About Us:
Fortanix is a dynamic start-up solving some of the world's most demanding data protection challenges for companies and governments around the world. Our disruptive technology maintains data privacy across its entire lifecycle -- at rest, in motion, and in use across any enterprise IT infrastructure -- public cloud, on-premise, hybrid cloud, and SaaS.
With key strategic partners like Microsoft, Intel, ServiceNow, and Snowflake, Fortanix customers like PayPal, Google & Adidas are reaping the benefits. Recognized by Gartner as a "Cool Vendor", Fortanix is revolutionizing cyber security.
Join the revolution!
Why work with us?
We're seeking passionate people to work with us to change the very idea of how people use cloud computing. We take pride in making Fortanix a great place to work. Coworkers recognize that great ideas can come from anyone, and everyone is encouraged to jump in, contribute, and ask questions.
In tackling the hardest problems, we believe that working together will produce better solutions.
As the Head of Product Design at our Fortanix, you will hold a pivotal role in shaping the future of our products and services. You will provide visionary leadership to the product design and research teams, fostering a culture of creativity, innovation, and user-centric design. Your strategic planning and team development skills will ensure that our design practices not only align with our business goals but also push the boundaries of what our products can achieve.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities:
Design & Research Leadership:
- Provide visionary leadership and set high standards for the product design and research team in creativity, innovation, and user-centric design.
- Oversee user research and collaborate with product managers to deeply understand user needs and ensure that designs meet and exceed user expectations.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management and engineering, to align design strategy with business goals and objectives.
Strategic Design Planning:
- Develop and communicate a comprehensive design strategy that aligns with the company's overall product and business strategies.
- Drive the evolution of the design language and principles to ensure a cohesive and distinctive brand identity.
- Advocate for user-centered design principles throughout the product development process.
Team Development:
- Hire, mentor, and develop a team of skilled designers and managers.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, professional growth, and creative excellence within the design team.
- Drive innovation within the team, exploring new approaches to elevate the visual and interactive aspects of our products.
Design Process Optimization:
- Implement and refine design processes to improve efficiency and quality.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate design into agile development cycles, ensuring a seamless and iterative design approach.
Stakeholder Collaboration:
- Present design vision concepts and strategies to executives and key stakeholders, incorporating feedback to drive design excellence.
- Champion the design organization within the company, driving thought leadership and influencing the creative brand vision at the company level.
User-Centric Design:
- Ensure that all design initiatives are grounded in a deep understanding of user behavior, needs, and motivations.
Continuous Improvement:
- Monitor user feedback and analytics to identify areas for improvement and act on them.
- Lead A/B testing and usability studies to optimize the user experience continually.
Budget and Resource Management:
- Develop and manage the design budget, ensuring efficient use of resources and making strategic decisions on tools, software, and staffing requirements.
Who You Are:
- A strategic leader with a strong intellectual curiosity, operational proficiency, and a bias for action.
- A catalyst for impact, demonstrating ownership for your work and a passion to achieve key outcomes.
- A coach with strong people management capability, building and leading high-performing teams.
- A strong communicator who can articulate the vision and rally teams and stakeholders around it.
- A change leader with a track record of applying fresh, creative ideas to complex challenges.
- A caring collaborator who can build relationships and influence at all levels of the organization.
What You'll Bring:
- 15+ years of overall experience with 10 years in a leadership role, responsible for Design and UX Research teams.
- A strong portfolio showcasing a range of successful user-centered design projects.
- Proficiency in design and prototyping tools (e.g., Sketch, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite).
- Strong understanding of usability principles, journey mapping, information architecture, and interaction design.
- Experience with agile development methodologies and using research to support evidence-focused design decisions.
- Exceptional leadership and team management skills.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, marketing, and other executive teams to ensure design implementations meet standards.
- Exceptional communication, storytelling, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
Expected Outcomes:
- Formulate a user experience vision for the company's product platform and align the executive leadership team around this vision.
- Embed a design-driven culture that leverages the best product, technology, and innovative talent.
- Reinforce and thread the company's brand identity throughout our products, developing a modern design system.
- Recruit, nurture, and retain best-in-class talent, reinforcing a design-driven culture within the organization.
Benefits
What we offer:
- We offer a collaborative work environment, amazing equity, great benefits, competitive salary, and the opportunity to redefine cloud computing.
- Unlimited PTO (it's between you and your work!)
- Quarterly recharge days
- 40 hours of Volunteer Time Off/year
- Internet stipend
- Friendly culture that brings the best out of everybody
- 401k
Fortanix is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace with equal opportunity for all applicants and teammates. Our goal is to recruit the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool regardless of race, color, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other status. If you're interested in working in a fast growing, exciting working environment - we encourage you to apply!