Director of Product Design and Research

Before TuneCore, artists needed to be signed to a record label to sell their music online. In 2006, we democratized the industry by partnering directly with digital stores and streaming platforms to enable any musician to sell their songs worldwide while retaining 100% ownership of their music. Today, TuneCore is the leading independent development partner for self-releasing artists to build audiences and careers – with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, and owned by Paris-based Believe, one of the world’s leading digital music companies. The company is one of the fastest growing companies in the music industry and is actively investing in the continued growth of the business. 

We have made it our mission to best serve artists and labels at each stage of their development in the digital world. We are a company that cares deeply about our people and our creator community, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion across all of our platforms and throughout our business. The pursuit of innovation inspires us to work hard for our artists, while collaboration drives the way we work and approach our company’s social responsibility.

Join TuneCore as we embark on the next phase of innovation in the music industry. Be part of  the team that bridges the unmet and evolving needs of creators by building the tools and services that make their lives better.

The Director of User Experience(UX) and Product Research leads both Product Design and Research functions, ensuring an integrated, user-centric approach across the TuneCore Product portfolio. This role is responsible for driving the vision, execution, and operational excellence of UX strategy, design systems, and research methodologies to create the best-in-class experience for our users/artists.

The ideal candidate is an experienced leader who blends creativity, data-driven decision-making, and strategic execution to drive measurable outcomes. They will advocate for Research and UX at the executive level while mentoring teams to scale design and research impact across the company.

What You Will Do

• Research & Design Leadership and Vision

  • Develop and nurture a high-performing Product Design and Research team, ensuring strong leadership, career growth, and a positive, collaborative team culture.

  • Review and provide actionable feedback on key design outputs to maintain consistent quality.

  • Manage UX individual contributors (ICs) and managers, fostering mentorship, feedback, and career development.

• Strategic & Business Impact

  • Align UX with business goals, driving design and research priorities to enhance product success.

  • Define and measure UX success through KPIs like usability, engagement, and customer satisfaction.

  • Establish measurable objectives for design and research contributions to business and product outcomes.

• Research Leadership and Insights

  • Influence decision-making by demonstrating the impact of design and research on business goals, and continuous advocate for Design and Research at all levels of the organization.

  • Lead the research function to deliver actionable, data-driven insights that shape product roadmaps.

  • Synthesizes complex research findings (mix of qualitative and quantitative methods) into digestible and actionable insights for stakeholders.

  • Conduct market research to analyze industry trends, competitive landscape, and high-value customer insights, using data to inform strategy and drive business initiatives.

• Cross-functional Collaboration & Influence

  • Work closely with Product, Engineering, and Marketing leaders to ensure seamless UX integration.

  • Advocate for UX within mid-level and senior leadership teams.

  • Inspire cross-functional teams to align with research and design strategies.

• Operational Excellence & Scaling UX

  • Implement UX processes, governance, and frameworks to scale design and research impact across the organization.

  • Ensure research rigor and accessibility/inclusivity best practices in all designs.

  • Ability to be hands-on when needed to accelerate execution.

• Innovation & Industry Leadership

  • Stay ahead of emerging trends in UX, research methodologies, and design thinking.

  • Promote UX innovation and thought leadership within and outside the organization.

• 10+ years of experience in User Experience, Research, or Design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.

• 4+ years of experience in B2C businesses. Music Industry experience is a bonus.

• Proven experience leading both UX Research and Product Design teams in a fast-paced, product-driven organization.

• Strong background in user-centered design, design systems, and research methodologies.

• Expertise in working with cross-functional teams, influencing product strategy, and aligning UX vision with business objectives.

• Experience defining and tracking KPIs to measure UX success and drive continuous improvements.

• Strong portfolio demonstrating impactful UX research and design leadership.

• Experience managing and scaling design and research teams while fostering a collaborative and innovative culture.

Who You Are

• A strategic thinker who balances long-term vision with executional excellence.

• A collaborative leader who builds strong relationships across product, engineering, and business teams.

• A data-driven decision-maker who uses research insights to drive product and business outcomes.

• A mentor and team builder who develops high-performing UX professionals.

• An advocate for accessibility, inclusivity, and ethical design practices.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all of the requirements that are listed within this job description.

Salary: $135,000.00 - 180,000 USD 

Working At TuneCore 

Our Values:  

TuneCore is a team of creators, for creators. Our mission is to support our artists and labels at every stage of their careers. Our driving forces are fairness, expertise, respect and transparency. As global citizens, we believe that if we build more diverse, equitable and inclusive teams across our company, we will collectively create and offer more innovative solutions and better serve our artists, labels, partners, and employees.  

We strive to build a company that reflects the communities we serve and embraces the diversity of the world we live in, where each person’s unique perspective is valued, and where everyone has the same opportunities and is supported in their personal and professional growth. From our hiring practices to the culture we create and nurture, we are committed to listening, learning and evolving. Our goal is to make TuneCore an inspirational place that feels comfortable and familiar no matter how you look, where you call home, who you love, what you believe, or what’s on your playlist. 

CSR Strategy: Shaping Music for Good 

Our core values are put into action through Shaping Music for Good, Believe and TuneCore’s global corporate social responsibility strategy, integrated at all levels of the company and at the heart of our business model.   

We strive to shape the music industry for good by building trusting relationships with artists and partners, investing in the growth and talent development of our local markets, and empowering our community to positively impact society. We work to achieve progress on our core priorities: gender equity, diversity, equity & inclusion, environmental sustainability, and wellness for our employees, artists, and industry partners.  

Shapers Program 
Employees have the opportunity to join the Shapers Program, a resource group made up of teammates who want to dedicate their time and skills to Shaping Music For Good initiatives. Shapers develop action plans, educate teammates, support the implementation of programs, and inspire action within the organization on causes and issues that align with TuneCore and Believe’s SMFG priorities.  

Inclusion in the Music Business Report

In 2025, Believe and TuneCore partnered with the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the world’s leading think tank studying diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry, to produce the second Inclusion in the Music Business report which analyzes the gender, race, and ethnicity among executive leadership in the music industry.

Recognition and Awards:

• Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Music list (2023-2025)

• Crain's Best Places to Work in NYC (2022-2024)

• Billboard Women in Music List: Andreea Gleeson, CEO (2023-2025)

• Billboard Indie Power Players List: Andreea Gleeson, CEO (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

• Billboard's International Power Players List, Andreea Gleeson, CEO (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

• Billboard Power 100: Andreea Gleeson (2025)

Benefits & Perks: 

At TuneCore we’re committed to the well-being of our employees and aim to create a workplace that fosters both personal and professional growth. Our inclusive benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Paid Time Off including vacation, holidays, paid bereavement, unlimited paid sick days, and company-wide week off between Christmas and New Years—every employee needs time to take care of themselves and their family.

• “Wellness Fridays” year-round (close at 1pm on Fridays) 

• Universal Paid Parental Leave for both parents - because we know your newest family member(s) deserve your undivided attention. 

• Comprehensive health, vision, dental, FSA and dependent care from day 1 of employment - your health comes first. 

• 401k match - an investment in your future. 

• Company wide events, outings and volunteer days – we have team spirit and know how to have fun! 

• Hybrid Work - employees have the option to work primarily remotely and work from the office 7 days per month on a flexible schedule organized at the department level, in accordance with Company policies. 

• Learning and development opportunities and career development training – we believe in promoting and growing our leadership from within the company and proactively invest in our people. 

• Free distribution subscription for employees – so you can experience the magic of releasing music worldwide (and give us valuable feedback!). 

TuneCore and Believe are Equal Opportunity Employers. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.