Head of Product Design

Tools for Humanity; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 306,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Tools for Humanity seeks a Head of Product Design to shape experiences across platforms, driving strategic design vision and design excellence. You will lead a high-performing team and partner with product and engineering to deliver cohesive user experiences.

You will recruit, mentor, and align teams, champion user advocacy, and uphold brand standards while navigating change with calm leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of product design experience with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing design teams.
• Strong portfolio showing design excellence, systems thinking, and user-centered problem solving across web and mobile.
• Ideal but not required: has been a founder before.

Responsibilities

• Design Leadership: Set and champion a clear vision for product design aligned with goals and brand.
• Roll up your sleeves: Lead by example on key projects.
• Team Management: Recruit, develop, and mentor a high-performing design team.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with product and engineering for cohesive experiences.
• Quality & Consistency: Maintain high standards of craft and brand alignment.
• User Advocacy: Champion user research, data, and accessibility.
• Resilience & Adaptability: Lead through change with calm, pragmatic leadership.

Skills

Design Leadership

Team Leadership

User-centered design

Design systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Brand consistency

Job description

About the Company:

Tools for Humanity (TFH) designs and builds technology behind World. World is building a real human network designed to accelerate people in the age of AI. As bots and autonomous agents reshape the internet, people, institutions, and applications need a trusted way to confirm who is a real human while preserving privacy. The TFH and World tech stacks make this possible: the Orb verifies real, unique people, World ID proves it privately, and World App puts these capabilities, and more, in people’s hands. Together, they add a human layer to an AI-driven internet.

About the Company:

Tools for Humanity (TFH) designs and builds technology behind World. World is building a real human network designed to accelerate people in the age of AI. As bots and autonomous agents reshape the internet, people, institutions, and applications need a trusted way to confirm who is a real human while preserving privacy. The TFH and World tech stacks make this possible: the Orb verifies real, unique people, World ID proves it privately, and World App puts these capabilities, and more, in people’s hands. Together, they add a human layer to an AI-driven internet.

World is already running at a global scale. More than 17 million people across 160 countries have verified with World ID, and more new Orb verifications take place each week. World App is already among the most used wallets globally. Developers are integrating World ID to build safer online experiences and create spaces where real people can participate, earn, and be recognized in ways AI simply can’t replicate.

Founded in 2019, TFH has more than 400 people across hardware, software, AI, cryptography, mobile engineering, and global operations. Our teams come from OpenAI, Tesla, SpaceX, Apple, Google, Stripe, Meta, Coinbase, Palantir and MIT Media Lab. We’re backed by leading investors, including a16z, Khosla Ventures, Bain Capital Crypto, Blockchain Capital, Variant, Tiger Global, and Coinbase Ventures, as well as prominent operators and founders across fintech and AI.

TFH and World have been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, highlighted in Fast Company’s Next 5 in Fintech, and explored in a Bloomberg deep dive. The New York Times, Bankless and TechCrunch have all recognized our collective progress in identity, cryptography, AI, and global-scale hardware deployment. Our leadership is also named to the Time AI 100. Learn more about the newest product launches from our Liftoff event.

About the Team:

People spend fifteen seconds with an Orb, but a lifetime with the World App. As such, the App team plays a critical role in fulfilling our mission. Using the App, people can join the World network, participate in decentralized finance in a friendly and self-custodial manner, and use their WorldID to unlock services across the ecosystem.

About the Opportunity:

As Head of Product Design, you will be one of our most important leaders in shaping and elevating our products and experiences across all platforms. You will be responsible for driving the strategic design vision, fostering design excellence, and enabling teams to create impactful and delightful products that align with World’s vision to build the real human network for all.

• Design Leadership: Set and champion a clear vision for product design that aligns with company goals and brand values. Lead the team toward delivering consistent, high-quality design across the entire product ecosystem.
• Roll up your sleeves: As our most senior designer, you lead not only through words but through example by contributing directly to our most important projects.
• Team Management: Recruit, develop, and mentor a high-performing product design team. Provide thoughtful leadership, guidance, and career development support for designers at all levels.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with product and engineering teams to ensure cohesive and compelling user experiences. Be a strong voice in strategic planning and execution.
• Quality & Consistency: Uphold the highest standards of design craft across all outputs. Ensure visual and interaction designs are clear, functional, and beautiful, maintaining consistency with our brand.
• User Advocacy: Champion the voice of the user through research, data, and empathy. Ensure our solutions are inclusive, accessible, and impactful.
• Resilience & Adaptability: Navigate complexity with confidence, demonstrating calm leadership through periods of change and ambiguity.

About You:

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in product design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing design teams
• A strong portfolio showcasing design excellence, systems thinking, and user-centered problem solving across web and mobile platforms, with an emphasis on consumer products.
• Ideal but not required, has been a founder before.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Impeccable taste and love for your craft.
• Proven experience in scaling and leading design teams in a tech-driven product environment
• Expertise in driving end-to-end product design from research to implementation
• Deep understanding of design systems, accessibility standards, responsive design, and current trends in UI/UX
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance user needs with technical constraints and business goals
• Familiarity with agile environments and product development cycles

Skills:

• Exceptional visual and interaction design skills, with a critical eye for detail
• Excellent leadership and communication skills; able to inspire, influence, and align stakeholders at all levels
• Strong organizational and planning abilities; capable of managing multiple priorities and large-scale initiatives
• Empathy, humility, and a user-first mindset
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity with resilience, pragmatism, and a solutions-oriented approach

Pay transparency statement (for CA and NY based roles):

The reasonably estimated salary for this role at TFH ranges from $306,000 - $360,000, plus a competitive long term incentive package. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, TFH offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, vision, 401(k) plan and match, life insurance, flexible time off, commuter benefits, professional development stipend and much more!

By submitting your application, you consent to the processing and internal sharing of your CV within the company, in compliance with the GDPR