Full-Time

Senior Director of Design and Research

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Upside

Upside

201-500 employees

Cash-back app for retail purchases

Consumer Software
Social Impact
Consumer Goods

Compensation Overview

$216k - $270kAnnually

+ Bonus + Equity

Senior, Expert

New York, NY, USA

Hybrid role requires in-office presence in NYC or DC for 2 days/week.

Category
Product & UX/UI Design
UI/UX & Design
Required Skills
UI/UX Design
Product Management
Marketing
Product Design
Requirements
  • 10+ years of professional design experience and 5+ years managing and leading design and research teams
  • Customer focus on high-impact, high-visibility projects
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills to persuade and influence stakeholders
  • Collaborative work with Engineering, Product, and Marketing team members
  • Experience leading, recruiting, and scaling design teams at both startups and established companies
  • Experience systematically growing product designer and researcher skills
  • Experience using UX to influence strategic decision making
  • Experience translating ambiguous asks and directions into clear user centric approaches
  • Experience fostering divergent design thinking and shepherding radical ideas
  • Experience with organizational transformation and design education
  • Consultation of key team-level research, insights, and product strategy
  • Setting the standard and fostering a culture for UX design practice
Responsibilities
  • Collaborate with engineering and product to enable key strategic initiatives
  • Manage a diverse team in establishing and maintaining Upside's Design Principles and Vision
  • Work with Research and Development leadership to improve and build the future of Upside
  • Incorporate systems thinking into Upside's Design System
  • Create a culture of craft, quality, and execution by inspiring, motivating, and leading product designers
  • Work closely with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and executive leadership
  • Own emergent, highly complex, and ambiguous opportunities from inception to a landed proposal
  • Hone Upside’s research practice and deepen its integrations into decision making mechanisms

Upside provides a cash-back app that allows users to earn rewards on everyday purchases at local retailers, such as gas stations and grocery stores. Users shop as usual and claim cash-back offers, which increases their purchasing power while helping retailers boost sales without changing their operations. The company earns revenue through commissions from retailers, which are shared with users as cash-back rewards. Upside aims to create a fair economic model that benefits both consumers and retailers, while also promoting sustainability and inclusivity.

Company Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$63.2M

Headquarters

Washington, District of Columbia

Founded

2015

Growth & Insights
Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

4%
Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Increased consumer interest in personalized shopping boosts demand for Upside's tailored offers.
  • The rise of digital wallets creates opportunities for Upside's cash-back app integration.
  • Sustainability initiatives differentiate Upside, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.

What critics are saying

  • Competition from fintech companies like Chime could dilute Upside's market share.
  • Dependency on specific retail partners may limit Upside's diversification flexibility.

What makes Upside unique

  • Upside offers personalized cash-back deals, enhancing consumer purchasing power.
  • The company invests 1% of revenue in sustainability initiatives, attracting eco-conscious consumers.
  • Upside's partnerships with major retailers expand its reach and user base.

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Benefits

Health, vision, & dental insurance

Free lunch

Stock options

Unlimited PTO