Director of Product Design

Qualia; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health plans

401k program

Flexible time off policy

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Qualia is seeking a Director of Product Design to lead and mentor a talented team in creating impactful design solutions. This role involves managing team performance and streamlining product design processes aligned with business goals.

The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in Product Design, with a strong emphasis on leadership and communication. This position, based in Austin, Texas, fosters a creative environment for developing innovative design strategies.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Product Design.
• At least 3 years directly managing Product Designers.
• Strong track record of building high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage overall team performance and health.
• Promote alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Develop the roadmap for implementing design systems.

Skills

Product Design

Team Management

User-Centered Design

Education

8+ years of experience in Product Design

Experience managing Product Designers

Tools

Design Systems

Front-End Engineering

Job description

At Qualia, we've built the leading B2B real estate technology that transforms the home buying and selling experience into a simple, secure, and enjoyable process. Our SMB and Enterprise products bring together users from across the real estate ecosystem—homebuyers and sellers, lenders, title and escrow agents, and real estate agents—onto a single shared digital closing platform, providing greater clarity and transparency to real estate transactions. Today, through our business customers across the country, millions of consumers use Qualia to close on homes every year.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

We’re looking for a Director of Product Design who will both manage and mentor a talented design team, and take on individual contributor work tackling complex, highly technical problems from concept through launch.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Management & Culture

• Own overall team performance and health, including resource allocation, project prioritization, and fostering a culture of high-quality design
• Coach and mentor designers on both soft and hard skills, supporting their development and career growth
• Cultivate a team culture rooted in craftsmanship, user-centered design, and continuous improvement
• Actively practice and champion customer-centric thinking across the organization

Leadership

• Promote alignment and build trust across cross-functional teams by clearly communicating complex issues and fostering collaboration
• Proactively solicit and provide feedback within the design team and across the broader product org to continually raise the bar for quality
• Be a contributor to the organization’s strategic direction

Design

• Support both strategic vision and team execution, with excellent design sense
• Provide strategic, visual, and systems-oriented feedback across end-to-end flows to ensure experiences are simple and delightful
• Oversee complex design initiatives across multiple workstreams, maintaining high quality and clearing blockers to ensure timely delivery
• Take broad, conceptual ideas and turn them into useful, valuable products for our users
• Proactively identify new user problems and opportunities, working closely with research and data to define paths forward

Technical

• Develop the roadmap for implementing, progressing, and steering design systems
• Orchestrate our transition to “design as code” workflows
• Create systems and enablement plans that democratize rapid prototyping

YOUR BACKGROUND THAT LIKELY MAKES YOU A MATCH

Years of Experience

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Product Design, including at least 3 years directly managing Product Designers

Leadership & Communication

• Strong track record of building high-performing teams and coaching designers toward growth and leadership
• Able to visualize and articulate a clear design strategy to cross-functional partners
• Excellent written and verbal communicator, confident in managing high-stakes conversations with leadership
• Proven ability to create clarity and focus in complex, ambiguous problem spaces
• Operational mindset with experience improving team processes and decision-making workflows

Design Craft and Technical Experience

• Maintain a core strength in one or more Design disciplines, leading through your expertise
• Portfolio of case studies showcasing how you’ve led teams to deliver high-craft experiences from inception through launch
• Demonstrated ability to transform user experiences by balancing visionary thinking with near-term, actionable execution
• Experience delivering 0–1 products from concept to launch, bringing bold ideas to life
• Skilled at navigating large-scale, complex, and ambiguous projects across multiple teams
• Preference for background in front-end engineering

Mindset

• Comfortable working in fast-paced, startup environments
• Embody a learning and growth mindset
• Comfortable with the level of learning and ambiguity required to navigate fast-evolving fields

You’ll report directly to the VP of Product. While this role is based in Austin, Texas, we’re open to exploring remote possibilities for qualified candidates. We have other physical office locations in San Francisco, California, and Concord, New Hampshire.

WHY QUALIA

Qualia is made up of incredibly bright, mission-driven coworkers who are passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems—and we’re growing quickly. In order to continue building an engaging and dynamic organization, we’re committed to giving everyone the support they need to do great work.

Our benefits package is designed to allow our team members to be their best selves, both in and out of the workplace. In addition to comprehensive health plans, a 401k program, and commuter benefits, we prioritize family and personal well-being through professional development, parental leave, and a flexible time off policy. Qualia offers a robust online onboarding program to train new hires, biweekly all hands meetings, and a variety of internal virtual events to keep employees connected.

We believe diverse perspectives and backgrounds are critical to building great technology, and our goal is to cultivate an environment where people feel equally valued and respected. Qualia is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, citizenship, socioeconomic status, disability, or veteran status.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree to the collection, processing, and use of your personal information as described in our Employee Data Privacy Notice.