Why this role matters Design plays a critical role in how users experience our platform and how quickly they reach enjoyment and stay in flow. This role will shape not only what we build, but how we think about building it. You will help ensure that design is a driving force behind clarity, cohesion, and joy in our products. What You'll Do: Lead and grow the design organization Lead, coach, and mentor a team of product designers and user researchers and provide active coaching, feedback, and skill development Foster a culture of strong design thinking, craft excellence, and accountability to outcomes Establish clear expectations for quality, clarity, and impact, while giving teams autonomy in how they get there What You'll Do: Set the design vision and strategy Define and evolve a transparent design vision aligned to product strategy and user needs Shape cohesive, intuitive experiences across the reader, writer, and ads ecosystems Translate ambiguous problem spaces into clear experience direction teams can confidently execute against Ensure design decisions ladder to user value, platform goals, and long‑term strategy What You'll Do: Be hands‑on where it matters most Actively contribute to high‑impact initiatives and critical product moments Partner closely with product and engineering leaders during discovery, definition, and delivery Provide strong critique and feedback that raises the bar without prescribing solutions Govern and evolve the design system to ensure consistency, scalability, and accessibility Balance speed and craft by enabling teams to move fast without compromising quality Set clear standards for usability, accessibility, and visual cohesion across surfaces What You'll Do:



Champion user‑centred practices Champion the user perspective by ensuring user goals are never abstract or assumed Partner with product and research to ensure insights meaningfully shape product direction Manage and support the user research team, ensuring research is actionable and strategic Use evidence, data, and research to influence decisions and challenge assumptions What You'll Do: Collaborate and influence across the organization Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Content, Trust and Safety, and Ads to align on experience outcomes and tradeoffs Influence product direction through explicit design narratives, not just artifacts Facilitate design critiques, workshops, and working sessions that move teams toward clarity and alignment Drive alignment on priorities, tradeoffs, and outcomes through strong design storytelling Advocate for the role of design as a strategic partner, not a downstream function Help the organization understand how great design drives engagement, trust, and growth Required Qualifications Proven experience leading and scaling design teams in a product‑driven organization Strong design point of view with the ability to set direction and make hard tradeoffs Deep experience shaping end‑to‑end product experiences across multiple surfaces Ability to move fluidly between strategy and hands‑on execution Track record of influencing product direction through design narrative and user insight Strong cross‑functional collaborator who can partner effectively with senior leaders Passion for designing for real human needs, delight,



and emotional resonance $170,000 – $210,000 a year What We Offer (For Full‑Time Only) Career development; we believe in mentorship and investing in your learning, supporting you to achieve your goals Top industry health benefits, including vision and dental Generous vacation and maternity/parental leave top‑up program Corporate discount for gym memberships for you and your family Work from almost anywhere in the world for part of the year Winter break shutdown and a whole lot more! Wattpad is conducting all interviews in a distributed manner using applicable third‑party software where needed and using visual interface tools such as Google Meet and Zoom. About Wattpad Entrepreneurs and Do‑ers. Our vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories, and our mission is to use the power of community and technology to unleash the full potential of stories to the world. Wattpad is a remote friendly company and encourages remote candidates to apply as long as they are located and authorized to work in either the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) as a precondition of employment. We are not able to sponsor applicants for work permits. Wattpad is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate. Period. Wattpad welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Don’t meet all the requirements? Studies show women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs if they do not meet all the qualifications. Therefore, in an effort to build a more diverse workplace, we encourage you to apply anyways. You might actually be the right person or you may be a good fit for a number of other openings we currently have. #J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Wattpad Director Of Design - $170,000 - $210,000 A Year (Toronto)
🏢 Wattpad
📍 Toronto