Senior Product Design Manager

Pipefy; Curitiba; Hybrid; BRL 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Pipefy is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead the design practice through a pivotal shift from workflow automation to AI agent orchestration. You will guide design teams, govern AI-generated interfaces, and build a scalable design system responsive to rapid product evolution.

You will shape a dual-track career path for ICs and managers, mentor senior designers, and collaborate with Product and Engineering to drive measurable outcomes and AI investments across global teams.

Qualifications

• Leadership of product design teams and design managers.
• Deep understanding of UX research, design systems, and design thinking for SaaS with AI.
• Experience structuring cross-functional squads and dual-track IC/Management careers.
• Autonomy to operate in highly interdependent environments with Product and Engineering leadership.
• Ability to leverage product metrics to back decisions and roadmap priorities.
• Experience establishing design governance for AI-generated content and interfaces; manage budgets and tools.
• Strategic communication to align with C-level and executives.
• Strong systems thinking to navigate ambiguity and connect local decisions to the broader AI strategy.
• Advanced or fluent English for daily global collaboration.
• Hands-on use of Generative AI tools in design workflows to improve research and prototyping.
• Background in SaaS and scale-up tech with complex products.

Responsibilities

• Lead design teams and managers across squads and collaborate with Product/Engineering.
• Build and maintain a reusable design pattern library for designers and AI agents.
• Govern AI-generated interfaces for quality, brand, accessibility, and usability.
• Redesign design processes to match rapid agentic product transitions.
• Define and communicate long-term design vision linked to Pipefy's AI strategy.
• Develop dual-track career paths for ICs and managers to drive retention.
• Drive Generative AI adoption in internal workflows (research, prototyping, systems).
• Forge strategic partnerships with Product, Engineering, and Business leaders.
• Mentor senior design professionals across both career paths.
• Track outcomes with KPIs like pattern reuse rate and prototyping velocity.

Skills

Leadership

Design Systems

AI Governance

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Data & Metrics

Executive Communication

Systems Thinking

English Proficiency

GenAI Usage

SaaS & Scale-up

Job description

We are a collective group of fearless people with a clear purpose: to empower professionals around the world through intelligent workflow automation software. Currently, more than 500 people work with us across 7 countries, remotely or in a hybrid model, to make life easier for over 3,000 companies using Pipefy in more than 180 countries. Since our founding in 2015, we have put people at the center of everything we do. Therefore, we invite you to learn more about this position and apply to be part of our team.

JOB DESCRIPTION

As a Senior Design Manager at Pipefy, your mission will be to lead the design practice during a pivotal moment in the product's strategic evolution: transitioning from workflow automation to the orchestration of intent-based AI agents. This position serves as a trusted point of contact for Product and Engineering teams and acts as the guardian of UX/UI excellence. You will be responsible for building and maintaining a library of reusable design patterns (consumed by both designers and AI agents), governing the quality of AI-generated interfaces prior to production, and fostering talent by strengthening two senior career tracks (deep technical individual contribution and people management).

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Design Teams & Leadership: Guide design teams and managers, ensuring alignment across squads and acting as the primary interface for Product and Engineering teams.
• Build & Maintain Design Systems: Develop and sustain Pipefy's design pattern library, structuring reusable components that can be consumed by both designers and AI agents to ensure visual and functional consistency.
• Interface & AI Governance: Govern the quality of AI-generated user interfaces (UI) before deployment to production, establishing rigorous standards for brand alignment, accessibility, and usability.
• Process Evolution: Redesign design processes, workflows, and rituals to match the speed required by the transition to an agentic product, accelerating the cycle from prototyping to delivery.
• Strategic Vision: Define and communicate the long-term Design vision, connecting multi-squad strategies to Pipefy's evolution as an AI agent orchestrator.
• Dual Career Path Development: Formulate and formalize a dual-track career path framework (deep technical individual contribution vs. people leadership) to drive retention and growth within the team.
• Generative AI Adoption: Drive the adoption of Generative AI in internal design workflows (research, prototyping, and design systems), leading the creation of custom automations or applied technical tools.
• Strategic Partnerships: Build strategic alliances with Product, Engineering, and Business leaders, amplifying Design’s influence on executive decisions and AI investments.
• Mentorship & Talent Development: Mentor senior design professionals and specialists across both career paths, shaping the next generation of leaders and technical makers.
• Outcome-Oriented Delivery: Track and steer deliverables based on measurable outcomes and KPIs, such as pattern reuse rate, prototyping velocity, residual usability friction, and AI agent performance.

REQUIREMENTS

• Leadership Experience: Solid experience leading and managing product design teams and design managers, with a proven track record in coaching and talent development.
• Design Methodologies & AI: Deep understanding of design methodologies (UX Research, Design Systems, Design Thinking) applied to SaaS products with embedded Generative AI and autonomous agents.
• Organizational Design: Experience structuring processes, rituals, and team models for cross-functional squads, including implementing dual-track career frameworks (IC + Management).
• Autonomy & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to operate autonomously in highly interdependent environments, collaborating directly with Product and Engineering leadership without escalation dependency.
• Data & Business Acumen: Ability to leverage product and business metrics (pattern reuse, time-to-prototype, usability friction) to back strategic decisions and roadmap prioritization.
• AI Governance & Operations: Experience in establishing design governance frameworks for AI-generated content and interfaces, as well as managing budgets and evaluating AI tools.
• Executive Communication: Strategic communication and storytelling skills to align and influence C-level and senior executive stakeholders.
• Systems Thinking: Strong systems thinking skills to navigate ambiguity and connect local squad decisions to the company’s broader AI strategy.
• Language Proficiency: Advanced or fluent English for daily collaboration with global teams and keeping up with industry trends.
• Hands-on GenAI Usage: Practical experience utilizing Generative AI tools (LLMs, agents) within daily design workflows to enhance research, prototyping, or documentation.
• SaaS & Scale-up Background: Previous experience working in B2B SaaS or high-growth tech companies with complex products.