Head of Design + Research

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design + Research

Company: Good Maven

Location: London, England, United Kingdom (Remote with travel to Stockholm/South of France)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Leadership / Product Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-29

Experience Level: Senior (10+ years)

Remote Status: Remote (with travel requirements)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic vision and execution for product design and research across key Backlight portfolio products (Iconik, Wildmoka), driving innovation and quality in complex B2B SaaS workflows.

• Act as a player-coach, balancing hands-on design contributions with the mentorship and scaling of a senior, geographically distributed design team.

• Partner deeply with Product and Engineering leadership to translate intricate system functionalities into intuitive user experiences, aligning design with overarching product and technology strategies.

• Foster a high-output, high-ownership culture within the design team, introducing scalable processes and rituals to enhance efficiency and collaboration without sacrificing momentum.

• Contribute directly to shaping the product roadmap and platform strategy, influencing key design decisions and expanding product reach into new customer segments and use cases.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is "Head of Design + Research," the provided description heavily emphasizes design leadership and execution. Research aspects are implied through user testing and refinement but are not explicitly detailed as a primary focus for the Head of this role. The "player-coach" aspect is critical, indicating a need for both strategic leadership and hands-on contribution. The remote nature with specific travel requirements is a key logistical detail for operations professionals.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the comprehensive design direction, user experience (UX), and interaction design for Iconik and Wildmoka, ensuring alignment with business objectives and user needs.

• Elevate the design quality bar across the product portfolio by establishing and enforcing design standards, best practices, and a cohesive visual language.

• Drive the strategic integration of design thinking into the product development lifecycle, from ideation and prototyping to user testing and continuous refinement.

• Coach, mentor, and develop a small but senior team of designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring effective team performance through clear communication and feedback loops.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to translate complex B2B workflows into simplified, powerful, and effective user interfaces, ensuring technical feasibility and strategic alignment.

• Contribute directly to critical structural design work, UX flows, and interaction design for core product features and enhancements.

• Introduce and refine scalable operating models, team rituals, and prioritization frameworks to support the growth of the design organization and maintain clarity in a fast-moving environment.

• Partner with Senior Leadership across Backlight to champion design initiatives, ensure high-quality implementation, and drive cross-functional collaboration across different product "tribes."

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership (defining vision, strategy, operating models) and hands-on craft (contributing to UX, interaction, and structural design). The emphasis on complex B2B workflows and simplifying powerful systems is a key differentiator for operations professionals, suggesting a need for strong analytical and problem-solving skills beyond typical consumer product design.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent knowledge and experience in design leadership and complex system design is expected. This could stem from formal education in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or related fields, coupled with extensive practical application.

Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in product design, with a significant portion dedicated to senior leadership roles within B2B SaaS environments. This includes proven experience managing and scaling small, senior design teams.

Required Skills:

• Senior Product Design Leadership: Proven track record of leading design strategy, vision, and execution for complex B2B SaaS products.

• Systems-Driven Product Experience: Demonstrated ability to design for complex, interconnected systems, workflows, and platforms (e.g., workflow tools, systems of record).

• Player-Coach Capability: Ability to actively contribute hands-on design work (UX, interaction, structural design) while also leading and mentoring a team.

• Ambiguity and Ambition Navigation: Comfort and proven success in scrappy, under-documented, and high-ambiguity environments, making decisions with imperfect information.

• Iterative Product Development: Proficiency in modern, iterative product development methodologies, including prototyping, user testing, and continuous refinement cycles.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Exceptional ability to partner effectively with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders to drive product success.

• Strategic Thinking & Execution: Capacity to translate complex business requirements and user needs into clear, actionable design strategies and high-quality design solutions.

Preferred Skills:

• High-Craft Tool Exposure: Familiarity with or appreciation for opinionated, high-craft design tools (e.g., Linear, Attio) that emphasize user experience and efficiency.

• Media/Creative Workflow Affinity: Understanding or strong interest in video, media production, or creative workflows, which can inform design decisions for Iconik and Wildmoka.

• Team Scaling Experience: Proven experience in scaling small, senior teams through significant growth inflection points.

• Research Acumen: While primarily a design leadership role, an understanding of user research methodologies and their application in informing design decisions is advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Essential" qualifications are robust, emphasizing experience in complex B2B SaaS and the player-coach model. The "Strong Plus" qualifications offer a competitive edge, particularly affinity for the industry and experience with specific types of tools that signal a user-centric, efficient design approach.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstration of Complex B2B Workflows: Showcase case studies detailing your experience designing for intricate, systems-driven B2B products, highlighting problem definition, design process, and impact.

• Player-Coach Examples: Include examples where you have both led design strategy and contributed hands-on to critical design artifacts (e.g., wireframes, prototypes, user flows) for complex features.

• Ambiguity Management: Present a project where you successfully navigated significant ambiguity, documented processes, and drove outcomes with incomplete information.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Evidence: Illustrate how you have effectively partnered with Product and Engineering to bring designs to life, detailing communication strategies and collaborative problem-solving.

• Scalability and Process Introduction: If applicable, showcase instances where you introduced new processes, rituals, or frameworks to improve team efficiency or design quality.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your approach to understanding, documenting, and optimizing complex user workflows within a B2B context.

• System Design Principles: Articulate your methodology for designing robust, scalable systems that can accommodate future growth and evolving user needs.

• Iterative Refinement: Detail your experience with prototyping, user testing, and incorporating feedback into iterative design cycles to achieve optimal user experiences.

• Metrics-Driven Design: Show how you have used data and metrics (quantitative and qualitative) to inform design decisions and measure the impact of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Head of Design role, especially one with a player-coach element, the portfolio must demonstrate both strategic leadership and practical design execution. The emphasis on B2B SaaS and complex systems means case studies should be detailed, showing the "why" and "how" behind design decisions, not just the final output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the senior leadership nature of the role (Head of Design), experience level (10+ years), B2B SaaS focus, and the primary locations (London, Stockholm, Sophia Antipolis), a competitive salary range is expected. For London, a senior Head of Design role typically ranges from £100,000 to £150,000+ per annum, depending on specific experience, negotiation, and company compensation philosophy. For Stockholm, comparable ranges would be in SEK 1,000,000 to 1,500,000+. The company operates globally, so salary will be benchmarked against the chosen primary location.

Benefits:

• Remote Work Flexibility: Ability to work from home within approved countries (UK, Sweden, France), offering a strong work-life balance.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Likely includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, with specific plans varying by region.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Standard holiday allowance, plus sick leave and potentially personal days, designed to support well-being.

• Stock Options/Equity: Potential for equity in a growing media technology company, aligning personal success with company growth.

• Professional Development Budget: Funds allocated for conferences, training, certifications, and other learning opportunities to enhance skills.

• Travel Support: Coverage for necessary travel between locations (e.g., Stockholm to South of France), facilitating team collaboration.

• Retirement Savings Plan: Contributions to a pension or equivalent retirement savings scheme.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are typically 40 hours per week. While remote, adherence to core working hours for team collaboration (especially with teams in Stockholm and France) will be expected. Flexibility is afforded, but consistent availability during key overlap periods is crucial for effective operations and team management.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on senior design leadership roles in major European tech hubs (London, Stockholm) and considering the B2B SaaS and media tech industry. Benefits are standard for senior roles in reputable tech companies, with specific emphasis on remote work support and professional development, crucial for attracting top talent in operations and design.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Media Technology, Software as a Service (SaaS). Backlight operates at the intersection of creative content production and technology, providing essential tools for media companies, broadcasters, and content creators. This industry is characterized by rapid technological evolution and a constant demand for efficient, high-quality content creation and distribution solutions.

Company Size: Backlight is a growing entity formed through the acquisition of multiple companies (Iconik, Ftrack, Celtx, Zype, Wildmoka). While the exact current total employee count isn't specified, it's implied to be a medium to large organization with distributed teams and a significant product portfolio. This size suggests a need for structured operations and clear communication channels.

Founded: Backlight was formed through strategic acquisitions, indicating a company built on established products and expertise, aiming for unified growth and synergy. This implies a culture that balances innovation with leveraging existing strengths.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: A current team of 2 highly experienced designers based in Stockholm, with plans for responsible growth. This indicates a lean, senior-focused team that will be led by the Head of Design.

• Engineering Presence: A strong development team is located in Sophia Antipolis, France, forming a key cross-functional partnership for design and product development.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes deep partnership with Product and Engineering leadership, suggesting a collaborative, agile environment where design is integrated early and often in the product lifecycle. "Tribes" are mentioned, indicating a potential matrix or squad-based organizational structure.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: The role requires comfort with iterative product development, including prototyping and user testing, implying a data-informed approach to design decisions.

• Process Optimization: A key requirement is to "bring structure without slowing momentum" and introduce "scalable rituals, prioritisation clarity, and feedback loops," indicating a focus on efficient, well-defined operational processes.

• Agile & Iterative: The "modern, iterative product environment" and "fast-moving" culture point towards agile methodologies, rapid experimentation, and continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://goodmaven.com/ (Note: This URL appears to be for the recruitment platform, Ashby, for Good Maven. The actual company website for Backlight is likely backlight.co as mentioned in the description.)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context suggests a dynamic, growth-oriented environment built on acquired expertise. The distributed nature of teams (Sweden, France) and the focus on complex B2B SaaS products mean that operational efficiency, clear communication, and robust process design are paramount for success in this role.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position, equivalent to a Director or VP level within a design function, specifically for a defined product area within Backlight. It requires strategic oversight, team management, and direct contribution to product strategy and execution. The "Head of Design" title signifies a significant level of responsibility and autonomy.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to "supportive, empathetic leaders" within the Product and Technology leadership team. This suggests a flat organizational structure where design leadership has direct access to senior decision-makers, facilitating influence and collaboration. The existing team of 2 designers will report directly to this Head of Design.

Operations Impact: The Head of Design will have a profound impact on Backlight's business by:

• Shaping Product Strategy: Directly influencing the direction and evolution of key products (Iconik, Wildmoka), which are critical revenue drivers.

• Enhancing User Experience: Improving the usability and effectiveness of complex B2B workflows, leading to increased customer satisfaction, retention, and adoption.

• Driving Efficiency: Streamlining design processes and team operations to enable faster, higher-quality product development, contributing to overall business agility.

• Scaling Design Capability: Building and nurturing a high-performing design team that can support the company's growth trajectory.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow the design team significantly and expand responsibilities to encompass a broader product portfolio within Backlight as the company integrates and grows.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to become a key voice in product and technology strategy, influencing the future direction of Backlight's offerings.

• Industry Expertise Development: Deepen understanding of media technology workflows and B2B SaaS product design challenges, becoming a recognized expert in the field.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop strong partnerships across Product, Engineering, and other business units, enhancing overall leadership capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant growth potential for a design leader looking to make a substantial impact in a growing, acquisitive company. The emphasis is on strategic contribution and team building, with ample opportunity to shape processes and influence product direction.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is primarily remote, with the possibility of occasional travel to Backlight's offices or team locations (Stockholm, Sophia Antipolis/South of France). This suggests a distributed work environment that relies heavily on digital collaboration tools.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, preferred primary locations are Stockholm, Sophia Antipolis/Nice/Cannes, and London. Travel is expected periodically between Stockholm and the South of France, depending on the selected base location. This requires flexibility and a willingness to engage in face-to-face collaboration when necessary.

Workspace Context:

• Digital Collaboration: Expect a heavily digital workspace utilizing tools for video conferencing, instant messaging, project management, and collaborative design/prototyping.

• Autonomous Work: The remote nature and emphasis on ownership imply a work environment where individuals are empowered to manage their time and tasks effectively.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for interaction will occur through scheduled virtual meetings, design critiques, planning sessions, and potential in-person offsites or team gatherings.

• Tools and Technology: Access to modern design software, collaboration platforms, and potentially cloud-based systems will be standard.

Work Schedule: While the standard is 40 hours per week, the remote aspect offers flexibility. However, the need to collaborate with teams in different time zones (Sweden, France) means that availability during core overlap hours will be crucial. This requires effective time management and communication to ensure seamless operations and team alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment is a blend of remote autonomy and necessary in-person collaboration. Operations professionals in this role must be adept at managing distributed teams and leveraging technology for effective communication and project execution across different geographies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio by a recruiter or hiring manager to assess alignment with the core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deep dive into your leadership experience, strategic thinking, player-coach capabilities, and understanding of B2B SaaS design challenges. Focus on how you've navigated ambiguity and scaled teams.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: A session where you present key case studies from your portfolio, demonstrating your design process, strategic thinking, and ability to simplify complex systems. You may also be given a specific design challenge to solve or discuss.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product and Engineering to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and alignment with the company's operational ethos.

• Final Round: Potentially a discussion with senior leadership to confirm cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process undertaken, the solutions devised, and – most importantly – the measurable impact (e.g., improved conversion, efficiency gains, user satisfaction).

• Showcase B2B Complexity: Highlight projects that demonstrate your ability to handle complex B2B workflows and systems. Detail how you approached user research, information architecture, and interaction design for these scenarios.

• Illustrate Player-Coach Skills: Include examples where you've both strategized and executed design work. Explain how you balanced your hands-on contributions with leadership responsibilities.

• Demonstrate Ambiguity Navigation: Select a case study where you faced significant ambiguity and explain your approach to defining the problem, gathering information, and making decisions to move forward.

• Conciseness and Clarity: Present your work clearly and concisely. Be prepared to walk through your thought process and defend your design decisions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: While industry experience isn't required, familiarize yourself with media technology concepts, common creative workflows, and the general landscape of B2B SaaS products.

• Think Systemically: Practice breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable parts and articulating how your proposed solutions fit into the larger system.

• Emphasize Process: Be ready to discuss your design process in detail, including how you would approach research, ideation, prototyping, and testing for a given challenge.

• Consider Scalability and Constraints: Think about how your solutions would scale and what technical or business constraints might influence them.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely probe deeply into leadership style, strategic thinking, and practical design execution, especially in complex B2B environments. A well-curated portfolio demonstrating these aspects is critical for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) are standard for UI/UX design and prototyping.

• Prototyping Tools: InVision, ProtoPie, or advanced Figma/Sketch capabilities for interactive prototypes.

• Collaboration Platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams for communication; Jira, Asana, Trello for project management and workflow tracking.

• Design System Tools: Tools for managing and maintaining design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Google Analytics, or similar for understanding user behavior within the product.

• User Feedback Platforms: Tools like UserTesting.com, Hotjar, or survey tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Typeform) for qualitative insights.

• Roadmapping Tools: Aha!, Productboard, or similar for strategic planning and sharing roadmaps.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly managed by Design, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) can provide context for customer data and sales workflows.

• Documentation Tools: Confluence, Notion, Google Workspace for internal documentation, knowledge sharing, and process definition.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job description doesn't explicitly list tools, a senior design leader in a B2B SaaS environment would be expected to be proficient in industry-standard design and prototyping tools. Familiarity with product analytics and project management tools is also crucial for understanding user behavior and managing development workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• High Ownership & Accountability: Individuals are expected to take full responsibility for their work, from conception to successful implementation, and to drive outcomes.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Design choices are informed by user research, analytics, and performance metrics, ensuring solutions are effective and impactful.

• Efficiency and Agility: A fast-paced environment that values speed, iterative improvement, and the ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities without compromising quality.

• Collaboration and Transparency: Open communication, knowledge sharing, and strong partnerships across teams (Product, Engineering) are paramount for success.

• Simplifying Complexity: A core value is the ability to take intricate systems and technical challenges and translate them into clear, intuitive, and user-friendly experiences.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Design is not siloed but deeply integrated with Product and Engineering, working in close partnership within "tribes" or squads.

• Constructive Feedback: A culture that encourages open, honest, and constructive feedback to foster continuous improvement in both individual work and team processes.

• Proactive Communication: Expect regular check-ins, status updates, and collaborative sessions to ensure alignment and address challenges proactively.

• Shared Ownership: While roles are defined, there's an underlying emphasis on shared responsibility for product success, fostering a team-oriented approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes high performance, autonomy, and collaborative problem-solving within a structured yet agile framework. For operations professionals, this means being proactive, data-informed, and comfortable working across functions to achieve business objectives.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Complexity of B2B Workflows: Designing intuitive interfaces for powerful, multi-faceted B2B workflows requires deep understanding, meticulous problem-solving, and the ability to balance feature richness with usability.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Operating in a "scrappy, under-documented, high-ambiguity environment" requires strong self-direction, strategic thinking, and the ability to create clarity and structure from uncertainty.

• Scaling a Distributed Team: Growing and managing a senior design team across different geographies (Stockholm, potentially elsewhere) presents logistical and communication challenges that require effective leadership and operational processes.

• Balancing Craft and Leadership: As a player-coach, continually balancing hands-on design contributions with strategic leadership and team development demands effective time management and prioritization.

• Integration of Acquired Products: Potentially working with products from different acquired companies may require harmonizing design languages, user experiences, and underlying systems.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Product Leadership: Gain experience shaping product strategy for a growing portfolio within the media technology sector.

• Team Building and Development: Hone skills in recruiting, mentoring, and scaling senior design teams in a remote, international context.

• Complex System Design: Deepen expertise in designing for intricate B2B SaaS platforms and workflows.

• Industry Exposure: Develop a strong understanding of the media technology industry and its unique operational and user needs.

• Cross-functional Influence: Build robust relationships and influence across Product, Engineering, and other business units, enhancing overall leadership impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for high-growth tech companies but are amplified by the complexity of the product domain and the distributed nature of the teams. The growth opportunities are substantial for an ambitious design leader.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to define the design vision for a complex B2B product with limited documentation. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your approach to ambiguity, research, and strategic planning.)

• "How do you balance your role as a player-coach? Provide an example where you contributed hands-on design work while also leading and mentoring your team." (Prepare to discuss time management, delegation, and hands-on skill demonstration.)

• "Backlight's products (Iconik, Wildmoka) serve complex media workflows. How would you approach understanding and simplifying these workflows for users? What methods would you employ?" (Demonstrate your systemic thinking and process optimization approach.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to Backlight and our mission in media technology?" (Research Backlight's products, market position, and stated mission.)

• "We operate in a fast-moving, high-ownership environment. How do you align with and contribute to such a culture?" (Reflect on your experience in similar environments and your personal work ethic.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, begin with a clear executive summary: problem, your role, solution, and key results. Then, dive into the details of your process, decision-making, and challenges overcome.

• Quantify Outcomes: Whenever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the impact of your design work (e.g., increased user engagement, reduced task completion time, higher customer satisfaction scores).

• Explain Your "Why": Be prepared to articulate the rationale behind every significant design decision. This shows critical thinking and strategic alignment.

• Showcase Adaptability: Highlight instances where you adapted your process or solution based on new information, feedback, or constraints. This demonstrates flexibility and resilience.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Expect interviewers to ask detailed questions about your process, tools, and specific design choices within your portfolio projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, hands-on design capability in complex B2B contexts, and the ability to manage and scale teams effectively in a distributed, fast-paced environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-adjacent design leadership position:

• Submit your application directly through the Ashby application portal linked in the job posting.

• Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience in B2B SaaS, complex systems design, product strategy, and team leadership. Use keywords from the job description such as "design leadership," "player-coach," "B2B SaaS," "complex systems," and "cross-functional collaboration."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 of your most relevant case studies that showcase your ability to lead design strategy, execute hands-on design for complex B2B workflows, manage ambiguity, and collaborate effectively. Ensure each case study clearly articulates the problem, your process, your solutions, and the measurable impact.

• Prepare for a Design Challenge: Be ready to discuss how you would approach a design problem related to media workflows or complex B2B SaaS challenges, focusing on your strategic thinking and process.

• Research Backlight: Understand the company's portfolio (Iconik, Ftrack, Celtx, Zype, Wildmoka), their mission, and their position in the media technology market. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.