Head of Product Design

About Piano
Piano is a behavioral intelligence and monetization platform trusted by leading companies across media, e-commerce, financial services, and beyond. We help organizations understand their audiences and grow revenue through data and personalization.
We're looking for a Head of Product Design who can lead our design function through this transformation. This means building design leadership and team capabilities, fostering cross-functional collaboration, enabling adoption of new practices, and positioning design as a strategic function that directly impacts business outcomes.
You'll lead a team of 8 designers across our product portfolio (Piano Analytics, Subscriptions, Audiences, Activation). You'll own team development, design strategy, and design culture. You'll define what design excellence looks like at Piano, set expectations across the organization, and sponsor how design evolves to meet new market demands.
What You'll Own
Design Leadership & Strategy
Define design vision and direction across our product portfolio
Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing design team
Establish design standards, practices, and systems that scale
Be the strategic design voice in executive conversations (board, leadership, customers)
Partner closely with product and engineering on product strategy
Hands-On Design & Innovation
Lead design work on major strategic initiatives and new innovations
Drive how AI tools and processes reshape our design workflow and quality
Lead strategic design communications (investor pitches, market positioning, executive storytelling)
Work on complex B2B SaaS challenges and help the team navigate them
Be present on key decisions where design shapes business outcomes
Organization & Culture
Create a coaching culture where designers have clear goals and development support
Manage performance and resolve team dynamics constructively
Attract, develop, and retain excellent talent
Why This Matters
Product and Engineering output is accelerating. Design needs to scale with it. You'll:
Scale design output: Use AI tools to help designers deliver significantly more work without scaling the headcount
Grow the team's impact: Establish design as essential to product strategy and business outcomes
Shape culture: Build a design organization that develop talents and fosters excellence
Lead strategically: Be the design voice on product direction, board-level conversations, and competitive differentiation
What You Bring
Essential
5+ years leading design teams in B2B SaaS or similar environments
Genuine hands-on proficiency with AI design tools (not just theory)
Proven ability to mentor designers and build high-performing teams
Experience defining design processes, systems, and standards at organizational scale
Strong communication and executive presence
Comfort balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution
Highly Valued
Background in data-heavy and/or personalization products
Track record of improving team output and quality within constraints
Experience working with leadership teams on product strategy and business outcomes
Experience working in agile development practices (SAFe experience a strong plus)

Employment type
Full time

Work arrangement
No