Director of Product Design

Location: Austin, TX

Category: Product

Job ID: 2393

Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com® has been at the forefront of online real estate for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights and expert guidance to find their perfect home. Through its robust suite of tools, Realtor.com® not only makes a significant impact on the real estate industry at large, but for consumers, navigating the biggest purchase they will make in their life, by providing a user experience that is easy to use, easy to understand, and most of all, easy to make decisions.

Join us on our mission to empower more people to find their way home by breaking barriers to entry, making the right connections, and building confidence through expert guidance.

Are you a design expert? Are you looking to lead and elevate the design of tools and services that help Agent and Broker customers grow their businesses and better support their clients throughout the buying and selling journey? If you want to expand your professional goals at Realtor.com®, this is the role for you. Join us as our newest Director of Product Design and continue to Love Your Career at Realtor.com®,

We are looking for a seasoned Director of Product Design to lead and elevate the design of tools and services that help Agent and Broker customers grow their businesses and better support their clients throughout the buying and selling journey. The ideal candidate brings a sophisticated and modern design perspective, a strong ability to guide teams in solving complex problems, and a user-centered mindset that balances customer needs with business goals. You excel at identifying opportunities through data and research, advocating for the user, and ensuring that design decisions drive measurable impact. With excellent communication skills, strategic thinking, and a passion for innovation, you will help shape the future of real estate experiences.

As a leader, you will coach and empower a high-performing team of product designers, ensuring their work meets the highest standards of quality, usability, and consistency. You will partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership to align design with strategic priorities, fostering collaboration across teams while scaling best practices and evolving our design culture. Your leadership will create an environment where designers can do their best work, driving both business success and customer satisfaction.

This role reports to the VP of Design.

What you’ll do:

Design Leadership & Execution

Set and uphold a high standard for design excellence, ensuring consistency across teams and products. Guide teams in applying user-centered design principles to create intuitive, effective solutions. Provide clear, actionable feedback that strengthens design outcomes and team growth. Advocate for user research and data-driven decision-making to inform design strategies. Ensure the design team delivers high-quality, accessible, and scalable solutions aligned with business goals. Balance short-term product needs with long-term strategic vision, ensuring teams can iterate while maintaining a clear trajectory.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership to align design with company strategy and customer needs. Build trust-based relationships across teams, fostering collaboration and shared ownership of outcomes. Clearly articulate design rationale, influencing stakeholders and advocating for user-centered solutions. Ensure design is integrated effectively into product development processes, balancing speed and quality. Foster an inclusive, feedback-driven environment that promotes alignment and continuous improvement. Influence stakeholders at all levels, building alignment and consensus in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment.

Aesthetics & Design Best Practices

Establish and maintain a cohesive, modern, and engaging visual language across products. Contribute to the evolution and adoption of design systems, ensuring efficiency and scalability. Guide teams in translating complex user needs into elegant, intuitive experiences. Reinforce a human-centered design approach that prioritizes usability, accessibility, and ease of use. 

Team Leadership & Operations

Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of product designers, fostering career growth and engagement. Lead managers and individual contributors with empathy, setting clear expectations and fostering accountability. Promote operational excellence by refining design workflows, tools, and collaboration practices. Drive the adoption of design methodologies and frameworks that enhance efficiency and impact. Ensure visibility and accountability for design work, balancing short-term needs with long-term strategic goals*.*

What you’ll bring:

10+ years of experience in product design, including 7+ years in interaction/visual design. 4+ years of leadership experience managing and mentoring design teams. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. A strong portfolio showcasing UX/UI expertise, design thinking, and problem-solving skills. Proficiency in design & development tools (Figma, Storybook, Github, Zeroheight, Adobe Creative Suite, etc.). Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders. Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to balance user needs with business priorities. Ability to think long-term and short-term, meeting the constraints of a continuous release process while driving toward a bold future vision. Strong ability to influence, align, and build consensus across teams while navigating ambiguity. Experience building and scaling design systems. A practitioner of user-centric processes and design thinking principles. Background in e-commerce, marketplaces, or enterprise/CRM software preferred. Exemplifies a We, Not Me attitude.

How we Reward you:

Realtor.com is committed to investing in the health and wellbeing of our employees and their families. Our benefits programs include, but are not limited to:

Inclusive and Competitive medical, Rx, dental, and vision coverage Family forming benefits 13 Paid Holidays Flexible Time Off 8 hours of paid Volunteer Time off Immediate eligibility into Company 401(k) plan with 3.5% company match Tuition Reimbursement program for degreed and non-degreed programs 1:1 personalized Financial Planning Sessions Student Debt Retirement Savings Match program Free snacks and refreshments in each office location

Do the best work of your life at Realtor.com®

Here, you’ll partner with a diverse team of experts as you use leading-edge tech to empower everyone to meet a crucial goal: finding their way home. And you’ll find your way home too. People are our foundation—the core that drives us passionately forward. At Realtor.com®, you’ll bring your full self to work as you innovate with speed, serve our consumers, and champion your teammates. In return we’ll provide you with a warm, welcoming, and inclusive culture; intellectual challenges; and the development opportunities you need to grow.

Diversity is important to us, therefore, Realtor.com® is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of age, color, national origin, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, status as a disabled veteran and/or veteran of the Vietnam Era or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Realtor.com® will provide reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified disabled individuals.

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