Design Lead / Head of Design

Remote (United States)

Job Details

Location: United States

Workplace: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 5+ years of experience designing interactive digital products, including project leadership and experience managing designers.

Core Areas: Design Leadership, UI/UX Design, Data Visualization, Web Design, Design Systems, Figma, User Research, Prototyping

Compensation: $150,000–$220,000 annually

About the Role

The Design Lead / Head of Design will lead UI/UX design, data visualization, and design strategy for research-focused digital products. This position oversees a team of 3–4 designers and part-time contributors, establishes organization-wide design standards, and takes ownership of website design, interactive dashboards, and the overall user experience. The role reports directly to the COO and works closely with leadership, communications, web development, and research teams.

The position combines hands-on design with team management and strategic direction. Key priorities include translating complex research and statistical insights into intuitive digital experiences, designing responsive interfaces and visualizations, and helping researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders understand and engage with research findings. The role requires strong expertise in Figma, design systems, user research, and interactive product design.

What You'll Do

• Lead and manage a design team of 3–4 designers and part-time contributors, providing direction across design initiatives.
• Define and own the design strategy for the organization's website, interactive dashboards, and data products.
• Establish and maintain design processes, quality standards, and consistent visual and user experience practices across the organization.
• Lead design projects from initial problem definition and concept development through design execution and final delivery.
• Design responsive user interfaces, interactive visualizations, graphs, and digital experiences that make complex research accessible and engaging.
• Translate research findings, statistical information, and data-driven insights into clear and intuitive visual presentations for researchers, policymakers, and other audiences.
• Conduct user research to understand audience needs, interests, and interactions with research content and digital products.
• Create detailed design specifications, mockups, and interactive prototypes to guide product development.
• Develop and contribute to the organization's design library, supporting reusable components and consistent design practices.
• Partner with leadership, communications, web development, and research teams to establish design priorities and align execution with organizational goals.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5+ years of professional experience designing interactive digital products, including experience leading design projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing a team of designers and directing design work.
• A portfolio showcasing UI/UX design and data visualization projects.
• Experience establishing, developing, or maintaining a design system.

Required Skills

• Strong UI/UX design capabilities, including the ability to create intuitive interfaces and engaging digital experiences.
• Proficiency in Figma, including auto-layout functionality and reusable components.
• Ability to interpret data visualizations and statistical insights and communicate complex AI-related topics to non-expert audiences.
• Strong understanding of typography, color, visual composition, and layout principles.
• Ability to independently manage design responsibilities, establish priorities, and lead projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to translate complex research into clear, accessible visual designs and interactive digital products.
• Familiarity with the organization's published research and design work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience communicating scientific research through visual design and digital products.
• Experience with illustration and branding.
• Familiarity with front-end development technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Experience with Python data visualization libraries, such as Matplotlib or Plotly, or comparable visualization programming tools.
• Strong written communication skills.

Benefits

• Remote work environment with flexible working hours, subject to the requirement to be based in North or South American time zones.
• Competitive global benefits program, including comprehensive health insurance and supplemental benefits where available or required by local law.
• Life insurance and pension benefits, where applicable in the employee's country.
• Generous paid time off with no specified overall PTO limit and 30 protected days per year.
• Unlimited personal and sick leave.
• Four months of paid parental leave for permanent employees with at least 12 months of tenure, with prorated parental leave for those with shorter tenure.
• Flexible expense policy covering equipment, productivity tools, and professional learning and development opportunities, subject to applicable regulations and manager approval.
• Optional access to equipped offices in Berkeley, California, including paid meals and gym facilities.
• Reimbursement for coworking space in the employee's area, if desired.