The position.

We’re looking for a Product Design Manager to lead our Partnership design team in our Growth org. As a design contributor you’ll partner closely with business development, product and engineering peers to build digital product experiences that help Root grow as a business while solving real-world problems for customers. You’ll seek ways to help people discover, understand and convert to Root, while identifying opportunities for how Root might collaborate with other organizations to bring value to our business.

As a Design manager, you’ll work closely with and lead a team of 1-2 direct reports. You’ll coach and mentor your team to help them achieve the best possible outcomes for their work, negotiate with their partners, and grow their skill sets.

About You.

You are a thoughtful generalist.

You design from start to finish. This means working with your partners in marketing and product management to define problems, understand and iterate on possible solutions, and create prototypes and wireframes with a keen eye for visual design. You’re comfortable working closely with engineering throughout development to ensure the final product works as you intended and looks as good in the hands of the people using it as it did on your screen.

You solve business problems.

You internalize business objectives and ship products and experiences that reach them. You understand how to focus on a core hypothesis and don’t get distracted by features that detract from that goal.

You have strong opinions, weakly held. 

You express your opinions passionately but are open to changing those opinions in the face of new data. You challenge your colleagues to consider alternative viewpoints and advocate for the customer every step of the way. You focus on finding a shared vision and strategic alignment with your partners and strive for continual progress.

As a Product Design Manager on the Partnerships team at Root you will:

• Coach and mentor your team to help them achieve the best possible outcomes for their work, negotiate with their partners, and grow their skill sets
• Work as an independent contributor on a product team within Partnerships
• Build strong relationships with your counterparts—from product management, business development, engineering, and beyond—to ensure alignment and help guide and evolve our product development process
• Apply human-centered design methodologies and marketing tactics while working collaboratively with customers and your partners 
• Collaborate on product strategy and roadmaps, and craft a vision for our various partnerships
• Facilitate good working relationships with stakeholders at our partner companies and understand their unique business objectives and customer needs 
• Show good judgment on when to invest in the long-term versus a fast and simple approach to a problem
• Socialize your work to leadership and peers across the company, as well as stakeholders at our partner companies
• Demonstrate leadership on the wider Design team
• Mentor, inspire, give feedback and model best practices and behaviors to others on the team
• Learn and evolve. From leadership skills and design craft to research and industry market trends, you’re excited by the opportunity to challenge, grow, and learn new things 

What we’re looking for.

• 7+ years of experience designing digital products. 1+ years of experience in a people management role or equivalent leadership activities
• Ability to lead and mentor designers 
• A customer champion and practitioner of human-centered design methodologies with a deep understanding of digital product development
• Strong communication and negotiation skills; ability to collaborate with partners in marketing, product management, and engineering through the whole product lifecycle
• Experience working closely with cross-functional partners in engineering and product management 
• A self-starter who thrives in ambiguity, and can balance switching between strategy-level and pixel-level work
• You can switch between the macro: big picture thinking of business and customer needs , and the micro: the specific moments of an experience and how it impacts what people do and feel
• High attention to detail; comfortable independently multitasking and prioritizing projects in a fast-paced work environment

Who we are.

Root Insurance is the nation’s first licensed insurance carrier powered entirely by mobile. We were founded on the belief that the services you need for everyday life should serve you better. That’s why we base insurance coverages on you, not your demographic. It’s the way insurance should be. And it’s all conveniently in an app.

What draws people to Root.

Our early success is in large part due to our unwavering standards in hiring. We recognize that our product is only as good as the people building and promoting it. We look for individuals who find solutions by going through the cycle of ideation to implementation with curiosity, rigor, and a highly analytical lens. Ask anyone who works here and you’ll hear similar reasons for why they joined:

Autonomy. For assertive self-starters, the opportunities to contribute are limitless.

Impact. By challenging the way it’s always been done, we solve problems that have a big impact on our business.

Collaboration. We encourage rich discussion and civil debate at every turn.

People. We are inspired by the collection of crazy-smart people around us.