Executive Director, Product Design

200 The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

The Atlantic is seeking an Executive Director of Product Design to lead a team of designers and shape the reader experience across web and mobile platforms. Reporting to the VP of Product Design, this senior role combines people management with hands-on design work to move projects forward with high standards.

You will lead design for major initiatives, develop user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs, while mentoring staff and collaborating with product, engineering,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience designing digital products for web and mobile.
• Experience managing and developing product designers.
• A portfolio that shows strong hands-on product design work and clear outcomes.
• Experience leading complex projects from concept through launch.
• Experience working closely with product managers and engineers.
• Strong skills in UX design, interaction design, visual design, and information architecture.
• Deep experience with Figma, prototyping tools, and design systems.
• Experience designing consumer-facing web or mobile products.
• Experience influencing product strategy and aligning senior stakeholders.
• Experience in media, publishing, or content-rich products is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the VP of Product Design to set priorities and direction for the design team.
• Manage, mentor, and support product designers, including performance management and hiring.
• Lead design for major product initiatives across The Atlantic’s platforms.
• Develop user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
• Provide clear, actionable feedback to help designers improve.
• Collaborate with product and engineering to define goals and scope.
• Work with editorial and growth teams on reader-facing products.
• Raise quality and consistency of design across the organization.
• Help maintain design systems, patterns, and processes.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships and represent design in planning.

Skills

Product design leadership

People management

Hands-on design

UX design

Interaction design

Visual design

Information architecture

Figma

Prototyping tools

Design systems

Media/publishing experience

Tools

Figma

Prototyping tools

Job description

The Atlantic is looking for an Executive Director of Product Design to lead a team of product designers and help shape the future of our reader experience. Reporting to the VP of Product Design, this person will set direction for key product areas, manage and develop designers, and contribute directly to the design of our products. This is a senior role for someone who is both an experienced people manager and a strong practicing designer. You will work closely with product, engineering, editorial, and growth teams to make decisions, move projects forward, and ensure that the work meets a high standard. The role includes significant hands‑on design work. You will lead the design of important initiatives, from early concepts and prototypes through launch and iteration, while giving your team clear direction and useful feedback.

What you’ll do

Partner with the VP of Product Design to set priorities and direction for the design team.

Manage, mentor, and support product designers, including performance management, career development, and hiring.

Lead design for major product initiatives across The Atlantic’s website, apps, storytelling products, and publishing tools.

Develop user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high‑fidelity designs.

Give clear, practical feedback that helps designers improve their work and grow in their roles.

Work with product and engineering leaders to define project goals, scope work, and make tradeoffs.

Collaborate with editorial, photo, video, audio, and subscriber‑growth teams on reader‑facing products.

Raise the quality and consistency of design across the organization, including visual design, interaction design, accessibility, and implementation.

Help maintain and improve design systems, patterns, and team processes.

Build strong relationships with stakeholders and represent design in cross‑functional planning and leadership discussions.

Help recruit, interview, and onboard new designers.

Use research, analytics, user feedback, and editorial insight to inform product decisions.

Explore new tools and technologies, including AI, where they can improve the design process or reader experience.

Who you are

An experienced product design leader who is comfortable managing people and doing hands‑on design work.

A clear, thoughtful communicator who can work effectively with senior stakeholders and cross‑functional partners.

A strong product thinker with excellent visual, UX, and interaction design skills.

Someone who can bring structure to complex work without slowing teams down.

A supportive manager who sets high expectations and helps people meet them.

Interested in journalism, media, and how people read and engage with digital products.

Curious, practical, and comfortable working in a fast‑moving environment.

What you’ll bring

10+ years of experience designing digital products for web and mobile.

Experience managing and developing product designers.

A portfolio that shows strong hands‑on product design work and clear outcomes.

Experience leading complex projects from concept through launch.

Experience working closely with product managers and engineers.

Strong skills in UX design, interaction design, visual design, and information architecture.

Deep experience with Figma, prototyping tools, and design systems.

Experience designing consumer‑facing web or mobile products.

Experience influencing product strategy and aligning senior stakeholders.

Experience in media, publishing, or content‑rich products is preferred.

Salary minimum: $175,000; salary maximum: $220,000

This role is based in New York City.

About The Atlantic: The Atlantic has, for more than 160 years, advanced ideas that matter and sparked global conversation on the most important issues of our time. We aim to bring clarity and original thinking to questions of consequence, on topics ranging from politics, the economy, and global affairs to technology, science, and culture. As the third‑longest‑running magazine in America, we find ourselves at a remarkable moment: one of both continuation and transformation, of upholding our legacy while continuously reinventing ourselves for the future.

The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC (“The Atlantic”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Atlantic is committed to diversity and encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities.

We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Job offers to work at The Atlantic are contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of reference checks and compliance with The Atlantic’s COVID‑19 vaccination policy.

The Atlantic requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID‑19, including subsequent boosters, and submit proof of vaccination status. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely‑held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.

At The Atlantic, our Work Experience is the combination of everything that’s unique about us: our culture, our core values, our commitment to advancing ideas that matter and sparking global conversation, but most importantly, it’s our people. Our employees are generous, hardworking, curious, trustworthy, humble, and truthful. They live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference.

The Atlantic looks for three “pillar gifts” in you, and everyone else. In all of us, these are more aspirational than actual, but they are central in our intentions.

SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY The Atlantic seeks in its ranks a spirit of generosity—a natural disposition in each colleague toward service and self‑less conduct.

FORCE OF IDEAS At the center of The Atlantic is a belief in the power of ideas. Our highest work is bringing rigor, insight, and honesty to their examination. We endeavor to cultivate new ideas, challenge existing ones, and seek out those that otherwise might go unheard. We do this because ideas have consequences—the power to shape our lives, our work, and the world around us.

SENSE OF BELONGING The Atlantic was founded in 1857 as a home for intellectual debate, but also in opposition to the great moral injustice of its time. More than a century and a half later, we continue to believe our purpose is larger than ourselves. At its best, our culture reflects this calling. It is characterized by goodwill and a deep sense of mutual concern. Our goal is not consensus—on the contrary, our best work may be born of spirited exchange and a diversity of views. What brings us together is a commitment to the mission of the Atlantic, to our readers, and to one another.

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