At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead product design for an innovative running app and shape user experiences.
- Company: Join a fast-growing team at Runna, recently acquired by Strava.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, health insurance, and free subscriptions for you and friends.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on millions of runners while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading product design teams and a strong portfolio showcasing your work.
The predicted salary is between 150000 - 160000 £ per year.
We're putting together a talented team to build the #1 training platform for runners. We help everyday runners become outstanding by building an incredible app providing world-class training, coaching and community for everyone, whether you're improving your 5k time or training for your first marathon.
We’re growing extremely fast! In November 2023 we closed a $6.5M funding round led by JamJar with participation from Eka Ventures, Venrex and Creator Ventures. In 2024, we were selected by Apple as one of three global finalists for the iPhone app of the year, reflecting the innovation and impact of what we’ve built. Our ambition is huge: to become the go-to global leading training platform for millions of runners everywhere. We’re growing with purpose and looking for people who want to build something meaningful with lasting impact.
About This Role: We're looking for a Director of Product Design to lead design across the Runna app and set the craft bar for one of the most loved products in running, especially as AI becomes a larger competitive threat and bigger part of the experience. You'll own the design vision and strategy, elevate quality across every surface from information architecture to interaction to visual design, and grow the design team into a strategic, high-performing function with an emerging design-lead layer.
The Team You'll Join: Product Design sits at the heart of the business, working hand in hand with product management and engineering to turn real runner needs into experiences people love. You'll lead designers embedded across our product squads and own our design system, reporting directly to the Managing Director.
What You'll Do:
- Set the design vision and strategy for Runna, and act as a strategic thought partner to product and engineering leadership.
- Lead and develop the product design team, including growing and coaching a design lead as the team scales.
- Own the design quality bar across native and web, giving feedback from information architecture through interaction to visual design.
- Build out and evolve our design system, partnering with brand, creative, and research to drive consistency and quality.
- Translate user needs and business goals into design decisions that move activation, engagement, and retention.
- Develop a playbook for shipping quickly without compromising craft, including reducing design-review time.
- Assess and uplevel talent, shape the team's operating model, and grow the function as Runna scales.
What You'll Bring to the Team:
- Substantial experience leading and developing product designers in a consumer (B2C) product environment.
- A track record of translating user needs and business goals into design strategy and shipped outcomes.
- Strong command of design systems and a history of driving consistency and quality across a product.
- Excellent cross-functional communication and the ability to influence product and engineering leaders.
- A portfolio that shows both strong UI craft and sound UX judgment, with evidence of real product impact.
- The ability to balance velocity and quality when shipping under real constraints.
- Experience in fitness, health, or wellness products is a plus.
- Experience scaling design teams and design systems efficiently is a plus.
Compensation & Benefits: We're offering a salary of £150,000 - £160,000, plus participation in Strava's long-term incentive (stock) programs. Here is a brief overview of what we currently offer in the UK:
- Flexible working – we typically spend 3 days a week together in our Vauxhall office.
- 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays.
- Free Runna & Strava subscriptions for you and 3 of your friends.
- Headspace membership.
- Money every year to spend on gear, events and the gym!
- Private health insurance with Bupa and workplace pension scheme.
- Modern Health is a mental wellness platform and app that combines technology with professional support to improve mental well-being and reduce stress.
- Carrot fertility support — this benefits provider can provide inclusive fertility, hormonal health, and family-forming benefits to our global employee population.
Our Interview Process: Our aim is to keep the interview process as straightforward and enjoyable as possible. We'll share the specific stages with you at the start of the process, but you can expect a mix of introductory conversations, role‑specific discussions, and the opportunity to meet the team.
Director of Product Design employer: Runna
Join a dynamic team as a Senior Product Manager where your expertise will shape the community experience for runners. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative work culture that values innovation and personal growth, offering competitive salaries and opportunities for professional development. Located in a vibrant area, our company provides unique advantages such as flexible working arrangements and a strong commitment to employee well-being.
