Design Lead (Remote)

Overview

PeopleGrove is a B2B SAAS for higher ed universities to extend career access and advancement to their students and alumni. We are invested in changing the higher education world by reimagining how people find careers and connect with each other. We’re a remote-first startup, seeking an experienced Design Lead located in India. 

Role Description

50% Individual Contributor | 15% People Management | 15% Project Management | 10% Strategy | 10% Research 

You will work with a team of product managers, engineers, and a data analyst, and collaborate with leadership, customer success, and marketing to create a delightful product experience.

In this role, you’ll be driving impactful platform enhancements and creative new feature development. You’ll leverage your bias toward action, design expertise, and passion for creating best-in-class products to transform complex problems into engaging designs.

This role encompasses leading a team of four designers, guiding design research and strategy, and acting as an individual contributor. You must be willing to roll up your sleeves and take on the day-to-day design projects required to deliver on your vision. 

3 Reasons You'll Love This Job

• You’ll design creative solutions to complex problems.
• You’ll have a voice and a seat at the table.
• You’ll have a huge impact on the product, and have the potential to change the lives of future leaders across the world.

Responsibilities

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INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR: LEAD BY DOING

• Take on and execute design projects alongside your team, working with writers, engineers, and product managers to test, iterate, and bring amazing designs to life. Identify and implement strategic design projects. Be proactive in identifying projects, getting buy in, and driving those projects forward, both on your own and with your team.
• Get your hands dirty and pick up slack on your team’s design projects when needed. Do the work so the project can move forward.
• Model how to do the work when someone is struggling (first me, then we, then you).




PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Implement a simple and transparent design process that is consistently utilized to produce high-quality results in collaboration with the broader product and engineering teams.
• Help the design team with project prioritization and planning.
• Communicate design work to product management, other teams, and product leads.
• Outsource: Encourage and train individual team members to manage their own time.
• We build, test, and iterate products quickly at PeopleGrove. Be responsive to change and execute quickly. Proactively communicate when plans change. If something is delayed or blocked, speak up right away.




PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure team members are working on high impact tasks and delivering quality work on time.
• Help team members function independently while still being accountable for deliverables.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive team culture with reasonable work/life balance, where people are able to work on projects that excite them and help them develop their skills.
• Support the team’s growth. Provide feedback and guide team members toward achieving their professional goals and producing world-class product designs.




STRATEGY

• Craft a vision and roadmap for the design team. Where do we want design at PeopleGrove to be in 6 months? In a year? What larger goals are we working toward? In what unique ways can design help us deliver on our product vision and strategy?
• Monitor new trends and research in design / UX, and assess how we might utilize them.
• Identify gaps in our current design practices and propose solutions.
• Ensure you are familiar with other functions at PeopleGrove. Talk to other leaders and team members across the company. Understand how their work impacts yours, and vice versa.




RESEARCH

• Spend time understanding our users and clients, their pain-points and goals. Become an expert on how people use our tool, what’s working, and what’s not.
• Dig into data, watch recorded user sessions, and conduct user surveys and interviews.
• Share out what you’ve learned and guide the design team in their own research.




BE THE VOICE OF DESIGN

• Share design perspectives and advocate for design.
• Showcase your team’s work. Get the product team excited about what design is working on, and give the designers a chance to show off.
• Open the door for designers to actively participate and share their opinions in team and client meetings. Model how to participate and encourage the team to join the conversation. 

Skills and Experience

• 1+ years of management experience
• 5+ years of professional experience in the human-computer interaction design field (UX, CDX, UI, etc.)
• Experience working with a software engineering and PM team to build products from concept to launch.
• Enthusiastic quick learner who enjoys tackling complex problems.
• Exceptional wireframing and design abilities; able to articulate rationale behind design decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to use metrics and testing to develop hypotheses and evaluate design solutions
• Ability to think strategically and execute methodically
• Mission-oriented; passionate about making an impact in higher education.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with changing expectations and responsibilities.
• Able to drive your own projects forward while also supporting and managing other designers.
• Exceptional project and people management skills.
• Proficiency in Figma or eagerness to learn.
• Comfortable with a largely remote team.
• Desire to help create something big.
• People that have worked with you will attest to the above.
• Minimum BA/BS/BTech/BE degree

Closing

At PeopleGrove, we don’t just accept differences — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. PeopleGrove is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.