Director, Product Design

Location United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Romania, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Lithuania, Switzerland, Mexico Employment Type Full time Location Type Remote Department Design Building the Future of Crypto Our Krakenites are a world‑class team with crypto conviction, united by our desire to discover and unlock the potential of crypto and blockchain technology. What makes us different? Kraken is a mission‑focused company rooted in crypto values. As a Krakenite, you’ll join us on our mission to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. For over a decade, Kraken’s focus on our mission and crypto ethos has attracted many of the most talented crypto experts in the world. Before you apply, please read the Kraken Culture page to learn more about our internal culture, values, and mission. We also expect candidates to familiarize themselves with the Kraken app. Learn how to create a Kraken account here. As a fully remote company, we have Krakenites in 70+ countries who speak over 50 languages. Krakenites are industry pioneers who develop premium crypto products for experienced traders, institutions, and newcomers to the space. Kraken is committed to industry‑leading security, crypto education, and world‑class client support through our products like Kraken Pro, Desktop, Wallet, and Kraken Futures. Become a Krakenite and build the future of crypto Proof of work This role is accountable for the day‑to‑day quality, speed, and effectiveness of design output for a major Growth Product Design Engineering group. You will lead design for a critical set of growth experiences that may span first‑time user journeys, identity verification and KYC, early activation, referrals and social engagement, rewards and incentives, and retention. These experiences ship continuously, operate globally, and are measured against clear funnel, activation, and engagement metrics. Success in this role comes from: Shipping high‑quality design consistently, not just setting direction Running tight feedback, critique, and iteration loops Ensuring design decisions are grounded in user insight, usability testing, and data Acting as a quality gate for growth experiences within your group Making teams faster and better through strong systems The team The Growth Product Design Engineering team is organized into focused groups that own different parts of the user lifecycle. This role leads one of those groups, managing designers and design managers responsible for high‑impact onboarding or engagement experiences. Depending on the group, the team’s scope may include: First‑time user flows such as sign‑up, first deposit, first trade, and early success moments KYC and verification experiences, including consumer, corporate, and advanced product unlocks Activation flows that guide users to their first meaningful actions Referral and social engagement systems, including sharing, invites, competitions, and social proof Rewards and incentives, such as loyalty tiers, rewards hubs, progression, and milestones Retention surfaces, including notifications, in‑product messaging, and ongoing guidance The opportunity Own design execution for your Growth PDE group, ensuring work ships on time, at high quality, and against clearly defined outcomes Lead hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management for designers within your group Run design critiques that materially improve UX clarity, interaction design, hierarchy, composition, and consistency Partner closely with product managers to define problem statements, success metrics, and experiment plans Ensure teams conduct regular user testing, prototyping, and iteration, especially for high‑friction or compliance‑heavy experiences Use quantitative data (funnels, experiments, engagement metrics) and qualitative insight (research, usability testing, feedback) to guide decisions Standardize design patterns within your group to reduce rework and increase speed while maintaining quality Improve collaboration between designers, engineers, and product managers by clarifying ownership, handoffs, and expectations Introduce and evolve tools and workflows—including AI‑assisted design and research—that increase team velocity and learning Champion accessibility, inclusion, and localization across the experiences owned by your group Maintain a consistently high bar for trust, clarity, and usability in regulated, high‑impact user journeys Skills you should HODL 8‑10+ years of product design experience working on complex digital products 4+ years of experience leading product designers Hands‑on experience designing onboarding, activation, rewards, referral, or retention flows Strong understanding of UX, interaction design, visual hierarchy, typography, and composition Experience using product metrics, funnels, experimentation, and usability testing to inform decisions Comfort reviewing in‑progress work and giving direct, constructive feedback Proven ability to build and run effective design processes, critique systems, and quality standards Strong organizational and prioritization skills in fast‑moving environments Clear, confident communication with designers, product managers, and engineers Experience with fintech, marketplaces, or regulated products is a plus, but not required This job is accepting ongoing applications and there is no application deadline. Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. Kraken is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate all Krakenites for their diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions and unique perspectives. We hire strictly based on merit, meaning we seek out the candidates with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills considered the most suitable for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledge‐able about crypto As an equal opportunity employer, we don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Whether that’s based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state or local laws. Stay in the know Follow us on Twitter Learn on the Kraken Blog Connect on LinkedIn Candidate Privacy Notice #J-18808-Ljbffr