Head of Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design Company: Depop Location: London, United Kingdom Job Type: Full-Time Category: Design Leadership / Product Design Date Posted: 2026-02-16 Experience Level: 10+ years (Senior) Remote Status: Hybrid (with remote options within the UK)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and scale the design function for Depop's critical Demand pillar, focusing on user acquisition and purchase conversion within the circular fashion marketplace.
• Drive product strategy and vision through a user-centric approach, ensuring design excellence and alignment with Depop's mission to make fashion circular.
• Manage, coach, and develop a team of talented designers and potentially design managers, fostering career growth and high performance.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Research, and Brand leadership to deliver impactful user experiences and business outcomes.
• Champion best practices in design craft, accessibility, inclusivity, and the evolution of Depop's design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership opportunity ("Head of Design") focused on strategic direction and team enablement, rather than a hands-on individual contributor role. The emphasis on "scaling design impact" and leading "multiple product teams" indicates a significant scope of responsibility within the Demand pillar.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and develop a team of designers (and potentially design managers) working across multiple squads within the Demand pillar, creating clear growth paths and supporting progression, learning, and wellbeing.
• Set a clear design vision and strategy for Demand, aligned with Depop’s company goals and brand, and translate it into actionable direction for teams.
• Be a strong advocate for our users, building empathy across Depop and ensuring user needs are central to product and design decisions.
• Partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership to prioritize work, embed discovery-led development, and drive measurable outcomes.
• Foster a culture of discovery, experimentation, and continuous learning, with a strong focus on outcomes and understanding the impact of product changes.
• Establish and evolve ways of working that improve quality, consistency, and delivery across teams.
• Champion high standards of design craft, accessibility, and inclusivity, ensuring we’re building a world-class design practice.
• Lead and evolve Depop’s design system strategy, working closely with Engineering to ensure strong adoption and integration into our codebase.
• Collaborate closely with Brand to bring product design and brand design closer together, translating Depop’s brand into cohesive product experiences.
• Ensure Depop’s iOS and Android apps and Depop.com deliver a great, consistent user experience, aligned with platform standards where appropriate.
• Build strong relationships with cross-functional partners and stakeholders, influencing decisions at pillar and cross-company level.
• Provide clear, confident leadership and communication, bringing teams and stakeholders along when explaining design decisions and creative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, people management, and cross-functional collaboration. The emphasis on "Demand pillar" suggests a focus on user acquisition, discovery, and conversion funnels, critical for growth in a marketplace environment. The inclusion of "design system strategy" and "brand collaboration" indicates the need for a holistic approach to user experience.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio and extensive experience in design leadership are paramount. A degree in Design, HCI, or a related field is often preferred in such senior roles.

Experience: Significant experience leading and developing design teams (typically 4+ designers and/or managers) within a product-led organization, operating across multiple teams or problem spaces. Experience in consumer products, growth, or marketplace problems is highly valued.

Required Skills:

• Strong people management skills with a proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop designers' careers, creating clear growth paths and supporting wellbeing.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to set design vision and strategy in complex or ambiguous environments, translating it into clear team direction and outcomes.
• Deep understanding of user research, experimentation, and data-driven design decision-making within a continuous delivery environment.
• Credibility in design craft and quality, with demonstrable experience shaping and scaling a design system in partnership with Engineering and Brand.
• Exceptional cross-functional partnership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align Product, Engineering, and other leaders.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills to build buy-in, motivate teams, and effectively communicate design decisions.
• Adept at implementing effective product design frameworks and cross-functional ways of working to enable autonomous, high-performing teams.
• Experience balancing big-picture thinking with sufficient closeness to the work to ensure high standards and relevance.
• Proficiency in leading design for both mobile (iOS, Android) and web platforms.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in fashion or two-sided marketplaces.
• Experience with A/B testing and conversion rate optimization strategies.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards and inclusive design principles.
• Experience working within a subsidiary of a larger parent company (e.g., Etsy).

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize leadership and strategic capabilities over purely hands-on design execution. The mention of "4+ designers and/or managers" suggests a need for experience managing at least a mid-level team. The "consumer products, growth, or marketplace problems" experience is crucial for understanding Depop's business model and user acquisition challenges.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate experience leading and mentoring design teams, showcasing your impact on team growth and performance.
• Present case studies that illustrate your strategic approach to problem-solving, particularly in ambiguous environments, and how you set design direction.
• Showcase examples of how you've used user research, experimentation, and data to inform design decisions and drive measurable outcomes.
• Include examples of your involvement in shaping or evolving a design system, highlighting collaboration with Engineering and Brand.
• Detail your experience in fostering a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and high-quality design craft within a team.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow design and optimization: Showcase how you've established or improved design processes, ways of working, and cross-functional collaboration to enhance team efficiency and delivery.
• Implementation and automation: Provide examples of how you've ensured design system adoption and integration, or how design processes have been streamlined.
• Measurement and performance analysis: Demonstrate how you've focused product changes on outcomes, measured impact, and used data to guide design strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Head of Design role, the portfolio should focus on leadership, strategic impact, and team enablement. It's less about individual design execution and more about how you empower teams, define strategy, and drive organizational design maturity. Case studies should highlight systemic improvements and leadership contributions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Head of Design role in London with 10+ years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is typically between £90,000 and £130,000, depending on experience, specific skills, and the company's compensation philosophy.

Benefits:

• Health & Mental Wellbeing: Private Medical Insurance (PMI) with Bupa, cash plan healthcare, subsidized counselling and coaching (Self Space), Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support, and Mental Health First Aiders.
• Work/Life Balance: 25 days annual leave (with carry-over), 1 company-wide day off per quarter, Impact hours (2 days paid leave for volunteering), 4-week paid sabbatical after 5 years of service, flexible working options (Flex, Office Based, Remote), dog-friendly offices.
• Family Life: 18 weeks of paid parental leave, IVF leave, shared parental leave, and paid emergency parent/carer leave.
• Learn & Grow: Budgets for conferences, learning subscriptions, mentorship, and upskilling programs.
• Your Future: Life Insurance (3x salary), Pension matching up to 6% of qualifying earnings.
• Depop Extras: Free shipping on UK Depop sales, milestone gifts and rewards.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are assumed to be around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid working model offering flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on market research for senior design leadership roles in London, considering the company's size and industry. The comprehensive benefits package suggests a focus on employee wellbeing and work-life balance, which is attractive to senior professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Circular Fashion, Marketplace, Technology. Depop operates within the rapidly growing secondhand fashion market, leveraging technology to connect a global community of buyers and sellers. This context means a focus on user-generated content, community engagement, and fostering trust within a two-sided marketplace. Company Size: Depop is a subsidiary of Etsy, indicating a structure that likely balances the agility of a startup with the resources of a larger organization. The employee count is not explicitly stated but is substantial enough to warrant dedicated teams for Product, Engineering, and Design. Founded: Founded in 2011, Depop has established itself as a significant player in the circular fashion space. Becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Etsy in 2021 suggests a period of growth and strategic integration.

Team Structure:

• The design team operates within the "Demand pillar," which is responsible for user acquisition and purchase conversion. This pillar likely comprises multiple cross-functional squads (Product, Engineering, Design, Research, Data).
• The Head of Design will manage designers and potentially other design managers, reporting into a more senior product or design leader (e.g., VP of Product, CPO, or Head of Design for the entire company).
• Strong cross-functional partnerships are expected with Product Management, Engineering, Brand, Marketing, and Research teams to ensure a cohesive product strategy and user experience.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making: Emphasis on using user research, experimentation, and measurable outcomes to guide design.
• Agile & Lean Methodologies: Implied by the "continuous delivery environment" and "discovery-led development," suggesting iterative product development cycles.
• User-centricity: A core value, with the Head of Design acting as a strong advocate for user needs.
• Design System Integration: A focus on ensuring consistency and efficiency through a well-maintained and adopted design system.

Company Website: www.depop.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Depop's mission around circular fashion and its community-driven platform are key cultural differentiators. The "Demand pillar" focus implies a strong emphasis on growth metrics and user acquisition strategies, which design leadership will directly influence. The integration with Etsy likely brings established operational frameworks and resources.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership role, equivalent to a Director or Head of Design within a specialized product area. It signifies a move from managing individual designers to leading teams, setting strategic direction, and influencing broader organizational processes. The scope covers a significant portion of the user journey (discovery to purchase).

Reporting Structure: The Head of Design for the Demand pillar will likely report to a VP of Product, Chief Product Officer (CPO), or a Chief Design Officer (if one exists at Depop/Etsy). They will manage a team of designers and potentially design managers, working in close partnership with Product and Engineering leads for the Demand pillar.

Operations Impact: The Head of Design for Demand will have a direct and significant impact on Depop's revenue and business growth. By optimizing the user journey for discovery and purchase, they will influence conversion rates, user acquisition, and overall marketplace activity. Their strategic direction for design will shape the user experience that drives platform engagement and commercial success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Expanded Leadership Scope: Potential to grow into a broader Head of Design role covering more product pillars or even the entire company, or to move into a VP-level Product or Design position.
• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape Depop's overall product and design strategy, contributing to key business decisions beyond the immediate scope of the Demand pillar.
• Mentorship & Development: Develop leadership skills by coaching and mentoring design managers and senior designers, helping them progress into leadership roles themselves.
• Industry Impact: Contribute to the advancement of circular fashion and the design of innovative marketplace experiences, potentially speaking at conferences or contributing to industry thought leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career advancement into broader design leadership or executive product roles. The direct link to revenue through the "Demand pillar" makes it a high-impact position with significant visibility.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Depop operates a hybrid working model, offering flexibility between office-based, remote, and "MyMode" (likely a flexible hybrid) options, depending on the role. The London office serves as a central hub.

Office Location(s): Headquarters in London, with offices in New York and Manchester. The Head of Design role is based in London but open to remote candidates within the UK, suggesting a focus on asynchronous communication and effective remote collaboration tools.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model encourages in-person collaboration for key meetings, workshops, and team building, while remote flexibility supports focused work. Offices are dog-friendly, contributing to a relaxed atmosphere.
• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design and collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Jira, Slack, Notion) will be essential. The role will also involve working with the product tech stack, including iOS, Android, and web platforms.
• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with design team members, product managers, engineers, researchers, and brand teams through scheduled meetings, stand-ups, design critiques, and ad-hoc discussions.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 per week) with a hybrid working model offering flexibility. This allows for balancing core working hours with personal needs, accommodating processes like deep work or cross-time zone collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid and remote flexibility, combined with dog-friendly offices, points to a modern, employee-centric work environment. The emphasis on collaboration within a hybrid setup means strong communication and digital collaboration skills are crucial.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or talent partner will review applications and conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Conversation with the direct hiring manager (likely a senior design or product leader) to discuss experience, leadership style, and strategic thinking.
• Design Team/Peer Interviews: Meetings with designers and potentially design managers who would report to the candidate, assessing leadership approach and ability to collaborate.
• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with Product and Engineering leadership peers to evaluate partnership capabilities, strategic alignment, and communication skills.
• Portfolio Presentation & Case Study: A significant part of the process will involve presenting a portfolio, likely including a deep dive into a relevant case study demonstrating leadership, strategy, and impact on team/product.
• Final Round/Executive Interview: Potential interview with a C-level executive (e.g., CPO, CEO) to discuss overall vision and fit with Depop's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership & Strategy: Prioritize case studies that showcase your role in setting design direction, managing teams, and influencing product strategy, rather than solely individual design execution.
• Demonstrate Impact: Quantify the impact of your leadership and design initiatives using metrics related to user growth, conversion rates, team velocity, or design system adoption.
• Showcase Process & Collaboration: Clearly articulate how you foster collaboration, implement effective ways of working, and partner with Product and Engineering.
• Highlight Team Development: Include examples of how you've coached, mentored, and grown design talent.
• Tailor to Depop: Emphasize experience relevant to marketplaces, circular economy, and consumer-facing apps.

Challenge Preparation:

• Strategic Design Challenge: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to outline a design strategy for a specific challenge within the Demand pillar, considering user needs, business goals, and team resources.
• Team Management Scenario: Expect questions about how you handle team conflicts, performance issues, or how you foster a positive and productive team culture.
• Cross-functional Alignment: Practice articulating how you would align design priorities with Product and Engineering roadmaps.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio presentation is critical for this role. Candidates should prepare a narrative that highlights their leadership journey, strategic thinking, and ability to drive impact through teams and systems, aligning with Depop's specific business context.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly likely, industry standard), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite.
• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace/Microsoft 365.
• Project Management & Workflow: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello.
• Design System Management: Tools for documenting and maintaining design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, internal tools).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or internal BI tools for tracking user behavior, feature adoption, and conversion funnels.
• Data Visualization: Tableau, Looker, or similar tools for presenting data and insights to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation: While not directly a design tool, familiarity with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation tools can be beneficial for understanding the broader business context of user acquisition and engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with modern design tools like Figma is essential. The ability to leverage analytics platforms to inform design decisions and measure impact is crucial for a data-driven approach. Experience with design system tools will be a significant advantage.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Make Fashion Circular: A core mission that permeates all aspects of the business, encouraging innovation and a focus on sustainability.
• Community-Powered: Valuing the Depop community and ensuring their needs are at the forefront of product development.
• Inclusivity & Diversity: Commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, reflecting the diversity of their users.
• Data-Driven & Outcome-Focused: Emphasis on understanding impact, measuring results, and making informed decisions through data and experimentation.
• Collaboration: Strong emphasis on working together across teams and functions to achieve common goals.
• Experimentation & Learning: Fostering a culture where trying new things, learning from failures, and continuous improvement are encouraged.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Design is deeply embedded within product squads, working hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Engineers.
• Open Communication: Encouraging open feedback, design critiques, and transparent discussions to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.
• Partnership Approach: Building strong relationships with stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Brand, and Marketing to drive shared objectives.
• Empowerment: The leadership style aims to empower teams and individuals to take ownership and drive outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Depop's values are strongly tied to its mission and community. A candidate who aligns with these values and can foster a collaborative, user-centric, and experimental design culture will be highly successful.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Impact: As Depop grows, ensuring the design team can scale effectively to meet increasing product demands while maintaining quality and strategic focus.
• Balancing Centralization & Decentralization: Evolving the design system and design practice while empowering multiple product teams to innovate within their domains.
• Cross-functional Alignment: Continuously ensuring strong alignment between Design, Product, and Engineering priorities, especially in a fast-paced, hybrid environment.
• Measuring Design Impact: Clearly defining and measuring the impact of design initiatives on key business metrics like conversion, retention, and user satisfaction.
• Evolving Marketplace Dynamics: Adapting design strategies to the unique challenges and opportunities of a two-sided consumer marketplace, particularly in the circular fashion space.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Development: Gaining experience in high-level product and business strategy within a rapidly growing e-commerce platform.
• Mentoring & Coaching: Developing skills in leading and growing a team of designers and managers, preparing them for future leadership roles.
• Industry Expertise: Deepening knowledge of the circular economy, fashion tech, and marketplace dynamics.
• Cross-functional Acumen: Enhancing skills in stakeholder management and influencing across diverse business functions.
• Design System Evolution: Leading the strategy and implementation of a critical design system for a large-scale consumer application.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant challenges that are also excellent growth opportunities. The ability to navigate complexity and drive positive change in a dynamic environment will be key to success and career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you define and communicate a design vision for Depop's Demand pillar, ensuring it aligns with the company's mission of making fashion circular?" (Prepare to discuss your process for vision setting, user research integration, and stakeholder buy-in.)
• "Describe a time you had to set design strategy in a complex or ambiguous environment. What was your approach, and what were the outcomes?" (Focus on your framework for tackling ambiguity and translating it into actionable plans.)
• "How do you foster a culture of experimentation and continuous learning within a design team, particularly in a fast-paced product environment?" (Provide examples of initiatives you've implemented.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Depop's mission and its role in the circular fashion economy?" (Research Depop's mission, values, and recent news.)
• "How would you ensure Depop's design practice remains inclusive and accessible across its platforms?" (Discuss your approach to inclusive design and accessibility standards.)
• "Describe your ideal collaboration model with Product and Engineering leadership." (Highlight your experience building strong cross-functional partnerships.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an overview of your leadership philosophy and approach. Then, present 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate your strategic impact, team leadership, and ability to drive outcomes.
• Case Study Content: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role (as a leader), the strategic approach you took, the process involved (including collaboration), the solutions implemented, and most importantly, the measurable impact and learnings.
• Focus on Leadership: Emphasize your contribution to team development, process improvement, and strategic decision-making, rather than just showcasing individual design work.
• Be Prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions about challenges faced, alternative solutions considered, and how you would apply your learnings to Depop's specific context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples that align with Depop's mission, marketplace model, and the "Demand pillar" focus will be crucial. Demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership capability, and a user-centric approach will be key to success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Head of Design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Depop Careers portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight leadership experience, strategic vision setting, team management (4+ designers/managers), and impact on growth/conversion metrics in product-led organizations. Showcase specific examples relevant to marketplaces or consumer apps.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your experience in leading design teams, developing design systems, and driving user-centric product strategies. Use keywords like "design leadership," "product strategy," "user experience," "design systems," "cross-functional collaboration," and "team development."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your leadership philosophy, strategic approach to design challenges, and how you foster team growth. Prepare detailed case studies for your portfolio presentation that demonstrate measurable impact. Research Depop's mission, values, and recent company news.
• Company Research: Deeply understand Depop's business model as a circular fashion marketplace, its community focus, and the strategic importance of the "Demand pillar." Consider how your leadership style and experience align with Depop's culture and 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.