Lead, Design

Ladders; United States; On-site; USD 240,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan options (100% employee)

OneMedical membership

Equity grant with quarterly vesting

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Lead, Design to guide a consumer-focused design organization shaping high-quality product experiences across multiple platform areas. The role blends hands-on design with people leadership, requiring strong judgment, collaboration with product partners, and balancing speed with craft.

The position is remote for US-based candidates, with compensation ranging from $240,000 to $275,000 annually.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UX or product design with a strong user-centered focus.
• Proven experience leading designers through performance and promotion cycles.
• Player-coach capable of balancing design craft with team management.
• Strong judgment for running critiques and assessments of design work.
• Proficient with design tools like Figma for high-fidelity prototypes.
• Experience with design systems ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Understanding of qualitative and quantitative research informs design decisions.

Responsibilities

• Run weekly design critiques and oversee project feedback.
• Establish 1:1s and growth plans for consumer designers.
• Manage design capacity across seven product areas with a 5–6 person team.
• Represent design perspectives in product discussions balancing speed and quality.
• Arbitrate design-system exceptions and determine new components.
• Contribute hands-on by delivering design work in high-impact areas.
• Build team culture through in-person relationships and events.

Skills

UX design

Product design

Team leadership

Design critique

Figma

Design systems

Research methods

Tools

Figma

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Lead, Design to join the team of a leader in the Consumer Technology space.

This leader will guide a consumer-focused design organization that shapes intuitive, high-quality product experiences across multiple areas of the platform. The role blends hands-on design contribution with people leadership, requiring strong judgment, collaboration with product partners, and a focus on balancing speed with craft. You will help strengthen design culture, support designer growth, and ensure the team is positioned to deliver consistent, scalable experiences.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $240,000 – $275,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Run weekly design critiques and oversee a healthy review process for project feedback
• Establish regular 1:1s and growth plans for consumer designers, advocating for their advancement
• Manage design capacity across seven product areas while leading a team of 5-6 designers
• Represent design perspectives in product discussions where speed and quality may conflict
• Arbitrate design-system exceptions, determining the inclusion of new components
• Contribute hands-on by delivering design work in high-impact areas of the product
• Build in-person relationships and enhance team culture through team events

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in UX or product design with a strong record of user-centered design
• Experience managing designers through performance and promotion cycles
• Demonstrated ability as a player-coach, balancing design practice with team management
• Strong craft judgment for running critiques and making ability assessments
• Proficient in Figma and other design tools for high-fidelity prototypes
• Experience with design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability
• Understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods to inform design

Benefits

• Variety of health plan options with a 100% covered employee-only plan
• OneMedical membership for concierge health care
• Meaningful equity grant with quarterly vesting starting within 3 months

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.