Design Director

This position is posted by Jobgether on behalf of a partner company. We are currently looking for a Design Director in United Arab Emirates.

This leadership role sits at the intersection of product design excellence, strategic thinking, and team development within a high-impact, globally distributed environment. You will shape the creative direction of complex digital products while ensuring design quality consistently meets the highest standards. The role combines hands-on design leadership with mentorship, guiding teams through ambiguity and helping them translate complex problems into elegant, user-centred solutions. You will collaborate closely with clients, product teams, and business stakeholders to align design execution with strategic goals and market needs. Beyond project delivery, you will play a key role in building a strong design culture, elevating talent, and influencing how design drives business outcomes. This is a highly visible position where your decisions will directly impact product quality, client success, and team growth.

• Lead and contribute directly to design execution while guiding teams to deliver high-quality product, UX, and visual design work across multiple projects.
• Define and uphold design excellence standards, providing clear critique, direction, and mentorship to improve team output and consistency.
• Partner with clients as a trusted design advisor, presenting work, managing feedback loops, and shaping design direction aligned with business goals.
• Drive product strategy alignment by ensuring design decisions support product roadmaps, market positioning, and user needs.
• Collaborate with business development teams to scope engagements, identify growth opportunities, and support client relationship development.
• Build and nurture a strong design culture by hiring, mentoring, and developing designers while fostering inclusivity and high performance.
• Champion service design, change management, and systems thinking to ensure scalable, long-term design impact.

---

Requirements:

• Proven experience leading and mentoring design teams in complex product environments with a strong focus on quality and execution.
• Deep expertise in UX and product design, including research, strategy, interaction design, and end-to-end product delivery.
• Strong visual design sensibility with awareness of modern design trends, tools, and emerging technologies.
• Experience working closely with cross-functional teams including product, engineering, and business stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence clients and stakeholders through clear design rationale.
• Strong understanding of product strategy, service design, and systems design principles.
• Experience using qualitative and quantitative research to inform and validate design decisions.
• Ability to operate in ambiguous environments, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Active engagement in the design community is a plus, including thought leadership, writing, or speaking contributions.
• Passion for inclusive design practices and building collaborative, high-performing teams.

---

Benefits:

• Remote-friendly work environment across compatible time zones (PST to BRT).
• Opportunity to lead high-impact global design projects shaping products, markets, and user experiences.
• Strong ownership over design vision, team development, and creative direction.
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture focused on excellence and continuous learning.
• Opportunity to work closely with global clients and senior stakeholders on strategic initiatives.
• Support for professional growth, leadership development, and community engagement.
• Inclusive workplace committed to diversity, equity, and belonging.