Head of Product Design

Overview 

Over the last 25 years, The New York Times has reimagined what digital journalism can be. We're now looking for a Head of Product Design to help shape The Times of the future and help define the next chapter of our essential subscription strategy through extraordinary design and user experience. 

You will work at the intersection of design, editorial thinking and technology. You'll unite teams across the company around a shared design vision, transforming bold ideas into tangible experiences that will define how millions of people experience The Times in a digital and increasingly AI-driven world.

While our journalism and news products sit at the heart of everything we do, you will orchestrate design work that drives innovation across our growing family of lifestyle products including Games, Cooking, The Athletic, and Wirecutter, and develop tools that empower our newsroom to create and deliver world-class journalism.

You will amplify design as a catalyst for innovation, elevating our user experience while maintaining the trust and editorial excellence that distinguish The Times. Their work will deepen how audiences connect with our journalism, enable excellence in digital storytelling, and solidify The Times as a world-class product design organization.

We're looking for someone who can pair bold vision with thoughtful execution—a leader who sees design as the thread that weaves together strategy, technology, and journalism to create product experiences that truly matter. They'll need to be a sophisticated design practitioner who understands the unique value of The Times brand and help us navigate the evolving technology landscape while staying true to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world. 

Based in our New York headquarters, this role reports to the Chief Product Officer and Deputy Managing Editor.

Responsibilities 

The Head of Product Design’s leadership touches every corner of The Times, from our newsroom to our business operations. The role's influence and impact span the entire organization.

Creative Leadership 

• Demonstrate exceptional taste and craft in design execution, setting a high bar that inspires across the organization. 
• Partner with newsroom leadership and cross-functional peers to develop and execute a compelling vision for The Times' end-to-end experience.
• Drive excellence in user experience across the organization, leveraging customer obsession as a core value and competitive advantage.
• Strengthen The Times' distinctive brand through Product Design decisions that increase user trust and reinforce the unique value we provide. 
• Champion design thinking methodology and a prototyping culture that leads teams to create experiences that can be effectively tested. 

Executive Leadership 

• Active participation in The Times’ cross-functional product development leadership team, helping to set the strategy for the product and leading Design’s role in execution.  
• Exercise strong design judgment while building consensus, incorporating diverse perspectives into a cohesive vision that inspires teams and drives results.
• Position Design as an equal partner to Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing, cultivating relationships and establishing collaborative processes that drive innovation and excellence across our digital experiences.
• Advocate for Design not just as a function, but as a way of thinking that elevates how we work across The Times - showcasing the power of Design to deliver clarity and delight, drive business outcomes, spark invention, innovation and strategic thinking. 
• Serve as a leader on the NYT Design Council pushing creative boundaries across the organization with leaders from News Design, Brand Design, T-Brand Studio, and other internal design functions. 
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Functional & Operational Leadership 

• Build and lead a world-class Product Design team through strategic hiring and retention in a highly competitive market.
• Establish and maintain high standards for design quality across interaction design, user interface design, information architecture, service design and strategic design 
• Create and refine scalable design processes and systems that improve team efficiency and  drive craftsmanship, innovation, and design excellence. 
• Guide our design evolution with a focus on the future and emerging technologies like AI. 
• Coordinate and cohere Product Design efforts with other internal design teams: News Design, Brand and Identity Design.

Basic Qualifications

Design Leadership

• 15+ years of experience in digital design and user experience with a demonstrated understanding of contemporary best practices
• 10+ years of experience leading design for consumer product experiences or premium subscription products, particularly content-rich platforms with surfaces on web and mobile, directly impacting business objectives like acquisition, conversion, and engagement
• Proven ability to develop long-term product vision that serves as a 'north star' for product  teams
• Experience establishing and maintaining clear product design standards and practices that serve both as a quality benchmark and cross-functional communication tool
• Experience incorporating User Research as part of the Design process, making judgments about both quantitative and qualitative research insights to inform design direction and vision

Leadership & Team Management

• Experience building and leading large product design teams at scale, with proven ability to recruit, foster, and retain design talent at scale
• Experience navigating complex organizations and building relationships with key stakeholders across all levels and layers of an organization
• Proven success in cross-functional collaboration with product management, engineering, editorial, and marketing teams
• Experience collaborating with operational teams including HR, IT, and Finance to secure necessary team resources and support

Industry Experience

• Media and/or editorial product design experience with a deep understanding of editorial processes
• Background working with premium brands and elevating their presence through sophisticated product design
• Exceptional taste and proven ability to serve as a design tastemaker and industry influencer

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