Head of Product Design / VP UX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Product Design / VP UX

Company: Nexthink

Location: Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Product Design Leadership / User Experience

Date Posted: 2026-02-24

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end user experience strategy for a B2B SaaS platform, driving product adoption, retention, differentiation, and revenue.

• Partner closely with CPO and Engineering leadership to shape product strategy, with a strong emphasis on AI-driven product development and agentic experiences.

• Critically assess and evolve the existing UX, Product, and Research organization to identify and address skill, structure, process, and cultural gaps.

• Act as a forward-facing representative of UX, engaging with customers, partners, and industry analysts to articulate product vision and design philosophy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is explicitly executive-level, requiring strategic leadership rather than just execution. The emphasis on AI and "agentic experiences" is a key differentiator, demanding a candidate with a strong point of view and hands-on experience in this emerging field, integrated into both product development and personal work methodologies.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute the overall user experience strategy for Nexthink's B2B SaaS platform, ensuring alignment with company objectives and market needs.

• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary UX team, including designers, researchers, and content strategists, fostering a culture of innovation and high performance.

• Conduct critical assessments of the current UX, Product, and Research organization, identifying areas for improvement in skills, structure, processes, and culture, and implementing pragmatic solutions.

• Drive the design and development of AI-driven features and "agentic" experiences, focusing on orchestration, trust, explainability, control, and effective human-AI collaboration.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to influence the product roadmap, prioritization, and delivery cycles, ensuring user-centricity is embedded throughout.

• Represent the UX vision and design philosophy both internally to stakeholders and externally to customers, partners, and industry analysts.

• Champion user research methodologies, design systems, prototyping, and data-informed decision-making to ensure the delivery of high-quality, impactful user experiences.

• Understand and articulate how UX decisions directly contribute to key business metrics such as adoption, retention, differentiation, and revenue.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw description lists many responsibilities, the core strategic mandate is to shape product strategy and evolve the UX organization, not just execute existing plans. The emphasis on "agentic experiences" and "AI-forward" operations implies a need for proactive innovation and a deep understanding of the ethical and practical considerations of AI in B2B SaaS.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, an advanced degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for executive-level UX leadership roles.

Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in UX and Product Design, with a substantial portion dedicated to leadership roles within enterprise B2B SaaS environments.

Required Skills:

• Proven track record of building, scaling, and developing high-performing UX and Product Design teams.

• Demonstrated ability to define and execute design strategy for complex, data-rich platforms serving enterprise customers.

• Strong systems-thinking mindset, with experience designing across multi-product ecosystems and platform architectures.

• Experience partnering closely with Product Management and Engineering to influence roadmap, prioritization, and delivery.

• Deep understanding of user research methodologies, design systems, prototyping, and data-informed decision-making.

• Strong executive presence with the ability to represent design vision internally and externally with customers and industry stakeholders.

• Passion for mentoring and developing diverse design talent.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for AI-driven, automation, or analytics-based products is strongly preferred.

• Experience in enterprise or employee-facing products, especially in data-rich or complex domains.

• Hands-on experience with AI-driven products and a clear point of view on UX for AI agents, automation, and human-in-the-loop systems.

• Active embrace of AI in personal work methodologies for design, research, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Experience designing for "agentic" experiences: orchestration, trust, explainability, control, and collaboration between humans and AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ years" is a baseline; the emphasis is on demonstrated success in scaling teams and influencing strategy for complex B2B SaaS products, particularly those with AI components. The prompt specifically calls out "AI-forward" and "agentic experiences," making these preferred skills critical for a strong candidate.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of end-to-end product design leadership, demonstrating strategic impact on B2B SaaS products.

• Case studies illustrating the ability to assess, evolve, and scale UX, Product, and Research organizations, including process and structure improvements.

• Examples of designing for complex, data-rich platforms and multi-product ecosystems, highlighting systems thinking.

• Projects demonstrating deep involvement in AI-driven product development, specifically focusing on "agentic" experiences, with clear articulation of the UX challenges and solutions related to orchestration, trust, and human-AI collaboration.

Process Documentation:

• Detailed descriptions of how you have structured and optimized UX/Product Design teams, including reporting lines, skill development frameworks, and performance management.

• Examples of process improvements implemented to enhance collaboration between UX, Product Management, and Engineering.

• Methodologies used for user research, design systems implementation, and data-informed decision-making within a scalable B2B SaaS context.

• Strategies for integrating AI and automation into the design and research workflow to drive efficiency and innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an executive role like this, the portfolio is less about individual design artifacts and more about strategic leadership, organizational impact, and a clear point of view on complex product challenges like AI integration. The ability to articulate how processes were improved and how teams were scaled is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the executive level (Head of/VP), the location (Lausanne, Switzerland), and the demanding nature of the role (leading UX for a B2B SaaS company with a strong AI focus), the estimated annual salary range would likely be between CHF 180,000 and CHF 280,000. This range is highly dependent on the candidate's specific experience, existing leadership track record, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary and executive-level bonus/equity package.

• Comprehensive health insurance and retirement plans, standard for Switzerland.

• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule.

• Support for professional development, including conferences, training, and certifications.

• Relocation assistance and support for candidates moving to Switzerland.

• Potential for flexible work arrangements or support for alternate Nexthink Hub locations (Madrid, London, Paris) if on-site in Lausanne is not feasible long-term.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours (e.g., 40 hours per week) are expected, with flexibility often afforded to executive roles to manage workload and strategic responsibilities effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary is an estimate based on industry benchmarks for executive UX leadership in Switzerland, considering the cost of living and typical compensation structures for B2B SaaS companies of Nexthink's size and scope. Benefits are assumed to be comprehensive, reflecting standard executive packages in the region.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Software - specifically Digital Employee Experience (DEX) management. Nexthink is a leader in this niche, providing IT leaders with insights to improve employee digital experiences. This implies a B2B focus, data-driven operations, and a need for solutions that directly impact productivity and employee satisfaction.

Company Size: Nexthink has over 1200 employees globally, with a significant international presence (9 offices worldwide). This indicates a mature, well-established organization with opportunities for cross-functional collaboration but also the potential for complex internal processes and a need for clear communication.

Founded: Founded in 2004 (dual headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Boston, Massachusetts). With nearly two decades of operation, Nexthink has a solid foundation and likely a well-defined product lifecycle and market position.

Team Structure:

• The Head of Product Design / VP UX will report directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and act as a key member of the broader product leadership team.

• This role will lead a multidisciplinary UX team, comprising product designers, user researchers, and potentially UX content strategists.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is central to Nexthink's product offering and likely permeates its internal operations. Expect a strong emphasis on analytics, user behavior tracking, and metrics to inform product strategy and UX improvements.

• The company's focus on "proactive optimization" suggests a forward-thinking, solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.

• The emphasis on AI, automation, and "agentic experiences" indicates a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver value.

Company Website: https://www.nexthink.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Nexthink is positioned as an innovator in a critical IT space (DEX). The culture likely values pragmatism, data insights, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. The global presence suggests a need for strong cross-cultural communication skills and an understanding of diverse user needs.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior executive leadership role (VP/Head of). The scope involves not just managing a team but also shaping the strategic direction of user experience for a core B2B SaaS product. The candidate is expected to be