Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Manager

Company: Sword Health

Location: Portugal

Job Type: Full Time

Category: Design Management & Growth Operations

Date Posted: 2026-05-15

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and execute high-impact design initiatives focused on optimizing user acquisition and conversion across critical digital touchpoints, including email, website, landing pages, and onboarding flows.

• Drive and manage a team of designers, fostering professional growth, ensuring high-quality execution, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and learning.

• Act as a strategic design leader within a matrixed environment, building alignment and advocating for design quality and user-centered principles across multiple product, engineering, marketing, and business leadership teams.

• Leverage data, A/B testing, and user analytics to inform design decisions, continuously refine user journeys, and demonstrate the business impact of design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Design Manager with a strong emphasis on growth and performance marketing, operating within a complex matrixed organizational structure. The core focus is on driving client and member acquisition through optimized digital experiences. While the title is "Design Manager," the responsibilities lean heavily into Growth Operations and Performance Marketing Design, requiring a blend of leadership, strategic thinking, and hands-on execution in conversion-focused design.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and drive design initiatives specifically aimed at optimizing acquisition and conversion rates across key client and member touchpoints.

• Design, iterate, and execute high-impact growth experiences, including marketing campaigns, client-facing communications (email), landing pages, and user enrollment/onboarding flows.

• Integrate strong brand storytelling with conversion-driven design principles to maximize the performance of marketing and acquisition materials.

• Facilitate and drive alignment across cross-functional partners including marketing, product, engineering, and data science teams, effectively navigating competing priorities and advocating for design excellence.

• Clearly communicate design strategy, rationale, and impact to senior leadership and executive stakeholders, translating design decisions into measurable business outcomes.

• Navigate ambiguity and conflicting priorities within a matrixed organization, building trust and consensus without direct authority to ensure successful project execution.

• Utilize data analytics, A/B testing results, and user insights to continuously refine and improve user journeys and overall conversion funnels.

• Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of designers, ensuring high-quality output, fostering professional development, and promoting a collaborative team environment.

• Ensure that insights, design assets, and key learnings are effectively shared and leveraged across the direct design team and broader organization.

• Advocate for user-centered design methodologies while skillfully balancing user needs with critical growth and performance goals.

• Implement and follow experimentation methodologies and frameworks to rigorously test and validate design decisions, driving data-informed improvements.

• Analyze user behavior, conversion rates, engagement metrics, and other key performance indicators to inform iterative design improvements and strategic adjustments.

• Stay current with industry trends, emerging tools, and best practices in growth design, performance marketing, and user experience optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities highlight a dual focus on hands-on design execution for growth initiatives and strategic team leadership within a complex, matrixed environment. The emphasis on "owning and driving" initiatives and "communicating design strategy to senior leadership" underscores the managerial and strategic aspects of the role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Marketing, or a related field is typically expected for this level of role.

Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in design, with a minimum of 3+ years specifically in a growth, marketing, or performance design capacity. This includes demonstrated experience in managing design projects and, ideally, leading design teams.

Required Skills:

• Leadership & Mentorship: Strong leadership experience with a proven ability to mentor, guide, inspire, and develop a team of designers, fostering a high-performance culture.

• Growth & Performance Design: Demonstrated track record of executing high-performing design solutions for user acquisition, conversion optimization, and retention initiatives.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners (marketing, product, engineering, data) and senior stakeholders, building alignment, navigating pushback, and communicating design decisions with clarity and confidence.

• Matrixed Environment Navigation: Experience working effectively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with multiple product and engineering teams, adept at balancing competing priorities and stakeholder needs.

• Visual & Product Design Expertise: Deep expertise in both visual design principles and product design, with the capability to balance aesthetic quality with measurable business impact.

• Multi-Channel Design Experience: Experience designing across diverse growth channels, including email marketing, social media, paid media campaigns, website design, and user onboarding flows.

• Design Tools Proficiency: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools such as Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

• CRO & Analytics Acumen: Strong understanding of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) principles and practices, along with experience using user analytics tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or similar platforms.

Preferred Skills:

• Brand Strategy: Experience in developing and maintaining brand consistency across growth marketing initiatives.

• User Research: Familiarity with user research methodologies to gather insights that inform design decisions.

• Web Analytics Tools: Deeper expertise in advanced web analytics and A/B testing platforms.

• AI Fluency: Demonstrated understanding and application of AI tools to enhance personal productivity (Explorer Level 1) or create team-enhancing workflows (Builder Level 2).

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills emphasize a blend of technical design proficiencies, leadership capabilities, and strategic influence, particularly within complex organizational structures. The explicit mention of "matrixed environment" and "influencing cross-functional partners" suggests a need for strong interpersonal and communication skills beyond core design expertise. The AI proficiency requirement indicates a forward-thinking approach by Sword Health.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Growth Case Studies: Showcase at least 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating successful growth design initiatives, focusing on user acquisition, conversion optimization, or retention. Quantify impact with clear metrics (e.g., conversion rate lift, engagement increase, cost per acquisition reduction).

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Examples: Illustrate instances where you collaborated effectively with marketing, product, engineering, and data teams to achieve design goals, highlighting your role in building alignment and navigating challenges.

• Brand Integration: Include examples where you successfully balanced brand storytelling with performance-driven design across various channels (email, web, landing pages).

• Process & Iteration: Demonstrate your process for iterating on designs based on data, A/B testing, and user feedback, showcasing your analytical approach to design improvement.

• Leadership & Mentorship: If applicable, include examples of how you have mentored junior designers or led design initiatives, highlighting your leadership style and impact.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss how you approach designing and optimizing workflows for growth marketing campaigns and user onboarding sequences.

• Experimentation Frameworks: Articulate your understanding and application of A/B testing methodologies and CRO frameworks in your design process.

• Data Analysis & Insights: Demonstrate how you leverage user analytics and performance data to inform design decisions and measure the success of your initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates are expected to present a portfolio that clearly articulates their impact on business growth metrics. The emphasis on "quantifying impact," "leveraging data," and "demonstrating process" aligns with the performance-driven nature of this role and the need to prove ROI for design efforts.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €58,100 - €91,300 per year. This range includes base salary, potential variable compensation (bonus/incentives), and equity.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Financial & Equity: Meal allowance, equity shares in the company.

• Remote Work Support: Remote work allowance to facilitate a productive home office environment.

• Flexibility: Flexible working hours and work-from-home options.

• Discretionary Time Off: Discretionary vacation policy.

• Office Amenities (if applicable): Snacks and beverages available.

Working Hours: Full Time employment, with flexible working hours. The standard expectation is likely 40 hours per week, but the flexibility allows for adaptation around core collaboration needs and personal productivity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to Portugal. It's crucial to note that the company emphasizes that compensation is adjusted based on individual impact and performance, suggesting a strong performance-based component. The "discretionary vacation" and "flexible working hours" indicate a culture that values work-life balance and employee autonomy.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology (AI-driven Healthcare)

Company Size: Sword Health is a rapidly growing company, indicated by its significant funding rounds and expansion across continents. This suggests a dynamic, fast-paced environment with evolving processes.

Founded: 2020. As a relatively young company, Sword Health is likely to have a culture that is innovative, agile, and focused on rapid growth and disruption in the healthcare sector.

Team Structure:

• Matrixed Environment: The role operates within a highly matrixed structure, requiring close collaboration and alignment with multiple product, engineering, marketing, and business leadership teams. This implies a need for strong communication and influence skills.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Expect extensive interaction with teams focused on product development, marketing campaigns, data analysis, and business strategy.

• Design Team: The Design Manager will lead a team of designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance design culture.

Methodology:

• AI-Native Approach: Sword Health is pioneering "AI Care," a fundamentally new approach to healthcare built on medical reasoning and safety. AI fluency is a core expectation for all employees.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role emphasizes leveraging data, A/B testing, and user analytics to inform design decisions and drive optimization.

• Experimentation: A strong focus on experimentation methodologies and frameworks to test and validate design decisions is expected.

Company Website: https://swordhealth.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Sword Health's mission to "heal billions and unlock humanity's full potential" through AI Care sets a strong tone for innovation and impact. The "matrixed environment" is a critical aspect for candidates to understand, requiring adaptability and strong collaboration skills. The AI fluency requirement is unique and signals the company's core technological focus.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a mid-to-senior management level, specifically focused on leading design efforts that directly impact business growth and client acquisition. It bridges hands-on design expertise with strategic leadership and team management.

Reporting Structure: The Design Manager will likely report to a Director or VP of Marketing, Product, or Design, depending on the specific organizational structure. They will manage a team of individual contributor designers.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on Sword Health's growth trajectory by optimizing key client and member acquisition funnels. Success in this role directly contributes to revenue generation and market expansion through effective, conversion-driven design.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow into a Senior Design Manager or Director-level role, overseeing larger design teams or broader design functions within the company.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the company's growth strategies and brand narrative through impactful design leadership.

• AI Integration: Deepen expertise in applying AI to design processes and products, aligning with Sword Health's core mission and technological advancements.

• Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in healthcare technology design and performance marketing within a rapidly evolving industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career advancement within design management, with a strong emphasis on strategic impact and leadership in a high-growth, innovative environment. The opportunity to influence company-wide growth strategies is a key differentiator.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is advertised as "Remote OK" with specific allowances for remote work and flexible hours, suggesting a hybrid or fully remote-friendly environment within Portugal.

Office Location(s): The position is based in Portugal, with a focus on candidates already located there and possessing a valid EU visa. Specific office locations within Portugal are not detailed, but the remote options suggest flexibility.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First/Hybrid: Candidates can expect a work environment that accommodates remote work, with potential for hybrid arrangements.

• Collaborative Tools: Access to and proficiency with digital collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Slack, project management software) will be essential for effective communication and teamwork across distributed teams.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: Frequent interaction with diverse teams (product, engineering, marketing, data) will be a core part of the daily work environment.

Work Schedule: Full-time employment with flexible working hours. This allows individuals to manage their schedules while ensuring availability for critical team meetings and collaboration across different time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote OK" status and associated allowances indicate Sword Health's commitment to supporting remote work. However, the need for strong communication and collaboration in a matrixed environment means that proactive engagement and availability during core business hours will be crucial.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess experience, leadership capabilities, and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion about your background, leadership philosophy, approach to growth design, and experience in matrixed environments. Focus on behavioral questions and situational scenarios.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A deep dive into your portfolio, focusing on specific case studies that demonstrate your impact on acquisition and conversion. You will likely be asked to present your process, rationale, and results. Expect questions about how you leveraged data and A/B testing.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key partners from marketing, product, and engineering to assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and build alignment across teams.

• Executive/Senior Leadership Interview: Final discussion to assess strategic thinking, cultural fit, and overall leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Quantify Everything: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your solution, your process, and the measurable business impact (e.g., % increase in conversion rate, reduction in CAC, increase in leads generated).

• Showcase Process: Detail your design process, including how you incorporated user research, data analysis, A/B testing, and cross-functional feedback.

• Highlight Leadership: If applicable, use case studies to demonstrate how you mentored designers, led initiatives, and influenced team direction.

• Tailor to Growth: Focus on examples directly relevant to acquisition, conversion, and performance marketing.

• Be Ready for AI: Prepare to discuss how you've used AI tools for personal productivity or team enhancement, aligning with Sword Health's AI fluency requirement.

Challenge Preparation:

• Growth Strategy: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach optimizing a specific acquisition channel or onboarding flow for Sword Health.

• Problem-Solving: Anticipate questions about how you would handle conflicting priorities or disagreements with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Data Interpretation: Practice articulating insights derived from hypothetical user data or A/B test results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to evaluate not only design skills but also leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to thrive in a complex, data-driven environment. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates quantifiable business impact and a well-articulated design process is essential.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (primary), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator).

• Collaboration & Communication: Tools like Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or similar platforms for day-to-day communication and virtual meetings.

• Project Management: Proficiency with tools such as Asana, Jira, Trello, or Monday.com to manage design projects and workflows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, or similar platforms for tracking website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.

• User Behavior Analysis: Hotjar, FullStory, or similar tools for heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback analysis.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Experience with tools like Optimizely, VWO (Visual Website Optimizer), Google Optimize, or in-platform A/B testing capabilities.

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly listed as a primary requirement for the Design Manager, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot) can be beneficial for understanding lead flow and campaign execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite is a hard requirement. Experience with a range of analytics and A/B testing tools is critical, as the role is heavily data-driven and focused on performance optimization.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• AI Fluency: A core expectation is the ability to leverage AI daily to boost personal productivity (Explorer – Level 1) or create team-enhancing workflows (Builder – Level 2).

• User-Centricity: A commitment to understanding and advocating for user needs while balancing them with business objectives.

• Data-Driven Innovation: A strong reliance on data, experimentation, and analytics to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.

• Collaboration & Alignment: Emphasis on working effectively in a matrixed environment, building consensus, and communicating clearly across diverse teams.

• Impact & Results: Focus on delivering measurable business outcomes and driving growth through design excellence.

• Agility & Adaptability: Thriving in a fast-paced, evolving environment with a willingness to adapt to new challenges and technologies.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive Communication: Essential for navigating a matrixed organization and ensuring alignment across teams.

• Consensus Building: Ability to influence and gain buy-in from stakeholders without direct authority.

• Feedback Integration: Openness to feedback from A/B testing, user data, and cross-functional partners to refine designs.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture of sharing insights and learnings to benefit the broader team and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's emphasis on AI Fluency as a core expectation is a significant cultural differentiator. The matrixed environment necessitates a collaborative and consensus-driven approach to teamwork.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Matrixed Environment: Successfully influencing and aligning diverse teams with potentially competing priorities requires strong negotiation, communication, and strategic thinking skills.

• Balancing Brand vs. Performance: Effectively integrating strong brand storytelling with conversion-driven design principles to achieve optimal results can be a delicate balance.

• Data Interpretation & Action: Translating complex user data and A/B test results into actionable design improvements requires analytical rigor.

• Managing Design Team Growth: As Sword Health scales, managing and mentoring a growing design team while maintaining high standards will be key.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Growth Design: Deepen expertise in performance marketing, CRO, and growth hacking through hands-on experience and data analysis.

• AI in Design: Explore and implement advanced AI tools and techniques within the design workflow and product development lifecycle.

• Leadership Development: Hone management and strategic leadership skills within a high-growth tech company.

• Healthcare Innovation: Gain specialized knowledge in the rapidly evolving field of AI-driven healthcare technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenges revolve around the complexity of the organizational structure and the need to balance creative excellence with quantifiable business results. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering significant career progression and skill development in a cutting-edge industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you successfully influenced a cross-functional team without direct authority to adopt your design strategy. What was the outcome?" (Focus on influence, communication, and consensus-building)

• "How would you approach optimizing our client onboarding flow to increase conversion rates by 15%? Walk us through your process, including data considerations and potential A/B tests." (Focus on strategic thinking, process, data utilization, and A/B testing)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Sword Health's AI Care approach and our mission?" (Research company mission, values, and AI strategy)

• "How do you foster collaboration and ensure high-quality output within a remote or hybrid design team?" (Demonstrate leadership, team management, and communication skills)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Structure your case studies as compelling narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the quantifiable results.

• Data Visualization: Present metrics and A/B test results visually using charts and graphs to make them easily understandable and impactful.

• Process Walkthrough: Be prepared to walk through your Figma files or design artifacts to explain your design decisions and iterations.

• AI Integration: Highlight any instances where AI tools were used in your process or to enhance the user experience in your presented work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design expertise but also strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to thrive in Sword Health's unique AI-focused, matrixed environment. Be prepared to showcase quantifiable results and a data-driven approach.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the provided Lever link to officially register your interest.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight experience in growth design, conversion optimization, team management, and working within matrixed organizations. Ensure your portfolio showcases quantifiable results from acquisition and retention initiatives.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly articulate your 7+ years of design experience, with specific emphasis on your 3+ years in growth or performance design and any leadership roles. Use keywords from the job description, such as "conversion rate optimization," "Figma," "A/B testing," and "stakeholder management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, leadership philosophy, and strategic approach to growth challenges. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to present your portfolio with a focus on business impact. Research Sword Health's AI Care model and its implications for design.

• Company Research: Deeply understand Sword Health's mission, AI-driven healthcare approach, and its position in the market. Familiarize yourself with their product offerings and target audience to better align your interview responses with their strategic goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.