Director of Product Design

We are seeking a Director of Product Design to lead and grow our product design organization at a pivotal moment in Baselanes journey. This is an AI-first role. We believe AI is fundamentally reshaping how product design gets done from research and ideation through to high-fidelity execution and dev handoff and we are looking for a leader who is not just curious about that shift but actively defining it. You will set the AI-first vision for how our design team works what tools we adopt and how we ship faster and better than teams operating with traditional workflows.

In this role you will set the design vision shape the team and elevate the quality bar across every surface of our product. You will partner closely with our VP of Product Engineering leadership and the broader executive team to make design a defining strength of the company.

This is a true player-coach role. Alongside leading the team you will personally own the design work for one of our product pods end-to-end from research and concepting through final execution. We believe the best design leaders set the bar through their own craft not just by directing others and staying close to the customer and the product surface is what makes org-wide standards real rather than aspirational.

You will inherit a talented team of product designers own the design system and help drive cross-pod best practices. You will be responsible for translating company strategy into design priorities defining what great looks like across the org and building the structures rituals and processes that allow designers to do the best work of their careers.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will spend time in the work in critique and in 1:1s in equal measure. You will own headcount planning recruiting career paths and the promotion framework while also serving as the senior point of contact for design across marketing sales partnerships and other cross-functional teams.

This role is based in Toronto. We expect you to come into the office (downtown Toronto) at least twice a week for meetings and working sessions with the flexibility to work remotely on other days.

AI-First Design Leadership

• Define Baselanes AI-first approach to product design from research through dev handoff
• Reshape workflows and tooling so AI is woven into the day-to-day not bolted on
• Set quality standards for when to lean on AI and when human judgment leads
• Partner with Engineering on design-to-code workflows

Strategy & Vision

• Set and communicate the design vision and strategy
• Translate company priorities into clear design roadmaps
• Define what great looks like and uphold the quality bar
• Own headcount planning and org design

Player-Coach: Own a Pod

• Personally own the design work for one product pod end-to-end from research and concepting through final visual design and handoff
• Set the bar through your own craft not just by directing others
• Stay close to the customer and the product surface to inform org-wide standards

People Management

• Lead coach and grow the product design team
• Run 1:1s feedback cycles and team rituals that build a strong design culture
• Own career paths promotions and end-to-end recruiting

Processes & Ways of Working

• Evolve design processes and partner cross-functionally with PM Eng Marketing and GTM
• Own the design system Figma structure and stakeholder feedback loops

• 8 years of product design experience with 3 years leading and scaling design teams at high-growth technology startups
• Comfort and proven experience operating as a player-coach leading a team while personally owning hands-on design work
• Hands-on experience leading the adoption of AI tools and AI-first workflows with a clear point of view on where the field is going
• Strong people management skills including hiring coaching performance management and career development
• Excellent design craft across UX visual and interaction design with the ability to provide substantive feedback in critique
• Experience defining and evolving design processes design systems and ways of working across multiple pods or teams
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills able to influence at the executive level
• Fluency with Figma and the modern AI design tooling landscape

• Experience designing for FinTech banking or financial services products
• Experience working across both web and native mobile (iOS and Android) products
• Experience partnering closely with founders or executive teams in a Series A to C environment

• Be part of a high-impact high-growth business
• Be part of a dynamic driven team with flat hierarchies and a get-it-done collaborative culture
• The opportunity to define design as a core strength of a category-defining FinTech company
• Training and development budget to ensure professional growth
• Regular team events game nights and other social activities

• Team: Product & Design
• Reports to: VP of Product
• Location: Toronto-based only 2 days a week in the office.For this position we will only look at applications from Toronto
• Office: We have an office in downtown Toronto and expect you to be in the office at least twice a week
• Start date: ASAP