Associate Director, Product Design

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Associate Director, Product Design based in India.

This is a senior design leadership role for a product-focused professional who can combine strategic vision with hands-on execution.

You will shape the quality of digital products while mentoring designers and establishing a high standard for craft and user-centered thinking.

The role combines product design, strategy, systems, brand, storytelling, and client engagement across complex projects.

You will act as a trusted design advisor, helping clients navigate ambiguity and translate business challenges into meaningful product experiences.

You will influence project direction, strengthen design practices, and help build a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing design culture.

The position offers significant ownership, close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, and the opportunity to influence both client outcomes and design talent development.

This is a remote opportunity suited to an experienced design leader who thrives in ambiguity and is passionate about raising the bar for digital craft.

Accountabilities

• Lead by doing, balancing strategic leadership, mentorship, and hands-on product design to help teams create and ship high-quality digital experiences.
• Apply deep expertise in product design, UX, design systems, product strategy, and human-centered design to guide teams and strengthen project outcomes.
• Establish and maintain a high bar for design quality through clear, specific, and actionable critique and feedback.
• Serve as a trusted design advisor to clients, guiding them through the design process, presenting work, managing feedback, and building strong long-term relationships.
• Drive project success through service design and change-management approaches that connect user needs, business priorities, and organizational realities.
• Partner with business teams to scope engagements effectively and identify opportunities to expand client relationships.
• Build a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance design culture across the organization.
• Partner with leadership to strengthen team engagement, culture, and overall design excellence.
• Hire, mentor, and develop designers while building a strong pipeline of future design leaders.
• Represent the organization within the broader design community through talks, writing, panels, and other industry engagement.
• Develop compelling narratives that help clients understand, support, and adopt design decisions.
• Provide creative direction across projects, maintaining strategic and visual quality from concept through execution and presentation.
• Define scalable design systems that prioritize usability, adoption, consistency, and long-term sustainability.
• Lead brand and strategy sessions, helping clients establish strong and differentiated creative directions.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in product or UX design, including significant experience managing and mentoring design teams through complex, high-quality work.
• Strong product and UX design expertise, with the ability to guide research, strategy, ideation, execution, and best practices.
• Excellent visual design judgment and awareness of current design trends, tools, and emerging technologies.
• Strong understanding of product strategy and the ability to connect design decisions with product roadmaps, release plans, and market positioning.
• Proven ability to establish a culture of constructive critique and effective collaboration within teams and with clients.
• Experience using qualitative and quantitative research signals to inform and validate design decisions.
• Strong content design instincts, with an ability to create clear and compelling communication aligned with brand and user experience.
• Demonstrated ability to build narratives, influence stakeholders, and communicate complex design decisions with confidence.
• Experience working cross-functionally to advance business priorities and deliver measurable user and business value.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating shipped products, exceptional craft, strategic thinking, and meaningful impact.
• Everyday proficiency with modern design tools and the practical use of AI in design workflows.
• Working knowledge of change management and service design.
• Active participation in the design community through writing, talks, panels, or similar activities.
• Strong commitment to inclusive, accessible design and collaborative team environments.
• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Benefits

• Fully remote work model.
• Compensation aligned with the seniority and scope of the role.
• Opportunity to work on high-impact digital products and complex client challenges.
• Balance of strategic leadership, hands-on design, mentorship, and creative direction.
• Opportunities to mentor and develop other design professionals.
• Exposure to multidisciplinary teams, senior stakeholders, and varied business environments.
• Opportunity to contribute to design culture, thought leadership, and the broader design community.
• Paid real-world project as part of the hiring process.