Director of UX, DNA

About Ancestry:
When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person’s story is important. Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of more than 40 billion records, over 3 million subscribers and over 23 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.
We are committed to our location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both (subject to location restrictions and roles that are required to be in the office- see the full list of eligible US locations HERE). We will continue to hire and promote beyond the boundaries of our office locations, to enable broadened possibilities for employee diversity.
Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve. 
Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? Join the curious.

At Ancestry, we’re all about helping people discover, preserve, and share the stories of what makes them them. If you want to join a collaborative, mission-driven team focused on delivering meaningful experiences at scale, we’re growing — and we’d love to meet you.

We’re looking for a Director of UX & Design to help shape the future of AncestryDNA. This is a rare opportunity to lead design for one of our most innovative and high-impact product areas, where DNA insights meet storytelling and discovery. You’ll report to the Head of Design and lead a small but mighty team of 3–5 designers focused on creating accessible, human-centered experiences that help people understand their origins — and connect the dots between biology and family history.

AncestryDNA serves millions of customers globally. Your work will influence not only the product experience but also how people see themselves, their identities, and the connections they share. It will help people discover something truly meaningful about themselves.

You’ll join a collaborative team that values curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful problem-solving. You’ll get visibility with senior leaders and the support you need to do your best work. We offer a flexible, remote-friendly environment with a real commitment to work/life balance, so you can grow your career while staying grounded in what matters most.

What you will do...

• Lead the design vision and execution for AncestryDNA, ensuring every experience is intuitive, inclusive, and grounded in customer needs.

• Actively partner with product, content, user research, science, engineering, and marketing to shape strategy and deliver thoughtful, high-impact solutions.

• Translate insights from qualitative research and quantitative data into actionable design direction, balancing creativity and clarity.

• Guide the creation of key design artifacts, including user flows, prototypes, wireframes, and visual systems.

• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration, champion design excellence, and help drive clear decision-making throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Mentor and grow a talented design team, fostering a culture of curiosity, inclusion, and craft.

• Influence strategic decisions beyond product, shaping how we bring DNA journeys to life across the customer journey.

• Contribute to the broader goals of the DNA business by improving how customers engage with insights, discover new stories, and return to the product over time.
   

Who you are...

• Extensive experience in UX or product design, including a track record of leading design in cross-functional, collaborative environments.

• A strong foundation in human-centered design, with the ability to bring clarity to complex or unfamiliar spaces.

• Understanding of WCAG 2.2 and a strong commitment to designing accessible, inclusive user interfaces—supporting screen readers, keyboard navigation, appropriate color contrast, and other accessibility standards.

• A passion for inclusive design and a commitment to representing the needs and experiences of historically underrepresented communities.

• Proven ability to move between strategic thinking and hands-on execution with ease.

• A collaborative mindset and strong communication skills.

• You get things done — balancing quality, speed, and impact in a fast-paced environment.

• Bonus: Experience in family history, life sciences, genomics, or health-related products

Helping people discover their story is at the heart of ours. Ancestry is the largest provider of family history and personal DNA testing, harnessing a powerful combination of information, science and technology to help people discover their family history and stories that were never possible before. Ancestry’s suite of products includes: AncestryDNA, AncestryProGenealogists, Fold3, Newspapers.com, Find a Grave, Archives.com, and Rootsweb. We offer excellent benefits and a competitive compensation package. For additional information, regarding our benefits and career information, please visit our website at http://ancestry.com/careers

As a signatory of the ParityPledge in Support of Women and the ParityPledge in Support of People of Color, Ancestry values pay transparency and pay equity. We are pleased to share the base salary range for this position: $172,800 - $216,000 with eligibility for bonus, equity and comprehensive benefits including health, dental and vision. The actual salary will vary by geographic region and job experience. We will share detailed compensation data for a specific location during the recruiting process. Read more about our benefits HERE.

*Note: Disclosure as required by sb19-085(8-5-20) and sb1162(1-1-23)

Additional Information:

Ancestry is an Equal Opportunity Employer that makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizenship, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. In addition, Ancestry will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

All job offers are contingent on a background check screen that complies with applicable law.  For San Francisco office candidates, pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ancestry will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

Ancestry is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Ancestry via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Ancestry. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Ancestry as a result of the referral or through other means.