Product Design Director in London

Product Design Director in London

London Full-Time 60000 - 75000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
hackajob

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a talented design team to create a world-class investment experience.
  • Company: Wise, a global tech company revolutionising money management.
  • Benefits: Inclusive culture, career growth, and the chance to make a real impact.
  • Other info: Join a diverse team committed to building money without borders.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of finance and empower millions with your design expertise.
  • Qualifications: Proven design leadership in fintech or complex domains.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.

Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.

As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money. For everyone, everywhere.

More about our mission and what we offer. How do you make investing feel as effortless as sending money? How do you take something as intimidating as risk appetite, currency diversification and tax reporting, and make it feel genuinely simple? How do you build a world‑class investment experience for millions of people, across dozens of currencies and markets, and make it feel like it was made just for them? How do you lead a team of talented designers to do all of this, and ship work they're truly proud of?

These are just a few of the challenges a Design Director will get to work on as part of Wise's global mission to build an open, fair, and human financial system. Right now, we move over £12 billion every month for over 16 million people — but we're only 2% done. Because more people without borders deserve money without borders.

Your Mission: You’ll lead designers of all crafts working across the cross‑functional teams that make up the Grow squad at Wise. We’re rethinking how people can earn a return on all of their money — no matter the currency, goal or risk appetite. In this role, you’ll own the vision and strategy for design in Grow, and direct your team to deliver a world‑class investment experience for consumer and business customers around the world. You’ll make complex processes — choosing an investment product, understanding gains, paying tax — feel easy and effortless. And you’ll build the design systems and leadership structures that help the squad scale across new markets without losing what makes the experience great.

How You’ll Be Contributing:

  • Partnering with Product and Engineering leadership to provide unified leadership for the Grow squad — setting the vision, defining strategy, and coaching teams to deliver it.
  • Owning the design strategy for the Grow Squad — shaping the design agenda across consumer and business investment experiences, and defining what Great looks like across every surface.
  • Staying hands‑on in the most important design challenges — leading through the work itself, shaping the highest‑stakes experiences directly and setting the creative standard by example.
  • Leading, mentoring and helping develop all Designers in the squad, across product design, content design and research — accountable for their performance, growth and the quality of their work.
  • Proactively integrating AI into the team's design workflow and operational practices — identifying where it accelerates craft, reduces friction, and creates new possibilities, and driving adoption across the squad.
  • Creating compelling, empirically supported narratives that influence the Grow roadmap and shape perspectives at the most senior levels of the business.
  • Building systems and frameworks that help the squad scale intelligently — across markets, currencies, regulatory environments and customer types, balancing a global vision with local nuance.
  • Working with Design Directors from other squads to create a single, seamless experience for customers across the Wise product.
  • Evangelising Grow's design strategy across the tribe and wider business — connecting great design decisions to business outcomes and company mission.

This Role Will Give You The Opportunity To:

  • Build and lead a talented, multi‑disciplinary design team — and be the best, most hands‑on leader they've ever had.
  • Stay deep in the craft on a genuinely hard and important design challenge: making complex financial concepts feel simple and human for millions of people.
  • Define what “great” looks like for investment experience design, and elevate your team to deliver it.
  • Shape how AI changes the way a world‑class design team works — not as an experiment, but as a core part of how the squad operates.
  • Set the standard for quality, creativity and accountability in one of Wise's highest‑impact squads.
  • Be part of a positive change in the world. We’re fixing a broken, greedy system, and putting people and businesses in control of their money.

About You: You’re an accomplished Design Leader with deep experience leading multi‑disciplinary teams to ship world‑class consumer products — ideally with experience in fintech or other complex, regulated domains. You’re still hands‑on. You lead through the work, not above it — and your team knows the difference. You have a strong track record of owning and delivering design strategy — not just contributing to it — and can point to clear evidence of design having driven measurable business outcomes. You’re already using AI tools in your design practice, and you have a genuine point of view on how they change the way design teams should operate. You create compelling, evidence‑backed narratives that build conviction at senior levels of a business, without losing the nuance that matters to customers. You have a sharp eye for quality across all design crafts, and the leadership skills to coach others to achieve it. You’re influential and inspiring — able to lead effectively in a culture that values autonomy and empowerment. You’re highly empathetic, both to customers and the people you work with. You’re a trusted partner, building strong, collaborative relationships with Product, Engineering and other business functions. Your work, presence and thought leadership attracts top design talent.

For everyone, everywhere. We’re people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive. We’re proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences. Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.

Product Design Director in London employer: hackajob

Wise is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises innovation and collaboration. As a Product Design Director, you'll lead a talented team in a mission-driven environment, with ample opportunities for professional growth and the chance to make a meaningful impact on the global financial landscape. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, Wise fosters an empowering atmosphere where every employee can thrive and contribute to building a fairer financial system for everyone, everywhere.

hackajob

Contact Details:

hackajob Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Product Design Director in London

Join Product Management Meetups

Get involved in local product management meetups or workshops. These events are perfect for meeting industry folks, sharing ideas, and staying updated on trends. Plus, you never know who might be hiring—it's a fantastic way to make connections that could lead to a job at places like hackajob!

Show Off Your Product Sense

Create case studies or mini-projects showcasing your product management skills, and share them on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn. This not only puts your skills on display but also boosts your visibility in the product community. Imagine how impressed the hiring team at hackajob would be by your initiative!

Utilise Online Communities

Dive into online product management communities like Product Coalition or Mind the Product. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your insights. These platforms are goldmines for networking and finding hidden job opportunities—many companies often scout talent from within these circles.

Leverage Your University Network

If you’ve recently graduated or are still in uni, tap into your alumni network for connections in product management. Many universities have their own job boards and affinity resources to help graduates land roles. Don't forget to keep an eye out for job openings at hackajob through your school's career services!

We think you need these skills to ace Product Design Director in London

Design Leadership
Multi-disciplinary Team Management
Design Strategy Ownership
Hands-on Design Experience
AI Integration in Design
Narrative Creation
Quality Assurance in Design

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Product Design Director, let your passion for developing products shine through in your cover letter. Share specific examples of products you've managed, how you solved user needs, and any successful outcomes you've achieved. This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the product lifecycle!

Highlight Your Cross-Functional Skills:Product management isn't just about understanding the product; it’s about collaborating with different teams! Make sure to emphasise your experience working with developers, designers, and marketers. Use your CV to showcase your ability to bridge gaps between these areas, and include relevant experiences that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills!

Include Your Metrics and Achievements:In a full-time product management application, data speaks volumes! Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you increase user retention by a certain percentage? Launch a product ahead of schedule? Include these metrics in your CV to paint a picture of your impact and effectiveness in previous roles.

Tailor Your CV to the Role:Make sure your CV is tailored for the Product Design Director position at hackajob. Use keywords from the job description and ensure your relevant experiences are front and centre. Highlight any certifications or relevant training you’ve completed that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for the role. And remember, we’re excited to see your application on our website!

How to prepare for a job interview at hackajob

Understand the Product Life Cycle

As a product management candidate, we need to get our head around the complete product life cycle. Be prepared to discuss real-world examples of how you’ve managed product development from ideation to launch. Bring specific insights on tools like JIRA or Trello that can help streamline these processes.

Showcase Your Cross-Functional Skills

Product management is all about collaboration. We should be ready to highlight how we’ve worked across teams—think marketing, engineering, and design. Prepare to discuss scenarios where you had to mediate differing opinions and how you got everyone on board with a shared vision.

Prepare for Case Studies

In a full-time role, we can expect to encounter case study questions during our interviews. Practise solving hypothetical product problems on the spot, such as prioritising features for a new app or improving user engagement metrics. This will show our analytical thinking and decision-making skills.

Know Your Metrics

Let’s face it, numbers are our best friends in product management. We should prepare to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) and how we've used analytics to inform product decisions. Dive into examples where data has driven our strategy for improvements or justified product changes.