, coaching, and feedback to enhance their skills.

How does the role interact with other teams and departments within Xero?

The Director will build strong relationships with various parts of the business, collaborating with Product GMs, Engineering leaders, and cross-functional teams to define product strategy and ensure quality outcomes.

What qualities will determine success in this role?

Success will be determined by leading a productive team, enabling continuous growth, gaining respect from peers, improving design standards, and effectively collaborating with colleagues across departments.

Are there specific technologies or tools the Director will introduce?

Yes, the Director will introduce new technologies, techniques, and design tools to enhance performance and improve processes within the design practice.

What kinds of benefits can employees expect at Xero?

Employees at Xero can expect generous paid leave, mental health support, private medical insurance, gym passes, flexible working options, paid parental leave, and an Employee Share Plan, among other benefits.

Does Xero encourage applications from diverse candidates?

Yes, Xero encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply, even if they do not meet every single competency or experience outlined in the job description. They invite applicants to share any support or access requirements during the application and interview process.

Xero

Global small business platform connected to accountants, bookkeepers, banks & an ecosystem of apps & financial services.

Technology

Industry

1001-5000

Employees

2006

Founded Year

Mission & Purpose

Xero is a global small business platform with 3.5 million subscribers which includes a core accounting solution, payroll, workforce management, expenses and projects. Xero also has an extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other financial institutions helping small businesses access a range of solutions from within Xero’s open platform to help them run their business and manage their finances. For four consecutive years (2020-2023) Xero was included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. In 2021 and 2022, Xero was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), powered by the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Xero is a FIFA Women’s Football partner.