Head of Design and Research

About the position At Asana, we are designing the future of teamwork. We are building a whole new category of tools made for this moment and inventing new ways for every team in the world to work together effortlessly. We are a design-driven product and a product-driven organization looking for an exceptional design leader, with strong design and business acumen, to head our design and research teams. In this role, you’ll report directly to Asana’s Head of Product and lead design excellence across the company. We need someone who enables their team’s full potential through their insightful vision, clear direction, and meaningful collaboration with our customers and partners while supporting, nurturing, and scaling a healthy design org. You will co-create a standard of design excellence across all platforms including web and mobile. In setting a vision for the organization, you will develop a culture of excellence, grow leaders, and inspire innovation. Together, we will create valuable customer experiences that propel us toward our mission: to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly. This role is based in our San Francisco or New York office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. Along with most Asanas, you’ll work from this office in person on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Most Asanas have the option to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you're interviewing for this role, your Talent Acquisition Partner will share more about the in-office requirements. About the design team We design the future of teamwork. Asana has a bold, ambitious mission: help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly. Our design team is at the heart of that mission. Asana Design is an inclusive and collaborative community. We’re a diverse group of designers from different backgrounds (product, brand and content design, design operations, producers, motion design, film, copywriting) . We are a team that loves combining research, data insights, and peer feedback into a human-centered design process to produce designs that are core to the power of our applications. We partner with people across Asana to create our product, shape our brand, and drive greater impact through design. We use design to solve challenges and create experiences that customers love. We also take the time to get weird and have fun along the way. We believe every designer should have the opportunity to grow and learn by utilizing their strengths and nurturing their interests. Learn more about our team Asana Design Asana Design Medium Asana Design Instagram Asana Design Twitter Asana Dribbble Asana culture Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging How we’ve designed a culture that fuels our business results How I advanced my career through AsanaUP How we use (and don’t use) job titles at Asana

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale Asana's global Product Design and User Research teams, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and design excellence.
• Oversee the strategic direction and execution of all user research initiatives to ensure a deep understanding of customer needs and behaviors.
• Drive the overall vision, strategy, and roadmap for the user experience across all Asana products and platforms (web and mobile).
• Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership to integrate design and research insights into the product development lifecycle.
• Champion a human-centered design process, ensuring consistent and impactful customer experiences that align with Asana’s mission.
• Mentor and develop a team of design directors and research leaders, cultivating their growth and maximizing their impact.
• Establish and maintain a high bar for design quality and user experience, continuously evolving our processes, tools, and systems.

Requirements

• Successful track record of leading large Design and Research organizations to deliver delightful and cohesive user experience at scale that produces the best outcomes for customers and the business.
• 15+ years experience in product design with at least 3 years of experience as a design executive leading orgs of 50+ members.
• Role model of cross-functional collaboration and customer orientation, action-orientation, and of leveraging those skills to achieve great results in the presence of ambiguity.
• Experience nurturing a work environment that allows everyone to bring their whole selves to work, and values diversity and inclusion, because that is where we know teams perform at their best.
• Strong customer advocacy with a penchant for data and drive to effectively use technology to solve real customer problems.
• Demonstrates curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies, with a willingness to learn and leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, or decision-making

Nice-to-haves

• Experience building SaaS products is desirable.

Benefits

• Mental health, wellness & fitness benefits
• Career coaching & support
• Inclusive family building benefits
• Long-term savings or retirement plans
• In-office culinary options to cater to your dietary preferences

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