Group Design Manager

Intercom, Inc.; Camden Town; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic tech company in Camden Town is looking for a Group Design Manager to lead a high-performing design team focused on AI Customer Support. The ideal candidate will be a creative leader who thrives in fast-paced environments, possesses strong visual sensibility, and has a track record of pushing design excellence. This role involves partnering with product and engineering teams and maintaining high standards in design execution. Competitive salary and flexible working options offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary and equity

Free lunch and snacks

Regular compensation reviews

Pension scheme with match

Comprehensive health and dental insurance

Flexible paid time off

Paid maternity and paternity leave

Cycle-to-Work Scheme

Qualifications

• Experience leading high-performing design teams in product-first companies.
• Ability to coach and develop designers at all levels.
• Proven track record of driving design excellence.
• Ability to partner with leadership to align on product strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of designers across multiple products.
• Partner with Group PM and EM to align strategy and drive decisions.
• Uphold high standards for design quality.
• Make fast decisions focused on outcomes.

Skills

Leading design teams

Hiring and coaching designers

Driving design excellence

Partnering with Product and Engineering

Thriving in fast-changing environments

Strong visual sensibility

Demonstrating product taste

Tools

Figma

Loveable

Cursor

Job description

We're hiring a Group Design Manager to lead a high-performing design team that's building the future of AI Customer Support. This is not a maintenance role. It's a build-and-scale role. Our goal is nothing less than breakout success in the major new category of AI Agents for Customer Support. You'll partner directly with your product and engineering counterparts to define and ship what's next – not what's already been done before. We need leaders-people who will raise the quality bar, bring a spark of creativity, drive best-in-class interaction and visual design, and push execution excellence across our most strategic product areas. This is not a strategy or people-management only role. We need a maker, a doer, a leader – somebody who loves to partner with designers and is able to jump into Figma, Loveable, Cursor, etc. as and when needed.

Must Have Experience

• Leading and growing high-performing design teams in product-first companies.
• Hiring, coaching, and developing designers at all levels – from IC to senior leads.
• Owning execution across a portfolio of product areas and driving design excellence through every detail.
• Partnering deeply with Product and Engineering leadership to align on priorities, make tradeoffs, and move fast.
• Thriving in ambiguous, fast-changing environments – and turning chaos into clarity.
• A track record of shipping great software, not just making decks about it.
• Strong visual sensibility, high standards for craft, and an eye for detail.
• Demonstrated product taste – you know what great looks like, and you can help teams get there.

Who This Role Is Not For

• People who need certainty, full specs, or clear org charts to get started.
• Leaders who lean back and wait for direction, rather than leaning in and making things happen.
• Those who are satisfied with "good enough" – this is a role for someone who sees the extra 10% that makes a product unforgettable.
• Anyone wedded to structures and systems that worked five years ago. We're rewriting how software gets built – and you'll help define what the next 10 years look like.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and inspire a team of designers working across multiple product surfaces.
• Partner with your Group PM and Group EM counterparts to lead a product group – aligning strategy, driving decisions, and unblocking delivery.
• Set and uphold an extremely high bar for craft – from UX flow to pixels to polish.
• Solve problems from first principles, not templates.
• Help your team make hard decisions, move fast, and focus on outcomes over process.
• Be a design quality amplifier – noticing the details others miss, and pushing the work to where it needs to be.
• Build a healthy, high-trust team culture grounded in feedback, growth, and ownership.
• Stay hands‑on in the work – reviewing designs, jumping into critiques, and driving clarity.

What Success Looks Like

• Your team is delivering high‑quality product work at speed – consistently.
• You've hired exceptional talent and helped your existing team grow.
• Product managers and engineers love working with you – you unlock forward progress and raise the ambition.
• Your designers are solving meaningful customer problems and sweating the final 10% of craft.
• You're a key player in shaping how Intercom builds product in the AI era – not following playbooks, but writing new ones.

Interview Process

We understand that interviewing for a new role is both time and energy consuming – we aim to be thorough, speedy and transparent in our approach. You should expect for the entire process to be no more than 4 weeks from start to finish. You'll meet with various members of our team and have the opportunity to fully validate that Intercom and the role is the right fit for you. Ready to build something great? If you're driven to push the boundaries of product design and have the craft, autonomy, and taste to make a real impact, we want to hear from you.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity in a fast‑growing start‑up.
• We serve lunch every weekday, plus a variety of snack foods and a fully stocked kitchen.
• Regular compensation reviews – we reward great work!
• Pension scheme & match up to 4%.
• Peace of mind with life assurance, as well as comprehensive health and dental insurance for you and your dependents.
• Flexible paid time off policy.
• Paid maternity leave, as well as 6 weeks paternity leave for fathers, to let you spend valuable time with your loved ones.
• If you're cycling, we've got you covered on the Cycle‑to‑Work Scheme. With secure bike storage too.
• MacBooks are our standard, but we're happy to get you whatever equipment helps you get your job done.

Policies

Intercom has a hybrid working policy. We believe that working in person helps us stay connected, collaborate easier and create a great culture while still providing flexibility to work from home. We expect employees to be in the office at least three days per week. We have a radically open and accepting culture at Intercom. We avoid spending time on divisive subjects to foster a safe and cohesive work environment for everyone. As an organization, our policy is to not advocate on behalf of the company or our employees on any social or political topics out of our internal or external communications. We respect personal opinion and expression on these topics on personal social platforms on personal time, and do not challenge or confront anyone for their views on non‑work related topics. Our goal is to focus on doing incredible work to achieve our goals and unite the company through our core values.