Head of Product Design (Fixed Term)

Holiday Extras; Hythe; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 102,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading travel technology company in Hythe is seeking a Head of Product Design to lead their design team. In this 12-month fixed-term role, you'll influence product strategy and foster a human-centered design culture. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in coaching, agile product development, and cross-functional collaboration. The company values inclusivity and offers a supportive environment with a range of benefits.

Benefits

25 days annual leave (+BH's)

Enhanced parental leave

Gym discounts

Profit share bonus

Income protection

Qualifications

• Proven design leader with experience coaching high-performing teams.
• Experience leading digital design teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent coaching skills with a people-first approach.
• Strong understanding of agile product development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of product designers.
• Embed design thinking into discovery and delivery.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams.
• Promote high-quality outcomes via shared processes.

Skills

Coaching

Agile product development

Team leadership

Empathy and communication

Job description

Salary £80,000 - £101,920 FTE DOE + Benefits

Fixed term contract 12 months

Location: Hythe, Kent

We care deeply about inclusive working practices and diverse teams. If you'd prefer to work part-time or as a job-share, we'll facilitate this wherever we can - whether to help you meet other commitments or to help you strike a great work-life balance.

About

At Holiday Extras, we're creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, build their careers and reach their limitless potential. As a Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2025, we're proud to offer a world of benefits designed to enhance your lifestyle and well-being. By joining our team, you'll feel supported and rewarded every day.

We're looking for a 12 month fixed term Head of Product Design to lead our talented team of product designers and continue embedding a human-centred design culture across the business. As Head of Product Design, you'll help shape how design supports and drives our product strategy. You won't be pushing pixels, instead, your focus will be on coaching others, embedding a human-centred mindset, and strengthening how design is embedded across our teams.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence strategy, coach designers, and ensure that customer's needs are championed throughout the product lifecycle. You'll work closely with product, engineering, research and delivery leads to create the conditions for great design.

The Role

By joining our team you'll:

• Lead and support a team of product designers across squads and platforms
• Embed design thinking and inclusive practices into cross-functional discovery and delivery
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering and Delivery teams to align teams on mission, vision and outcomes
• Promote consistent, high-quality outcomes across products via shared processes, systems and coaching
• Create the conditions for creativity, impact and continuous growth across the design team
• Represent design in strategic planning and product meetings
• Continue to shape how we work with our design system, research ops, and accessibility practices
• Help assess and evolve the team's performance utilising capability frameworks
• Continue to shape how we work with our design system, research ops, and accessibility practices
• Help assess and evolve the team's performance utilising capability frameworks
  
  

What you can bring to our team:

• A proven design leader with experience coaching high-performing teams
• Experience leading digital design teams in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment where adaptability is key
• Excellent coaching skills with a people-first approach to leadership
• Strong understanding of agile product development and evidence-based design
• Experience embedding design in cross-functional environments at scale
• Empathy, clarity and confidence in your communication style
• A growth mindset and desire to continually enhance processes
• A calm, structured communicator who builds clarity, trust and momentum
• Ability to confidently influence across levels, including senior leadership
  
  

How we hire for this role

We know your time is precious, so we keep our recruitment process as quick and easy as possible. If we believe you might be a match for a job you've applied for, you'll enter our hiring process as follows:

• An intro call with our recruiting team
• A face-to-face interview
  
  

Cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture is paramount for us.

Recognising we are all different, if for whatever reason you need us to adapt the process, please get in touch via [e-mail].

Applications Close: Wednesday 27th August 2025

Why choose Holiday Extras?

At Holiday Extras we're creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, build their careers and reach their limitless potential. By joining our team, you can enjoy a world of benefits to enhance your lifestyle and well-being. We want you to feel supported and rewarded every day. Learn more about our culture and benefits.

• Time is precious: 25 days annual leave (+BH's), extra holidays through Holiday Buy, Birthday Day Off, and Sabbaticals at each milestone.
• Parental Leave: Enhanced parental leave - Up to 1 year off, including 13 weeks at 100% pay, 13 weeks at 50% pay
• Road to well-being: Access to Gym Discounts, Private Dental Insurance and Private Medical Insurance (after 4 years)
• Celebrate success together: Enjoy a Profit Share Bonus and a pension scheme with Aviva
• Good for the soul: Join our Social Club for 25% off any ticket or event in the UK, Discounts on the latest tech, or give back to your community with our Volunteering Scheme.
• Plan ahead: Income protection, Critical illness cover and Life assurance