Product Design Director, Growth

About the role

Chime is seeking a design leader to manage the Growth organization and influence how millions of users interact with our financial products. You will guide a team focused on acquisition, onboarding, activation, and retention while integrating AI-driven workflows into our design strategy. In this capacity, you will define the strategic north star for user lifecycle initiatives, ensuring that design decisions directly support business growth. You will own the end-to-end design process, from initial discovery through execution and optimization, within a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment. Your leadership will be instrumental in shaping how our brand experiences translate into tangible member value and product adoption. You will act as a thought partner to executive stakeholders, aligning design capabilities with ambitious company objectives. This role requires a proactive mindset to navigate complex problems and translate them into coherent, user-centered design solutions. You will be expected to set the standard for design excellence and collaboration across the entire Growth organization.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead and mentor a team of product designers focused on the full user lifecycle, providing clear direction, feedback, and career development.
• Establish the design vision for growth initiatives in alignment with business goals, ensuring cohesion across all product touchpoints.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Data Science to maintain a high-velocity experimentation pipeline that accelerates learning.
• Convert complex growth challenges into actionable strategies and measurable outcomes, balancing qualitative insights with quantitative data.
• Integrate AI tools into research, prototyping, and content creation workflows to enhance team efficiency and design quality.
• Partner with cross-functional leadership to implement personalized and AI-enabled member experiences that drive engagement.
• Develop and maintain design systems and frameworks that ensure consistency, scalability, and speed across growth experiments.
• Balance the demands of immediate testing goals with the necessity of long-term product roadmaps and architectural integrity.
• Synthesize user research and behavioral data to uncover deep insights that inform innovative growth strategies.
• Champion a culture of experimentation within the design team, encouraging hypothesis-driven design and iterative improvement.
• Define and own key design metrics in partnership with data teams to ensure alignment with business KPIs.
• Act as the primary design representative in cross-functional discussions, advocating for user needs and design best practices.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and design methods to continuously evolve the team's capabilities and processes.
• Communicate design rationale and strategy effectively to both technical and executive audiences through compelling narratives.
• Ensure that all design deliverables adhere to brand standards while allowing for innovative growth-focused variations.

Requirements

• Significant experience leading and scaling product design teams within consumer tech companies, with a track record of managing high-performing designers.
• Proven history of achieving business results through experimentation and user-centered design, demonstrated by tangible impacts on key metrics.
• Deep subject matter expertise in acquisition, onboarding, activation, engagement, or monetization, with a strong portfolio of relevant work.
• Strong track record of partnering with executive stakeholders, Engineering, and Data Science to drive complex initiatives from conception to launch.
• Proficiency in using qualitative and quantitative data to drive prioritization, employing analytics tools to inform design decisions.
• Experience building and scaling experimentation programs, including hypothesis testing, result interpretation, and translating findings into design.
• Demonstrated success applying AI technologies to product development or team workflows, showing foresight into practical applications.
• Systems-thinking mindset with the ability to navigate ambiguity and influence across departments without direct authority.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, capable of articulating design vision and strategy to inspire and align stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Extensive experience with design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or similar prototyping platforms is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in product design, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while maintaining a high standard of execution.
• Comfort working with large datasets and translating analytical findings into actionable design opportunities.
• Commitment to inclusive design principles and creating accessible experiences for diverse user populations.

Nice to have

• Prior experience in financial services or fintech environments, with an understanding of regulated industries.
• Experience managing remote or hybrid design teams, with a focus on fostering collaboration and inclusion.
• Knowledge of AI-powered design tools and their application in streamlining design workflows.
• Background in building and scaling design systems in complex product environments.

Practical notes

• This is an onsite role requiring four days per week in the office, with Fridays remote.
• Benefits include comprehensive health, financial, and wellbeing coverage, a generous vacation policy, annual wellness stipend, and up to 22 weeks of paid parental leave for birthing parents.
• Additional perks include backup child, elder, and pet care, subsidized commuter benefits, and 1% of time off dedicated to community volunteering.