Director of Product Design

Description

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example- she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

TrustedHousesitters is a global pet care travel exchange; a double sided digital marketplace of owners and sitters that’s growing rapidly through our unique combination of product, proposition, marketing and community building.

We've just recently been named as one of the Escape the City's top organisations to work for 2023! Also joining the 2024 edition of the Future Fifty program.

Our small but mighty team has a collaborative and supportive culture. We’re passionate about pets, people and travel; continuously searching for the win, win, win that makes everyone’s lives easier, travel kinder on the pet and enables a more sustainable travel footprint.

We're fully in scale-up mode and have grown to be the only global platform of its kind. In the last few years, we’ve consistently achieved high year-on-year growth. Thanks to strong tailwinds in the pet and travel industry in the post-Covid world, 2022 has been our strongest year so far. At our marketplace we facilitate the perfect match between pet owners who want to leave their pets in safe hands and pet sitters looking to enjoy the companionship of pets whilst they travel.

We've recently made the transition to a remote-first business, however we've retained a HQ in central Brighton which is available for collaborative working and in-person meet-ups.

About the Role

The Director of Product Design will be a strategic leader at Trusted Housesitters, helping us better know our global customer base of sitters and pet parents, driving customer led decision making and building a frictionless product experience.  The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of building and managing high-performing design teams, driving design excellence, and integrating customer led thinking into the core business strategy. As the Director of Design, you will be responsible for all product design activities,  fostering a creative and collaborative culture, and ensuring our design efforts align with our business objectives and customer needs.

The role reports to: Chief Product Officer

• 10+ years of experience in design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role
• Experience in a B2C high growth/scaling environment with Marketplace growth a plus
• Proven experience building and managing high-performing design teams in a global, fast-paced environment
• Strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in user-centred design, interaction design, visual design, and design thinking
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and influence decision-making at all levels of the organisation
• Strong understanding of the latest design tools, methodologies, and industry trends
• Proficiency in design tools such as Figma, Sketch or Adobe Creative Suite

• Leadership and Strategy:

• Define and implement the design vision and strategy in alignment with the company's business goals.
• Advocate for the value of design within the organisation, ensuring design is integrated into all stages of product development and business planning.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and career development for the design team, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Team Building and Management:

• Build and scale a diverse and talented global design team, ensuring the right mix of skills and expertise to meet current and future needs.
• Oversee the recruitment, onboarding, and retention of top design talent.
• Manage team performance, set clear goals, and provide regular feedback and professional development opportunities.

• Design Excellence and Execution: 

• Ensure the delivery of high-quality design work that meets user needs and business objectives.
• Establish and maintain design standards, guidelines, and processes to ensure consistency and efficiency across all design activities.
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, marketing, and other key stakeholders to ensure cohesive and effective cross-functional teamwork.

• Innovation and User Experience:

• Drive innovation in design practices and processes, leveraging emerging trends and technologies.
• Champion user-centred design principles, ensuring all design decisions are informed by user research and data.
• Continuously evaluate and improve the user experience across all products and touchpoints.

• Measure and Impact:

• Develop and implement metrics to measure the impact of design on user satisfaction, product performance, and business outcomes.
• Communicate the value and impact of design to senior leadership and other stakeholders through reports, presentations, and case studies.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary and bonus, we offer a range of benefits, including:

Fully remote work

Discretionary 10% annual bonus scheme

Generous equity options

25 days holiday annually plus bank holidays and Christmas to New Year closure

Pension scheme: 5% from you as an employee and 3% from TrustedHousesitters

Premium TrustedHousesitters pet owner and sitter membership. This includes benefits like airport lounge passes, sit cancellation insurance, and home and contents insurance for sits for you

X5 premium memberships for your friends and family each year

Our team have an unlimited housesitting allowance, can work remotely from their sits, and are eligible to £500 per year towards travel costs

£200 annually towards home office equipment

Access to Spaces (co-working) Locations across the globe

Monthly working from home stipend

Macbook

Find a rescue pet to join your family and we’ll cover the adoption fees, as well as paternity to help any pet settle into their new home.

We host a quarterly all-expenses paid meet-up and will fund team events (remote or in person) throughout the year

We can cover costs of personal development resources, and have a regular time set aside for personal development

Bupa Health Insurance and Dental Insurance plan

SimplyHealth Healthcare Cash plan

Trusted Giving scheme - employee volunteering via Onhand and employee giving via Tyve

Weekly virtual yoga sessions

Brighton Bikeshare

Recruitment Referral Bonus

If you're ready to join us on our mission to become the most loved pet travel solution, we'd love to hear from you!

At the heart of our team are a mix of diverse backgrounds. Here at TrustedHousesitters, we’re committed to the equal opportunities policy throughout the interview process and selection. Offers of employment into TrustedHousesitters are based solely on individual merit, qualifications, and the person's professional suitability.

Gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or beliefs, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy or maternity status, or any other protected characteristics do not enter into our decision-making process.

If you have a medical condition or an individual need for an adjustment to our process, and you believe this may affect your ability to be at your best - please let us know so we can talk about how we can best support you and make any adjustments that may be needed. person's professional suitability.