Vice President of Design

Nav is democratizing small business financing. In other words, we give small business owners access and control.  Yes, this challenges the norm, but it means working with curious, purpose driven, dedicated, and inquisitively smart people who push themselves, our company and the community to the next level (and every level after that). We are the people behind the tech. And when it’s good, we look for better. We don’t over think the value we bring nor spend time trying to revamp mantras. We also do not come up with some crafty way to tell you who we are and what we offer. We are Nav!  Here, you’ll gain a wealth of experience, learn the tricks of the trade, and work with winners. All companies say people are connected to their mission but in our case our mission and our people are one – it is a way of being not just a cause you are committed to.  And since 2013, Nav has holistically and organically developed its own ideology because Nav can only be Nav. 

We are looking for an experienced Vice President of Design to lead our product design, brand, and user research efforts, reporting directly to the CEO.

What we empower you with:

• Leading and managing a team of designers, researchers, and creative professionals to ensure the successful development and execution of Nav’s design strategy.
• Driving the creative vision for Nav’s product design, brand, and user research, while ensuring consistency across all touchpoints.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, marketing, and sales to create exceptional customer experiences that meet business objectives.
• Identifying new opportunities and areas for innovation to improve our products and services.
• Building and maintaining relationships with external partners, agencies, and vendors to ensure Nav’s design standards are met and exceeded.
• Mentoring and developing the design team and ensuring a culture of collaboration, creativity, and excellence.
• Conducting user research and usability testing to identify user needs, preferences, and pain points, and using those insights to inform design decisions.
• Staying up-to-date with the latest design trends, tools, and technologies, and identifying opportunities to leverage them to improve our design processes and output.
• Understanding the fintech landscape, including neobanks, payments, lending, and financial technology, and applying that knowledge to design and product decisions.
• Ensuring that Nav’s design and user experience comply with relevant regulatory requirements.

What you bring to the table: 

• Experience in fintech, with a deep understanding of the industry, including neobanks, card issuance, payments, lending, and financial technology.
• Experience working with small business customers and a deep empathy for the unique needs of this segment.
• Proven experience leading and managing a team of designers and creative professionals, because you bring a strong background in product design, brand development, and user research.
• Demonstrated success in creating innovative and effective design solutions that have lasted the test of time and have undergone long-term use and continued development
• Experience working in a fast-paced, agile environment, with the ability to balance competing priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with cross-functional teams, external partners, and vendors.
• Strong use of storytelling skills to bring people from diverse perspectives and levels in the organization to see what you see and drive progress and results.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data and insights to inform design decisions.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements related to design and user experience in the financial services industry.

Who you are:

• An authentic leader that builds, manages, coaches, empowers, challenges and develops a high-performing geographically dispersed team.
• Have an entrepreneurial mindset, with a bias towards revenue producing innovation
• Comfortable operating on both strategic and tactical levels, simultaneously acting as an internal ambassador, educator, analyst, solutions architect, and implementer 
• Deep experience and understanding in developing high-growth consumer-centric products, services, and platforms and teams 
• Are a master of  in creating amazing personalized consumer experiences and understanding of how other industries apply these practices, i.e.e-commerce  
• Clear understanding how the intersection of product, data, and customer experience drives value

Inclusion at Nav:

At Nav, we celebrate what makes our employees unique because the businesses we serve are progressively diverse and distinctly original. Navericks are diverse, side hustlers, immigrants, veterans, queer, and we push generational boundaries. We are college dropouts, PhDs, special needs parents, allies, pet owners and community leaders. Navericks are human. We are committed to upholding a safe, supportive environment where everyone matters. We are committed to making a better future for all of us. We have created a workplace where people of all backgrounds can express their identities authentically. To put it simply, we want you to be proud to be you.

Our Compensation Philosophy is simple but powerful:

At Nav, we are  transparent about our total rewards, including pay, across all levels and roles. We believe great, enduring relationships are grounded in trust and transparency. Compensation shouldn’t be a distraction, and employees should understand how pay and career advancement decisions are made. Providing equal pay for equal work is table stakes for being a great place to work. Gender and ethnic inequity should only be something that our children read about in history books. We believe providing Navricks with company ownership, competitive pay, and a range of meaningful benefits is the start of creating a culture where people want to give the best they’ve got — not because they’re simply making money, but because they’ve fallen in love with our vision, mission, values, and team.

Our impact on you:

Competitive Pay. Company Ownership. Unlimited Vacation. Benefits Day One. 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave. Work From Anywhere (yes we were distributed before it was cool). Flexible Work Arrangements. Free Telehealth and Telemental Health For All Employees. Employee Networking and Events. Community Network Groups (women’s, PRIDE, culture). Meaningful Perks and Rewards. Learning and Development Opportunities. Pet Insurance. 

A Naverick’s DNA: 

• We look at the future and say “why not”; we see possibilities where others see problems or routines. We show the way ahead and are committed to achieving ambitious goals.
• We practice straight talk and listen generously to each other with empathy. We value different opinions and point of views. We ensure that we connect outside as well as inside to learn from others and inspire each other.
• We hold ourselves accountable for delivering results. We choose to not to be a victim of circumstance. We make decisions & take responsibility so that we can act & support each other, rather than adopting defensive, and “finger pointing” behaviors.
• As leaders we motivate & engage our teams to undertake beyond what they originally thought possible, by developing our teams & creating the conditions for people to grow and empower themselves through enabling & coaching.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read our privacy notice for  California residents linked here.