Director of Product Design

At Qualia, we've built the leading B2B real estate technology that transforms the home buying and selling experience into a simple, secure, and enjoyable process. Our SMB and Enterprise products bring together users from across the real estate ecosystem---homebuyers and sellers, lenders, title and escrow agents, and real estate agents---onto a single shared digital closing platform, providing greater clarity and transparency to real estate transactions. Today, through our business customers across the country, millions of consumers use Qualia to close on homes every year. WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON We’re looking for a Director of Product Design who will both manage and mentor a talented design team, and take on individual contributor work tackling complex, highly technical problems from concept through launch. RESPONSIBILITIES Management & Culture Own overall team performance and health, including resource allocation, project prioritization, and fostering a culture of high-quality design Coach and mentor designers on both soft and hard skills, supporting their development and career growth Cultivate a team culture rooted in craftsmanship, user-centered design, and continuous improvement Actively practice and champion customer-centric thinking across the organization Leadership Promote alignment and build trust across cross-functional teams by clearly communicating complex issues and fostering collaboration Proactively solicit and provide feedback within the design team and across the broader product org to continually raise the bar for quality Be a contributor to the organization’s strategic direction Design Support both strategic vision and team execution, with excellent design sense Provide strategic, visual, and systems-oriented feedback across end-to-end flows to ensure experiences are simple and delightful Oversee complex design initiatives across multiple workstreams, maintaining high quality and clearing blockers to ensure timely delivery Take broad, conceptual ideas and turn them into useful, valuable products for our users Proactively identify new user problems and opportunities, working closely with research and data to define paths forward Technical Develop the roadmap for implementing, progressing, and steering design systems Orchestrate our transition to “design as code” workflows Create systems and enablement plans that democratize rapid prototyping YOUR BACKGROUND THAT LIKELY MAKES YOU A MATCH Years of Experience Minimum of 8 years of experience in Product Design, including at least 3 years directly managing Product Designers Leadership & Communication Strong track record of building high-performing teams and coaching designers toward growth and leadership Able to visualize and articulate a clear design strategy to cross-functional partners Excellent written and verbal communicator, confident in managing high-stakes conversations with leadership Proven ability to create clarity and focus in complex, ambiguous problem spaces Operational mindset with experience improving team processes and decision-making workflows Design Craft and Technical Experience Maintain a core strength in one or more Design disciplines, leading through your expertise Portfolio of case studies showcasing how you've led teams to deliver high-craft experiences from inception through launch Demonstrated ability to transform user experiences by balancing visionary thinking with near-term, actionable execution Experience delivering 0–1 products from concept to launch, bringing bold ideas to life Skilled at navigating large-scale, complex, and ambiguous projects across multiple teams Preference for background in front-end engineering Mindset Comfortable working in fast-paced, startup environments Embody a learning and growth mindset Comfortable with the level of learning and ambiguity required to navigate fast-evolving fields You’ll report directly to the VP of Product. While this role is based in Austin, Texas, we're open to exploring remote possibilit