Head of Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design

Company: n8n

Location: Berlin, Germany (Remote within listed countries)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Leadership / Product Design

Date Posted: May 26, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote (within specified countries)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and scale a high-performing design team of approximately 14 individuals, including Design Leads, ICs, Design Engineering, and UX Research, with plans for further growth.

• Drive product strategy by embedding design thinking into roadmap discussions and proactively identifying user problems.

• Establish and champion a clear quality bar for design output, fostering a culture of high standards, constructive feedback, and continuous improvement through robust review processes and evolving design systems.

• Own the strategic expansion of n8n towards a broader, less technical audience, while ensuring the power and appeal for experienced, deeply technical users remain intact.

• Build and nurture a pragmatic, continuous UX research practice from the ground up, integrating customer insights, product data, and community feedback into core decision-making processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a foundational leadership hire with significant executive partnership, focused on evolving a complex, developer-facing product towards a broader market while managing a growing design organization. The emphasis on AI and automation within the product context is a key differentiator for this position.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development:

  • Manage, mentor, and grow a team of ~14 designers, Design Leads, Design Engineers, and UX Researchers.
  • Define the team structure, establish a clear career framework, and implement progression paths to support individual and team growth.
  • Foster a culture of high standards, accountability, and continuous learning, promoting honest feedback and psychological safety.
  • Lead hiring efforts for the design department, ensuring strategic headcount planning and attracting top talent.

• Product Strategy & Vision:

  • Act as a strategic partner to Product, Engineering, and leadership, influencing product strategy and roadmap decisions.
  • Champion the design vision for n8n, particularly in its expansion to a less technical user base, balancing ease of use with advanced functionality.
  • Proactively identify and articulate user needs and market opportunities through design thinking principles.

• Design Quality & Systems:

  • Set and maintain a high-quality bar for design, establishing review processes and critique rituals that build a shared language for craft.
  • Evolve the design system and QA practices to ensure consistency and scalability as the team and product grow.
  • Ensure design output is intuitive, efficient, and aligns with n8n's brand and strategic objectives.

• Research & Insights Integration:

  • Establish and scale a pragmatic, continuous UX research practice, working closely with new UX Research hires.
  • Integrate customer insights, product analytics, and community feedback into the product development lifecycle to drive evidence-based decision-making.
  • Focus research efforts on key user journey points such as activation, adoption, retention, and new user onboarding.

• AI & Innovation:

  • Champion the practical adoption of AI within the design organization to enhance productivity, research synthesis, and workflow efficiency.

  • Keep the team informed and curious about evolving AI tools, patterns, and user expectations in product design.

  • Model adaptive, forward-thinking working styles, embracing change and innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of people management, strategic product influence, and hands-on craft oversight, with a strong emphasis on building systems and processes from the ground up. The dual challenge of serving technical and non-technical users, especially with AI integration, is central to this role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and proven experience in leading design teams for complex products are paramount. A background in HCI, Design, Computer Science, or a related field is often beneficial.

Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of experience in product design, with a significant portion dedicated to leadership and management roles, including managing managers.

Required Skills:

• Product Design Leadership (Must-have): Proven track record of managing managers, coaching senior designers, and building design teams that achieve both craft excellence and business outcomes. Experience making difficult performance management decisions.

• Complex Product Systems Experience (Must-have): Demonstrated ability to lead design for complex, often developer-facing products where deep product understanding is critical for UX quality.

• Craft Authority (Must-have): A deep understanding of design quality, with the ability to identify exceptional work, articulate its value, and uphold high standards even in challenging situations.

• Strategic Influence (Must-have): Experience in making design a co-equal partner in product strategy and roadmap discussions, capable of driving decisions and influencing stakeholders.

• Structured Problem-Solving (Must-have): Ability to navigate and define unclear problems, create actionable plans, and drive solutions in ambiguous environments.

• AI-Era Product Judgment (Must-have): Understanding of the AI, automation, and adjacent tooling landscape, with the capacity to translate emerging patterns into usable and trustworthy product experiences.

• Research Literacy (Must-have): Proficiency in integrating user research into product development processes, ensuring insights actively inform team decisions.

• Data-Informed Decision Making (Must-have): Skilled in leveraging product analytics, research findings, and customer evidence to guide design choices.

• Organizational Design & Performance Management (Must-have): Expertise in designing team structures, defining career paths, setting clear expectations, and managing performance effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• Open-Source or Community Product Experience (Nice-to-have): Experience with community-led, builder-driven, or open-source products, understanding the nuances of designing for a community with strong opinions.

• Design Engineering Credibility (Nice-to-have): Sufficient fluency in front-end development or design engineering to deeply collaborate on design system adoption and implementation quality.

• Remote-First Operating Systems (Nice-to-have): Experience building effective design rituals, critique sessions, QA processes, and collaboration practices for distributed teams across different time zones.

• Growth Surface Experience (Nice-to-have): Familiarity with designing for activation, onboarding, templates, time-to-value, or product-led growth strategies.

• Rising Design Manager Profile (Nice-to-have): Exceptional Design Managers ready for their first Head-level role will be considered if they possess outstanding fundamental qualifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Must-haves" are comprehensive and indicative of a senior leadership role requiring extensive experience in both people and product leadership within a complex technical domain. The "Nice-to-haves" point towards a desire for candidates who can hit the ground running with specific industry or operational nuances.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Leadership Case Studies: Demonstrate instances where you led design teams to solve complex product challenges, showcasing your strategic approach, team management, and impact on business outcomes.

• Product Strategy Influence: Provide examples of how you've shaped product roadmaps, influenced strategic direction, and acted as a genuine thought partner to Product and Engineering leadership.

• Quality Bar Setting: Showcase how you've established and maintained high design quality standards, including examples of review processes, design system evolution, and QA practices implemented.

• User Problem Solving: Present case studies that highlight your ability to tackle complex user problems, particularly in technical or AI-driven product environments, and drive solutions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate your ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with Product, Engineering, Research, and other stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Team Structure & Growth Plans: Outline your approach to designing team structures, defining career paths, and managing headcount and hiring for design departments.

• Research Practice Implementation: Detail your methodology for establishing and scaling a continuous UX research practice, including how research insights are integrated into decision-making.

• Design Quality Frameworks: Describe the review processes, critique rituals, and quality assurance mechanisms you have implemented to ensure consistent design excellence.

• Design System Evolution: Provide examples of how you have contributed to or evolved design systems to support scalability and consistency across complex products.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio for this role should not only showcase design output but also significant emphasis on leadership, strategic influence, process building, and team development. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they've built and scaled design functions and influenced product direction at a senior level.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While not explicitly stated, for a Head of Design role with 10+ years of experience, managing a large team, and operating in a leadership capacity within a well-funded tech company like n8n (valued at $5.2bn), the expected salary range in Germany (Berlin) would typically be between €120,000 - €180,000 annually, plus equity. This range is based on industry benchmarks for senior leadership roles in Berlin's tech scene, considering the company's valuation and the critical nature of this hire.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation: Attractive and fair pay.

• Ownership: Equity in n8n, reflecting a core value of empowering others.

• Work/Life Balance:

  • Europe: 30 days of vacation, plus public holidays.

• Health & Wellness: Benefits provided according to local country norms in Europe.

• Future Planning: Pension contributions according to local country norms in Europe.

• Financial Security: Benefits provided according to local country norms in Europe.

• Career Growth: €1,000 (or equivalent) annually for professional development (courses, books, events, coaching).

• Passionate Team: Opportunities to engage in regular hackathons.

• Remote-First: Support for a distributed workforce with regular off-sites.

• Giving Back: $100 per month to support open-source projects.

• AI Enablement: Unlimited AI budget for exploring and using productivity and creativity tools.

• Transparency: Open access to company information and performance.

Working Hours: Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility expected for a leadership role, particularly in a remote-first environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is derived from industry data for senior design leadership in major European tech hubs. The benefits package is comprehensive, emphasizing ownership, professional development, and AI enablement, aligning with a modern, remote-first tech company culture.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Workflow Orchestration Software, AI, Open Source Technology. n8n operates in the rapidly growing field of workflow automation, with a significant focus on integrating AI capabilities. This positions them at the intersection of developer tools, no-code/low-code platforms, and AI-powered solutions.

Company Size: Over 260 employees. This indicates a company that has scaled beyond startup phase into a more established growth stage, with developed processes and a growing organizational structure.

Founded: 2019. A relatively young company, n8n has achieved significant growth and valuation quickly, suggesting a dynamic, fast-paced environment driven by innovation and community engagement.

Team Structure:

• The design team consists of approximately 14 individuals, comprising Design Leads, individual contributors (ICs), Design Engineering, and UX Research.

• This structure suggests a tiered leadership model with Design Leads overseeing smaller groups of ICs, supported by specialized roles like Design Engineering and UX Research.

• As Head of Design, you will report to executive leadership (likely CEO or CPO) and will be responsible for the overall direction and growth of the design department.

• Cross-functional collaboration is key, with strong partnerships expected with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and potentially Developer Relations. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Emphasis on using customer insights, product analytics, and community feedback to inform decisions.

• Agile & Iterative Design: Given the fast-paced tech environment and focus on community, an agile and iterative approach to design and development is likely.

• Community-Centric: A strong connection with its community of over 650,000 active developers and builders influences product development and design priorities.

• AI Integration: A core strategic pillar, with a focus on practical AI adoption within the product and the design organization itself.

Company Website: https://n8n.io/

📝 Enhancement Note: n8n's culture is characterized by its builder spirit, community focus, rapid growth, and a strategic commitment to AI. The company is in an exciting phase, expanding its user base and product capabilities, making it an attractive environment for leaders who thrive on innovation and impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the highest level of the design organization, functioning as a "Head of" or VP-level position. It involves strategic leadership, team building, process creation, and direct executive partnership. The scope extends beyond day-to-day design execution to shaping the overall product experience and design culture.

Reporting Structure: The Head of Design will report directly to senior executive leadership, likely the CEO or Chief Product Officer, indicating high visibility and direct influence on company strategy. You will manage a team of Design Leads and individual contributors, including UX Researchers and Design Engineers.

Operations Impact: Design at n8n is positioned as a strategic driver of product success, particularly in its mission to broaden its user base and integrate AI. The Head of Design will directly impact user activation, adoption, retention, and overall product-market fit by ensuring a high-quality, intuitive, and powerful user experience. Their work will be critical in achieving the company's ambitious growth targets and valuation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Expansion: Opportunity to influence broader product and company strategy, potentially expanding scope over time.

• Building and Scaling a World-Class Design Organization: Significant autonomy and resources to shape the design team, processes, and culture from the ground up in a high-growth environment.

• Deepening AI Product Expertise: Working at the forefront of AI orchestration provides exposure to cutting-edge technologies and their application in user-facing products.

• Mentorship and Executive Development: Direct access to executive leadership offers unique learning opportunities and career advancement potential.

• Impact on a Leading Open-Source Project: Contributing to the strategy and design of a highly popular open-source tool with a massive user base.

📝 Enhancement Note: This is a pivotal leadership role offering substantial impact and growth potential. The successful candidate will be instrumental in defining the future of n8n's user experience and design function, with clear pathways for career advancement within a rapidly scaling company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: n8n operates on a remote-first model. While Berlin is mentioned as a "center of gravity," the role is fully remote for candidates residing in the eligible countries. This means the primary work environment is home-based, supported by digital collaboration tools.

Office Location(s): While the company has a presence in Berlin, Germany, this role is remote and open to candidates in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Some US-based roles might be hybrid, but this specific position is remote.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Digital Environment: Expect a highly digital and collaborative workspace, relying heavily on tools like Slack, Zoom, Miro, and project management software.

• Operations Tools and Technology: Access to advanced design and collaboration tools, including design systems, prototyping software, research platforms, and AI tools, will be standard.

• Operations Team Interaction: Regular virtual interactions with the design team, product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders through scheduled meetings, ad-hoc calls, and asynchronous communication channels. The company also organizes regular off-sites for team bonding.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, but the remote-first nature allows for some flexibility. Leadership roles often require availability outside of standard hours for critical meetings or urgent issues. Effective time management and asynchronous communication are crucial for success.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first nature necessitates strong self-discipline, excellent communication skills, and proficiency with digital collaboration tools. The company's commitment to regular off-sites aims to foster in-person connection and team cohesion despite the distributed workforce.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Screening of resumes and portfolios for essential qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the direct hiring manager (likely a C-level executive) to assess strategic fit, leadership philosophy, and high-level experience.

• Team & Peer Interviews: Meetings with Design Leads, Design Engineers, UX Researchers, and potentially Product/Engineering leaders to evaluate collaboration style, craft, and team dynamics.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Presentation: A significant portion of the interview process will likely involve presenting a portfolio of past work, potentially including a specific case study or a strategic exercise related to n8n's challenges.

• Executive/Final Interview: A final discussion with senior leadership to confirm alignment and make a hiring decision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership Impact: Highlight instances where you led teams to deliver significant product improvements or strategic shifts. Quantify impact where possible.

• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate how you've influenced product strategy, identified user problems proactively, and contributed to business goals.

• Detail Process and Methodology: Explain your approach to team building, setting quality standards, implementing research practices, and evolving design systems.

• Address the AI Challenge: Be prepared to discuss your perspective on AI in product design and how you would approach the specific challenge of balancing technical power with broader user accessibility at n8n.

• Present a Cohesive Narrative: Structure your portfolio presentation to tell a clear story about your career progression, leadership philosophy, and how you can solve n8n's specific design challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand n8n's Product: Spend time using n8n yourself (as suggested in the job description), exploring its features, understanding its target users (developers and increasingly broader builders), and identifying potential UX pain points or opportunities.

• Research AI in Workflow Automation: Familiarize yourself with current trends and challenges in AI integration within automation platforms and developer tools.

• Prepare Strategic Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would approach team structure, research implementation, quality control, and stakeholder management in n8n's context.

• Articulate Your Leadership Philosophy: Be ready to discuss your approach to managing, mentoring, and motivating design teams, especially in a remote-first, high-growth environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process emphasizes a deep dive into leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and the ability to tackle complex product challenges. A well-curated portfolio that directly addresses n8n's stated needs, particularly concerning AI and user base expansion, will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable for collaborative design, prototyping, and design system management), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.

• Collaboration & Whiteboarding: Miro, Mural, Confluence, Google Workspace.

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Trello, or similar tools for workflow tracking.

• Communication: Slack, Zoom.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or similar platforms for tracking user behavior, activation, and retention.

• User Feedback Platforms: Tools for collecting and analyzing customer feedback (e.g., survey tools, in-app feedback widgets).

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly a design tool, understanding the CRM (likely Salesforce or similar) and how it informs customer insights can be beneficial.

• Workflow Automation: Deep understanding of n8n's own platform is essential, including its capabilities and underlying principles.

AI Tools:

• Candidates are encouraged to use and explore various AI tools for productivity and creativity. This implies the team may be experimenting with AI for tasks such as:

  • Research synthesis and summarization.

  • Content generation for design documentation or user flows.

  • Prototyping assistance.

  • Design QA and accessibility checks.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with modern collaborative design tools like Figma and a strong understanding of product analytics platforms are expected. The emphasis on AI enablement suggests a forward-thinking approach where candidates are encouraged to integrate AI tools into their design workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Empower Others: This is a core value, reflected in the equity offering, professional development budget, and the desire to build a supportive team environment. For design, this means empowering designers, product managers, and engineers to make great product decisions.

• Builder Spirit: A strong emphasis on creation, innovation, and community contribution, aligning with the open-source nature of n8n. This translates to a proactive, hands-on approach to problem-solving.

• Transparency: Openness in communication regarding company performance, strategy, and operations. This fosters trust and a sense of shared ownership.

• Efficiency & Automation: As a company focused on workflow orchestration, efficiency is likely a key value, encouraging smart work, process optimization, and leveraging automation (including AI) to achieve goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Remote-First & Asynchronous: While in-person off-sites exist, the primary mode of collaboration is digital and often asynchronous, requiring clear documentation and communication.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Design is positioned as a strategic partner, necessitating close collaboration with Product, Engineering, and other departments. This involves active participation in roadmap planning, development sprints, and strategic discussions.

• Constructive Critique & Feedback: A culture of high standards encourages honest, constructive feedback among team members to elevate the quality of design work.

• Curiosity & Continuous Learning: In a rapidly evolving field like AI and automation, a culture that encourages curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning about new tools and patterns is vital.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture at n8n is a blend of innovation, community engagement, and strategic growth, underpinned by strong core values. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to thrive in a remote, collaborative, and fast-paced environment while embodying these values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing User Needs: The primary challenge is to lower the learning curve for n8n for a broader, less technical audience without alienating the existing, deeply technical user base. This requires sophisticated UX strategy and design execution.

• Building Research from Scratch: Establishing a pragmatic, continuous research practice from the ground up requires strategic planning, resource allocation, and buy-in from cross-functional teams.

• Scaling the Design Team: Growing the design team effectively while maintaining quality standards, a strong culture, and efficient processes will be a continuous challenge.

• Navigating AI Evolution: The rapid pace of AI development requires constant adaptation and strategic thinking to integrate AI effectively and responsibly into the product and design workflows.

• Remote Collaboration Optimization: Ensuring seamless and effective collaboration across a distributed team requires robust communication strategies and tools.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Development: Opportunity to hone executive-level strategic thinking, team building, and organizational design skills in a high-growth tech company.

• AI Product Innovation: Deep involvement in shaping a product at the cutting edge of AI orchestration, providing significant learning in this domain.

• Community Engagement: Experience in designing for and engaging with a large, opinionated open-source community.

• Process & System Building: The chance to build and refine critical design processes and systems (e.g., research, QA, design system) from an early stage.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: The annual professional development budget can be used for relevant industry events, workshops, or certifications to stay abreast of design leadership and AI trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but offer substantial opportunities for professional growth. Successfully navigating these will position the Head of Design for significant career advancement and impact.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach setting and maintaining a consistent quality bar for design across a growing, distributed team, especially when targeting both technical and non-technical users?" (Focus on process, critique rituals, design system, QA.)

• "Describe your strategy for building a pragmatic, continuous UX research practice from the ground up at n8n. What would be your initial priorities, and how would you integrate insights into product decisions?" (Focus on team structure, methodologies, stakeholder buy-in, impact on activation/retention.)

• "Given n8n's goal to attract a broader audience while retaining power users, what is your design philosophy for achieving this balance? Can you provide examples of how you've tackled similar challenges?" (Focus on user segmentation, information architecture, onboarding, feature discoverability.)

• "How would you approach leading and scaling a design team of ~14 individuals, including Design Leads, Design Engineers, and UX Researchers, in a remote-first environment?" (Focus on team structure, career frameworks, performance management, remote collaboration culture.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about n8n's mission and its position in the AI orchestration space?" (Show research and genuine interest.)

• "How do you see design contributing to n8n's 'Empower Others' and 'Builder Spirit' values?" (Connect your philosophy to company values.)

• "Describe your experience working with or within open-source communities. What are the unique design considerations?" (Address the 'Nice-to-have' but relevant to community focus.)

• "How would you foster a culture of transparency and continuous learning within the design team?" (Demonstrate understanding of company culture.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your narrative: Begin with your overall leadership philosophy and then dive into 2-3 key case studies that best illustrate your ability to lead teams, influence strategy, and solve complex product problems.

• Quantify impact: Whenever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the business impact of your design decisions and leadership.

• Highlight leadership & process: Clearly articulate your role in team management, process implementation (research, quality, design systems), and strategic decision-making, not just the final design output.

• Address n8n's specific challenges: Explicitly connect your experience and approach to n8n's stated challenges, particularly around AI integration and expanding the user base.

• Be prepared for Q&A: Anticipate detailed questions about your decision-making process, challenges faced, and how you'd apply your learnings to n8n.

Challenge Preparation:

• Deep Dive into n8n: Utilize the platform as suggested. Understand its core functionality, target users, and potential areas for improvement in user experience.

• AI Integration Scenarios: Think about how AI can enhance workflow automation for both technical and non-technical users. Consider ethical implications, trust, and discoverability.

• Strategic Vision: Prepare a high-level vision for the n8n design team's future, outlining key initiatives and priorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly assess leadership capabilities, strategic acumen, and practical experience in managing complex design challenges. Candidates should prepare to articulate their vision and demonstrate a deep understanding of n8n's product and market.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Head of Design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight leadership experience, team management (especially managing managers), strategic product influence, and experience with complex/developer-facing products. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select case studies that best demonstrate your leadership in driving design strategy, improving product quality, building teams, and tackling complex UX challenges, particularly those related to AI or technical products. Ensure it showcases your process, decision-making, and impact.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to clearly articulate your leadership philosophy, your approach to design quality and research, and how you would address n8n's specific challenges regarding user base expansion and AI integration.

• Research n8n: Spend time exploring the n8n platform, understanding its value proposition, and familiarizing yourself with its community and recent developments. This will be crucial for both your application and interview.

⚠️ 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.

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