Senior Manager, Product Design - Core

Yahoo Mail is the ultimate consumer inbox with hundreds of millions of users. It’s the best way to access your email and stay organized from a computer, phone or tablet. With its beautiful design and lightning fast speed, Yahoo Mail makes reading, organizing, and sending emails easier than ever.

Senior Product Design Manager - Core

About us

Yahoo Mail is the go-to inbox for hundreds of millions of users, offering seamless access across devices—computer, phone, or tablet. As we continue evolving in this time of transition and growth, Yahoo Mail provides a powerful, efficient experience designed to make reading, organizing, and sending emails easier than ever.

Who we’re looking for

We are looking for a passionate product design manager with vision, creativity, and an understanding of both the aesthetic and structural aspects of UX design to lead and inspire a team of designers working on Yahoo experiences across desktop, mobile web, iOS, and Android. The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative environment, effectively guiding their team and partnering with cross-functional teams to balance immediate business needs with long-term product goals. This role requires a seasoned design leader with a proven track record in managing and growing design teams. This person will bring strong leadership to foster innovation, cohesion, and high-quality design outcomes.

Responsibilities

Product designers at Yahoo collaborate with partners to define the vision for new features, while owning and driving the craftsmanship for every interaction and visual design detail. Day-to-day, you will:

• Provide guidance, support, and growth opportunities for a team of product designers focused on the core Yahoo Mail experience.

• Set high standards for visual and interaction design, ensuring all work aligns with Yahoo Mail’s design principles and enhances the user experience.

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to shape and execute the design vision for Yahoo Mail, balancing user needs with business goals.

• Create a team environment that encourages creativity, innovation, and professional growth, allowing designers to thrive and feel empowered in their roles.

• Work closely with Central Design and other teams to ensure a consistent visual language and cohesive user experience across all Yahoo Mail platforms.

• Advocate for user-centered design approaches and work with UX research and data teams to ground design decisions in user insights and analytics.

• Define clear goals and metrics for the design team’s success, regularly tracking progress and adjusting strategies to meet evolving objectives.

• Build strong relationships with product management, engineering, and other partners, aligning design efforts with product priorities and technical feasibility.

• Identify skill gaps and provide growth opportunities for team members, building a balanced, well-rounded design team equipped for ongoing challenges and innovation.

• Establish a leadership style that is inspiring and nurturing, promoting a culture of ownership and respect that encourages team members to take initiative and contribute their best work.

About you

You're likely to succeed in this roll, if you are someone who:

• Has a strong background in design management, with a proven track record of building and growing design teams.

• Strives for high standards in visual and interaction design, with an eye for detail and quality.

• Believes in empowering and mentoring team members, creating an environment where designers feel supported and inspired to excel.

• Thinks strategically and can balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints in design decisions.

• Thrives in a collaborative environment, fostering strong partnerships with cross-functional teams to deliver cohesive, impactful experiences.

• Embraces a user-centered mindset, using data and insights to inform design direction and improve user satisfaction.

• Leads with empathy and vision, encouraging a culture of creativity, respect, and ownership.

• Is adaptable and comfortable in a dynamic environment, able to adjust priorities and strategies as the team and business evolve.

• Communicates clearly and effectively, championing the design team’s goals and accomplishments across the organization.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in product design, with at least 3 years in a design leadership or management role.

• Proven experience building and scaling design teams, including mentoring, skill development, and team culture.

• Strong portfolio demonstrating high standards in visual design, interaction design, and user-centered design practices.

• Ability to create and communicate a strategic vision, balancing design quality with user needs and business goals.

• Expertise in fostering cross-functional collaboration with product management, engineering, and research teams.

• Experience leveraging UX research and data insights to inform and validate design decisions.

• Excellent communication skills, with a track record of effectively advocating for design within a larger organization.

• Adaptability in a fast-paced environment, with a proactive approach to evolving team priorities and design challenges.

• Empathy-driven leadership, with a focus on empowering and inspiring teams rather than micromanaging.

Even better

• Knowledge of inclusive design principles and a demonstrated commitment to creating accessible, equitable experiences.

• Prior experience managing remote or distributed design teams, with a strong ability to foster collaboration across time zones.

• Enthusiasm for mentoring and developing design talent at all career levels, from early-career designers to seasoned professionals.

The material job duties and responsibilities of this role include those listed above as well as adhering to Yahoo policies; exercising sound judgment; working effectively, safely and inclusively with others; exhibiting trustworthiness and meeting expectations; and safeguarding business operations and brand integrity.

Yahoo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected category. Yahoo will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. Yahoo is dedicated to providing an accessible environment for all candidates during the application process and for employees during their employment. If you need accessibility assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please submit a request via the Accommodation Request Form (www.yahooinc.com/careers/contact-us.html) or call +1.866.772.3182. Requests and calls received for non-disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

At Yahoo, we know that diversity makes us stronger. We are committed to a collaborative, inclusive environment that encourages authenticity and fosters a sense of belonging. We strive for everyone to feel valued, connected, and empowered to reach their potential and contribute their best. Check out our diversity and inclusion (www.yahooinc.com/diversity/) page to learn more.

The compensation for this position ranges from $143,625.00 - $299,375.00/yr and will vary depending on factors such as your location, skills and experience. The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary annual bonus or commissions, in addition to equity incentives. Yahoo provides industry-leading benefits including healthcare, 401K savings plan, company holidays, vacation, sick time, parental leave and an employee assistance program. Eligibility requirements apply.

Yahoo has a high degree of flexibility around employee location and hybrid working. In fact, our flexible-hybrid approach to work is one of the things our employees rave about. Most roles don’t require specific regular patterns of in-person office attendance. If you join Yahoo, you may be asked to attend (or travel to attend) on-site work sessions, team-building, or other in-person events. When these occur, you’ll be given notice to make arrangements. 

If you’re curious about how this factors into this role, please discuss with the recruiter.

Currently work for Yahoo? Please apply on our internal career site.