Director - Product Design (MSP/ESM)

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.

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 seeking a visionary and experienced Director of Product Design to lead the strategy and execution for our Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Employee Service Management (ESM) product suites. In this senior leadership role, you will be responsible for building and mentoring a world-class design team, defining the long-term design vision, and ensuring our products deliver exceptional value and an unparalleled user experience.

You will be the primary design leader for two critical domains: the complex, efficiency-driven world of MSPs who manage IT for multiple clients, and the user-centric, service-oriented world of ESM for internal employees. The ideal candidate is a master of simplifying complexity and a passionate advocate for user-centered design, with deep experience in the B2B SaaS landscape.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Vision & Strategy:

• Define, articulate, and drive the holistic design vision and strategy for the MSP and ESM product portfolios, ensuring alignment with overall product and business objectives.

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

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

• Present and defend design strategies and decisions 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, UX researchers, and design managers.

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

• Establish and manage design team operational rhythms, including critiques, reviews, and planning, to ensure high-quality output and predictable delivery.

3. Design Execution & Process:

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

• Drive the creation of intuitive, efficient, and elegant user experiences tailored to the specific needs of MSP & ESM users.

• Champion and govern the evolution of our design system, ensuring consistency, scalability, and quality across the MSP and ESM product suites.

• Integrate quantitative data and qualitative user insights into the design process to make informed, evidence-based 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 ITSM, MSP, or ESM platforms is highly preferred.

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio of work demonstrating your leadership and direct contribution to designing successful enterprise-grade products that solve complex user problems.

• Leadership: Demonstrated success in building and scaling design teams, attracting top talent, 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.

Skill Inventory

Design Leadership & Strategy

• Strategic Vision - 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 - Deep understanding of SaaS business models, metrics, and product development cycles.
• MSP/ESM/ITSM - Knowledge of MSP workflows (multi-tenancy, automation, RMM, PSA) and ESM/ITSM principles (service catalogs, self-service portals, ticketing).

Soft Skills

• Communication & Storytelling - Exceptional ability to articulate complex design concepts clearly and persuasively to any audience.
• Influence & Negotiation - 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.