Director, UX Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, UX Design

Company: BigPanda

Location: Remote - USA (Open to Bay Area, CA & NY)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design & Product Design Leadership

Date Posted: March 13, 2026

Experience Level: 8+ Years (with leadership experience)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the definition and implementation of AI-native UX principles and interaction models for a cutting-edge Agentic IT Operations platform.

• Drive the end-to-end user experience strategy and execution across BigPanda’s suite of products, catering to key ITOps personas.

• Develop and maintain a scalable design system to support both human-crafted and AI-generated interfaces.

• Act as a player-coach, building design operations foundations while hiring, mentoring, and leading a growing UX team.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as the foundational design leader for BigPanda's evolving AI-native platform. The emphasis on "AI-native UX," "agentic systems," and "human-AI collaboration" signals a significant strategic initiative. The "player-coach" aspect indicates an expectation to contribute directly to design work while also building and managing a team, typical for a first design leader in a growing company.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and evangelize AI-native UX principles and interaction models that foster trust and shared control between humans and AI agents.

• Lead the entire design process from conceptualization to high-fidelity prototyping, ensuring user-centered design methodologies are applied.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to translate complex requirements into intuitive and effective user experiences.

• Own the user experience architecture and interaction patterns for BigPanda's core platform capabilities and multi-product ecosystem.

• Develop, evolve, and govern a comprehensive design system that ensures consistency and scalability across all user-facing interfaces.

• Utilize rapid prototyping, user research, behavioral data analysis, and AI-assisted design tools to inform product strategy and roadmap decisions.

• Operate as a strategic player-coach, establishing design operations best practices and foundational processes in a high-velocity environment.

• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing UX design team as the company's needs grow.

• Conduct and synthesize user research, focusing on critical ITOps, DevOps, observability, security, or ITSM personas.

• Champion a strong design perspective in executive-level discussions, influencing product and engineering roadmaps.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic vision-setting (AI-native UX, design philosophy) and hands-on execution (prototyping, design system creation). The expectation to "build design operations foundations" suggests a need for someone who can establish processes and standards from the ground up.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for Director-level roles in UX Design.

Experience: 8+ years in UX/Product Design, with significant experience leading design for complex B2B SaaS platforms. Proven track record in designing AI-powered or agentic systems and workflows is essential.

Required Skills:

• Deep expertise in UX design principles, interaction design, and user-centered design methodologies.

• Proven experience leading design for complex, enterprise-grade B2B SaaS products.

• Demonstrated success in designing and launching AI-powered or agentic systems and workflows.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities, able to map out and design intricate user journeys and platform interactions.

• Proficiency in creating and evolving scalable design systems and managing their adoption across products.

• Advanced skills in rapid prototyping, wireframing, and user flow design using industry-standard tools.

• Experience conducting and synthesizing user research (qualitative and quantitative) to inform design decisions.

• Ability to influence product strategy, roadmap planning, and executive decision-making through compelling design rationale.

• Comfortable and effective operating as a player-coach, balancing hands-on design work with team leadership and operational responsibilities.

• Experience designing for technical or operational user personas (e.g., ITOps, DevOps, Security Operations, ITSM).

• A strong perspective on AI-native design principles and effective human-AI collaboration models.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in building and scaling a UX design team from the ground up.

• Familiarity with AIOps, IT operations management, or related fields.

• Knowledge of behavioral data analysis and its application in UX optimization.

• Experience with agile development methodologies and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Understanding of front-end development principles to facilitate effective collaboration with engineering.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "8+ years" and "Director" title imply a senior-level candidate. The specific mention of "AI-powered or agentic systems" and "ITOps, DevOps, observability, security, or ITSM" personas are critical keywords that candidates should highlight. The "player-coach" requirement is key for understanding the initial team structure and workload.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong understanding of systems thinking and designing for complex, interconnected platforms.

• Demonstrated experience in defining and implementing interaction patterns and user flows for B2B SaaS products, particularly those involving AI or automation.

• Case studies that clearly articulate the problem, your design process, the solutions implemented, and measurable product impact (e.g., improved efficiency, reduced errors, increased adoption).

• Examples of work on cross-product design systems, illustrating your ability to create scalable and consistent design solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Examples of how you've established and evolved design processes, including user research methodologies, design sprints, prototyping, and handoff to engineering.

• Demonstrations of how you've used data (user research, behavioral analytics, AI-assisted insights) to drive design decisions and measure success.

• Evidence of creating or contributing to scalable design systems, including guidelines, components, and their implementation.

• Documentation of your approach to human-AI collaboration and designing interfaces for agentic systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Director-level UX role, especially one focused on AI-native design, the portfolio must go beyond individual screens. It needs to demonstrate strategic thinking, systems-level design, and a clear understanding of how design impacts business outcomes and technical workflows. The emphasis on "measurable product impact" is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $229,500 - $270,000 USD per year. This range is market-competitive for a Director-level UX Design role with significant leadership and specialized AI/B2B SaaS experience in the US.

Benefits:

• Competitive equity compensation.

• Remote-first work environment with a work-from-home stipend.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Twelve (12) paid holidays.

• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision).

• Generous parental leave: up to 18 weeks paid for birthing parents, 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with financial assistance for fertility, adoption, and surrogacy.

• Financial planning services.

• Employee learning and development budget for continued professional growth.

• Values-based recognition programs (quarterly and annually).

• Support for social community building and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

• Dog-friendly office (for those who may visit or for cultural context).

• Lunches provided in office (for those who may visit).

• Flexible work environment.

Working Hours: Generally aligned with a standard 40-hour work week, but with flexibility to accommodate remote work arrangements and cross-time zone collaboration. Given the leadership aspect, extended hours may be required during critical project phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific and should be considered. The benefits package is extensive, with notable emphasis on parental leave and professional development, which are attractive to senior-level candidates. The "remote-first" status is a significant perk.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically AIOps and Agentic IT Operations platforms. BigPanda operates in the critical infrastructure management space for digital services.

Company Size: Fast-growing, with a significant investor backing. While the exact current headcount isn't provided, the mention of building a team and investor rounds suggests a company past the startup phase but still in a high-growth, scaling mode.

Founded: BigPanda was founded to address the growing complexity of IT data and operations through AI. Its evolution into an "Agentic IT Operations platform" signifies a forward-looking, innovation-driven approach.

Team Structure:

• The UX Design team is currently being established, with this role being the first dedicated design leader. This implies a flat initial structure, with the Director reporting to a senior executive (likely VP of Product or CTO).

• The role requires close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially Data Science teams.

Methodology:

• BigPanda leverages AI and data analysis to transform IT data into actionable insights for its enterprise clients.

• The company emphasizes a "values-driven" culture, focusing on collaboration, innovation, and customer success.

• The shift to an agentic platform suggests a commitment to advanced automation and proactive incident resolution.

Company Website: bigpanda.io

📝 Enhancement Note: The company is in a significant growth and strategic pivot phase. This means the UX Director will have a substantial opportunity to shape the product's future and the design team's culture. The "values-driven" aspect, coupled with investor backing, points to a dynamic and ambitious work environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Director, UX Design. This is a senior leadership position responsible for setting the strategic vision for UX, establishing design standards, and building/managing a team. It involves significant influence on product strategy and executive decision-making.

Reporting Structure: The Director will likely report to a VP of Product, CTO, or a similar senior executive. They will be responsible for building and leading the UX team, which will report to them.

Operations Impact: The UX Director's impact will be critical to BigPanda's success in its transition to an AI-native, agentic platform. By defining the AI-native UX, they will directly influence user adoption, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency for clients, and ultimately, the company's market differentiation and revenue growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Team Building & Leadership: The primary growth opportunity is building and scaling the UX design function from its inception, establishing its processes, culture, and team structure.

• Strategic Influence: Directly shaping the product vision and roadmap for a cutting-edge AI platform, influencing the future of IT operations technology.

• Skill Specialization: Deepening expertise in AI-native design, human-AI collaboration, and complex B2B SaaS product strategy.

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into higher executive roles within product or design as the company continues its growth trajectory.

• Learning & Development: Access to an employee learning and development budget, encouraging continuous professional growth in emerging design and AI technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a rare opportunity to be the foundational design leader for a company embarking on a significant, AI-driven product evolution. The ability to build a team and define its operational DNA is a major draw for experienced design leaders.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly "Remote-first," with a "Flexible work environment." While there are office locations (Bay Area, NY) and amenities like "dog friendly office" and "lunches provided," the primary mode of work is remote.

Office Location(s): Open to candidates in Bay Area, CA, and NY. The company also lists "Remote - USA" as the primary location.

Workspace Context:

• A remote-first environment means candidates should be comfortable with asynchronous communication, digital collaboration tools, and managing their own workspace.

• The emphasis on a "flexible work environment" and "work-from-home stipend" supports productivity and well-being for remote employees.

• Opportunities for in-person collaboration likely exist if candidates are located near the Bay Area or NY offices, but are not mandatory.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is implied, with the flexibility to manage hours around core collaboration times and personal needs, fitting with a remote-first culture. The company's global customer base and B2B SaaS nature may necessitate some flexibility for client-facing activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should be prepared for a fully remote experience, emphasizing strong self-management, communication skills, and comfort with digital collaboration tools. The mention of physical office amenities provides context but doesn't override the remote-first designation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a conversation with an HR or Talent Acquisition specialist to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager (e.g., VP Product/CTO) to delve deeper into experience, leadership philosophy, and strategic thinking.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A critical stage where candidates present their portfolio with a focus on systems thinking, AI/agentic design, and impact. This may include a specific design exercise or case study presentation tailored to BigPanda's product challenges.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Management, Engineering, and potentially other design team members (if any exist) to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.

• Executive Interview: A final interview with a senior executive to confirm strategic alignment and leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on AI/Agentic Systems: Select case studies that prominently feature your experience designing for AI-powered or agentic systems, detailing the unique challenges and solutions.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Illustrate your ability to design holistically across complex platforms, not just isolated features. Highlight how your designs integrate and scale.

• Quantify Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the business or user outcomes achieved. Use metrics related to efficiency, adoption, error reduction, or customer satisfaction.

• Demonstrate Design Leadership: Showcase examples of mentoring, process improvement, or strategic influence, even if informal.

• Explain Your "Player-Coach" Approach: Be ready to discuss how you balance hands-on design work with leadership responsibilities, especially in a foundational role.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand BigPanda's Product: Research BigPanda's current AIOps platform and its strategic pivot to an agentic IT operations platform. Understand the core problems they solve for ITOps teams.

• AI-Native Design Principles: Prepare to discuss your philosophy on designing for AI, including trust, transparency, human-AI collaboration, and managing user expectations with autonomous systems.

• ITOps Persona Empathy: Familiarize yourself with the challenges and workflows of IT Operations professionals.

• Design System Strategy: Be ready to discuss your approach to building and scaling a design system for a complex B2B SaaS product, especially one incorporating AI-generated interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is paramount for this role. Candidates must be prepared to articulate their design strategy, process, and impact, with a specific emphasis on AI and complex B2B SaaS systems. The "player-coach" aspect will likely be explored in how they manage their time and contributions.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Axure RP, or similar industry-standard tools.

• User Research: UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback, Dovetail, or other platforms for conducting and synthesizing research.

• Design System Management: Tools like Zeroheight, Storybook, or internal documentation platforms for managing design system components and guidelines.

• AI-Assisted Design Tools: Familiarity with emerging AI tools for design ideation, content generation, or workflow automation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or similar for tracking user behavior and product adoption.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker (for understanding data that informs design).

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managed by UX, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing/sales automation platforms can provide context for B2B SaaS user journeys.

• Understanding of how IT Operations workflows integrate with ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow) or monitoring tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tool proficiency is always a plus, the emphasis for this role is on the principles of design systems, user research, prototyping, and AI-assisted design. Candidates should highlight their experience with the types of tools used in these areas and their ability to adapt to new technologies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Future-Forward: A strong drive to push boundaries, particularly in AI and agentic systems, and to define the future of IT operations UX.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and close partnership between Design, Product, and Engineering to achieve shared goals.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing research, analytics, and AI insights to inform design choices and measure impact.

• Customer Centricity: Deep understanding of customer needs and a commitment to delivering exceptional user experiences that solve real-world problems for ITOps teams.

• Accountability & Excellence: A commitment to high-quality work, ownership of outcomes, and continuous improvement.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Design is expected to be deeply integrated into product development cycles, working hand-in-hand with PMs and Engineers from concept to launch.

• Iterative & Agile: A fast-paced environment that favors iterative design, rapid feedback loops, and adaptability.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: As the first design leader, there's an expectation to foster a culture of learning and sharing best practices within the team and across the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: BigPanda emphasizes "values-driven" culture. Candidates should demonstrate how their personal values align with innovation, collaboration, and data-driven approaches. The "Pandas" nickname suggests a potentially friendly and cohesive team environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining "AI-Native UX": This is a nascent field, requiring pioneering work to establish best practices for human-AI interaction, trust, and shared control in a complex enterprise context.

• Building a Design Team & Ops: Establishing design processes, standards, and a team from scratch in a high-growth, fast-paced environment.

• Balancing Player & Coach: Effectively managing time between hands-on design contributions and team leadership responsibilities.

• Designing for Technical Users: Deeply understanding and empathizing with the needs of highly technical ITOps professionals who rely on precise and efficient tools.

• Scalability: Creating a design system and UX architecture that can support a growing product suite and evolving AI capabilities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Pioneering AI-Native Design: Opportunity to become a thought leader in a cutting-edge design domain.

• Building and Leading a Team: Significant experience in team formation, management, and strategic hiring.

• Shaping Product Vision: Direct influence on the strategic direction of a rapidly evolving enterprise platform.

• Professional Development Budget: Access to resources for conferences, courses, books, and certifications to enhance skills in AI, UX, and leadership.

• Industry Exposure: Working with major enterprise clients and understanding their critical IT operations challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but come with substantial growth potential. Candidates should frame their interest around the opportunity to innovate and build, rather than simply maintaining existing processes.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you define and implement AI-native UX principles for an agentic IT operations platform? What are the key considerations for human-AI collaboration and trust?"

  • Preparation: Research current trends in AI ethics, human-AI interaction models, and concepts like explainable AI (XAI). Prepare to discuss your framework for evaluating and designing these interactions.

• "Describe your experience building and scaling a design system for a complex B2B SaaS product. How would you approach creating one for BigPanda, considering both human-crafted and AI-generated interfaces?"

  • Preparation: Prepare case studies on design system development. Discuss strategies for component governance, accessibility, and ensuring consistency across diverse product areas and interface types.

• "As the first design leader, how would you balance your 'player' responsibilities with your 'coach' responsibilities? What would be your priorities in the first 90 days?"

  • Preparation: Outline a phased approach for team building, process establishment, and individual contribution. Emphasize prioritization based on strategic impact and foundational needs.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about BigPanda's mission and its transition to an agentic IT operations platform?"

  • Preparation: Thoroughly research BigPanda's product, market position, and recent announcements. Connect their mission to your passion for impactful B2B SaaS and AI design.

• "How do you foster a collaborative and innovative design culture, especially within a remote-first environment?"

  • Preparation: Discuss your experience with remote collaboration tools, asynchronous communication strategies, and building psychological safety within teams.

• "How do you measure the impact of UX design on business outcomes, particularly for technical B2B products?"

  • Preparation: Prepare examples of UX metrics that correlate with business goals (e.g., adoption rates, task completion time, reduction in support tickets, feature usage).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation around the problem, your unique approach, the solution, and the measurable impact.

• Focus on Strategy: Explain why you made certain design decisions, linking them to user needs and business objectives.

• Highlight AI/Agentic Work: Dedicate specific time to projects involving AI or automation, detailing the complexities and your innovative solutions.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Use diagrams or flowcharts to illustrate the interconnectedness of your designs within a larger platform.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, tools, and decision-making rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership potential, and a deep understanding of AI-native design challenges within a B2B SaaS context. The portfolio is the primary evidence base.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Director, UX Design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.gem.com.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight experience with complex B2B SaaS platforms, AI/agentic systems design, design leadership, and system thinking. Quantify achievements wherever possible.

• Portfolio Curation: Select 3-4 of your most relevant and impactful projects that showcase your expertise in AI-native UX, B2B SaaS design, systems thinking, and measurable product impact. Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible and clearly communicates your process and results.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly research BigPanda, its AI strategy, and the IT Operations market. Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy, design process, and how you would approach the challenges of this role, particularly the "player-coach" aspect and building the design function.

• LinkedIn Profile Review: Ensure your LinkedIn profile aligns with your resume and highlights your leadership experience and relevant skills in UX strategy and AI design.

⚠️ 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.