Director of Product Design

Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace focused on reducing the cost and complexity of borrowing for Americans. The Director of Product Design will lead the Consumer Experiences pillar, guiding design quality and execution across various lending surfaces while fostering cross-functional collaboration and developing design talent.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team by providing mentorship, actionable feedback, and career guidance while building a culture of clarity, curiosity, and accountability
• Shape the design vision and execution across Growth, Unsecured Lending, Secured Lending, and Servicing, ensuring experiences are intuitive, consistent, and measurably impactful across the full borrower journey
• Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to define strategy, prioritize work, and help teams balance user needs with business goals
• Set clear expectations and success metrics for design work, championing outcomes and ensuring design has an informed and influential voice in product decisions
• Drive alignment across complex, multi-product journeys by connecting experiences through shared systems, standards, and principles
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration by encouraging experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement in how teams work and deliver
• Contribute to operating model improvements by working with the VP of Product Design and peers to refine processes, rituals, and systems that enable high-quality design at scale
• Support hiring and onboarding efforts to attract and grow exceptional, diverse design talent while reinforcing an inclusive, mission-driven culture

Requirements:

• 15 or more years designing and launching digital products, including 5 or more years managing designers or leading design teams
• Proven track record guiding end-to-end product design with measurable customer and business impact
• Strong portfolio that demonstrates leadership, craft excellence, and systems thinking across multiple product surfaces or ecosystems
• Experience developing designers at a range of career stages and elevating overall team capability
• Deep understanding of user-centered design, interaction design, and data-informed iteration
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with an ability to influence cross-functional peers and executives
• Proficiency in Figma and familiarity with modern design, research, and prototyping tools
• Clear perspective on how AI can elevate design and research workflows and shape more intelligent, personalized customer experiences
• Experience scaling design teams or practices within high-growth, cross-functional environments
• Background in fintech, or other complex systems involving regulated data or sensitive user journeys
• Familiarity with experimentation frameworks such as A/B testing and hypothesis-driven design
• History of partnership with product, research, and engineering leaders to define and deliver a shared vision
• Demonstrated ability to connect multi-product or platform experiences through systems and standards
• Passion for mentoring senior ICs and emerging design leaders