Hiring: 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 a really 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 (and be famous for here)

• 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.
• A team that other teams try to poach (but can’t): 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.
• Be a 3-in-a-box power player: You won’t be a service desk for “making things pretty.” You’ll shape product bets, influence priorities, and co-create strategy with Product and Engineering.
• 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 to the party

• 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 this role matters

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. Expect impact, ambiguity, autonomy, and the space to create something the industry hasn’t seen before. If you’re reading this thinking “this is me,” then it probably is. If you’re reading this thinking “this is intimidating but exactly the challenge I’ve earned,” that’s even better. Either way, we’d love to talk.

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. While the broad salary range is listed, not all candidates will be placed at the top of the range—this will be determined by the overall fit for the position. If you have questions about this, just ask! Our recruiters are happy to 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. Check out our Welcome to the Jungle site (FR/EN) to learn more about our teams and culture.

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Kraken, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. We consider all applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.