Director of User Experience

Prosper Marketplace; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

401K retirement savings plan with good

Health, dental and vision insurance

Prosper Fit

Pre-tax commuter/parking

Snacks and beverages

Monthly meet‑and‑greet happy hours

Perkspot discount programs

One Medical

SF Location - Rooftop deck

Job summary

Prosper Marketplace in San Francisco seeks a Director of User Experience to lead and shape the entire UX organization, drive design strategy, and optimize DesignOps. The role blends high-level leadership with hands-on management, ensuring teams deliver user experiences that align with Prosper’s brand and product goals.

Responsibilities include mentoring UX Managers, guiding hiring and organizational design, and championing AI-powered improvements in product experiences while maintaining ethical

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years in UX or product design roles.
• 3-5+ years in leadership role managing other managers.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead the UX organization strategy and maintain DesignOps excellence.
• Mentor and develop UX Managers and ensure clear quarterly objectives.
• Align design strategy with product goals across cross-functional teams.
• Identify opportunities to integrate AI into product features and UX workflows.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, CX, and other departments to drive aligned outcomes.

Skills

UX leadership

DesignOps

AI integration

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

• The Director of User Experience (UX) serves as the primary visionary and operational leader for the UX organization
• This role is responsible for shaping the overarching design strategy, optimizing DesignOps, integrating emerging technologies like AI, and ensuring seamless cross-functional alignment
• Blending high-level organizational leadership with hands‑on management, the UX Director ensures that teams deliver desirable, viable, and feasible user experiences that deeply connect with the company’s brand identity and drive Product initiatives forward
• Team Leadership & Cross-Team Oversight
• Empower and Lead: Directly manage, mentor, and foster the professional growth of UX Managers. Ensure managers clearly understand quarterly objectives, maintain aligned project workflows, and possess the necessary resources to empower their respective teams
• Organizational Growth: Lead hiring decisions and organizational design for management-level UX roles
• Culture & Communication: Conduct regular 1:1s with direct reports, facilitate quarterly skip‑level meetings with individual contributors, and cultivate a healthy, inclusive, and high‑performing design culture
• UX Strategy & Vision
• Strategic Planning: Own, develop, and execute the long‑term strategic plans for the entire UX organization
• AI Vision & Product Integration: Establish and champion a clear vision for AI utilization within the product experience. Identify opportunities to leverage AI to enhance user journeys, ensuring these features remain deeply user‑centric, ethical, and aligned with product priorities
• Quality & Brand Alignment: Ensure all product experiences are highly usable, business‑viable, and technically feasible while seamlessly connecting to the company’s core brand identity
• Opportunity Identification: Partner with cross‑functional stakeholders to translate user needs and business objectives into impactful, prioritized UX projects. Champion initiatives that balance business goals with maximum user benefit
• DesignOps & Process Optimization
• Operational Excellence: Maintain accountability for all systems, tools, and processes utilized across the UX organization. Continually optimize workflows to amplify the team’s impact at scale
• AI-Enhanced Workflows: Spearhead the evaluation, adoption, and integration of AI tools into daily UX processes. Empower teams to use AI to streamline workflows, automate routine tasks, and accelerate research and design output
• Collaboration Rituals: Establish and facilitate regular cross‑team collaboration exercises, including UX critiques, design reviews, and team retrospectives
• Workflow Efficiency: Ensure disparate UX teams are effectively collaborating, maintaining alignment, and working toward unified objectives without operating in silos
• Cross‑Functional Alignment & Leadership
• Strategic Partnership: Act as the primary UX liaison with leaders across Product, Engineering, Customer Experience (CX), and other key departments
• Roadblock Resolution: Regularly sync with cross‑functional leaders to identify project dependencies, clear developmental roadblocks, and establish highly collaborative working processes
• Alignment Workshops: Design and lead cross‑departmental alignment workshops to ensure shared understanding of product vision and UX priorities
• Budgeting & Resource Planning
• Resource Allocation: Collaborate with UX Managers and the VP to strategically allocate staffing and tools across various UX teams to meet objectives
• Financial Stewardship: Establish and manage the cross‑team UX budget, ensuring appropriate funding for team‑building, professional development, industry recognition, and travel

Benefits

• Take‑what‑you‑need (paid) vacation for salaried employees
• 20 days of PTO and 7 paid holidays/year for hourly employees
• Stock options
• 401K retirement savings plan with generous matching
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance plans, with options specific to your own health coverage needs
• Prosper Fit - A monthly stipend to use for gym memberships, personal training sessions, yoga and exercise classes, or club sports/fitness fees
• Pre-tax commuter/parking assistance
• Snacks and beverage selections in our kitchen
• Monthly meet‑and‑greet happy hours
• Perkspot discount programs
• One Medical
• SF Location - Rooftop deck with ping‑pong and foosball table

Strategic Influence: Demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders, align design strategy with business goals, and lead collaborative workshopsTechnological Literacy: Forward‑thinking approach to emerging tech, with proven experience or strong capability in integrating AI into both design workflows and product featuresOperational Acumen: Strong background in DesignOps, scaling design teams, and optimizing cross‑functional product development processesExperience: 8-10+ years in UX Design, Product Design, or related fields, with 3-5+ years in a leadership role managing other managers, complemented by a Bachelor’s degreeMultidisciplinary Expertise: Experience directly managing and integrating adjacent design disciplines, specifically UX Research and UX Writing/Content DesignWe encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t precisely match the job description