Director of Product Design

The Art of Problem Solving is reimagining the end-to-end experience for families and students from first discovery through long-term learning – by unifying a historically fragmented set of experiences into a single, cohesive journey. As the Director of Product Design, you will lead this transformation across both the customer journey and the learning experience.

About the role

You will shape how families discover and choose AoPS and how students engage with and progress through our curriculum. You will also play a key role in translating our evolving brand identity into product, ensuring it is not just expressed visually, but meaningfully embedded in how our products feel, function, and support learning.

Responsibilities

• Set and drive the design vision for a cohesive end-to-end experience across discovery, enrollment, and learning, unifying fragmented products and journeys into a clear, connected system.
• Translate AoPS's evolving brand identity into product experiences, ensuring it is reflected in how our products work, feel, and support learning.
• Partner closely with Academics teams to ensure pedagogy meaningfully informs the design of learning experiences.
• Build and lead a strong design function by hiring, mentoring, and developing designers, and fostering a culture of thoughtful critique, high standards, and continuous improvement.
• Elevate how we learn from users, strengthening research practices and embedding continuous learning and iteration into how teams operate.
• Provide clear, actionable design direction, stepping in on high-impact problems when needed.

Requirements

• Strong product design experience (~8+ years) with a track record of shipping high-quality, user-centered products.
• Experience leading or mentoring designers, with a player-coach mindset.
• Ability to operate across levels, from systems thinking and strategy to interaction and visual design details.
• Experience working in both structured and fast-moving environments.
• Strong design judgment and ability to give clear, actionable critique.
• Experience building or contributing to design systems at scale.
• Experience incorporating user insights and data into product and design decisions, and building a culture of continuous learning and evidence-based decision-making.
• Ability to translate brand principles into product experiences (not just visual design).
• Interest in and openness to emerging tools and technologies (including AI) and how they can improve team effectiveness.
• Excellent collaboration skills across Product, Engineering, and cross-functional partners.

Qualifications

• Strong alignment with AoPS's mission and a genuine interest in how students learn, persist through challenge, and develop deep problem-solving skills.

Skills

• Experience designing learning experiences or products for students, teachers, or educational contexts.

Benefits

• Multiple options for Medical, Dental and Vision plans.
• 401(k) with company match.

Pay

• Full salary range: $190k - $210k.
• Variable year-end bonus.

Schedule

• Hybrid full-time position based at our headquarters in San Diego, CA.
• Casual work environment with a hybrid work week and flexible scheduling.