Remote Head of UX (m/f/d)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Remote Head of UX (m/f/d)

Company: RoomPriceGenie

Location: Germany (Remote with flexibility for Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX/Design Leadership & Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-25

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote (within specified countries/time zones)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of Product Designers and User Researchers, fostering a high-performance and collaborative environment.

• Define and execute the strategic vision for the UX and Research functions, ensuring alignment with overall company objectives and product roadmap.

• Champion design thinking and user-centric methodologies across the product organization, driving design maturity and quality.

• Integrate AI into design and research workflows, establishing best practices and guardrails for its ethical and effective use.

• Act as a key advocate for UX and Research at the leadership level, influencing strategic business decisions and product direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a strategic leadership position focused on building and scaling the UX and Research function, rather than an individual contributor role. The emphasis is on people management, strategic direction, and cross-functional influence, particularly in the context of leveraging AI in design processes.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Leadership Representation & Advocacy: Champion design and research as strategic partners that shape the product roadmap and influence business strategy.

• Strategic Direction & Vision: Set a clear vision for the design and research function, defining success metrics, future direction, and contribution to company strategy.

• AI Operations & Enablement: Define the strategic direction for AI integration in design and research workflows, establishing guardrails and fostering fluency within the team and wider organization.

• Team Development & Coaching: Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and constructive feedback to team members, focusing on their professional development and career growth.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with Product Leadership to translate business priorities into a sequenced roadmap for Design & Research, and advocate for Design Thinking throughout the product lifecycle.

• Design System & Process Maturity: Drive the evolution of the component library into a robust design system and establish clear design and content playbooks to enhance consistency, efficiency, and quality.

• User Insight & Product Shaping: Ensure designers and researchers play a key role in shaping product and AI direction, grounding decisions in user insights and design perspective.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptability within the team, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across Product, Engineering, and other departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on strategic leadership, team empowerment, and the integration of emerging technologies like AI into established design operations. The emphasis on "building the function" and "raising design maturity" indicates a significant opportunity for strategic impact and process improvement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong foundation in Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Psychology, or a related field is implied by the nature of the role.

Experience: Proven experience in a senior design leadership role, with a track record of managing teams of designers and researchers and influencing product strategy at the leadership level. Experience in building or maturing a design function from the ground up is essential.

Required Skills:

• Design Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop design and research teams.

• UX Strategy: Expertise in defining and executing strategic visions for design and research functions.

• Team Management: Experience managing teams of designers and researchers, including career framework development and performance coaching.

• Product Design & User Research: A genuine understanding and appreciation for both disciplines, with the ability to support and guide teams in these areas.

• Design Systems: Experience in building or evolving component libraries into robust design systems.

• Stakeholder Management: Ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics and advocate effectively for design and research.

• AI Operations Integration: Curiosity and strategic thinking around how AI can be integrated into design and research workflows.

• Design Thinking & Maturity: Proven ability to raise design and research maturity within an organization.

• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, adept at translating design value to diverse audiences.

• Feedback & Coaching: Competence in providing and receiving direct feedback and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the hotel or travel industry.

• Familiarity with building or scaling teams in a startup or scale-up environment.

• Experience working in scale-ups or startups, comfortable with ambiguity.

• Experience building and maintaining a comprehensive design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize leadership experience and strategic thinking over deep individual contribution in design or research. The "nice to have" section provides excellent insight into the company's stage of growth and the desired candidate profile for a fast-paced environment. The AI aspect is framed as a learning opportunity rather than a prerequisite expertise.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Leadership Impact: Demonstrate through case studies how you have led design and research initiatives that significantly impacted product strategy and business outcomes.

• Team Development: Showcase examples of how you have mentored, coached, and developed design and research teams, including career progression initiatives.

• Process & System Building: Provide evidence of establishing or maturing design processes, systems, playbooks, or ways of working from inception.

• Strategic Vision: Illustrate your ability to set a clear vision for a design function and translate it into actionable roadmaps.

• AI Integration Strategy: Articulate your strategic thinking on how AI can be leveraged within design and research operations, even if theoretical or early-stage.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Examples of how you've designed or optimized workflows for design and research teams to improve efficiency and quality.

• Design System Implementation: Documentations or case studies related to the development and implementation of design systems or component libraries.

• Cross-Functional Process Integration: Evidence of embedding design thinking and user-centric processes into the broader product development lifecycle.

• Maturity Improvement: Showcase initiatives taken to raise the overall maturity of design and research functions within an organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not explicitly requesting a portfolio of personal design work, the role strongly implies the need to demonstrate leadership in process creation, team enablement, and strategic implementation. A candidate's ability to articulate their experience in "building the function" and "raising maturity" will be critical, likely through a presentation or discussion of past achievements.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €95,000 - €125,000 per year. This range is competitive for a Head of UX role in Germany and reflects the senior leadership nature of the position and the specified remote work locations within the EU.

Benefits:

• Remote-First Model: Work from almost anywhere within specified countries (Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland).

• Flexible Working Hours: Adapt your schedule to balance work and personal life.

• Growth and Development: Access to personal and professional development opportunities, including up to three extra days off per year for growth focus.

• Loyalty Reward: Five weeks of bonus vacation time after five years of service.

• Birthday Celebrations: Take your birthday off as a paid holiday.

• Wellbeing Support: Subscription to Headspace for mental wellbeing and access to BetterHelp for professional online therapy and counseling.

• Team Gatherings: Annual global team gatherings and regular co-working opportunities in Mannheim, Berlin, or Sydney.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week (standard full-time, with flexibility).

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided based on the direct input. The benefits list is comprehensive, highlighting a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and continuous learning, which are attractive to senior operations and leadership roles. The remote-first policy with specific country limitations is clearly defined.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Hospitality Technology (SaaS for hotel pricing optimization).

Company Size: Startup/Scale-up environment, actively growing and expanding its customer base. The design and research team is currently small (3 people).

Founded: 2017. RoomPriceGenie aims to simplify digitalization for hoteliers and optimize their revenue through intelligent pricing.

Team Structure:

• The UX/Design function is a small, focused team of two product designers and one user researcher, reporting to this Head of UX role.

• This role will be part of the broader Product Leadership team, collaborating closely with Product Management and Engineering.

• The company culture emphasizes transparency, respect, and a shared mission, evidenced by a high team member score (9.3). Methodology:

• Data-Driven Pricing: The core product leverages algorithms analyzing hotel data and market trends for optimal pricing recommendations.

• User-Centric Product Development: The Head of UX will champion Design Thinking and user insight to ground product and AI direction.

• Agile & Iterative: As a startup/scale-up, expect an agile approach to product development with a focus on continuous improvement and rapid iteration.

• AI Integration: A key strategic focus is on how AI can be integrated into product features and internal workflows.

Company Website: https://roompricegenie.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to empower hoteliers with technology is a strong differentiator. The startup/scale-up context means candidates should be comfortable with evolving processes and a dynamic environment. The emphasis on AI is a forward-looking aspect that will shape the future of the product and the UX function.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Head of UX (Senior Leadership). This role is responsible for defining and executing the strategy for a critical function (UX/Research) within the product organization. It involves people management, strategic planning, and cross-functional influence.

Reporting Structure: The Head of UX will report to senior product or company leadership (e.g., CPO, CEO, Head of Product) and will manage a team of two Product Designers and one User Researcher.

Operations Impact: This role has a significant impact on the product's success by ensuring user needs are met, driving design maturity, and shaping the strategic direction of product development. The Head of UX will directly influence revenue through improved product usability and adoption by hoteliers.

Growth Opportunities:

• Functional Leadership: Opportunity to build and scale the UX and Research function from its current stage, establishing best practices and processes.

• Strategic Influence: Directly contribute to the company's strategic roadmap and product direction, particularly concerning AI integration and user experience.

• Team Development: Develop leadership skills by mentoring and growing a talented team, potentially expanding the team as the company scales.

• Industry Expertise: Gain deeper knowledge of the hospitality tech industry and SaaS product development in a growth-stage company.

• AI & Design Innovation: Lead the charge in exploring and implementing AI-driven design and research methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers substantial growth potential for an experienced design leader looking to make a significant impact in a growing company. The opportunity to shape a function and influence strategy, especially with the AI integration aspect, is a key selling point.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Remote-First. While the company has co-working locations (Mannheim, Berlin, Sydney), the primary mode of work is remote within the specified countries.

Office Location(s): Co-working spaces available in Mannheim, Berlin, and Sydney for those who wish to use them or for team gatherings. The remote work is restricted to Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, and Germany.

Workspace Context:

• Flexibility & Autonomy: The remote-first model offers significant flexibility in managing one's workspace and daily schedule.

• Collaborative Tools: Expect to utilize a suite of digital collaboration tools for communication, project management, and design/research activities.

• Team Interaction: While remote, the company fosters team connection through regular virtual meetings, annual in-person gatherings, and optional co-working days.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are offered, with an assumed standard of 40 hours per week. The remote location requirements suggest a need to align with at least one primary time zone (likely CET/CEST given the Germany HQ and EU focus).

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote-First Model" with specific country limitations is crucial for candidates to note. The company actively promotes connection and collaboration despite the remote nature, which is important for team cohesion and leadership effectiveness.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

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

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deep dive with the hiring manager (likely Head of Product or CPO) to discuss leadership philosophy, strategic vision, and team management approach.

• Team/Peer Interviews: Meetings with members of the design/research team and potentially Product/Engineering peers to assess collaboration style and leadership impact.

• Leadership/Case Study Presentation: A presentation of past work, strategic initiatives, or a hypothetical case study demonstrating leadership in building a design function, integrating AI, and driving product strategy.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a co-founder or CEO to discuss overall company fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership & Strategy: Instead of a traditional portfolio of individual design work, prepare to present case studies that highlight your leadership experience, strategic decision-making, and impact on team development and product outcomes.

• Process & System Building: Be ready to articulate the processes, systems, and playbooks you've established or improved, showcasing your ability to build and scale a design function.

• AI Integration Vision: Clearly articulate your strategic thinking on how AI can be integrated into design and research workflows, demonstrating forward-thinking and adaptability.

• Team Management & Mentoring: Prepare examples of how you've coached, mentored, and developed team members, illustrating your leadership style and commitment to growth.

• Stakeholder Management: Use examples to demonstrate how you've successfully navigated stakeholder dynamics and advocated for design and research at the leadership level.

Challenge Preparation:

• Strategic Vision Presentation: Be prepared to present your vision for the UX/Research function at RoomPriceGenie, including how you would foster design maturity and integrate AI.

• Team Development Case Study: Prepare a detailed example of a time you developed or significantly improved a design team's performance and capabilities.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate questions related to managing competing priorities, stakeholder conflicts, and driving consensus in a remote, fast-paced environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is expected to heavily weigh strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and experience in building operational functions, aligning with the role's senior leadership nature. The portfolio review will be less about individual design execution and more about demonstrated leadership impact and strategic planning.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Tools: While the Head of UX won't be pushing pixels, they will need a deep understanding of tools used by their team, likely including Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, and prototyping tools like InVision or Principle.

• User Research Platforms: Experience with tools for user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and data analysis (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Dovetail).

• AI Tools for Design: Familiarity with emerging AI tools for design assistance, content generation, and research analysis (e.g., Midjourney, DALL-E, AI writing assistants, AI-powered research analysis tools).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Understanding of tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Pendo for tracking user behavior and product performance.

• BI/Dashboard Tools: Familiarity with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for data visualization and reporting to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly managing a CRM, understanding its role in customer data and how UX impacts customer lifecycle (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot).

• Project Management & Collaboration: Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, Slack, and Confluence are essential for managing team workflows and communication in a remote setting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis is on understanding the capabilities and strategic application of these tools rather than hands-on proficiency. The ability to guide the team's tool selection and integration, especially concerning AI, will be key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• User-Centricity: A fundamental belief in understanding and serving the user (hoteliers) to drive product success and company growth.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging both user insights and business metrics to inform design and product strategy.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and teamwork across departments are essential for success in a remote, fast-paced environment.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new technologies like AI and adapting to the evolving needs of the hospitality industry.

• Impact & Ownership: A drive to make a tangible impact on the business and a willingness to take ownership of initiatives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales to ensure a cohesive product experience and go-to-market strategy.

• Empathetic Leadership: A compassionate and supportive leadership style that fosters psychological safety and encourages open feedback.

• Constructive Critique: A culture where feedback is seen as a gift, enabling continuous improvement for both individuals and the team's output.

• **Remote-First Communication