Product Design Manager, Vertical Experiences

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Design Manager, Vertical Experiences

Company: BetterUp

Location: San Francisco, California, United States; New York, New York, United States; Austin, Texas, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design Management / Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-11

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and manage a pod of four product designers focused on BetterUp's core coaching experiences.

• Drive design operations for the pod, ensuring high standards in workflow, handoffs, and quality across member, partner, and coach surfaces.

• Act as a player-coach, contributing directly to design craft while mentoring and developing team members.

• Collaborate with product leadership to align priorities and ensure design's upstream involvement in the product development lifecycle.

• Leverage AI-powered design tools and workflows to enhance design processes and outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a hybrid "player-coach" position, meaning the candidate will be expected to manage a team of designers while also contributing hands-on design work. The focus on "Vertical Experiences" and "core coaching experiences across member, partner, and coach surfaces" indicates a strategic responsibility for distinct, yet interconnected, user journeys within the BetterUp platform. The emphasis on AI integration suggests a forward-thinking design team that embraces new technologies to drive innovation and efficiency in product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and develop four direct reports (Product Designers) across multiple time zones, conducting regular 1:1s and providing individualized growth support.

• Oversee and optimize design operations for the pod, including establishing and enforcing review cadence, maintaining Figma hygiene, setting handoff standards to engineering, and actively participating in sprint planning and execution.

• Champion the integration of design into the early stages of product development, ensuring design is involved before Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) are finalized.

• Implement and enforce design sign-off gates before work progresses to engineering, safeguarding quality and consistency across owned product surfaces.

• Partner closely with VP Product counterparts for Partner, Coach, and Member pods to establish strategic alignment on product priorities, roadmap, and necessary tradeoffs.

• Identify and surface experience quality issues across the pod's owned surfaces, bringing them to weekly design reviews for discussion and resolution.

• Contribute to and participate in team-wide design rituals, such as cross-pod critiques, design jams, and quarterly dogfooding sessions to foster collaboration and continuous improvement.

• Maintain high craft standards through hands-on design work and collaboration, acting as a player-coach to influence taste and quality within the pod and across the broader design team.

• Collaborate with growth, core, AI, and design systems teams to ensure cohesive and high-quality user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on process and operational excellence within the design function. Terms like "design operations," "Figma hygiene," "handoff standards," and "sign-off gates" point to a need for a manager who can instill discipline and efficiency. The "player-coach" aspect implies that the ideal candidate will not only manage but also be a hands-on contributor, requiring a blend of leadership and strong design execution skills. The expectation for "design to be in the room at kickoff" and "getting design upstream" signifies a strategic role in shaping product strategy, not just execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is typically expected, though equivalent practical experience will be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in product design.

• Proven experience in people management, including directly managing product designers (this role is often suited for individuals transitioning into their first formal management position).

• Demonstrated experience managing product designers across multiple product areas concurrently.

• Track record of successfully integrating design into the early stages of the product development lifecycle ("getting design upstream").

• Experience operating effectively in fast-moving environments with incomplete information. Required Skills:

• People Management: Ability to mentor, develop, and manage a team of product designers, fostering individual growth and team cohesion across time zones.

• Product Design Craft: Strong foundation in user-centered design principles, interaction design, visual design, and information architecture, with a discerning eye for quality and taste.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to understand and design for complex, interconnected systems, particularly those spanning B2B, B2C, and two-sided interactions.

• Figma Proficiency: Expertise in using Figma for design, prototyping, collaboration, and managing design files and components.

• AI-Powered Design Tools: Familiarity and practical experience with AI-powered design tools and workflows, such as AI-assisted prototyping, generative design, and AI-driven user research analysis.

• Design Operations: Experience in establishing and managing design workflows, including review cadences, file hygiene, and handoff processes.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for coaching, health, or human development platforms.

• Familiarity with enterprise B2B design patterns and complex administrative workflows.

• Experience with two-sided marketplace or platform design.

• Background in integrating AI capabilities into product experiences.

• Proficiency with modern design tools beyond Figma, and familiarity with prototyping tools and design systems workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "AI-powered design tools" is a significant differentiator. Candidates should be prepared to discuss specific tools and how they've leveraged AI in their design process, not just conceptually but practically. The "player-coach" aspect strongly suggests that candidates with 5+ years of design experience and 1-2 years of informal or formal management experience will be well-positioned. The emphasis on "systems thinking" is critical given the diverse surfaces (member, partner, coach) the pod will own, requiring an understanding of how these areas interrelate.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies: Detailed case studies showcasing end-to-end product design projects, highlighting your role, the problem addressed, your design process, and measurable outcomes.

• Management & Operations Examples: Evidence of your ability to manage design workflows, mentor designers, and contribute to design operations (e.g., process improvements, mentorship frameworks).

• Systems Design: Examples demonstrating your ability to design for complex, interconnected systems and diverse user types (B2B, B2C, two-sided interactions).

• AI Integration: Showcase projects where you've incorporated AI tools or concepts into your design process or product solutions, detailing the impact.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Examples that illustrate effective collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and other stakeholders.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Optimization: Demonstrate experience in defining, documenting, and optimizing design workflows to improve efficiency, quality, and speed to market.

• Design Handoffs: Provide examples of standardized and effective processes for handing off design assets and specifications to engineering teams.

• Quality Assurance: Showcase methods for ensuring design quality and consistency across product surfaces, including review processes and sign-off gates.

• Mentorship Frameworks: Evidence of structured approaches to guiding and developing junior designers, including feedback mechanisms and growth planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, a portfolio should not only showcase individual design contributions but also demonstrate leadership capabilities in managing design processes and people. Candidates should be prepared to walk through their portfolio with a focus on how they elevate design quality, manage team performance, and contribute to operational efficiency. Specific examples of implemented design operations improvements or mentorship strategies will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• New York City and San Francisco: $210,000 - $260,000 USD per year

• Austin: $190,000 - $238,000 USD per year

Benefits:

• Access to BetterUp coaching for yourself and a friend or family member.

• Competitive compensation plan with opportunities for advancement.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• Flexible paid time off.

• Standard federal/statutory holidays observed.

• 4 BetterUp Inner Workdays per year.

• 5 Volunteer Days to give back to the community.

• Learning and Development stipend.

• Company-wide Summer & Winter breaks.

• Annual charitable contribution on your behalf.

• 401(k) self-contribution option.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected to accommodate cross-time zone collaboration and project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided are specific to location, reflecting cost of living adjustments in major tech hubs like NYC and San Francisco compared to Austin. The benefits package is robust, with a strong emphasis on personal development and well-being, directly aligning with BetterUp's core mission. The inclusion of "BetterUp Inner Workdays" and "Volunteer Days" highlights a company culture that prioritizes employee well-being and community engagement, which can be a significant draw for operations professionals seeking work-life balance and purpose-driven work.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Human Resources / Coaching / Employee Development. BetterUp operates at the intersection of technology and human potential, providing a platform for professional coaching and personal development. This industry context means the company is likely fast-paced, innovation-driven, and focused on user well-being and growth.

Company Size: BetterUp is a rapidly growing, well-funded technology company. As a significant player in the HR tech and coaching space, it likely has a dynamic and evolving organizational structure. This size implies opportunities for impact and visibility, but also the need for adaptability and a proactive approach to process and structure.

Founded: BetterUp was founded in 2013. This timeframe suggests it has moved beyond startup chaos and established mature processes, yet remains agile enough to be innovative and responsive to market changes, particularly in areas like AI integration.

Team Structure:

• The Product Design team is structured into pods, with this role managing one such pod focused on "Vertical Experiences" (Member, Partner, Coach).

• Designers report into a manager, who in turn likely reports into a Director or VP of Design.

• This role has direct collaboration with VP Product counterparts for the specific pods covered by the design team.

• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, involving close partnerships with Product Management, Engineering, AI, Growth, and Design Systems teams. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using data and insights to inform design decisions and measure impact.

• Agile Development: Participation in sprints and close collaboration with engineering suggests an agile development methodology.

• Human-Centered Approach: Core to BetterUp's mission, this involves a deep understanding of user needs and a focus on transformation and growth.

• AI Integration: A deliberate strategy to integrate AI capabilities into product development and design processes, encouraging experimentation and adaptation.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: BetterUp's mission-driven culture is a key differentiator. Operations professionals will find that efficiency and process improvements are valued not just for business outcomes, but also for enabling the company's core purpose of human transformation. The company's focus on AI suggests a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, which is crucial for any operations role in the modern tech landscape.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Product Design Manager, a mid-to-senior level management position. It requires not only strong individual contributor design skills but also the ability to lead, mentor, and manage a team. For operations professionals aiming for leadership, this role offers a pathway to manage a specialized function within product development, influencing process, quality, and team performance.

Reporting Structure: The Product Design Manager will report to a higher-level design leader (e.g., Director or VP of Design). They will manage a team of four Product Designers and collaborate closely with Product Managers at the VP level. This structure provides ample opportunity for strategic influence and cross-functional leadership.

Operations Impact: The Product Design Manager's impact extends to the quality and usability of BetterUp's core coaching experiences across all user segments (members, partners, coaches). By ensuring design excellence, streamlining design operations, and fostering effective cross-functional collaboration, this role directly influences user engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, the success of BetterUp's platform in driving human transformation. Efficient design processes also contribute to faster product iteration and market responsiveness, impacting business growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Transitioning from individual contributor to a formal management role provides extensive opportunities for developing leadership skills, team building, and strategic thinking.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in designing for complex, multi-sided platforms and specific verticals like coaching and human development.

• AI Expertise: Gain hands-on experience and leadership in integrating cutting-edge AI tools and workflows into design processes, becoming a thought leader in this emerging area.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Develop stronger strategic partnerships with Product and Engineering leadership, influencing product roadmaps and business outcomes.

• Career Advancement: Potential to grow into senior management roles, overseeing larger design teams or broader product portfolios within BetterUp.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, this role offers a unique blend of process management, people leadership, and strategic product influence. The "player-coach" aspect means growth can come from both developing management capabilities and maintaining/enhancing individual design craft. The focus on AI integration also positions the candidate for future growth in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The available locations (San Francisco, New York City, Austin) suggest a hybrid work model, with the expectation of significant time spent in the office. This environment is designed to foster collaboration, spontaneous interaction, and a strong team culture.

Office Location(s): BetterUp has offices in major tech hubs across the US:

• San Francisco, California

• New York City, New York

• Austin, Texas

These locations offer access to vibrant tech communities, talent pools, and convenient amenities for employees.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices are likely equipped with collaborative work areas, meeting rooms, and common spaces designed to encourage team interaction and brainstorming.

• Tools & Technology: Employees will have access to modern design tools, including Figma and potentially other AI-powered platforms, along with standard office technology and high-speed internet.

• Team Interaction: The on-site expectation facilitates regular face-to-face interaction with direct reports, cross-functional peers, and design leadership, fostering a strong sense of team and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, the nature of managing across time zones and the dynamic tech environment may require flexibility. The company culture emphasizes working deeply and fulfilling work, suggesting a focus on output and impact rather than strict hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is listed as "On-site," it's important to clarify the exact hybrid expectations (e.g., number of days per week in office) with the hiring team. The collaborative office environment is a key aspect of BetterUp's culture, fostering a sense of community and shared mission, which can be appealing to operations professionals who thrive on direct interaction and team synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely conduct an initial screening call to assess overall fit, experience, and alignment with the role's core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: This interview will focus on your people management experience, design leadership philosophy, understanding of design operations, and your ability to act as a player-coach. Expect questions about how you mentor, provide feedback, and manage team performance.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, focusing on case studies that demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, systems thinking, and any experience with AI tools or managing design operations. Be prepared to discuss your specific contributions and the impact of your work.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Management and Engineering leads to assess your collaboration skills, ability to get design upstream, and understanding of development processes.

• Design Team Interviews: You may meet with other designers on the team or design leadership to evaluate your fit with the broader design organization and your ability to uphold craft standards.

• Final/Executive Interview: Potentially a conversation with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision, company culture alignment, and overall leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio around 3-4 strong case studies. For each, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, your specific contributions (especially in management/operations), the outcome, and lessons learned.

• Highlight Management & Ops: Dedicate sections or specific examples within case studies to demonstrate your people management skills, experience with design operations (workflow, handoffs, quality), and how you've mentored designers.

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Explicitly call out how you approached complex systems, multi-sided platforms, and B2B/B2C interactions.

• Demonstrate AI Integration: Be ready to discuss specific AI tools used, your experimentation process, and the tangible benefits achieved (e.g., efficiency gains, new insights, improved design quality).

• Tell a Story: Articulate the "why" behind your decisions and the impact of your work, focusing on how you drove positive change and business outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Operations Scenario: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to improve a specific design operation (e.g., speeding up handoffs, standardizing Figma usage) or address a performance issue within your team.

• Strategic Design Question: Expect questions about how you would approach a new product area, integrate AI into a specific user flow, or collaborate with Product to define strategy.

• AI Tool Experimentation: You might be asked to outline how you would approach experimenting with a new AI design tool or how you would guide your team through adopting AI technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes both design craft and management capability. Candidates should prepare to discuss their leadership style, experience in operationalizing design processes, and how they foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. The explicit mention of AI in the interview process means candidates should be ready to discuss their practical experience with AI tools and their strategic thinking around AI integration.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for the team, used for UI design, prototyping, collaboration, and component management. Proficiency is essential.

• AI-Powered Design Tools: Experience with tools for AI-assisted prototyping, generative design, AI-powered user research analysis, and other AI-driven design workflows. Examples could include tools like Uizard, Galileo, or AI features within existing platforms.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma's capabilities, familiarity with dedicated prototyping tools might be beneficial for more complex interactions.

• Design Systems Tools: Experience working with or contributing to design systems, which often involves tools for component libraries, documentation, and version control.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a design tool, understanding how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Amplitude, Google Analytics) and contribute to reporting on user behavior and feature adoption is crucial for informing design decisions and demonstrating impact. CRM & Automation:

• Understanding of CRM systems (like Salesforce, though not explicitly mentioned) and automation workflows can be helpful for understanding the B2B aspects of BetterUp's platform and how design integrates with broader business processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is a baseline requirement. The emphasis on "AI-powered design tools" is a critical differentiator. Candidates should be ready to discuss specific AI tools they have used and how they leverage them to enhance their design process, efficiency, or innovation. This signals that BetterUp is at the forefront of adopting new technologies in its design workflow.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Human Transformation: At its core, BetterUp values enabling personal and professional growth for individuals. Operations professionals are expected to contribute to this mission by creating efficient, effective, and supportive processes.

• Inventiveness & Soul: A culture that encourages creative problem-solving, innovation, and a deep sense of purpose. Operations should be about enabling this spirit, not stifling it with rigid bureaucracy.

• Focus & Fulfillment: The company aims for employees to have a focused and fulfilling work experience. Operations contributes by removing friction, providing clarity, and enabling impactful work.

• Data-Driven & AI-Forward: A commitment to leveraging data and AI to drive insights, optimize processes, and innovate. Operations professionals are expected to be comfortable with data analysis and embrace AI technologies.

• Psychological Safety: Creating an environment where team members feel safe to experiment, take risks, share failures, and learn openly, especially in the context of AI adoption.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Strong emphasis on seamless collaboration between design, product, engineering, and other departments. Operations plays a key role in facilitating these integrations.

• Upstream Design Involvement: A culture where design is seen as a strategic partner from the outset, not just an execution function.

• Open Feedback & Critique: Regular design critiques and feedback sessions are integral for maintaining quality and fostering continuous improvement.

• Experimentation & Learning: A willingness to try new approaches, including leveraging AI, and to learn from both successes and failures.

📝 Enhancement Note: BetterUp's values are deeply intertwined with its mission. Operations professionals will find that their work is directly tied to enabling human growth and fostering a culture of innovation. The emphasis on psychological safety is particularly important for roles that involve managing teams and navigating change, especially with the integration of AI.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Managing Diverse Surfaces: Overseeing design for interconnected B2B, B2C, and two-sided platform experiences requires strong systems thinking and the ability to balance different user needs and business objectives.

• Player-Coach Balance: Effectively managing direct reports while also contributing hands-on design work can be demanding, requiring excellent time management and prioritization skills.

• AI Integration & Adaptation: Navigating the rapid evolution of AI tools and workflows, and guiding a team through adoption, experimentation, and potential disruption. This includes fostering resilience and continuous learning.

• Getting Design Upstream: Consistently ensuring design is involved early in the product development cycle, influencing strategy rather than just executing requirements.

• Maintaining Craft Standards: As a manager, ensuring high design quality across a team while also developing individual designers requires strong leadership and mentorship.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Leadership Skills: Deepen expertise in people management, team building, cross-functional leadership, and strategic planning within a high-growth tech environment.

• AI in Design Specialization: Become a recognized leader in leveraging AI tools and methodologies within product design, contributing to best practices and innovation.

• Complex Systems Design: Gain extensive experience in designing for intricate, multi-faceted platforms that serve diverse user groups.

• Product Strategy Influence: Opportunity to significantly influence product roadmaps and strategic direction through close collaboration with VP-level Product counterparts.

• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences, participate in workshops, and engage with leaders in the HR tech, coaching, and AI spaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are common in fast-paced tech environments but are amplified here by the specific focus on AI and complex platform design. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a clear path for career advancement in leadership and specialized areas. Operations professionals who thrive on problem-solving and continuous learning will find this role rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to managing and mentoring a team of product designers, particularly across different time zones. How do you foster individual growth and team cohesion?"

• "How do you ensure design is involved upstream in the product development process? Provide an example of how you've influenced product strategy before a PRD was written."

• "Walk me through a time you had to balance multiple, competing priorities across different product surfaces. How did you manage your team's workload and ensure quality?"

• "How do you approach integrating AI tools into a design workflow? Share an example of how you've used AI to improve design efficiency or outcomes, and how you'd guide your team to do the same."

• "What are your strategies for establishing and enforcing design operations, such as review cadences, Figma hygiene, and handoff standards, to ensure quality and consistency?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about BetterUp's mission and how do you see your role contributing to human transformation?"

• "How do you foster psychological safety within a design team, especially when adopting new technologies like AI?"

• "Describe your experience working in a fast-moving, AI-forward company. How do you adapt to change and encourage experimentation?"

• "What is your understanding of a 'player-coach' role, and how do you balance hands-on design work with management responsibilities?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the business problem, your role, the solution, and the measurable impact (e.g., increased engagement, improved conversion, user satisfaction scores).

• Showcase Operations & Management: Dedicate specific slides or sections to your contributions in design operations, team management, mentorship, and how you've improved processes.

• Highlight AI Use: Be prepared to demonstrate how you've practically applied AI tools in your design process, explaining the benefits and your learning journey.

• Systems Thinking Clarity: Clearly explain how you approached complex, interconnected systems and how your designs considered the broader user ecosystem.

• Engage and Discuss: Be ready for in-depth Q&A. Treat it as a collaborative discussion rather than a one-way presentation. Ask clarifying questions about the company's current challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should center on demonstrating leadership, operational excellence, strategic thinking, and hands-on design craft, with a strong emphasis on AI integration. Candidates should prepare concrete examples that align with BetterUp's values and the specific responsibilities of the role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your people management experience, your track record in product design, specific achievements in design operations, and any experience with AI-powered design tools or complex systems. Quantify your impact wherever possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 strong case studies that best showcase your management skills, design process, operational improvements, and experience with AI. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your ability to act as a player-coach and drive quality through effective design operations.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your leadership philosophy, your approach to mentoring, your understanding of design operations, and your excitement about BetterUp's mission and AI integration. Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on clear storytelling and measurable outcomes.

• Research BetterUp: Understand their product, mission, values, and recent developments, particularly regarding their AI strategy and platform evolution. 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.