Senior Product Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Design Manager

Company: Fivetran

Location: Denver, Colorado, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design Management / GTM Operations (through influencing product strategy)

Date Posted: 2026-07-31T00:43:54

Experience Level: 8+ Years (with 5+ years in management)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of product designers focused on dbt Labs' technical data products, fostering a culture of high-quality craft and continuous improvement.

• Define and drive the overarching UX strategy for dbt's product suite, aligning design priorities with product outcomes and business objectives.

• Provide expert design direction for complex, technical data workflows, including ELT, analytics engineering, and developer tools, ensuring usability for expert practitioner users.

• Shape the design strategy for AI-powered and agentic product experiences, focusing on making AI assistance understandable, useful, and safe for high-stakes technical work.

• Play a pivotal role in integrating the Fivetran and dbt Labs design organizations, fostering a unified product experience and design culture during a period of significant organizational evolution.

• Develop and implement an AI-native design operating model, integrating AI across the design lifecycle to enhance efficiency and quality for the design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is in Product Design, its focus on technical data products, AI-powered experiences, and influencing product strategy for data teams positions it closely to GTM Operations through its impact on how users interact with and derive value from data infrastructure. The emphasis on technical fluency and understanding complex data workflows is critical for operations professionals.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Manage, coach, and develop a team of product designers, setting clear expectations, providing actionable feedback, and supporting career growth for individuals working on dbt platform and CLI-based products.

• Define and drive the UX strategy for dbt's product experience, identifying high-impact opportunities and acting as a strategic peer to Product and Engineering leadership in roadmap discussions.

• Set design direction for complex, technical workflows used by practitioners, demonstrating technical fluency to understand the domain and evaluate tradeoffs in areas like data workflows, ELT, analytics engineering, developer tools, and infrastructure.

• Lead the design strategy for AI-powered and agentic experiences within dbt, focusing on designing systems where humans and AI agents interact effectively with data infrastructure.

• Contribute significantly to the integration of Fivetran and dbt Labs design functions, merging systems, processes, and culture, and helping designers navigate organizational changes.

• Operationalize AI across the design lifecycle (research synthesis, ideation, prototyping, documentation, design QA) by establishing shared workflows, quality standards, and review practices.

• Partner with the Director of Product Design, Product, and Engineering leadership to define cross-functional standards for AI-generated work, ensuring human oversight and continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of people leadership, strategic UX direction, and deep domain expertise in data infrastructure. The emphasis on AI operationalization is a key differentiator, requiring a forward-thinking approach to design processes and team enablement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio and demonstrated experience in product design and management within technical domains are paramount. Relevant certifications or advanced coursework in design, AI, or data systems could be beneficial.

Experience:

• 8+ years of overall product design experience.

• Minimum of 5 years managing and developing product designers.

• Proven experience in leading design for technically complex products.

• Demonstrated success in owning and driving UX strategy for significant product areas.

• Experience operationalizing AI workflows for design teams at scale. Required Skills:

• People Management: Strong skills in coaching, performance development, direct feedback, team culture building, and career growth support.

• UX Strategy: Ability to define, drive, and champion UX strategy that influences product direction and outcomes.

• Technical Domain Fluency: Comfort and ability to reason about complex technical domains such as ELT, data infrastructure, analytics engineering, developer tools, cloud platforms, and AI/agentic systems.

• AI/Agentic Design: Deep understanding of AI features, copilots, and agentic workflows, with experience designing for these paradigms.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Proven ability to lead and collaborate effectively with Product Management, Engineering, Research, Data, Marketing, and executive stakeholders.

• Design Craft & Direction: A leadership style focused on providing strategic direction, constructive critique, and coaching, rather than solely acting as an individual contributor designer.

• Change Leadership: Experience guiding teams through organizational change, process integration, and cultural evolution.

• Operationalization of AI: Experience in defining how designers use AI across the entire design lifecycle, establishing workflows, standards, review practices, and quality thresholds.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing for expert technical users (data engineers, analytics engineers, software engineers, platform teams, security teams).

• Familiarity with data governance, observability, or adjacent enterprise infrastructure products.

• Experience in integrating design systems and processes across merged or evolving organizations.

• Knowledge of AI ethics and safety considerations in technical product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize leadership experience and a deep understanding of technical domains, particularly in data infrastructure and AI. The ability to operationalize AI within a design team is a unique and critical requirement, suggesting a need for candidates with a strong grasp of process and efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Leadership & Strategy: Demonstrate examples of how you've led design teams, shaped UX strategy, and influenced product roadmaps, with a focus on dbt Labs' technical domain.

• Technical Product Design: Showcase case studies of designing complex, technical products (e.g., data infrastructure, developer tools, AI-driven workflows) and the impact of your design decisions.

• AI/Agentic Design: Include examples of designing AI-powered or agentic product experiences, detailing the problem, your approach, and the outcomes achieved.

• Team Development & Process Improvement: Provide evidence of your ability to develop designers, build strong team cultures, and improve design processes, particularly in the context of AI integration.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Illustrate instances where you've successfully partnered with Product and Engineering leadership on product direction and delivery.

Process Documentation:

• AI Integration Workflows: Document how you've implemented AI tools and workflows within the design lifecycle (research synthesis, ideation, prototyping, documentation, QA), including established standards and review practices.

• UX Strategy Frameworks: Showcase your methodology for defining and driving UX strategy, connecting design initiatives to product outcomes and business goals.

• Technical Design Process: Detail your approach to designing for complex technical domains, including how you ensure technical fluency and effective collaboration with engineering.

• Change Management Protocols: Outline processes and strategies used to guide design teams through organizational integration and evolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates will need to demonstrate not only design output but also strategic thinking, leadership, and a structured approach to process, especially concerning the integration of AI into design operations. A portfolio that highlights impact on product strategy and team development will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $201,765 - $252,206 USD per year (Denver, CO)

Benefits:

• 100% employer-paid medical insurance (may vary by country/worker type)

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Paid sick time

• Inclusive parental leave policy

• Holidays

• Volunteer days off

• RSU stock grants (may vary by country/worker type)

• Professional development and training opportunities

• Monthly cell phone stipend

• Access to an innovative mental health support platform (therapy, coaching, self-guided mindfulness)

Working Hours: The standard working hours are implied to be 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time role. The hybrid nature suggests flexibility in balancing on-site and remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to Denver, Colorado. It's crucial for candidates to confirm the exact range for their location with the recruiter. The benefits package is comprehensive, with a strong emphasis on health and well-being, professional growth, and equity through stock grants.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Data Infrastructure, Software as a Service (SaaS), AI

Company Size: Fivetran is a significant player in the data industry, having been valued at over $5.6 billion. The combined entity with dbt Labs represents a substantial force. The specific size of the design team or the dbt Labs product group is not detailed but is implied to be substantial enough to warrant a management role.

Founded: Fivetran was founded prior to 2012. dbt Labs (formerly known as dbt) also has a significant history in the analytics engineering space. The merger signifies a strategic consolidation of leading data companies.

Team Structure:

• The role reports to the Director of Product Design.

• The Senior Product Design Manager will lead a team of product designers focused on dbt Labs' products.

• This role requires close partnership with Product Management and Engineering leadership within the dbt Labs product organization.

• Cross-functional collaboration will extend to Research, Data, Marketing, and executive stakeholders. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Product Development: Fivetran's mission emphasizes making data access as reliable as electricity, indicating a strong reliance on data to drive product decisions and operational efficiency.

• Focus on Practitioner Experience: Both Fivetran and dbt Labs serve technical users (data engineers, analytics engineers), implying a design methodology that prioritizes the needs, workflows, and efficiency of expert practitioners.

• AI Integration: A proactive approach to integrating AI into product experiences and design workflows is a key methodology for this role.

• Process Optimization: The emphasis on operationalizing AI and leading teams through change suggests a strong focus on optimizing design processes for efficiency and quality.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The merger of Fivetran and dbt Labs creates a unique environment for design leaders. The culture likely blends Fivetran's operational excellence and scale with dbt Labs' focus on analytics engineering best practices. The emphasis on technical users and data infrastructure is central to the company's mission.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership role within Product Design, focused on managing a team and driving strategy for a critical product area (dbt Labs). It sits at a level where individuals are expected to influence product direction, foster team growth, and contribute to broader organizational strategy, particularly in the evolving landscape of AI in data products.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the Director of Product Design, indicating a clear line of management and strategic oversight. Collaboration with Product and Engineering leads is a core component, placing this role at the nexus of product development.

Operations Impact: Through shaping the user experience of dbt Labs' products, this role has a significant impact on how data teams build, transform, govern, and trust their data. By improving the efficiency and effectiveness of these processes via design, the role directly contributes to organizations becoming more data-driven, which is Fivetran's core mission. The influence on AI-powered data products also positions it to impact the future of data analytics and AI adoption.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow into managing larger design teams or broader product portfolios as the Fivetran and dbt Labs integration progresses.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to become a key voice in the company's overall product strategy, especially concerning AI integration and data infrastructure user experience.

• Specialization in AI Design: Deepen expertise in designing AI-native experiences for technical users, becoming a thought leader in this emerging field.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: The strong emphasis on collaboration with Product and Engineering could open doors to product management or technical program management roles.

• Mentorship & Development: Extensive opportunities to mentor and develop product designers, building a strong personal leadership brand.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential for design leaders looking to make a strategic impact within the data infrastructure and AI space. The opportunity to shape a unified product experience and lead through a period of integration is a unique career-defining experience.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as Hybrid, meaning employees will split their time between working remotely and working from a physical office location. This suggests a blend of focused individual work and collaborative team interaction.

Office Location(s): The primary advertised location is Denver, Colorado. Fivetran operates globally, so other office locations may exist, but the hybrid model implies regular presence at a designated office in or near Denver.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and the nature of design leadership necessitate regular collaboration with designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders, likely facilitated through in-person meetings and remote collaboration tools.

• Tools & Technology: The design team will have access to standard design software, collaboration platforms, and potentially AI tools for design assistance. The company's focus on data infrastructure implies a robust technology stack.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with the design team, product leadership, and cross-functional partners will be a key aspect of the workspace, both in-office and virtually.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time working hours (estimated 40 hours/week) with a hybrid arrangement, offering flexibility in how and where work is performed, balanced with in-office requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is typical for many tech companies, offering a balance of flexibility and in-person collaboration. Candidates should expect a dynamic workplace that values both independent contribution and teamwork, particularly in the context of a significant organizational merger.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application and resume, assessing alignment with the core requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the Director of Product Design to discuss your experience, leadership philosophy, strategic approach, and fit for the team.

• Portfolio Review: A dedicated session to present your work. This will likely involve showcasing case studies that demonstrate your leadership, strategic thinking, technical design capabilities, AI experience, and process improvement initiatives. Be prepared to discuss your role, the challenges, your approach, and the impact of your work.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Management and Engineering leaders to assess your collaborative style, technical fluency, and ability to partner effectively.

• Team Interviews: Potentially meet with some of the product designers you would manage to gauge team dynamics and cultural fit.

• Executive/Final Interview: A final conversation with a senior leader to confirm overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership & Strategy: Showcase how you’ve led teams, influenced product direction, and driven strategic UX initiatives. Quantify impact where possible.

• Highlight Technical Domain Expertise: Include case studies on complex technical products, emphasizing your understanding of the user (e.g., data engineers) and the challenges they face.

• Demonstrate AI Design Experience: Clearly articulate your approach to designing AI-powered or agentic experiences. Detail the nuances of building trust and utility in these systems.

• Showcase Process Innovation: Present examples of how you've improved design processes, particularly in operationalizing AI tools for design teams. Detail the workflows, standards, and quality metrics you established.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your design strategies and team efforts (e.g., improved user efficiency, adoption rates, impact on product outcomes).

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies to tell a compelling narrative – problem, your role, solution, challenges, and outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• Strategic Design Challenge: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you need to define UX strategy for a new AI feature or address a complex technical design problem within the dbt Labs product suite.

• Leadership Scenario: You might be asked to describe how you would handle a specific team management challenge, motivate designers, or navigate a conflict with another department.

• AI Operationalization Discussion: Expect questions about how you would implement or scale AI within a design team, including considerations for quality, ethics, and integration.

• Company & Product Knowledge: Research Fivetran, dbt Labs, their products, and the competitive landscape in data infrastructure and AI. Understand their mission and values.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh leadership, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of technical products and AI. A well-curated portfolio that showcases these elements and demonstrates a structured approach to process and team development will be critical for success.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision, or similar.

• Collaboration Platforms: Experience with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence for team communication and project management.

• AI Design Tools: Familiarity with AI-powered tools for design assistance (e.g., AI-assisted prototyping, content generation, research synthesis tools).

• User Research Tools: Experience with platforms for user interviews, usability testing, and feedback collection (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Pendo to understand user behavior and product performance.

• Data Visualization: Experience interpreting data from dashboards and reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) to inform design decisions.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM, understanding how product design impacts user adoption and retention within a SaaS context is important. Familiarity with CRM principles and their connection to user experience is beneficial.

• Integration Awareness: Understanding how design choices impact the integration of data pipelines and transformations (core to Fivetran/dbt Labs) is key for technical fluency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI-native design and technical products suggests a need for familiarity with emerging AI design tools and a strong understanding of how design integrates with complex data workflows and infrastructure.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Get Stuck In: A proactive, hands-on approach to problem-solving and driving initiatives, especially relevant during the integration phase.

• Do the Right Thing: Emphasizing ethical considerations, data integrity, and serving the needs of technical practitioners with high-stakes work.

• One Team, One Dream: Fostering collaboration, unity, and a shared vision, particularly crucial for merging Fivetran and dbt Labs teams.

• Data-Driven: Using data and insights to inform design decisions, measure impact, and optimize processes.

• Technical Excellence: A commitment to understanding and designing for complex technical domains with precision and rigor.

Collaboration Style:

• Strategic Partnership: Working closely with Product and Engineering leadership as a peer to define product strategy and roadmap.

• Empowerment & Support: Creating an environment where designers feel supported, challenged, and empowered to do their best work.

• Cross-functional Integration: Building strong relationships across departments to ensure a cohesive product experience and drive business outcomes.

• Iterative Feedback: Encouraging a culture of continuous feedback and iteration among the design team and with stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are strongly geared towards execution, integrity, and teamwork. The collaboration style required for this role emphasizes strategic influence and enabling the success of both the design team and cross-functional partners.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Integration Complexity: Navigating the merger of Fivetran and dbt Labs design teams, systems, and cultures. This requires strong change management and communication skills.

• Designing for Technical Users: Deepening understanding of complex data infrastructure, analytics engineering, and developer workflows to design effective solutions for expert practitioners.

• AI Design Maturity: Leading the team in designing AI-powered and agentic experiences, which are rapidly evolving and require careful consideration of utility, safety, and user trust.

• Balancing Craft and Management: Shifting focus from individual design contribution to strategic direction, coaching, and team development while maintaining a high standard of design craft.

• Operationalizing AI in Design: Establishing robust, scalable workflows for AI integration in design, ensuring quality and efficiency without compromising creativity or user experience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Product Strategy: Gaining deep expertise in the application of AI within data infrastructure and analytics.

• Leadership Development: Enhancing people management skills, strategic planning, and change leadership capabilities.

• Data Ecosystem Expertise: Broadening knowledge of the entire data lifecycle, from data movement (Fivetran) to transformation and governance (dbt Labs).

• Industry Trends: Staying at the forefront of advancements in AI, data engineering, and product design methodologies.

• Mentorship Programs: Participating in or leading mentorship initiatives within the design organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but offer substantial growth opportunities for a leader ready to tackle complex strategic and operational issues in a high-impact domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to defining UX strategy for a complex technical product like dbt. How do you ensure it aligns with business goals and engineering constraints?"

• "How would you lead a design team through a significant organizational integration, such as the Fivetran/dbt Labs merger? What are your key strategies for maintaining morale and focus?"

• "Walk us through your process for designing AI-powered or agentic product experiences for technical users. What are the critical considerations for building trust and utility in these systems?"

• "How do you operationalize AI within a design team? What workflows, standards, and quality checks would you implement to ensure effective and responsible AI-assisted design?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your research, how do you see the Fivetran and dbt Labs cultures merging from a design perspective? How would you foster a unified design philosophy?"

• "Our values are 'Get Stuck In,' 'Do the Right Thing,' and 'One Team, One Dream.' How have you embodied these values in your previous leadership roles?"

• "How do you ensure your design team is collaborating effectively with Product Management and Engineering to achieve shared product goals?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic role as a leader, the challenges encountered, your design approach (especially regarding technical complexity and AI), the solutions implemented, and the quantifiable business or user outcomes.

• Focus on Leadership: Emphasize your role in guiding the team, setting direction, and influencing product strategy, rather than solely showcasing individual design execution.

• Technical Fluency Demonstration: Be prepared to discuss technical concepts and trade-offs credibly during your case study walkthrough.

• AI Design Nuances: Clearly differentiate between AI features, copilots, and agentic workflows in your examples. Explain the specific design considerations for each.

• Process & Operationalization: Highlight your experience in refining design processes, especially with regard to AI integration, and the metrics used to measure efficiency and quality improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on articulating strategic leadership, deep understanding of technical domains, and a forward-thinking approach to AI in design. Demonstrating how you foster team growth and manage change will be crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the Fivetran careers portal (link provided in the original job posting).

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your experience in product design management, UX strategy, technical product design, and AI-powered experiences. Use keywords from the job description such as "people management," "UX strategy," "technical data products," and "AI-powered design."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-4 compelling case studies that best showcase your leadership, strategic thinking, technical design expertise, AI design experience, and process improvement initiatives. Ensure these align with the requirements outlined in this description.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your leadership philosophy, your approach to team management, your strategic vision for dbt Labs' UX, and your experience with AI integration during your portfolio presentation.

• Research Fivetran & dbt Labs: Understand their products, mission, values, and recent developments. Familiarize yourself with the data infrastructure and analytics engineering landscape.

⚠️ 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.