Head of Design

ownpath is an AI-native design company. We work with ambitious teams at companies like Hero MotoCorp, Philips, and PhonePe to design and build better products and experiences.

Our work spans three businesses: Studios, where we design and build for clients; Academy, where we develop talent; and Labs, where we build products and explore new ways of working.

We're a team of designers, engineers, and problem-solvers who care deeply about the quality of our work.

The Role

We're looking for a Head of Design to lead our design practice, raise the quality of our work, and help us build an exceptional design organisation.

You'll work closely with our founder, designers, engineers, and clients to shape product strategy, guide execution, and build a culture of thoughtful, rigorous design.

This is a hands-on leadership role. We're looking for someone who combines exceptional design judgment with the ability to build teams, lead complex engagements, and create systems that consistently produce great work.

You'll also help us rethink how design teams operate in an AI-first world.

What You'll Do

Lead Design Quality

Set and uphold a high bar for design craft, usability, accessibility, and overall product experience.

Lead design reviews, critiques, and creative direction across projects.

Help teams frame the right problems, challenge assumptions, and arrive at thoughtful solutions.

Build practices that make exceptional design quality consistent and repeatable.

Build and Mentor the Team

Hire, mentor, and develop a strong team of product and visual designers.

Foster a culture of creativity, curiosity, ownership, constructive criticism, and continuous improvement.

Help designers grow in judgment, communication, craft, and leadership.

Establish processes that balance creative exploration with delivery discipline.

Lead Clients and Projects

Partner with senior client stakeholders to understand business challenges and shape product direction.

Guide complex design engagements from discovery through execution.

Work closely with engineering and delivery teams to ensure great ideas translate into great products.

Build trusted client relationships and identify opportunities to create more value.

Shape the Future of Design

Explore how AI can improve design research, exploration, prototyping, execution, and quality assurance.

Help bridge the gap between design and engineering through better tools, workflows, and shared standards.

Work with our Labs team to turn design expertise into reusable systems, tools, and intellectual property.

Experiment with new operating models that help small teams deliver exceptional work at scale.

Help Grow ownpath

Partner with our founder and growth team on pitches, proposals, workshops, and strategic client conversations.

Represent ownpath's design thinking and capabilities to enterprise leaders.

Help shape our positioning, offerings, and reputation as a design-led organisation.

What We're Looking For

10+ years of experience in product or experience design, including meaningful experience leading designers and teams.

Exceptional design judgment and a strong portfolio demonstrating both craft and strategic thinking.

Experience designing and shipping complex digital products, preferably across consumer and enterprise environments.

Strong understanding of product strategy, interaction design, visual design, design systems, and modern development workflows.

Demonstrated ability to mentor designers, manage multiple projects, and maintain consistently high standards.

Confidence working with senior stakeholders, navigating ambiguity, and communicating complex ideas clearly.

Demonstrated curiosity about AI and a willingness to challenge established ways of working.

Experience with working at scale would be very valuable.

You Might Be Great at This If

You care as much about solving the right problem as you do about the quality of the solution.

You have strong opinions about good design, but are willing to change them when presented with better ideas.

You can move comfortably between strategy, critique, execution, and mentoring.

You believe great design requires both creative ambition and operational discipline.

You're excited by the possibility of AI changing what designers do and how design teams work.

You enjoy building teams and capabilities, not just delivering projects.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year, we'd like to see:

A stronger, more independent design team producing consistently excellent work.

Clients who see ownpath as a trusted strategic design partner.

Better collaboration between design and engineering, with fewer gaps between intent and implementation.

Clear improvements in design quality, delivery efficiency, and team capabilities.

New AI-enabled workflows and reusable design practices that give ownpath a meaningful competitive advantage.

Why ownpath?

We're at an interesting stage. We have established enterprise relationships, a growing team, and the ambition to build something much larger than a traditional design studio.

You'll have the autonomy to shape our design practice, influence company strategy, work on meaningful products, and help build new capabilities at the intersection of design, engineering, and AI.

We're looking for someone who wants to help build the organisation, not simply lead a department.

Incentives

We believe people who help build great businesses should share in the value they create.

Alongside competitive fixed compensation, we're looking to offer meaningful upside through:

Performance bonuses: Linked to design quality, team development, client satisfaction, and overall business performance.

Growth incentives: Rewards for helping win new clients, expand existing relationships, and grow the design practice profitably.

Long-term ownership: Potential participation in our ESOP programme, giving you a stake in the long-term value we build together.

We want to reward people who think and act like owners, care about outcomes, and contribute to building something enduring.

How to Apply

We'd love to see examples of work you've led, teams you've built, and decisions that demonstrate how you think. Show us your judgment, not just your portfolio.