Senior Manager, Product Design

Algolia is on a mission to empower every company to create delightful Search & Discovery experiences. We power over 1.5 trillion searches a year, for more than 17,000 customers from 100+ countries.

We’re looking for a Sr Manager for Product Design to lead our talented design organisation, shape and mature our craft, and work hand-in-hand with Product, Research, and Engineering teams to make user-centric and business impactful decisions. This is an exciting opportunity for you to own a mission-critical team which has a huge impact on the company. Join our team and take ownership of this initiative, work collaboratively with your partners, and drive it to success with a clear vision and strategy.

Your role will consist of:

• Lead the Product Design team and oversee all aspects of product design, including interaction design, information architecture, writing, visual design, service design, design systems, and prototyping.
• Be a strong partner in assessing the usability, viability, and feasibility of Algolia’s products and features.
• Coach, sponsor, and mentor a globally distributed team of product designers, providing guidance, support and interventional assistance to ensure they meet their goals and objectives. Be a strong ally in developing their career and craft.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to align and execute on shared business goals through user-centric work.
• Define and maintain design standards and guidelines to ensure consistency and quality across all products and platforms. Be a foundational partner in uplevelling our design system and UX infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of our product, market, and competitors to ensure our design solutions are innovative and effective
• Manage multiple design projects simultaneously and ensure they are delivered on time and with buy-in of your cross functional team.
• Present design solutions and progress to stakeholders and senior management, soliciting feedback and buy-in as needed
• Use transversal leadership skills to influence all relevant stakeholders to drive success for the customer and promote a customer-first culture throughout the organisation.
• Collaborate with other teams within UX to build a strong, cross-functional User Experience practice at Algolia.

You might be a fit if you have:

• 4+ years of experience in management, with a track record of success leading and managing technical design teams. 
• 7+ years of experience in product design. An understanding of user-centric design principles and methodologies, with experience in interaction design, information architecture, writing, design systems, visual design, service design, prototyping, and user research.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think creatively and strategically
• Experience working with cross-functional teams to deliver successful product launches and achieve business goals.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex ideas and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Big picture thinking, while still applying attention to the details.
• Drive, with an ownership mentality. Ability to thoughtfully escalate issues and reconcile multiple viewpoints to drive alignment that benefits the business and our customers.
• Experience at our current stage and beyond (10,000+ customers, $200-500M ARR range, high growth, lots of change and building internal infrastructure).

Ideally, you would also have:

• Experience managing remote teams is a plus
• Familiarity with search and discovery technologies.
• Familiarity with ML/AI technologies.

We’re looking for someone who can live our values:

• GRIT - Problem-solving and perseverance capability in an ever-changing and growing environment.
• TRUST - Willingness to trust our co-workers and to take ownership.
• CANDOR - Ability to receive and give constructive feedback.
• CARE - Genuine care about other team members, our clients and the decisions we make in the company.
• HUMILITY - Aptitude for learning from others, putting ego aside.

Last updated on Jul 15, 2024