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Salary: USD 240,000 - 280,000 / annual
Propel builds technology to strengthen America's social safety net, serving over 5 million Americans who use the app to manage SNAP benefits, EBT accounts, Medicare plans, and protect against benefit theft. The company has grown revenue 35% YoY and operates profitably while maintaining a strong social mission.
As Director of Design, you will lead a senior design team of seven designers—five at Staff or Principal level with backgrounds from Figma, Facebook, Uber, and Duolingo—covering product design, content design, and design research. You report to the Head of Product and serve as a core member of EPD leadership.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead and develop a highly autonomous, experienced design team. Own coaching, growth, performance management, hiring, and design rituals. Maintain high bars for craft and judgment, providing specific and useful feedback.
- Make the case for design debt paydown by connecting it to user outcomes and business metrics. Build organizational support to prioritize design work alongside competing roadmap demands.
- Improve product development processes by collaborating with product and engineering leadership. Challenge frameworks and systems productively, pushing for bolder, more user-centric, and modern approaches.
- Define design as an AI-native function. Develop a point of view on how prototyping, code generation, and generative design tools reshape the design process. Determine where Figma and strong design systems still add value as more engineers ship code.
- Elevate Propel's premium experience and move key metrics. Visual design, copy, information architecture, consistency, and performance all directly impact whether users understand their benefits or abandon the experience. Connect all design work to near and medium-term business objectives.
The role offers meaningful work on a generational challenge: simplifying complex government rules so low-income Americans can navigate the safety net in their own best interests. You'll inherit a pedigreed, mission-motivated, senior team that is highly autonomous and conscientious. Propel blends startup attitudes with twelve years of tenure and profitable operations, actively reinventing itself around AI leverage.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Experience managing a product design team at a consumer software startup or scaled prosumer startup
- Worked at staff or principal IC product designer level within the last 3 years
- Managed a team of at least five designers, including hiring, performance management, and promotions
- Fluency in consumer software patterns: growth loops, churn and retention, behavior-based monetization, and A/B testing
- Considered perspective on AI-native design practice with evidence of active development
- Working knowledge of LLMs, code generation, and generative design tools developed through personal use
- Ability to tie design work to company strategy amid competing priorities and finite resources
- Exceptional organization and strength as both writer and speaker, particularly on project plans and strategic concepts
- Composure when priorities shift; roadmap and tooling change quickly
BONUS: Ability to execute IC product design work when needed; native Android/iOS app design experience; work on products used by millions; management of content design, user research, or brand/visual design; government programs or safety net services experience; prior leadership team experience.
