Associate Director, Product Design

📋 Description

• Lead the development of Embark's design strategy for personalized pet care experiences through strategic discovery and user research to identify pain points and validate opportunities.

• Conduct cross-functional workshops to align Product, Science, Marketing, and Engineering teams on user-centered solutions.

• Analyze research findings, user feedback, and scientific insights to create actionable product opportunities that drive behavioral change, engagement, and community.

• Ensure a consistent user experience, brand cohesion, and design quality across our product portfolio, app, and web platforms.

• Mentor and guide team members while contributing to hands-on design work as a player-coach.

• Collaborate with Product Management and Engineering to implement designs effectively and manage tradeoffs.

⛳️ Requirements

• Minimum 7 years of professional design experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership position.

• Strong strategic thinking skills to lead discovery, synthesize complex information, and align teams on product direction.

• Ability to work across touchpoints and teams to create cohesive experiences with a systems thinking approach.

• Proficiency in UX strategy, research, interaction, and visual design.

• Effective collaboration with engineering and understanding of implementation constraints.

• Experience in growth-focused product design and habit-forming product strategies.

• Excellent communication skills to present design solutions and inspire confidence among stakeholders.

• Background in hiring, structuring, or scaling a design team.

• Familiarity with freemium or trial-to-paid monetization models and balancing engagement vs. premium value.

• Ability to quickly learn and design for emerging technologies, such as AI/LLM, focusing on creating simple, behaviorally impactful experiences.

🏝️ Benefits

• Flexible vacation policy to take time off as needed.

• Paid parental leave and paw-ternity leave for new pet parents.

• Every other Friday off in the summer for long weekends.

• Subsidized pet insurance to care for furry family members.

• Big-company benefits with a startup feel, including a 401k match, bonuses, commuter benefits, and premium healthcare.

• Competitive salaries and stock options to be a part-owner of the company.

• New MacBook Pros or Windows devices provided for success.

• Support for continuing education through conferences, learning resources, and career growth opportunities.