Director, Product Design

As the Director of Product Design at Affirm, you will lead a talented team of designers, being responsible for fostering a creative culture, managing project loads, and guiding the team toward innovative solutions. Your role will involve setting clear goals and communicating design strategies to various stakeholders while ensuring the high quality of design outputs. The aim is to build meaningful experiences that simplify personal finance for our users.

To qualify for the Director of Product Design role at Affirm, applicants should have over 10 years of relevant experience, showcasing a diverse portfolio that includes UX, brand design, and visual identity systems. Strong communication skills are essential, along with a user-centered design approach and experience leading design teams. A Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience is also necessary.

The Director of Product Design plays a crucial role in Affirm’s company vision by developing a clear design strategy that aligns with the user experience goals across all products. This role is critical in shaping a cohesive brand narrative, leveraging design to transform complex financial decisions into straightforward, engaging experiences for users. Your leadership will help direct and inspire the team to meet the evolving needs of our users.

The salary for the Director of Product Design at Affirm varies depending on location. For states such as CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT, the base pay range is between $230,000 and $310,000 per year. Other states offer a range from $203,000 to $283,000. Besides competitive base pay, Affirm provides equity rewards and various stipends to support employees' health and wellness needs.

Affirm fosters a remote-first work environment for the Director of Product Design role, allowing you to work from any location within the U.S. While the majority of work is conducted remotely, there may be instances when travel to Affirm’s San Francisco office is necessary for in-person strategy sessions or team collaboration. This flexibility is integral to maintaining work-life balance.

In your answer, consider sharing your philosophy regarding collaboration and fostering creativity. Elaborate on how you empower your designers while maintaining a holistic view of team goals. Drawing from real experiences will illustrate how you navigate challenging situations and help your team grow.

Explain your methods for gaining user insights, perhaps through user research and data analysis. Describe how these insights inform design choices that make financial products intuitive and accessible. Highlight specific projects where user feedback directly influenced the design outcome.

Share a story that showcases your ability to communicate effectively and persuade various stakeholders. Focus on the strategies you used to support your design choice with data, user feedback, or design principles while ensuring that the end goal—an optimal user experience—was met.

Discuss your approach to creating an inclusive, engaging atmosphere where every team member feels valued. Detail how you set clear goals, delegate tasks, and encourage continuous learning, and provide an example that highlights your success in leading a diverse team.

Describe the metrics you prioritize to evaluate design success, such as user engagement, satisfaction, or usability scores. Explain how you implement A/B testing or user feedback loops to iterate on designs and ensure that they meet user needs effectively.

Select a project that illustrates your design thinking and leadership capabilities. Share the context of the project, your specific role, the challenges faced, and the results achieved, emphasizing the impact it had on users.

Outline how you initiate collaboration with product managers, engineers, and other departments to drive projects forward. Discuss the tools or frameworks you employ to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards common objectives, and provide an example of a successful collaboration.

Explain your approach to receiving and integrating feedback, whether from users or stakeholders. Emphasize your view of feedback as a crucial part of the design process, and provide a specific example of how feedback led to significant improvements in your work.

Share your guiding design principles that shape your decisions and the work of your team. Discuss how these principles reflect the company’s values, and provide concrete examples of how you’ve implemented them successfully in past projects.

Illustrate your commitment to professional development by discussing resources like conferences, webinars, industry publications, or communities you engage with. Highlight how staying current with trends enhances your team's designs and keep your work innovative.