Product Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Design Manager

Company: Epicor Software Corporation

Location: Hyderabad, India / Bengaluru, India

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Design Leadership / Product Design Management

Date Posted: 2026-06-15

Experience Level: 5-10 Years (with 2+ years in management)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of product designers, fostering individual growth and high-quality design output within enterprise or B2B SaaS product areas.

• Drive strategic alignment between design initiatives, product priorities, and engineering roadmaps, ensuring design investment is optimized for business impact.

• Champion the adoption and contribution to design systems, balancing consistency with flexibility across product teams.

• Integrate AI-native practices into the design workflow, coaching designers on leveraging AI tools effectively while maintaining craft standards and critical judgment.

• Foster a high-functioning and psychologically safe team environment through deliberate hiring, onboarding, and performance management practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a critical leadership position within Epicor, with a strong emphasis on managing design teams through the evolving landscape of AI in product development. The "What Could Set You Apart" section highlights a need for proactive management of AI integration, not just adoption.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a team of product designers, including setting expectations, conducting regular 1:1s, providing constructive feedback, and creating personalized growth plans.

• Own the quality and strategic direction of design output from the team, leading design critiques and ensuring adherence to high standards.

• Drive problem-solving methodologies within the team, guiding designers in framing challenges, navigating ambiguity, and making informed trade-offs.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to align design efforts with product priorities and strategic objectives.

• Build, onboard, and nurture a high-performing design team, fostering psychological safety and accountability to high standards.

• Champion design system adoption and contribution, ensuring designers actively enhance the broader system with new patterns and learnings.

• Model and uphold team values and operating principles in daily leadership, communication, and decision-making, particularly in complex situations.

• Articulate the team's impact in business terms, connecting design efforts to organizational strategy and tangible business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a dual focus on people leadership and design execution, with a significant component of strategic partnership with Product and Engineering. The integration of AI into team practices is a core responsibility, requiring proactive management and coaching.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for roles of this nature in enterprise software.

Experience:

• 6–10 years of experience in product design.

• At least 2 years in a people management role, directly leading product designers.

• Experience within enterprise or B2B SaaS environments is essential. Required Skills:

• Strong product design craft and judgment: ability to recognize and coach towards great design work.

• Proven experience in building and maintaining high-performing teams through effective hiring, onboarding, talent development, and performance management.

• Ability to balance people leadership with consistent delivery of quality work on time.

• AI fluency and ability to integrate AI into team practices and workflows, coaching designers on its effective and ethical use.

• Clear, strategic communication skills for stakeholder alignment, leadership reporting, and advocating for design investment with business rationale.

• Familiarity with design systems and experience driving adoption without stifling creativity.

• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to guide teams through ambiguity and constraints. Preferred Skills:

• Demonstrated experience building AI fluency programs or practices within a design team, including new tools, quality criteria, and hiring expectations.

• Understanding of AI infrastructure (e.g., agent-driven workflows, MCP-style protocols, context-aware systems) and its implications for design.

• A clear point of view on how AI impacts the design management role, coaching, and craft evaluation.

• A pragmatic, "fail-fast" disposition that encourages experimentation and learning from failures.

• Experience in enterprise domains such as manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, or retail operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "What Could Set You Apart" section strongly suggests that practical, hands-on experience with AI integration in design teams and a forward-thinking perspective on AI's impact on design management are highly valued, moving beyond theoretical knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a strong track record of managing design teams, with clear examples of team growth, performance improvement, and successful product launches under your leadership.

• Include case studies demonstrating your ability to drive problem-solving, navigate ambiguity, and make strategic trade-offs for complex enterprise or B2B SaaS products.

• Evidence of your approach to fostering design system adoption and contributing to its evolution.

• Examples of how you have integrated AI tools and methodologies into design workflows, including the impact on efficiency and quality. Process Documentation:

• Document your approach to team management, including your philosophy on 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development planning for designers.

• Outline your process for leading design critiques, ensuring constructive feedback and adherence to quality standards.

• Detail your methods for collaborating with Product Management and Engineering, including how you influence roadmap decisions and align cross-functional teams.

• Provide examples of how you have established and maintained psychological safety and accountability within a design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on AI and evolving design practices, a portfolio demonstrating a proactive approach to managing change and innovation within a design team will be highly beneficial. This includes showcasing how you've adapted team processes and skillsets to new technologies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Product Design Manager roles with 6-10 years of experience in major Indian tech hubs like Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and considering Epicor's status as a global enterprise software company, a competitive salary range would likely be between ₹25,00,000 to ₹45,00,000 per annum. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, negotiation skills, and the final assessment of their qualifications, particularly regarding AI integration and management craft.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits designed to support overall well-being.

• Opportunities for internal mobility, mentorship, and continuing education.

• Free LinkedIn Learning licenses for all employees.

• Education support programs to balance the cost of continued learning.

• An inclusive, global workplace that fosters innovation and partnership.

• Work-life balance policies built on mutual trust and support, encouraging time off.

• Global mobility support, including assistance for international relocations and permanent residency processes.

Working Hours: The job listing specifies 40 hours per week, which is standard for full-time positions. However, for a leadership role like this, flexibility and dedication beyond standard hours may be expected, particularly around critical project deadlines or strategic initiatives. The company culture emphasizes work-life balance, suggesting a reasonable approach to managing workload.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on available market data for similar roles in India. Actual compensation will be determined by Epicor and may vary. The benefits package is comprehensive and aligns with typical offerings for established tech companies, with a notable emphasis on professional development and global support.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Epicor operates in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and business software sector, specifically serving essential industries like manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, and retail operations. This context means the products are critical to the daily functioning of businesses, demanding reliability, efficiency, and robust design.

Company Size: Epicor is a significant player with over 5,000 talented professionals globally. This size indicates a well-established organization with structured processes, opportunities for cross-functional collaboration, and potential for career advancement, while still aiming to maintain a sense of partnership and agility.

Founded: Founded in 1972, Epicor has a long history in the software industry, giving it deep domain expertise and a substantial customer base. This legacy provides a stable foundation, but the company is also actively investing in modernization, AI, and platform unification, indicating a forward-looking approach.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is likely structured around specific product areas or value streams within Epicor's portfolio.

• The hiring manager, Sumanth Godha, will lead this specific team, with potential for further hierarchy within design leadership.

• Collaboration is expected to be extensive, involving close partnerships with Product Management, Engineering, and potentially GTM (Go-To-Market) teams to ensure design solutions meet business and user needs. Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is implied, with an emphasis on connecting design impact to business outcomes.

• Agile methodologies are likely prevalent, given the software development context, requiring flexibility and iterative design processes.

• A strong focus on AI-native practices suggests an adoption of modern workflows and tools to enhance productivity and innovation.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to value both stability and innovation. The emphasis on "essential industries" suggests a mission-driven approach, while the investment in AI and platform modernization indicates a commitment to future growth and technological advancement.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a mid-to-senior management level. As a Product Design Manager, you are responsible for a team's output, individual development, and strategic contribution. This level requires not only strong design craft but also significant leadership, strategic thinking, and business acumen. You are a key player in shaping product strategy and team execution.

Reporting Structure: The role will report to a higher-level design leader (e.g., Director of Product Design, VP of Design, or Head of Product) and will manage a team of individual contributor Product Designers. Collaboration with Product Management and Engineering leadership at the Director or VP level will be frequent.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is significant. By leading a design team, you directly influence the user experience and usability of Epicor's enterprise software, which in turn affects customer adoption, satisfaction, retention, and ultimately, revenue. Your team's work will shape how thousands of businesses operate daily, making design a critical driver of business success and competitive advantage.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Progression: Potential to move into Director-level roles, overseeing larger design teams or multiple product portfolios, and taking on more strategic responsibilities for the entire design organization.

• Domain Specialization: Deepening expertise in specific enterprise domains like manufacturing, supply chain, or retail operations, becoming a recognized authority in designing for these complex industries.

• AI & Innovation Leadership: Becoming a leader in AI-driven design practices within the industry, potentially shaping company-wide strategies for AI integration in product development.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Opportunities to move into broader product leadership roles or strategic initiatives that span multiple departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career path for a successful Product Design Manager at Epicor likely involves increasing scope of responsibility, strategic influence, and specialization in enterprise software and AI. The company's stated commitment to structured and transparent career growth suggests clear pathways for advancement.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as 'TELECOMMUTE' but with locations in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, India, suggesting a hybrid work model is most likely. This implies that while remote work is an option, there will be expectations for in-office presence for team collaboration, meetings, and strategic sessions.

Office Location(s):

• Hyderabad, Telangana, India

• Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Workspace Context:

• The workspace will likely be a modern office environment designed to facilitate collaboration among design, product, and engineering teams.

• Access to standard design tools and technologies will be provided. The emphasis on AI suggests that advanced tools and computing resources may be available to support AI-driven workflows.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with team members, cross-functional partners, and leadership will be a key aspect of the daily work environment, facilitated by both in-person and virtual communication channels.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 40 hours per week, typical for full-time employment. However, leadership roles often require flexibility to manage team needs, project deadlines, and strategic initiatives, which may involve working beyond standard hours. The company's emphasis on work-life balance suggests that this flexibility is managed with consideration for employee well-being.

📝 Enhancement Note: The 'TELECOMMUTE' designation combined with specific Indian office locations strongly points towards a hybrid model. Candidates should expect a blend of remote work and in-office collaboration, with the office serving as a hub for strategic meetings and team cohesion.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter (Sumanth Godha) will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications, experience, and alignment with the role's core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your leadership experience, management philosophy, design craft, and understanding of enterprise/B2B SaaS. Expect questions about team building, performance management, and handling challenging situations.

• Design & AI Case Study: A critical stage where you'll present a portfolio showcasing your management experience and potentially a specific case study. This will focus on how you've led design teams, driven quality, and, importantly, integrated AI into design workflows. Be prepared to discuss your approach to AI quality criteria, tools, and its impact on design management.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Management and Engineering leaders to assess your collaboration style, strategic thinking, and ability to align with other departments.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior design or product leader to discuss overall fit, strategic vision, and long-term potential within Epicor.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Management Focus: Clearly highlight your experience leading and developing design teams.

Use metrics to demonstrate team growth, efficiency improvements, and successful product launches under your guidance.

• AI Integration Case Study: Prepare a detailed case study on how you've implemented AI in a design team's workflow. This should cover:

  • The specific AI tools or methodologies used.
  • The challenges encountered and how you addressed them.
  • The impact on design quality, efficiency, and team skill development.
  • Your approach to coaching designers on AI best practices and critical judgment.

• Strategic Alignment: Showcase examples of how you've partnered with Product and Engineering to align design efforts with business goals and product roadmaps.

• Design Craft & Systems: Briefly demonstrate your understanding of strong design principles and experience with design systems, but the primary focus should be on your management and AI leadership capabilities.

• Storytelling: Frame your experience as a narrative, explaining the "why" behind your decisions and the "impact" of your leadership.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Strategy: Be ready to discuss your vision for AI in product design management and how you would foster an AI-native design culture at Epicor.

• Leadership Scenarios: Prepare for behavioral questions about managing underperformers, resolving conflicts, fostering psychological safety, and navigating ambiguity.

• Business Acumen: Articulate how design contributes to business objectives and ROI, especially in the context of enterprise software and AI adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize your leadership capabilities, your understanding of enterprise/B2B SaaS design challenges, and, critically, your practical experience and forward-thinking approach to integrating Artificial Intelligence into design teams and workflows.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), InVision, Axure RP. Proficiency in modern collaborative design tools is expected.

• Project Management & Collaboration: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Essential for coordinating with cross-functional teams and managing workflows.

• Design Systems: Tools and platforms for managing design systems, component libraries, and documentation (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude for understanding user behavior and product usage.

• BI & Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker for analyzing user data and presenting findings to stakeholders.

• User Research Tools: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, UserTesting.com, Hotjar for gathering qualitative and quantitative user feedback.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics (likely used by sales/marketing, but understanding data flow is beneficial).

• Workflow Automation: While not directly managing them, awareness of automation tools (e.g., Zapier, Workato) that connect systems and streamline processes is advantageous, especially when designing integrated solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the specific tools are not listed, a strong foundation in standard product design software is assumed. The critical differentiator for this role will be the candidate's ability to leverage and lead teams in utilizing AI tools and platforms for design generation, analysis, and workflow optimization.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Proactive Partnership: A strong emphasis on being proactive partners, working collaboratively across departments rather than in silos. This means anticipating needs and offering solutions before being asked.

• Pride in Work: A sense of pride in contributing to essential industries that keep the world moving, fostering a mission-driven environment.

• Data-Driven Decisions: A commitment to using data, including AI-generated insights, to inform design choices and measure impact.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture that embraces learning and adaptation, particularly with the rapid advancements in AI, encouraging experimentation and a "fail-fast" mentality.

• Customer Focus: Deep understanding of customer needs within manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations to deliver valuable and efficient software solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Design is deeply integrated with Product Management and Engineering, requiring seamless collaboration, open communication, and shared ownership of product outcomes.

• Feedback Culture: An environment where constructive feedback is regularly exchanged, both within the design team and with cross-functional partners, to drive continuous improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Practices that encourage sharing learnings, best practices, and insights, especially concerning new technologies like AI, to uplift the entire team and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to be a blend of established enterprise stability and forward-thinking innovation, particularly around AI. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to thrive in a collaborative, mission-oriented environment that values continuous learning and proactive problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Pace of AI Evolution: Keeping pace with the rapid advancements in AI and effectively integrating new tools and methodologies into the design workflow without compromising quality or introducing unnecessary complexity.

• Managing AI-Induced Ambiguity: Navigating the inherent uncertainties of AI development and its impact on design processes, user expectations, and the definition of "craft."

• Balancing Innovation with Enterprise Needs: Ensuring that AI-driven innovations align with the specific, often stringent, requirements of enterprise and B2B SaaS customers in regulated or critical industries.

• Talent Development in AI: Upskilling and reskilling the design team to effectively utilize AI tools, manage AI-generated outputs, and adapt to new design paradigms.

• Stakeholder Alignment on AI: Educating and aligning stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Sales, Leadership) on the strategic value and practical implementation of AI in product design.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI & Design Specialization: Opportunities to become a subject matter expert in AI-driven design, potentially leading internal workshops, defining company-wide AI design guidelines, and attending industry conferences focused on AI in UX.

• Advanced Management Training: Access to leadership development programs, mentorship, and potentially external courses focused on managing teams through technological disruption.

• Domain Expertise: Deepening knowledge in Epicor's core industries (manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, retail) to better inform design strategies and product roadmaps.

• Strategic Product Influence: Gaining opportunities to influence broader product strategy and platform unification initiatives, moving beyond team management to organizational-level impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenges revolve around leading a design team through the significant technological shift brought by AI, requiring proactive management, continuous learning, and strategic vision. Growth opportunities are directly tied to mastering these challenges and expanding leadership influence.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your philosophy on managing product designers, especially in the context of an evolving AI landscape. How do you foster both individual growth and high-quality design output?"

• "How have you integrated AI tools into a design team's workflow? Provide specific examples of tools, processes, and the impact on efficiency and quality. What are the key quality criteria you'd establish for AI-generated designs?"

• "Imagine a situation where your team is struggling to align with Product and Engineering on a critical feature. How would you facilitate a resolution and ensure design's strategic input is considered?"

• "What is your point of view on how AI impacts the core responsibilities and craft of a product designer and a design manager? How do you coach designers to maintain craft standards when using AI?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Epicor powers essential industries. How does this mission influence your approach to product design leadership and team motivation?"

• "Our culture values Proactive Partnership, Pride in Work, and Continuous Improvement. How have you embodied these values in your previous roles?"

• "How do you ensure psychological safety within your team, especially when navigating complex challenges like AI integration or tight deadlines?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an overview of your management philosophy and your most impactful achievements as a leader.

• AI Case Study: Dedicate a significant portion to your AI integration case study. Clearly articulate the problem, your solution (team process, tools, coaching), the results (metrics, qualitative feedback), and lessons learned. Be ready to discuss the technical implications and how you translated them for your team.

• Team Development: Showcase examples of how you've hired, onboarded, mentored, and managed performance for designers.

• Collaboration: Illustrate instances where you've successfully partnered with Product and Engineering to achieve business goals.

• Q&A: Prepare for in-depth questions about your decision-making process, your approach to risk management, and your vision for the future of design at Epicor.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to demonstrate not just management skills, but a deep understanding of how AI is fundamentally changing design work and management. Your ability to articulate a strategic vision for AI integration and coach teams through this transition will be paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Epicor careers portal.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight your 6-10 years of product design experience, specifically emphasizing your 2+ years in people management roles within enterprise or B2B SaaS environments. Quantify achievements wherever possible, especially those related to team growth, design quality improvements, and successful product launches.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature case studies that demonstrate your team leadership, problem-solving capabilities, and, crucially, your practical experience with AI integration in design workflows. Be prepared to walk through these examples in detail during interviews.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly research Epicor's products, target industries, and recent company news. Prepare specific examples and thoughtful answers for questions related to AI in design, team management, and cross-functional collaboration. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and strategic vision.

• Networking (Optional): If possible, connect with individuals at Epicor on LinkedIn to gain insights into the company culture and product areas.

⚠️ 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.