Director, Product Design

Job description

Join us to build a more rewarding financial future for all Canadians At Neo, we’re on a mission to build a more rewarding financial future for all Canadians. Life at a rapidly scaling tech startup isn’t for everyone. It’s complex, fast-paced, high-pressure, but also incredibly fulfilling. Since its founding in 2019, Neo has gained incredible traction and is one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in Canada. - #1 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 for 2023, 2024, and 2025 https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/neo-financial-achieves-first-ever-three-peat-win-as-number-one-on-deloitte-s-technology-fast-50-list-889692540.html — the first company ever to achieve a three-peat at the top! - #1 Fastest Growing Company in Canada for 2024 by Globe & Mail https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240927952651/en/Neo-Financial-Ranks-No.-1-on-The-Globe-and-Mail%E2%80%99s-2024-List-of-Canada%E2%80%99s-Top-Growing-Companies - Top-ranked mobile apps and credit cards - Team of 500+ people - 1M+ customers - 10K+ retail partners THE ROLE We’re hiring a Director of Product Design to lead the design team across Financial Products, a portfolio that includes lending and banking products, credit cards and mortgages. This is a hands-on leadership role that will set a bold vision, build what doesn't yet exist, and scale what does. You’ll lead a division of product designers and work alongside senior product, engineering, data, and operations leaders to solve complex problems with clarity and urgency. You’ll be accountable for both the product experience and the people: hiring, mentoring, coaching, and shaping the next generation of design leaders at Neo. We're looking for someone who’s scaled design teams, shipped high-impact products, and thrives in a hands-on, fast-changing environment: you know when to move fast and iterate, and when to invest in systems and foundations. Above and beyond, you know how to raise the bar on design quality and craft. If you’re excited to build the design function and roll up your sleeves when needed, you’ll be in the right place. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING Own product experience across your vertical’s - Set and drive design direction across multiple core products, ensuring we’re solving the right problems in the right way. - Stay close to the work, reviewing flows, shaping decisions, and raising the quality bar. - Ensure experiences are simple, transparent, and meaningfully better for customers. BUILD AND LEAD HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS - Hire, develop, and lead a team of product designers across multiple squads. - Create clarity in roles, expectations, and career growth. - Coach designers to think in systems, journeys, and outcomes, not just screens. DRIVE PRODUCT OUTCOMES, NOT JUST OUTPUT - Partner with Product and Engineering to define roadmaps, priorities, and success metrics. - Align teams around clear goals and measurable impact. - Ensure design is directly contributing to business and customer outcomes. BALANCE SPEED, QUALITY, AND STAGE - Make intentional tradeoffs between velocity and craft based on product and company maturity. - Help teams navigate ambiguity without slowing down. - Invest in the right foundations (systems, patterns, process) at the right time. IMPROVE HOW DESIGN WORKS AT NEO - Evolve processes, critiques, and collaboration models to increase velocity and quality. - Identify friction across teams and actively remove it. - Contribute to how design, engineering, and emerging AI workflows come together over time. INFLUENCE BEYOND YOUR TEAM - Drive alignment across teams and leadership on product direction and priorities. - Communicate clearly, framing tradeoffs, decisions, and strategy. - Act as a cultural leader, setting expectations for ownership, craft, and accountability. WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 8–12+ years of product design experience, including leading and scaling teams in high-growth environments (startup experience strongly preferred). - Proven track record of building and developing strong design teams that ship real products. - Strong product thinker, you understand how design drives customer and business outcomes (not just UI) - Comfortable being hands-on in the work while leading at a strategic level. - Deep experience working cross-functionally with Product and Engineering leaders. - Strong understanding of how product needs evolve across stages of growth (0→1, 1→10, 10→100). - Systems-minded, you think about scale, consistency, and long-term leverage. - High standards for interaction design, usability, and overall product quality. - You care deeply about talent: hiring the right people, growing them fast, and building a healthy, high-performing team. - Strong communicator who can influence decisions and align teams. - Comfortable operating in ambiguity, you bring clarity and momentum to complex, evolving spaces. - Domain experience in lending, banking or Fintech is a strong asset, but as important is your ability to ramp fast and think like an owner. 🚀 TOTAL REWARDS As Neo continues to grow, we’re committed to offering a competitive, market-leading rewards program that reflects the impact our team members make. In addition to salary, our program includes equity — empowering employees to share directly in our momentum today and in the meaningful value we create for years to come. - Salary: We provide a strong base salary aligned with market ranges, along with the flexibility to tailor your mix of cash and equity to match your longer term goals. Final compensation is based on your skills, experience, and scope. For exceptional talent, we’re prepared to go above and beyond. - Equity Ownership (Where Eligible): At Neo, you don’t just work here, you own a piece of what we’re building. As a full-time team member, you share directly in the upside of one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies. When we win, you win — with real ownership and meaningful long-term wealth-building potential tied to our success. WHAT DOES LIFE AS AN OWNER AT NEO INCLUDE? 🇨🇦 You will redefine the financial landscape with top talent in Canada to help everyday Canadians win, and grow quickly while doing it 📈 For eligible roles, ownership structure that enables you to share in our path to victory 🏅Earn BIG with our short term incentive plans (STIP) 👥 Collaborating with the brightest minds to build something meaningful, united by a shared commitment to innovation, curiosity, and excellence ❤️‍🩹 Flexible health benefits & life insurance 🌴 21 Days PTO + stat holidays, and personal leave 💪 Health & personal spending accounts 🤑 A wide variety of discounts through our partner network 🏠 Access to early use of products and discounts on fixed-term Neo mortgages 👶 Parental top-up & equity vesting during long term leave 🎉 Neo night events 🧠 Company wide huddles, and education WORKING AT NEO: The people who thrive at Neo are resourceful, growth-oriented, and driven to win. We hold ourselves to high standards because we’re on a mission that matters: to build a more rewarding financial future for all Canadians. As individuals and as a team, we constantly challenge ourselves and each other to raise the bar and deliver exceptional experiences for our customers. Our commitment to customer success drives everything we do, from building world-class products to providing exceptional support at every step of their journey. If this resonates with you, keep reading. We trust, respect, and support each other. This means honest conversations, constructive input, and empowering each other to move fast and think big. You’ll be surrounded by people who push you to be your best. We primarily collaborate in person across our Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto offices, where ideas move quickly and teams build momentum together. As we continue to scale and evolve, we’re looking for builders, innovators, and problem solvers who thrive on challenge–people who would rather blaze a trail through uncertainty than follow a well-paved path. At Neo, ownership is part of how we think and operate. For select roles, equity participation reinforces that mindset by giving employees a direct stake in the company’s long-term success. Regardless of role, every team member is expected to think like an owner and make decisions that move the business forward. APPLY WITH US: We believe in equal opportunity and are committed to creating an inclusive climate where everyone can thrive. Customers trust us with their finances, so successful candidates for this position will be required to undergo a security screening, including a criminal records check and a credit check. By continuing with your application, you agree to the Candidate Privacy Notice https://www.neofinancial.com/candidate-privacy-policy.pdf, which guides how we process your personal information for the purpose of your application. Neo Financial leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to reinforce our candidate evaluation process, including the initial assessment of applications and screening of candidates. These tools support our recruitment team; however, all final hiring decisions are made by humans and are not based exclusively on automated processing. If you require further information regarding our data processing practices, please contact us. We are hiring for an open, vacant position.