Director of UX/Product Design

My ideal next role is a Head of Design, Director of UX, or similar leadership position where I can build and mature a design organization's strategic foundation. Establishing and growing the design systems, DesignOps frameworks, and cross-functional processes that let teams scale without losing quality or speed. I'd be working closely with Product, Engineering, and executive leadership to align UX strategy with business outcomes, while mentoring and growing a team of designers to do their best work. I'm especially interested in organizations at an inflection point, whether that's an organization building design maturity for the first time or one that needs an experienced leader to bring structure to a function that's outgrown its current processes. My approach is best described as a strategic gardener: building the systems and culture that empower people, rather than micromanaging the work itself.

My path began in an elementary classroom, where I learned to read a room, adapt to different learning styles, and guide a wide range of personalities on the same journey. Those skills translate directly to design leadership. That foundation led me into product design and UX, where I've spent the past decade-plus building and growing design teams, design systems, and DesignOps practices for organizations across industries, cultures, and stages of digital maturity, from a large sportswear global e-commerce business in Germany to an aviation group's global business in Dubai. Working across those contexts taught me that great design leadership isn't just about craft; it's about facilitation, storytelling, and meeting teams and stakeholders where they are. That's exactly the lens my teaching background brings to every organization I work with.

My ideal next employer is one where design is treated as a strategic partner to the business, not just a production function. That can be at an enterprise organization looking to mature its design practice, or a growing company building that foundation for the first time. I'm excited about scale-ups and 0-to-1 opportunities, where I can establish design systems, processes, and team structures from the ground up rather than just maintaining what already exists. I'm open to a range of company sizes and industries, since the same principles of DesignOps and cross-functional alignment apply whether I'm scaling e-commerce in a global enterprise or building a digital product practice from scratch. What matters most to me is a culture that values curiosity, collaboration, and investing in the structures that let teams do their best work over the long run.