Product Design Manager

Pennylane; Deutschland; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 vacation days

Competitive compensation package

Company shares

Bonus for workspace improvement

Access to fitness spaces and wellness activities

Access to language learning tools

Latest Apple equipment

Regular company events

Job summary

Pennylane is seeking a Product Design Manager in the United States to lead and mentor a team of talented designers. In this role, you will help shape design processes and ensure the best user experience for financial software. The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience in product design environments and is fluent in French with proficiency in English. Alongside competitive compensation, the position offers remote work flexibility and a focus on professional development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience working directly with C-level executives.
• Strong strategic and design mindset.
• Experience in fostering an inclusive design team culture.

Responsibilities

• Scale and level-up the team of 5 product designers.
• Identify strategic UX opportunities and drive them forward.
• Orchestrate user research to gather actionable insights.
• Measure the effect of design on business performance.

Skills

Fluency in French

Proficiency in English

Leadership in product design

Collaboration skills

Problem-solving through data

Job description

Are you looking to have an impact on the daily life of millions of entrepreneurs in France (and tomorrow in Europe)?

Are you looking for a work environment that values trust, proactivity, and autonomy?

Are our Engineering principles aligned with your vision?

Then Pennylane is the right place for you!

Our vision

We aim to become the most beloved financial Operating System of French SMEs and Accounting Firms (and soon, European ones).

We help entrepreneurs rid themselves of time‑consuming tasks related to accounting and finance while providing them with access to key financial information to assist in making the best decisions for their business.

Design at Pennylane

Design sits at the centre of this mission and its purpose is to deliver an accessible, seamless and enjoyable experience for our two main users. Our team of 35+ product designers work across different tracks that are divided into cross‑functional squads each consisting of Engineering, Product and Design. Autonomy, trust and transparency are the key values upon which our culture is built, this is directly reflected in how our designers operate on a day‑to‑day basis. At Pennylane, designers are expected to actively contribute from defining the problem space to research and testing.

Product Design Manager

We are seeking a Product Design Manager with a strong strategic and design mindset who has extensive experience working in complex product environments. You will have the opportunity to mentor, coach and lead a team of talented designers to ensure our partners have the best user experience possible.

We are looking for someone with proven experience working directly with C‑level executives and executive committees. You have the ability to simplify complex topics, communicate clearly with senior stakeholders, and naturally adapt your presence and influence in high‑stakes discussions.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Scale and level‑up your team of 5 product designers. You will partner closely with other design leaders, cross‑functional partners, and HR partners to hire, develop and retain design talent in alignment with the growth trajectory of our organisation.
• Identify strategic UX opportunities that will help our users become more productive and drive these forward with your product and engineering peers at track level.
• Orchestrate user research with product leads and your team to understand the behaviour, needs and wants for our most important accounting partners and convert it into actionable insights.
• Measure the effect of design on business performance and oversee critical strategic directions.
• Continuously contribute expertise back to the business in the form of insights and best practices for our users.
• Help your team balance speed, quality, and design consistency, always focusing on JBTD and business goals.
• Shape and establish design processes. By driving design best practices, you'll enable more significant impact and efficiency across the team.
• Partner with design ops teams.

Your profile

• Fluency in French and proficiency in English is required.
• Strong track record of leading product design teams, best if in B2B organisations.
• Excellent eye for design and capability to provide ideas and creative inputs.
• Excels at aligning team decisions with the overall vision, JTBD, and design guidelines.
• Enjoys discovering and solving complex problems through data and insights.
• Experienced in fostering an inclusive, open, and engaged design team culture.
• Comfortable communicating future design directions with senior stakeholders, including founders, and inspiring positive action within your team.
• Collaboration oriented; works closely with other designers, engineers and product managers; values feedback and brainstorming ideas.
• Significant experience collaborating with senior executives (C‑level, Executive Committee, etc.).
• Ability to simplify, synthesize, and translate complex issues for non‑expert audiences.
• Comfortable presenting and defending your decisions to senior stakeholders.
• Skilled at finding the right balance in meetings—knowing when to lead, when to listen, and how to adapt your approach to the context.

What we do to make your work life easier

• 25 vacation days paid by Pennylane, wherever you are based.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Company shares.
• Bonus to turn your home into a comfortable workspace, and a monthly allowance to work from a coworking space whenever you like.
• Access to a large network of fitness spaces and wellness activities.
• Access to language learning tools.
• Latest Apple equipment.
• Remote work from your country of residence within Europe and within two hours of the CET time zone.
• Regular company events, such as Tech Days and annual seminars.
• If you are based in France, a French contract following French regulation, plus 6 to 12 RTT, 5 weeks PTO, lunch credits, health cover and events in Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes and other cities.

Who are we looking for?

• Speaks English (level assessed per department).
• Enthusiastic about an ever‑shifting work environment.
• Highly collaborative within your team or with other stakeholders.
• Experienced enough to prioritize business‑led actions in your day‑to‑day activity.

We know that some people are less likely to apply than others if they don’t feel they meet the full list of criteria. If you’re hesitating, we encourage you to apply.

Important information for candidates

Recruitment scam attempts are on the rise. We invite you to remain vigilant during your exchanges.

Applications through official channels only: apply exclusively through our job postings published on our official platforms (career site, official partner pages).

Always verify the sender’s email address: our communications are sent from professional email addresses with the domains @pennylane.com or @pennylane‑partners.com.

We will never ask you for payment or financial information (bank details, payment for an interview, equipment purchases, etc.) as part of the recruitment process. If such a request is made to you, it is fraudulent. We invite you to not respond and to report it to us immediately.

We fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment. We are committed to providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of gender, sexual orientation, origin, disabilities, or any other traits that make you who you are.