We were recently engaged by a client to complete a Vice President, Product Design search. They are a $100M ARR North American venture-backed B2B software organization.
Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer, this strategic and functional leadership role was a first for the company and required a visionary leader who was skilled in launching, scaling, and refining customer-centric products.
We presented 10 candidates, but these were the top 5 candidates:
The Design Da Vinci – $210,000 CAD Base (no RSUs)
- 20+ years of design experience leading brand design, creative services, and product design teams for some of Canada’s top tech companies
- Currently the Vice President of Design for a global tech company during a time of exponential growth ($100M+ ARR), where they led the entire design vision for the product platform
- Scaled teams, having previously led international cross-functional design teams across product design, creative design, and technical writing
- Successfully launched multiple high-revenue-driving products—from concept to launch—leading entire design strategies and creating the design system, the internal design processes, and enhancing the design protocol
The Design Disruptor – $230,000 CAD Base + 10% RSUs
- 15+ years as a Product Design Leader managing all things design across design operations, design system management, and design strategy—they are also an active in the product design community and a part-time product design Instructor
- Promoted to VP Product Design at one of the largest global accounting SaaS solutions where they have led the design practice for 10+ years playing a pivotal role in the company reaching $100M+ ARR
- Managed a 12+ person design team and also helped manage the creative design teams that fall under marketing
- Worked with key stakeholders to usher in a product-led growth mandate and product evaluation
The Design-Ops Oracle – $240,000 CAD Base (no RSUs)
- 20+ years of product design experience and a true product design thought leader in Canada, leading design for some of the most successful tech companies globally
- Currently the Vice President, Product Design at an enterprise SaaS-focused gifting technology platform leading the entire design team (product design, user research, and content design)
- Managed large international design teams that vary from 20 to 50+ design professionals and spanned: product design, user-research, design operations, user-experience, creative design, and design systems
- Experience transforming a $1.6B ARR product into a customer-centric product design approach across all product disciplines for their consumer business unit
The Design Dynamo – $200,000 CAD Base (no RSUs)
- 12+ years of design experience paired with 7+ years of design leadership experience and an active member in the product design community, working as a part-time Lead Design Instructor
- Currently, the Director of Product Design at a top global HRTech company with past experiences at earlier stage high-growth tech companies
- Managed a lean 12+ person product team, acting as a hands-on leader to enhance the overall product user-experience
- Experience leading design for a $100M ARR product platform
The Hire
- 7+ years of product design leadership experience, paired with 15+ years of experience in visual design as a Creative Director and Art Director for noteworthy global brands
- A Senior Manager, Product Design at a top global tech company building platform level design experiences
- Managed 8 product design professionals across 5 teams and managed the entire platform unification strategy (a goal our our client company)
- Led strategic UX initiatives and spearheaded an entire website redesign and other major campaign launches that drove significant growth
- An award-winning designer and active design leadership mentor with a long track record of team building, mentorship, and community involvement
To attract and land this candidate, our client offered a $270,000 CAD Base + 30% variable Bonus.
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For employers and candidates, it can be challenging to understand what a particular position should pay. Often, it’s a calculation between salary surveys that lack all context, what a person has earned in the past, and ad hoc conversations with others in the field.
We’re sharing these Product Design Salary Insights to highlight the contextual elements that make up compensation, and to help our readers better understand the current market forces that affect earning potential.
Our Recruiters conducted this targeted search on behalf of our client, seeking out candidates who fit the requirements of the role and diligently qualifying them to present only the very best talent.
Is your organization hiring key product design leaders? Book a call.