Responsibilities

We’re seeking a Product Design Director to lead a mid-size organization spanning a major product or business unit, setting portfolio-level strategy while building management bench strength

This role is for a senior leader ready to transform organizational needs into concrete design initiatives with measurable impact

As a Product Design Director, you’ll partner with senior stakeholders including VPs and other directors to establish your team as strategic partners to the business

You’ll lead design managers and their teams, creating systematic approaches to product design quality and talent development while building the organizational capability to deliver at scale

This is an opportunity to enable portfolio-wide excellence through your managers while developing the next generation of design leaders

You’ll translate organizational needs into concrete initiatives, drive alignment when teams have competing priorities, and take accountability for your portfolio’s success

This role demands someone who can operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, building organizational capability while delivering business outcomes The Product Design Director will report to a Senior Director, VP, or SVP within the Design & Research organization

Lead a mid-size organization spanning a major product or business unit, setting portfolio-level design direction while empowering managers to make decisions within established frameworks. You’ll own program-level outcomes that impact business objectives, translating organizational needs into concrete product design initiatives with measurable impact

Build strategic partnerships with senior stakeholders including peer Directors, Sr. Directors, and VPs to align on complex objectives. You’ll drive alignment across your Triad partners, Marketing,



and Editorial teams, establishing high design standards while navigating political dynamics.

Develop organizational talent strategy by managing your managers, coaching them on people management fundamentals and cross‑functional collaboration. You’ll allocate talent based on skills and strategic priorities, participate in hiring decisions, and shape recruiting strategy while building partnerships with internal and external recruiters

Create strategic thinking capability across your portfolio area, enabling managers to see beyond individual projects. You’ll establish partnerships with Data & AI and Research that inform portfolio strategy, building forums where teams propose program direction based on data‑informed understanding of user behavior

Establish scalable design operations that enable best practices across your program area while maintaining team agility. You’ll define which processes are essential versus adaptable, creating frameworks that reduce duplicated effort while preserving team autonomy and innovation

Champion design quality and business impact by setting benchmarks that inspire teams while remaining achievable. You’ll show how excellent design work drives user adoption and business success, creating frameworks that connect design quality to metrics your teams can actually influence

Qualifications

Business and strategic acumen with ability to connect design initiatives to OKRs,



create compelling business cases, and demonstrate ROI for design investments

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Design, HCI, or related field (advanced degree strongly preferred)

Strong organizational development skills including talent planning, performance management, succession planning, and building high‑performing management teams

Experience with design operations at scale, establishing processes, governance, and infrastructure that enable design quality and efficiency across multiple teams

Excellence in stakeholder management with ability to influence and align senior leaders including VPs and C‑level executives across multiple functions

12+ years of product design experience with 5+ years in leadership, including experience managing managers or leading complex organizational initiatives

Proven track record leading portfolio‑level scaled design initiatives with demonstrated ability to translate organizational strategy into concrete design programs with measurable business impact

Background in organizational transformation or change management

Experience in media, publishing, or financial services

Track record of building design organizations from scratch

Experience with M&A; integration or product consolidation

External visibility through speaking, writing, or industry leadership

Experience managing distributed general teams

Background in both B2B and B2C products at enterprise scale

Benefits

20 weeks of parental leave

4 weeks of paid caregiver leave

Up to 4 weeks of remote work per year

1 paid volunteer day annually

$700 caregiver reimbursement

Headspace emotional wellness membership

Financial rewards for well‑being activities

ClassPass fitness and wellness membership

📌 Director of Product Design (Madrid)
🏢 Dow Jones
📍 Madrid