Associate Director Experience Design

About the role

The is a leadership position embedded within the Experience & Engineering team serving the DACH region, where you will own the strategic direction and operational execution of digital touchpoints including applications, online shops, and design systems. You will be the accountable owner for ensuring that design quality directly translates into project success, driving pitch development and delivery while maintaining rigorous standards for business growth and user outcomes. In this role, you will build and sustain an industry reputation by representing the company with authority in both internal and external forums, actively contributing through speaking engagements and thought leadership that showcases pioneering approaches to growth innovation. You will create the conditions for your team to thrive by hiring, coaching, and holding individuals accountable, while removing obstacles and providing clear context that enables high performance and retention. Leadership at this level requires visibility, predictability, and generosity in sharing context, ensuring that the team remains aligned with strategic objectives. Ultimately, you will measure your success through team outcomes, retention rates, and the delivery of impactful digital experiences that meet the evolving needs of international stakeholders.

Key facts

What you'll do

Own the end-to-end design strategy and delivery for digital experiences, ensuring alignment with business goals and user needs across apps, online shops, and design systems.

Champion the craft of experience design by setting the quality bar for interaction, motion, and visual design across large-scale, multi-touchpoint programs.

Drive the creation of compelling design visions and translate them into actionable UI and motion design tasks that demonstrate measurable business growth and user value.

Represent the company as an industry voice, building reputation through internal and external advocacy, including speaking engagements and contributions to thought leadership platforms.

Lead and develop a team of designers by hiring, coaching, and holding them accountable for performance, development, and career growth.

Establish clear strategic direction for the DACH Experience & Engineering team by defining roadmaps, priorities, and success metrics.

Act as the primary liaison between design, product, and engineering stakeholders, ensuring cross-functional collaboration remains central to delivery and innovation.

Elevate the organization's standards by integrating tech and AI trends into the design process, staying curious and committed to incorporating relevant innovations into practice.

Strengthen client and stakeholder trust by translating complex design visions into compelling narratives and presentations that resonate with high-level decision-makers.

Ensure that all design outputs reflect an end-to-end track record, from initial concept through execution, showcasing the impact of design on business outcomes and retention.

Requirements

Hold a bachelor's degree as a non-negotiable academic foundation for the role.

Bring a minimum of 15 years of professional experience in brand design, experience design (UX/UI), motion design, and the management of large-scale design systems.

Demonstrate proven work within dynamic agency environments, managing international brands and engaging with senior-level stakeholders across multiple markets.

Showcase an end-to-end design portfolio that reflects the ability to develop a compelling design vision and execute actionable UI and motion design tasks.

Apply tech and AI savvy by staying current with digital trends and committing to the integration of emerging technologies into tangible design solutions.

Exhibit communication impact by articulating design decisions and visions in a manner that inspires and wins over high-level decision-makers and operational teams.

Maintain language proficiency at C1 level in both German and English, ensuring clear and effective communication in multinational settings.

Operate with a professional mindset that values clarity, accountability, and visibility, aligning with leadership expectations for predictability and generosity in context sharing.

Understand the importance of measuring design outcomes and linking them to business growth, retention, and team success.

Practical notes

Typical interview steps

Leadership hiring usually includes a strategy case, a people scenario, and a values conversation. Candidates may be asked to turn around a struggling team or plan for growth. Past results are examined closely, especially how decisions were made. Interviewers dig into specific decisions you made and their consequences. Preparing two or three decision stories with numbers and lessons is the best use of time.

Good to know

Design roles of this level rely on advanced visual and interaction skills to solve complex problems. Digital product teams commonly use design systems, prototyping tools, and iterative workflows to deliver consistent experiences. Cross-functional collaboration is central to modern product and service design in global agencies. Thought leadership in the industry often involves public speaking, writing, and sharing case studies. Continuous learning supports adapting to evolving tools, trends, and emerging technologies in digital product creation. Clear communication in multiple languages is valuable in multinational client and team environments.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.

Career growth

Leadership careers move from manager to senior manager, director, and executive roles. Each step adds more scope and more responsibility for outcomes. The best leaders keep learning how to delegate, communicate, and decide. Leadership careers reward a record of building and developing people. The higher you go, the more your communication shapes the entire organization.

About the company

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