Job Description: Director, Product Design

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of "solutions" that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done.

There's another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.

At Freshworks, we build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks' customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency. And, over 4,500 Freshworks employees make this possible, all around the world.

Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

Overview

At Freshservice, we're on a mission to uncomplicate enterprise software. We believe that powerful tools should be intuitive, delightful, and accessible—without a steep learning curve. As a modern, AI-powered ITSM platform trusted by thousands of organizations, Freshservice is doubling down on design as a strategic differentiator—especially as we scale within large and sophisticated enterprises.

At Freshservice, we're on a mission to uncomplicate enterprise software. We believe powerful tools don't have to come with a steep learning curve and that great design is the bridge between complexity and clarity.

Freshservice is a modern, intuitive AI-powered ITSM platform from Freshworks, trusted by thousands of organizations globally. Recognized for ease of setup and simplicity at scale, we are doubling down on design as a strategic differentiator, especially as we deepen our footprint with large, sophisticated enterprises.

If you're someone who craves the challenge of transforming complexity into elegant, user-centered solutions, and you believe enterprise users deserve the same quality of experience as consumers, this is the role for you.

We are looking for a visionary Director of Product Design to lead the strategy and execution for our IT Asset Management (ITAM) and Device42 (D42) product suite. This is a senior leadership position where you will shape the future of how organizations discover, manage, and optimize their complex IT infrastructure.

At Freshworks, our mission is to uncomplicate enterprise software. With the integration of Device42, a comprehensive IT infrastructure management platform, we are bridging the critical gap between IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Asset Management. This creates a single source of truth for IT data, enhancing workflows and providing a deep understanding of asset relationships.

If you are passionate about transforming complex data and workflows into elegant, user-centered solutions and believe that enterprise users deserve exceptional experiences, this role is for you. You will be the primary design leader responsible for the discovery, tracking, and management of hardware, software, and network assets, ensuring our platform is both powerful and incredibly simple to use.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Vision & Strategy:

• Define and drive the holistic design vision for the ITAM and Device42 product portfolio, ensuring it aligns with our overall product and business goals.

• Champion a culture of design excellence, innovation, and deep user empathy.

• Partner with VPs of Product and Engineering to shape the product roadmap and ensure a cohesive user experience across all touchpoints.

• Present and defend design strategies to executive leadership, using data and user research to build compelling narratives.

2. Team Leadership & Mentorship:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of 10 product designers and UX researchers.

• Foster a collaborative and inclusive environment that encourages creative thinking and professional growth.

• Establish and manage design team operations, including critiques, reviews, and planning, to ensure high-quality output.

3. Design Execution & Process:

• Oversee the end-to-end design process, from user research and discovery to high-fidelity prototyping and implementation.

• Drive the creation of intuitive and elegant user experiences tailored to the specific needs of ITAM and infrastructure management users.

• Champion the evolution of our design system to ensure consistency and scalability across the ITAM and D42 product suites.

• Integrate quantitative data and qualitative user insights into the design process to make informed decisions.

• Experience: 12-15 years of experience in product design, with at least 2 years in a senior leadership role (e.g., Senior Design Manager, Head of Design, Director) managing and mentoring design teams.

• Domain Expertise: Proven experience designing complex, large-scale B2B SaaS applications. Direct experience in ITAM, Configuration Management Database (CMDB), or IT infrastructure management platforms is highly preferred.

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio demonstrating your leadership in designing successful enterprise-grade products that solve complex user problems.

• Leadership: Demonstrated success in building and scaling design teams and fostering a positive team culture.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to operate at both a high strategic level and a detailed tactical level.

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, HCI, Computer Science, or a related field.

Skills Inventory

​​​​​​​Design Leadership & Strategy

• Strategic Vision: The ability to define a multi-year design strategy and inspire teams to execute it.

• Team Development: Expertise in hiring, mentoring, and scaling a high-performing design organization.

• Design Evangelism: Championing the value of design across the company and influencing key stakeholders.

• Stakeholder Management: Building strong relationships and alignment with executive, product, and engineering leaders.

Core Design Skills

• UX Strategy & Research: Mastery of user research methodologies and the ability to translate insights into strategy.

• Interaction & UI Design: A strong eye for visual design and a deep understanding of interaction principles for complex applications.

• Design Systems: Experience building, maintaining, and driving adoption of a comprehensive design system.

• Data-Informed Design: Proficiency in using analytics, A/B testing, and user feedback to guide design decisions.

Domain Knowledge

• B2B SaaS: A deep understanding of SaaS business models, metrics, and product development cycles.

• MSP/ESM/ITSM: Knowledge of MSP workflows (like multi-tenancy, automation, RMM, PSA) and ESM/ITSM principles (such as service catalogs, self-service portals, and ticketing).

Soft Skills

• Communication & Storytelling: An exceptional ability to articulate complex design concepts clearly and persuasively to any audience.

• Influence & Negotiation: The ability to drive consensus and advocate for user needs in a cross-functional environment.

• Problem-Solving: A systematic approach to deconstructing complex problems and leading a team to find elegant solutions.

At Freshworks, we are creating a global workplace that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity. We are committed to providing equal opportunity for all and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer work environment that advances the goals of our employees, communities and the business.