Head of UX

Help us use technology to make a big green dent in the universe! Kraken powers some of the most innovative global developments in energy. We’re a technology company focused on creating a smart, sustainable energy system. From optimising renewable generation, creating a more intelligent grid and enabling utilities to provide excellent customer experiences, our operating system for energy is transforming the industry around the world in a way that benefits everyone. It’s an exciting time in energy. Help us make a real impact on shaping a better, more sustainable future. Help us reinvent how the world experiences energy, making it so intuitive that people forget it was ever hard. Kraken is the tech platform driving the global green energy revolution.

We’re powering the shift to renewables, smart grids, and AI-driven customer experiences. Now we need a Head of UX who’s not just “good at design,” but someone who can change how an entire industry thinks about experience. This is a role for a systems thinker, culture builder, product shaper, and standards-setter. Someone who can scale craft without killing creativity. Someone who knows when to say “no” with data and when to say “hell yes, let’s try it.”

What you’ll own:

• The design system, but making it iconic – You’ll build and evolve Kraken’s design system into the single source of truth that powers multiple product lines. Think tokens, variants, accessibility, AI patterns, and customer journeys that are all coherently orchestrated.
• A UX bar so high that “Kraken UX” becomes a household name – Define what “great” means at Kraken. Set the standards for interaction, content, research, accessibility, and product storytelling. Make “Kraken UX” something people reference in interviews elsewhere.
• A team that other teams try to poach – Lead, level‑up, and inspire a global crew of designers, researchers, and design‑systems nerds.
• Grow manager-of-managers – Build a culture of critique that people brag about. Create the conditions for the best work of their careers.
• Be a 3‑in‑a‑box power player – You’ll shape product bets, influence priorities, and co‑create strategy with Product and Engineering. If a solution stinks for users, you’ll stop the room.
• A research engine that kills guesswork – You’ll make insights impossible to ignore through continuous discovery, strong qualitative and quantitative triangulation, and evidence baked into product decisions.
• Craft at scale without the bureaucracy – Design Ops, rituals, tooling, and playbooks without the design theater and pixel policing. You’ll scale clarity, not process for process’s sake.

What you bring:

• 8–12+ years in UX/Product Design, including leading managers at a high‑growth SaaS or tech scale‑up. (You’ve built systems, not just screens. Bonus if you’ve done it across multiple products.)
• A portfolio that shows systems thinking, principled decisions, and business impact; not just glossy UI.
• Real scars and glory from owning a design system at scale (adoption battles, legacy migrations, dev partnership, governance).
• You influence product direction through storytelling, clarity, and data, not volume.
• You know how to balance speed + craft, and when “done” needs to be “excellent.”
• A clear POV on AI in UX: for users, for designers, and for the future of product experience.
• Bonus points for experience in complex or regulated spaces (energy, fintech, gov, healthcare) where the stakes are high and failure is visible.
• A track record of evangelising UX to execs, boards, and sometimes politely skeptical engineers.
• Building design cultures that people feel and embody belonging, ambition, curiosity, and joy.
• Global product experience (localisation, cultural design patterns, accessibility beyond WCAG checklists).

Why Kraken:

If we get UX right, we accelerate the green transition. If we make it effortless for people and businesses to adopt and manage renewable energy, the planet wins faster. This isn’t “nice UI for a billing portal.” This is design as a climate accelerant.

Additional info:

Salary and location details: NYC candidates. The salary range for this role in NYC ranges on average from $190,000-$240,000 depending on relevant experience, role alignment, and expertise demonstrated throughout the interview process. The broad salary range is listed; top placement depends on overall fit. Our recruiters can provide more context.

Kraken is a certified Great Place to Work in France, Germany, Spain, Japan and Australia. In the UK we are one of the Best Workplaces on Glassdoor with a score of 4.5 and in Germany we rate 4.7 on Kununu as a Top Company.

Inclusion: we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements. Kraken is an equal opportunity employer. Privacy notices and data practices apply. We may use AI tools to support hiring, with human judgment for final decisions.