Director of Product Design

Book of the Month; New York (NY); On-site; USD 200,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Book of the Month is seeking a seasoned Director of Product Design to shape member experiences across web, iOS, and Android. The role leads a small design team and partners with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Executive Leadership to define a bold vision.

You will translate business goals into intuitive designs, drive an AI-forward design-to-production pipeline, and mentor designers while presenting strategy to C-level stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in product design for consumer-facing products.
• 3+ years leading and managing design teams.
• Strong ability to present and defend ideas to C-level stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own design process and strategy and work with leadership on product vision.
• Translate business goals into intuitive designs across site and app.
• Lead end-to-end design projects and present to executives.
• Evolve the product design system and AI-enabled pipeline.
• Hire, mentor, and grow designers.

Skills

Design leadership

Figma expertise

AI tools (Claude)

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Business acumen

Executive presentation

Education

HCI/Interaction design degree (preferred)

Tools

Claude

Claude Code

Figma MCP

Job description

Book of the Month is seeking a seasoned and strategic Director of Product Design to shape how members experience Book of the Month across web, iOS, and Android. The Director of Product Design will lead a small team of designers and partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Executive Leadership to ideate the vision and craft behind a digital product that’s as beautiful as it is functional. This person will lead ideation, execute on and present designs, scope and push projects forward, and leverage AI tools to create components and other front end builds. The ideal candidate will raise the bar on craft and champion an AI-forward design-to-production pipeline.

This is a crucial role in the organization that will define how 1M+ monthly visitors interact with our digital product for the next 100 years.

What you will do…

• Own the design process and strategy and work collaboratively with internal leadership on product vision.
• Translate business goals and member needs into aesthetic and intuitive designs across our site and app.
• Turn ambiguous and conceptual ideas into clear design direction, and help the team distill complex problems into simple, intuitive solutions for both members and internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to shape roadmaps, prioritize work, and make tradeoffs that balance member experience, business impact, and technical constraints.
• Act as an individual contributor and manage some complex design projects from end to end.
• Present design strategy and work to C-level and cross-functional stakeholders, building alignment and advocating for the member.
• Own the evolution of our product design system and ensure compatibility with new ways of developing using AI tools.
• Establish and maintain team processes, ensuring consistency and quality as the product and team grow.
• Lead the transformation of our design-to-production pipeline with AI: define how the team uses tools like Claude, Claude Code, and Figma MCP, and ensure our handoff, documentation, and component practices are built for AI-assisted development.
• Stay ahead of how digital product design and AI are evolving, and bring those ideas back to keep our product and team ahead of the curve.
• Lead, hire, mentor, and help 1-2 designers grow; set clear expectations, give regular feedback, and create career paths that help designers do the best work of their careers.

About you…

• 8+ years of product design experience for consumer-facing products. 3+ years leading and managing design teams.
• A degree in interaction design or HCI is a plus, but not required.
• A track record of shipping successful products across web, iOS, and Android, and of setting design direction at a product or company level.
• Deep fluency in Figma, with expertise in design systems, usability metrics, HCI theory, and UX best practices.
• Hands-on experience with AI tools such as Claude, Claude Code, and Figma MCP, and a clear point of view on how AI will change the way design teams work.
• Strong business acumen; you can connect design decisions to revenue, retention, and member satisfaction.
• Exceptional communication skills with a strong ability to present & defend ideas to and influence C-level stakeholders.
• Experience hiring, developing, and retaining strong designers, and building a team culture rooted in craft, feedback, and collaboration.
• Pragmatism in a lean, agile, iterative environment; you know when "good enough" is the right decision for the business and when to push for pixel-perfect.
• A builder's mindset: self-starting, comfortable moving quickly, and energized by shaping both a product and a team.
• Craft mindset: you are always raising the bar on our designs and inspiring everyone around you to do the same.

Salary Range: $200,000 - $275,000