Design Director - Client Leadership (UX)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director - Client Leadership (UX)

Company: Koru UX Design LLP

Location: India (Remote)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX Design / Client Leadership Operations

Date Posted: November 4, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote (within India, with overlap with US working hours)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead high-impact UX design engagements for complex healthcare and enterprise software products, driving strategic direction and design quality.

• Own and nurture client relationships, ensuring account health, growth, and business performance through exceptional client leadership and account management.

• Develop and mentor design teams, fostering talent growth and building a culture of excellence and continuous improvement within a client-facing context.

• Champion the strategic integration and application of AI in design processes and product development, ensuring responsible and effective utilization.

• Contribute to Koru UX Design's growth and thought leadership by participating in pitches, new business development, and community engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role blends deep UX design expertise with significant client relationship management and team leadership responsibilities. The focus on "AI-first" and complex healthcare/enterprise software indicates a need for candidates who can navigate highly regulated and impactful design challenges. The "client leadership" aspect suggests a strong commercial acumen and business development focus alongside design craft.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design Strategy & Vision: Define and articulate compelling design strategies that align with client business objectives, challenging briefs and leveraging user insights and business acumen to set adoption-worthy directions.

• Craftsmanship & Quality Assurance: Uphold and elevate the standard of design output, ensuring work is robust, user-centric, and meets the demands of critical applications in healthcare and enterprise environments.

• AI Integration & Innovation: Lead the team's approach to leveraging AI tools for enhanced design workflows and designing trustworthy, effective AI-powered experiences, particularly in high-stakes scenarios.

• Talent Development & Mentorship: Coach, critique, and mentor designers and researchers, fostering their professional growth, driving skill development, and identifying potential leaders within client teams.

• Client Relationship Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for senior client stakeholders (up to VP/CXO level), building trust, managing expectations, and confidently navigating high-stakes client interactions.

• Account Growth & Business Performance: Drive account expansion through increased scope, influence, and revenue; manage project margins and ensure overall business success for assigned client engagements.

• Business Development & Pitches: Collaborate with Koru's leadership team on new client opportunities, pitches, and proposal development, contributing strategic design perspectives.

• Thought Leadership & Community Engagement: Build Koru's reputation and personal brand through contributions to the design community via writing, speaking, and showcasing exceptional work.

• Team and Delivery Management: Strategically allocate team members to projects, ensure efficient delivery, and maintain project timelines and operational excellence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a dual focus on design excellence and business outcomes, typical of senior client-facing roles in consultancies. The explicit mention of "challenging the brief" and "deciding what is worth building" highlights the strategic influence expected.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrated expertise in UX design and leadership are paramount. A degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is often beneficial but secondary to practical experience and demonstrable skill.

Experience: Minimum of 10 years in UX and design practice, with at least 4 years specifically in leading client-facing design teams and accounts. Experience in a consultancy, agency, studio, or a design practice within a services firm is required. In-house leaders with demonstrable ownership of stakeholder and business outcomes are also considered.

Required Skills:

• Client-Facing Design Leadership: Proven track record of leading design engagements for external clients, managing relationships, and driving project success.

• UX Design Craftsmanship: Deep understanding and hands-on experience in user experience design, with the ability to critique and elevate the quality of design work.

• Design Strategy Formulation: Ability to shape and execute design strategy, moving beyond execution to influence product direction and define "what is worth building."

• Team Building & Development: Experience in hiring, coaching, mentoring, and growing design talent, including developing junior designers into leads and leads into leaders.

• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with and influence senior stakeholders (VP, CXO level).

• Commercial Acumen: Understanding of business objectives, account management principles, and commercial responsibility for client relationships, including revenue growth and profitability.

• AI Fluency: Proficiency in using AI tools for design processes and a strong point of view on designing AI-powered experiences.

• Complex Domain Experience: Experience working across diverse domains and client types, with a strong preference for healthcare or complex enterprise software.

Preferred Skills:

• Recognized contributions to the design community (writing, speaking, awards).

• Experience with specific healthcare technologies (EHRs, population health, payer platforms).

• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Experience in business development and pitch creation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "doing this before, with clients" and "commercial responsibility" strongly indicates that candidates must have direct experience managing client accounts and their business performance, not just design delivery. The requirement for "still close to the craft" means candidates should maintain a level of hands-on design thinking and critique capability.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Client Engagement Case Studies: Detailed case studies showcasing leadership of client-facing design engagements, highlighting strategic problem-solving, design process, and outcomes.

• Design Strategy Examples: Demonstrations of how you've shaped design strategy, challenged briefs, and influenced product direction for clients.

• Team Development Impact: Evidence of growing design teams, mentoring individuals, and fostering talent development within client projects.

• AI Design Application: Examples of how you've integrated AI into design workflows or designed AI-powered user experiences.

• Business Outcome Metrics: Quantifiable results demonstrating impact on client business performance, such as revenue growth, client satisfaction, or improved product adoption metrics.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Examples of effective collaboration with product managers, engineers, researchers, and client stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Optimization: Showcase how you've analyzed and improved design workflows for efficiency and effectiveness in client engagements.

• Design Critique Frameworks: Illustrate your approach to design critique, providing constructive feedback to elevate team output.

• AI Integration Protocols: Document how you've established guidelines or processes for using AI tools responsibly and effectively in design.

• Client Engagement Models: Examples of how you structure and manage client relationships and project delivery to ensure client success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role explicitly requires a portfolio that demonstrates not just design quality but also leadership, client management, business impact, and strategic thinking. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their processes for strategy development, team growth, and client engagement, backed by concrete results.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate's level of experience, scope of leadership, and demonstrated impact. As this is a senior leadership role, the salary is expected to be in the upper quartile for UX Design Directors in India, potentially ranging from INR 30,00,000 to INR 60,00,000+ per annum, depending on the specific scope and responsibilities assigned post-evaluation.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: Directly aligned with experience and demonstrated leadership capabilities.

• Performance-Based Bonuses: Potential for bonuses tied to individual performance and client account success.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health insurance coverage for employees and potentially dependents.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, including workshops, conferences, and access to industry resources.

• Leadership Offsites & Events: Regular in-person gatherings for leadership strategy sessions, team building, and networking.

• Flexible Work Environment: Fully remote work setup within India, promoting work-life balance.

• Direct Founder Access: Opportunity to work closely with and influence the company's founding team.

Working Hours: While the role is remote, regular overlap with US working hours is required to facilitate client communication and collaboration. A standard full-time workload (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected, with flexibility for client needs and leadership responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is stated as "competitive and matched to your level," indicating a strong emphasis on experience and impact. The provided range is an estimate based on senior leadership roles in the Indian UX/design consultancy sector, considering the company's specialization and client base. The requirement for US working hour overlap is a key consideration for remote work.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: AI-First UX Design Consultancy, specializing in Healthcare and Enterprise Software. Koru UX Design focuses on designing complex, high-stakes software solutions for US-based clients, including EHRs, population health platforms, pharmacy workflows, and patient engagement products. This specialization means a deep understanding of user needs in critical environments is essential.

Company Size: Approximately 25+ designers. This small, agile size means every leader has a significant impact on the firm's direction and operations.

Founded: 2011. With over a decade of experience, Koru has established itself in a niche but critical market, evolving with technological advancements like AI.

Team Structure:

• Design Pods: The company likely organizes teams into "pods," which may consist of designers, researchers, and project managers, dedicated to specific client accounts or groups of clients.

• Leadership Hierarchy: Reports directly to the CEO, with close collaboration with the Head of Design Practice and other leadership members. The structure is flat enough to allow direct access to founders.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Integral to the role, working closely with client product teams (engineers, PMs, researchers) and Koru's internal leadership.

Methodology:

• AI-First Approach: Actively integrates AI in both the design process (e.g., for research analysis, content generation) and in designing AI-powered user experiences.

• User-Centric Design: Deep focus on understanding users in healthcare and enterprise contexts to design solutions with real consequences.

• Evidence-Based Design: Emphasizes using data, user research, and business insights to inform design decisions and challenge client briefs.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A strong commitment to high standards in design execution and delivery.

Company Website: https://koruux.com/ (Derived from URL)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as lean, impactful, and forward-thinking, with a strong emphasis on AI and specialized domain expertise. The small size implies a high degree of autonomy and responsibility for leaders.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position, equivalent to an Associate UX Director, Design Director, Senior Manager – UX, or Principal UX Consultant, focusing on client leadership and account management. The exact title and scope will be determined based on the candidate's experience and demonstrated capabilities. It represents a significant step into strategic business leadership within a specialized design consultancy.

Reporting Structure: Direct reporting to the CEO. This indicates high visibility and direct influence on company strategy and operations. Collaboration with the Head of Design Practice is also a key aspect.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is measured on both the quality of design delivered and the business performance of client accounts (growth, revenue, margins). This means influencing client strategy, product roadmaps, and Koru's own business development efforts.

Growth Opportunities:

• Increased Scope & Responsibility: Opportunity to lead larger or more strategic client accounts, manage bigger teams, and take on more significant commercial responsibilities.

• Influence Firm Strategy: Directly contribute to shaping Koru's AI-first strategy, design methodologies, and client engagement models.

• Leadership Development: Grow as a leader within a growing AI-focused design consultancy, potentially mentoring future leaders and shaping the firm's culture.

• Domain Expertise: Deepen expertise in healthcare and complex enterprise software UX design.

• Thought Leadership: Develop a recognized voice in the design community through active participation and contribution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path is clearly defined by increasing scope, responsibility, and strategic influence within the firm, rather than just a linear promotion. The direct access to founders and the opportunity to shape an "AI-first firm" are significant growth drivers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote within India. While there is no traditional office, the company emphasizes in-person gatherings for specific events.

Office Location(s): Remote within India. Key in-person events include quarterly leadership offsites and team co-working weeks, potentially in locations like Pune (as mentioned for the working session). Travel to meet clients in the US is also a core part of the role.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: Heavy reliance on digital tools for communication, collaboration, and project management.

• In-Person Gatherings: Strategic use of in-person meetings (offsite, co-working weeks) to foster strong team cohesion, strategic alignment, and client relationship building.

• Client Site Visits: Regular travel to the US is a fundamental aspect of the role, requiring adaptability and comfort working in client environments.

Work Schedule: While remote and flexible, requires significant overlap with US working hours to ensure seamless client communication and collaboration. This necessitates a disciplined approach to time management and availability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature is balanced with essential in-person strategic meetings and client travel, indicating a hybrid approach to team cohesion and client engagement. The US working hour overlap is a critical factor for remote candidates.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial HR Check: A preliminary screening by the HR team to assess basic qualifications and alignment.

• Discovery Call: An open conversation with the Director of Customer Success focusing on your experience, career aspirations, and Koru's vision, including a walkthrough of your working style.

• Founder Conversation: An in-depth discussion with the founders to assess leadership philosophy, ambition, and alignment with the firm's mission to build an AI-first consultancy.

• Working Session: A half-day session, likely at the Pune office, involving your own work portfolio review and tackling live client scenarios or case studies with the leadership team.

• References: Conversations with former clients and colleagues who can attest to your leadership, client management, and design capabilities.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Client Leadership: Clearly demonstrate your experience managing client relationships, challenging briefs, and driving business outcomes. Use specific examples of commercial responsibility.

• Highlight Strategic Impact: Present case studies that emphasize your role in shaping design strategy and influencing client product direction, not just executing design tasks.

• Quantify Results: Wherever possible, use metrics to showcase the business impact of your work (e.g., account growth, revenue generated, client retention, user adoption).

• Demonstrate Team Development: Include examples of how you have mentored, coached, and grown design teams, highlighting specific instances of talent development.

• AI Integration Examples: Be prepared to discuss your approach to using AI in design and designing for AI, providing concrete examples.

• Storytelling: Frame your portfolio pieces as compelling narratives that highlight the problem, your strategic approach, the execution, and the measurable results.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario-Based Problem Solving: Be ready to discuss how you would approach specific client challenges or live scenarios presented during the working session. Focus on your strategic thinking, process, and decision-making.

• AI & Healthcare Domain: Anticipate questions related to AI's impact on UX and specific considerations for designing in the healthcare sector.

• Leadership Philosophy: Prepare to articulate your leadership style, your approach to team development, and your vision for shaping an AI-first design firm.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hiring process is rigorous and designed to assess leadership, strategic thinking, and client management skills through conversation and evidence, not theoretical tests. The working session and reference checks are critical components.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Design Software: Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (XD, Illustrator, Photoshop) for design creation, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Prototyping Tools: Experience with tools like InVision, Axure, or Figma for creating interactive prototypes to demonstrate design concepts and user flows.

• Design System Tools: Familiarity with the creation, maintenance, and utilization of design systems.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo to understand user behavior and inform design decisions.

• Data Visualization Tools: Ability to interpret and present data using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker to demonstrate design impact and user insights.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Familiarity with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) for understanding client account management and sales pipeline context.

• Project Management Tools: Proficiency with tools like Asana, Jira, Trello, or Monday.com for managing project timelines, tasks, and team workflows.

• AI Tools: Fluency in leveraging various AI tools for design assistance (e.g., AI-powered research analysis, content generation, ideation support) and designing AI-driven experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the role implies a need for expertise in common UX design and collaboration platforms, alongside analytical tools. Crucially, fluency in AI tools for both personal workflow and product design is a baseline requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Impact-Driven: A core value focused on designing solutions that have real, positive consequences, particularly in healthcare and enterprise settings.

• AI Fluency: Embracing AI as a fundamental tool for both design processes and creating innovative user experiences.

• Craftsmanship & Excellence: A commitment to high-quality design execution and setting rigorous standards for all shipped work.

• Ownership Mentality: Encouraging leaders to act like owners, taking responsibility for outcomes and proactively shaping the firm's future.

• Collaboration & Trust: Fostering an environment where designers and leaders work together, trust each other's judgment, and build strong client partnerships.

• Continuous Learning: An emphasis on staying ahead of industry trends, particularly in AI and UX, and fostering professional growth.

Collaboration Style:

• Embedded Extension: Working as an integrated part of client product teams, fostering deep understanding and seamless collaboration.

• Direct & Constructive Feedback: A culture that values open critique and constructive feedback to elevate design quality and team performance.

• Cross-Functional Synergy: Strong emphasis on collaboration between design, research, product management, and engineering, both internally and with clients.

• Leadership Alignment: Close collaboration with founders and leadership to drive firm strategy and client success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture values proactive leadership, deep expertise, and a forward-thinking approach to AI and complex problem-solving. The collaborative style is designed to be deeply integrated with clients and internally focused on continuous improvement.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating High-Stakes Domains: Designing for healthcare and enterprise software requires meticulous attention to detail, regulatory awareness, and understanding of complex user workflows where errors have significant consequences.

• Leading AI Integration: Guiding teams to effectively use AI tools and design trustworthy AI experiences requires staying abreast of rapid advancements and establishing best practices.

• Balancing Client Demands & Firm Growth: Juggling the demands of multiple client accounts with the strategic imperative to grow the firm and develop internal capabilities.

• Remote Team Cohesion: Maintaining strong team culture, collaboration, and mentorship across a distributed, remote team while also managing in-person client engagements.

• Client Relationship Management: Effectively managing expectations and navigating complex stakeholder dynamics with senior executives in demanding client organizations.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI & Design Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design, generative AI applications, and the ethical considerations of designing AI experiences.

• Healthcare UX Mastery: Further refine understanding of user needs, regulatory landscapes, and design challenges specific to the healthcare industry.

• Strategic Leadership Skills: Develop advanced skills in business development, account management, financial acumen, and firm-level strategic planning.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Gain experience in developing and coaching other leaders within the organization.

• Industry Influence: Opportunities to build a personal brand and influence through thought leadership activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are directly tied to the company's specialization and the senior leadership nature of the role. The growth opportunities are designed to leverage these challenges into significant professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to challenge a client's brief. What was the situation, how did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on evidence-based decision-making and strategic influence.)

• "How do you ensure the design quality of work produced by your team, especially when working remotely and with diverse skill sets?" (Prepare to discuss your critique process, quality assurance frameworks, and mentorship approach.)

• "What is your philosophy on integrating AI into the UX design process and designing AI-powered experiences? Provide an example." (Showcase your understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations in design.)

• "Walk us through how you've managed commercial aspects of a client relationship, beyond just project delivery. How do you drive account growth?" (Highlight your business acumen and client account management experience.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Koru's AI-first approach and our focus on healthcare/enterprise software?" (Demonstrate your research and genuine interest.)

• "How would you contribute to shaping Koru's firm-level strategy and culture as a leader?" (Articulate your vision and proactive approach.)

• "Describe your ideal team culture and how you foster it, especially in a remote setting." (Align your values with Koru's emphasis on collaboration and ownership.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio around key client engagements, clearly outlining the business problem, your strategic approach, the design process, your leadership role, and most importantly, the quantifiable business and user outcomes.

• Highlight Leadership & Strategy: For each case study, explicitly detail your contributions to design strategy, client leadership, team development, and commercial success.

• AI & Healthcare Context: If possible, include examples that specifically address AI integration or design within healthcare/complex enterprise environments.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Be prepared to present your work concisely and clearly, focusing on the most impactful aspects relevant to this role. Practice your delivery to ensure it's engaging and persuasive.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss your experience with concrete examples that demonstrate strategic thinking, leadership, client management, and measurable business impact. The interview process emphasizes real-world application and philosophical alignment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Director position:

• Submit your application: Through the provided link on Workable.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature case studies demonstrating your client leadership, design strategy, team development, and commercial impact. Prioritize examples from healthcare or complex enterprise software if available.

• Quantify Achievements: Ensure your resume and portfolio clearly articulate quantifiable results and achievements, especially related to client account growth, revenue impact, and team performance.

• Prepare for In-Depth Conversations: Be ready to discuss your leadership philosophy, strategic approach to AI in design, and experience in high-stakes domains during the discovery and founder conversations.

• Research Koru UX Design: Understand their mission, client base, and AI-first approach to articulate your fit and contributions effectively.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with Koru UX Design LLP during the interview process before making application decisions.