Head of Design and Research at Upside

The role

Upside is seeking a hands-on leader for its Design and Research team to scale the consumer and payments experience during a period of hypergrowth. The role focuses on elevating the product from functional to flawless by embedding design into early discovery and raising the bar for consistency and polish.

What you'll do

• Own the quality and polish across the consumer and payments experience
• Lead and grow a small team of embedded designers and researchers
• Architect cohesive design systems across fragmented user journeys and surfaces
• Partner with cross-functional teams to drive outcomes in onboarding and retention
• Integrate a deepened research practice into the core decision-making process
• Implement an AI-native approach to scale design and research operations

What you'll bring

• Extensive experience in consumer product design for fintech or marketplaces
• Proven track record of scaling a consumer app through hypergrowth
• Experience leading and developing design teams of five to ten people
• Strong systems-level thinking with a data-driven approach to UX impact
• Proficiency in applying AI-centric methodologies to design and research

Your impact

The successful candidate will transform the user experience into a flawless and habit-forming system that supports millions of monthly active users. By establishing rigorous design standards and integrating research into the product lifecycle, they will directly contribute to measurable improvements in customer conversion, retention, and overall platform trust.