Head of Design

About the role

n8n sits at one of the most interesting UX problems in software right now: more than 80% of workflows built on n8n today involve AI agents, and the platform is in the middle of a deliberate expansion from deeply technical developers toward a broader set of builders. This is a foundational hire with a real mandate and direct exec partnership.

What you'll do

• Set a clear, consistent quality bar that the team can orient around and build toward, so great work becomes the natural output of how we design together.
• Shape product strategy and bring design thinking into roadmap conversations to surface user problems before they become someone else's brief.
• Lead a team of around 14 designers: 2 Design Leads each working with ~6 ICs, plus Design Engineering and UX Research.
• Establish a pragmatic, continuous research practice so customer insight, product data, and community feedback are live inputs to product decisions.
• Lower n8n's steep learning curve for new users without losing the power that experienced builders love.
• Help lead n8n's expansion toward a broader, less technical audience as a deliberate strategic shift.
• Champion practical AI adoption inside the design org, from prototyping and research synthesis to design QA and workflow efficiency.

What you'll need

• Product design leadership: You have managed managers, coached senior designers, and built design teams that improve both craft and business outcomes.
• Complex product systems experience: You have led design across complex or developer-facing products where UX quality depends on deep product understanding.
• Craft authority: You can identify great work, explain why it's great, and hold the line on standards even when uncomfortable.
• Strategic influence: You have made design a co-equal in product conversations and driven decisions by bringing people with you.
• Structured problem-solving under ambiguity and the ability to move forward when there's no map.
• AI-era product judgment: You understand the AI, automation, or adjacent tooling landscape and can turn emerging patterns into usable, trustworthy product experiences.
• Research literacy and data-informed decision making using product analytics, research, and customer evidence.
• Org design and performance management: You can design team structures, define career paths, and handle difficult performance conversations with clarity.

Nice to have

• Open-source or community product experience and understanding of designing for communities with strong opinions.
• Design engineering credibility and front-end fluency to partner on design system adoption.
• Remote-first operating systems and experience building critique and collaboration practices across distributed teams.
• Growth surface experience with activation, onboarding, templates, or product-led growth surfaces.