VP, AI-Driven UX & Design Innovation

Smartsheet

Bellevue (WA)

Remote

USD 291,000 - 339,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Vision/Dental coverage

401k Match

Monthly productivity stipend

Flexible Time Away

Life Insurance & Disability

Paid holidays

Parental Leave

Volunteer Day

Professional development

Smartsheet perks account

Teleworking options in US

Job summary

Smartsheet invites an AI-forward VP of User Experience and Design Innovation to lead a multi-disciplinary organization spanning product design, research, design systems, content and globalization, and AI-driven software delivery.

You will build, mentor, and scale senior design and UX leaders, set standards for accessibility and quality, drive AI adoption across functions, and align UX strategy with executive goals while reporting to the Chief Product and Technology Officer.

Qualifications

15+ years of experience in a highly cross-functional role running strategic projects from idea through implementation.
15+ years leading and building UX, design, research, or content organizations, including experience as a manager of managers with P&L responsibility, and sustained leadership tenure through organizational transformation.
A track record of building and scaling high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams (research, design, design systems, content, localization, engineering-adjacent functions).
Experience building team culture and psychological safety across a remote, globally distributed organization.
Demonstrated experience driving AI adoption within a design, research, content, or software delivery organization not just using AI tools individually, but setting org-wide AI strategy.
Deep expertise in research methodologies, design strategy, content strategy, and localization best practices for global B2B SaaS platforms.
A track record of ensuring customer insights directly inform product strategy, not just validate it.
Working knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) and experience shipping compliant enterprise software.
Experience leading enterprise SaaS products with complex user workflows, multi-stakeholder environments, and mission-critical use cases.
Familiarity with AI-assisted software development practices and how they change the design-to-engineering handoff.
Experience finding simple, innovative solutions for complex problems, and facilitating research to uncover user needs.
Strong visual design sense; design fluency sufficient to critique and direct design work at the strategic level.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence across Product, Engineering, and executive leadership.
Ability to articulate design decisions and advocate for the user, while balancing speed and innovation enabled by AI.

Responsibilities

Lead, evolve, and articulate a bold, user-centered vision for the future of design and user experience across Smartsheet's product portfolio and external systems.
Own and scale research, design, design systems, content, localization, and AI-first design strategy across all product lines and geographies.
Build, mentor, and grow a team of senior functional and design leaders; scale and evolve the org in alignment with company growth, with a focus on developing and retaining the team you inherit.
Own experience quality standards, including accessibility compliance, and hold the line when work is below bar, even under delivery pressure.
Set organizational strategy around design maturity, AI adoption, design systems adoption, and cross-functional design-led decision-making across product, engineering, and business teams.
Build, evolve, and scale UX processes, standards, and tools, owning the AI agenda for the org by identifying and driving high-impact opportunities to embed AI into research, design systems, content/localization, and the software development lifecycle.