Seed Studio Visual Design Manager, Devices and Services

Designer Jobs; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 188,000 - 274,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) match

Vacation days

Sick time

Leaves

Holidays

Job summary

Google Hardware’s Seed Studio seeks a UX Design Manager to lead ecosystem‑level UX for Devices & Services, guiding teams from concept through execution and defining the visual language and product strategy for Mountain View surfaces.

You will mentor designers, drive a holistic design process, develop a design system, and collaborate with cross‑functional partners to deliver cohesive visual, motion, and interaction experiences across current and future surfaces.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in product design or UX.
• 3 years of experience leading design projects and managing people or teams.
• Experience implementing visual design systems across platforms in an iterative software environment.
• Portfolio or link to work in resume.

Responsibilities

• Lead design projects conceptualizing products or defining a category goals.
• Lead the team in development and execution of Pixel Watch Watch Faces.
• Provide direction to visual designers and deliver design directions for surfaces.
• Create visual presentations, storyboards, and prototypes for peers and leadership.
• Drive a holistic design process, including a design system across teams.

Skills

UX design leadership

Product design

Team leadership

Design systems

Portfolio

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

In this role within Google Hardware’s Seed Studio, you will lead UX visual design efforts for Devices & Services, shaping ecosystem-level experiences while guiding teams from early concepts through execution. You will help define product strategy, reduce complexity, and establish visual design system or language direction across surfaces.

Role Overview

As a UX Design Manager, you will drive the vision by conceptualizing ecosystem-level UX and defining product strategy for Seed Studio within Devices & Services. The work focuses on mitigating complexity and translating design direction into coherent visual, motion, and system outputs across existing and future surfaces.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead design projects that either conceptualize individual products or define goals for an entire category.
• Lead the team in the development and execution of Pixel Watch Watch Faces.
• Provide direction and leadership to visual designers exploring future opportunities for Google Hardware, and deliver visual, motion, and system design directions for existing surfaces.
• Create visual presentations, storyboards, and prototypes that communicate solutions and context to peers, users, and leadership.
• Drive a holistic design process, including a design system or design language, across teams or products.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in product design or UX.
• 3 years of experience leading design projects and managing people or teams.
• Experience implementing visual design systems across platforms in an iterative software development environment.
• Include a portfolio, website, or other relevant link to your work in your resume, with viewable access or instructions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3 years of work experience collaborating with executive leaders.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary UX or product teams (motion, interaction, UX research, engineering, content strategy) on technical implementation.
• Experience conceiving and documenting solutions using personas, user journeys, storyboards, value propositions, and sketches.
• Experience working in a complex, cross-functional organization.

About Seed Studio and the Team

Seed Studio is an innovation and design studio within Google Hardware Design. The team works at the intersection of design strategy, advanced concepts, and creative exploration to inform a future of human-centered technology. The Devices & Services team combines Google AI, software, and hardware to create experiences intended to be radically helpful for users.

In this role, you will rely on user-centered design methods to craft industry-leading user experiences from concept to execution, while collaborating with design partners to leverage and evolve the Google design language.

Work Location

Location: Mountain View, CA (onsite)

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: USD 188,000 - 274,000 per year.

Additional compensation (US): 20% bonus target + equity + benefits. Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

• Health benefits: health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement: 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle), including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
• Leaves: Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks; Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.