Director of Product Design

Over the last 13 years, Ellevation Education has built a thriving business serving the administrators, teachers, and specialists who support English Learners (ELL) at public schools across the US. Today, over 1,800 school districts use our software to manage their EL programs. We are a successful, rapidly growing business with a real mission—helping ELLs achieve their highest aspirations.

We are growing our Product Design organization and looking for an experienced, hands-on Director of Product Design to lead the team and help build amazing product experiences across the suite of our of products.

At Ellevation, Product Designers are responsible for working cross-functionally on agile teams. Our Product Designers are full stack: they conduct user research, inform product discovery, and contribute to iterative delivery. 

You will oversee a team of Product Designers, collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other key stakeholders to ensure our products are not only functional but delightful, user-centric, and innovative. Your role will involve shaping the design vision, establishing best practices, and fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration. Doing this requires a hands-on approach to both design leadership and talent development.

You will be responsible for the overall user experience across our site or connected products. This includes contributing to our overall product strategy at Ellevation and driving growth and adoption of our nascent design system -- Backpack -- across all product lines. Through this work, you will develop a deep understanding of the unique needs of our key users, champion hypothesis-driven discovery, and be a partner in the iterative development process.

You will also be responsible for growing the overall capacity of the Product Design organization. This includes building scorecards for key roles, recruiting and onboarding great people, and offering coaching and guidance to ensure your direct reports can reach their full potential and advance in their careers. 

To learn more about our products please visit: https://ellevationeducation.com/product-guide

Product Culture

We are organized into small product teams that focus on key problems to solve in the context of their specific domain. We focus on outcomes over output. Our teams are empowered to research, prototype, and gather feedback from users -- both internal and external -- to validate hypotheses. We engage users early and rapidly iterate so that the end result is a high-confidence, high-value product. We aim to foster an environment where we have the runway to experiment and learn from failure while tackling tricky challenges.

Our teams are cross-functional in that they are made up of members of Product (Product Management, Product Design, Education Solutions) and members of Engineering. Product and Engineering work hand-in-hand together—we call ourselves DevPro, and in fact, we rarely meet in isolation.

We value Product Designers that are able to think like Product Managers in their ability to look at solving problems from multiple angles and considering the merits and tradeoffs of different approaches. As Product Strategy evolves, you will need to effectively communicate about your understanding of problems and how your solution meets the needs of the users and the business. 

We celebrate being accountable to outcomes, which means signing up to pursue that vision by knocking down obstacles that get in the way. This looks like conducting experiments which throw off learnings, adjusting strategy based on those learnings, and delivering products to end-users that change behavior and drive real value for the business. 

Impact

• 1 month - Build a clear picture of the strategic context and challenges facing Ellevation with a particular eye on key in-progress initiatives. Understand Ellevation’s approach to People Leadership by fully understanding the Product Design Career Matrix and participating in Manager’s Circles. Develop rapport with direct reports, peers, and key stakeholders.
• 3 months - Spend time with our users and develop a sense of how they use Ellevation products. Understand Ellevation’s approach to recruiting. Establish influential, high-trust relationships across the organization with other Directors.
• 6 months - Steward overall direction of Product Design. Ensure teams are delivering high-impact business results across all domains. Work closely with the Chief Product Officer to set performance management / talent strategy. Work with other leaders to drive a multi-year approach to Growth. Continue to grow influence across the organization. 
• 12 months - Take full ownership over Product Design at Ellevation. Expand the overall capacity of the team. Work cross-functionally to define healthy collaboration patterns. Drive and champion use of the Design System. 

About you:

• You have 10+ years of experience in Product Design 
• You have 5+ years of experience managing Product Designers with a track record of building inclusive teams, growing talent, and delivering results. 
• You are naturally curious and demonstrate an eagerness to learn from others. 
• You have experience delivering solutions in an Enterprise SaaS environment that create value for key decision makers while also driving adoption for end-users. 
• You have a track record of working cross-functionally to drive business outcomes, manage trade offs, and deliver product solutions incrementally in an agile environment
• You are a natural leader with the ability to work cross-functionally and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization
• You have excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions to non design audience
• You have experience conducting user research and usability testing with diverse audiences in the field
• You are experimental; you love to test ideas, learn quickly, fail fast, and iterate

Travel Expectations:

• Remote employees for this role will be expected to travel about 10 times per year to the Boston office or company off sites.

Are you passionate about growth and eager to learn? Do you possess a drive to excel and make a difference? Ellevation values diversity, creativity, and a hunger for new perspectives. While our job postings outline preferred qualifications, we believe that talent comes in various forms. If you're motivated, adaptable, and ready to contribute, we encourage you to apply. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, recognizing that unique skills and fresh outlooks are invaluable assets to our team. Don't let a checklist of requirements deter you – take the leap, and let's explore the possibilities together!

About Us:

At Ellevation, we develop world-class software to help educators serve the fastest growing population of K-12 students: English Learners (ELs). Ellevation helps school districts transform their Multilingual Learner programs and ensure all students can achieve their highest aspirations. Our product suite includes a best-in-class data and instructional planning platform, resources to build teacher capacity, and student-facing programs to teach academic language.

We are a fast-growing, mission-driven technology company partnering with over 1,500 school districts and more than 2 million current and former English Learners. Over the next five years, we plan to double the number of ELs we serve and drive measurable outcomes for students. Ellevation merged with Curriculum Associates in 2021 to accelerate impact for Multilingual Learners. Our company continues to operate independently and is well-capitalized to support our ambitious social and financial objectives.

Why Ellevation?

In addition to our great benefits and competitive salaries, here are some things that make us unique:

+ Mission-driven organization where team members are empowered to make a significant impact

+ Opportunities to join DEIB-focused groups and support building a culture of belonging 

+ Professional development and growth opportunities

+ Company and team offsites in various cities across the United States

+ Collaborative workspace in the heart of Boston - a stone's throw from many central T stops (Downtown Crossing, Government Center, and Aquarium). Free snacks, beverages, and local organic fruit provided

+ Remote and in-person engagement opportunities, including happy hours, themed events, and competitions 

+ Remote and in-person wellness programming to support team’s mental and physical wellbeing

Learn more about our team in our Culture Deck.

Here at Ellevation, we champion diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging. We strive to build a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values a range of ideas and opinions. 

We believe in building a culture where productivity can flourish, one that is empathetic, respectful, and inclusive. We are proud to have been recognized in prior years as “Best Tech Workplace for Diversity” by the Timmy Awards for investing in training around inclusive behaviors, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and feedback across the company. We are encouraged by our progress, but there’s more work to be done.

Additional Information: Ellevation operates under Curriculum Associates, LLC, an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curriculum Associates, LLC will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by law. Curriculum Associates, LLC will grant employment, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by law. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Our company uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.uscis.gov/e-verify. 

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