Job Description
Champion design and research as a strategic partner that shapes the roadmap. Partner with Product Leadership to translate strategic business priorities into a clear, sequenced roadmap for Design & Research. Set a clear vision for the design and research function — defining what success looks like, where it's heading, and how it contributes to the company's overall strategy. Raise design and research maturity by providing constructive critique, and quality oversight to support high-quality product outcomes. Create the space for the team to work on foundational initiatives that scale team impact. For example: evolving the component library into a robust design system and establishing clear design and content playbooks to drive consistency, efficiency, and quality. Set the strategic direction for how AI fits into the design & research workflow — where it accelerates, where craft stays human, and set clear guardrails for how the wider org uses them. Foster a culture where the team integrates AI into product work—evolving their craft and building fluency through practice. Ensure designers and researchers play a key role in shaping product and AI direction, grounding decisions in user insight and design perspective. Advocate for Design Thinking to be embedded throughout the product life cycle, shaping ideas and guiding decisions. Proactively identify large, strategic UX opportunities that span across the product. Navigate competing priorities between leadership direction and team capacity, ensuring the team stays focused on high-impact work. Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and constructive feedback through regular one-to-ones — focused on development and growth of your team. Build clear career frameworks and progression paths for Design and Research. Encourage continuous learning, adaptability, and development within the team.Requirements
- A genuine understanding of both design and research disciplines, even if your background leans more toward one.
- Proven experience leading user researchers and product designers—driven by a genuine passion for growing people, elevating craft, and building high-impact teams.
- A track record of advocating for both disciplines at the leadership level and influencing product strategy, not just delivering on it.
- Experience building or maturing a design function: establishing processes, systems, playbooks, or ways of working from the ground up.
- Curiosity about AI and how it's changing the way design and research teams work.
- Experience in or familiarity with the hotel or travel industry is nice to have.
Benefits
- Remote-First Model: Work flexibly from anywhere.
- Epic Team Gatherings: Annual global crew networking and brainstorming week.
- Growth and Development: Lifelong learning opportunities, with extra days off for personal growth.
- 5 Years? 5 Weeks! Enjoy five weeks of bonus vacation time after five years.
- Birthday Celebrations: Take your birthday off guilt-free.
- Flexible Hours: Adapt your work hours to your personal life.
- Wellbeing Matters: Access to meditation and mental health resources.
