Director of Design
Overview
ownpath is building one of the most exciting design and product studios in India, as ownpath Studios. We are hiring a Director of Design to head our design strategy and operations. This is a role for someone who cares about seeing well-crafted products in the world and helping develop the next generation of the best design talent out of India.
In the last year, we have partnered with enterprises such as Hero Motocorp, Philips Innovation, and PhonePe, as well as startups such as realfast.ai, koolio.ai, and others, to help design and build MVPs, launch new brands, and re-imagine their products.
ownpath has its roots in upskilling people through an Academy — we have helped 100s of designers upskill, find community, and unlock dream opportunities with some of the best teams in India. We have also hosted design leaders from around the world, such as Julie Zhuo, Daniel Burka, and Erika Hall, at our community events and masterclasses.
Our vision is to develop a design and product ecosystem that nurtures talent, builds community, and enables teams to bring great ideas to life.
For us to operate and deliver value at scale, we are re-imagining traditional services as a productized services business delivered by a smart combination of Design & Product leads, talent from our Academy, and AI-based workflows to increase quality, efficiency, and consistency.
Our team is at 19 as of Sep 1 2025, and comprises of a talented team of design leads, senior designers, associate designers, as well as senior engineers.
Responsibilities
We are looking for a Design Leader to take ownership of design delivery and help us build one of the best design and product teams in the country. This role is about making sure our work is consistently excellent while also creating the systems and culture for the team to thrive.
Design Management (80%)
- Lead projects like Echo, Koolio and Realfast, ensuring they set the bar for quality and impact
- Hire, mentor and grow designers, building a strong team that clients can trust
- Create playbooks and processes that make our services scalable and profitable
Marketing (10%)
- Share design insights for case studies and content
- Shape how we present our design craft to clients and the larger community
Sales (10%)
- Join discovery calls and bring design maturity into client conversations
- Help scope projects and show clients the value of good design
Academy (based on available bandwidth)
- Oversee Fellowship/Residency/sprint-based programs to identify and hire upcoming/promising talent
You’ll be working closely with the founder and the leadership team, with the chance to shape how our design practice grows.
Requirements
- Experience: 8+ years in product or UX design, with experience leading teams.
- Leadership: Proven ability to manage, mentor, and grow design teams while shaping culture and craft standards.
- Strategy: Strong experience driving design strategy and aligning it with business and product goals.
- Execution: Hands-on design expertise with a portfolio that shows depth in visual craft, interaction design, and design systems.
- Collaboration: Comfortable working closely with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to deliver outcomes at scale.
- Communication: Exceptional ability to present design decisions, influence leadership, and advocate for design.
- Process: Familiarity with setting up and evolving design processes, workflows, and best practices in fast-moving environments.
- Community & Talent: Passion for nurturing the next generation of designers and contributing to the broader design ecosystem.
- Bonus: Experience with productized services, design operations, or working in a consulting/studio environment.
Benefits
- Collaborate with top leaders: Partner with decision-makers at some of India’s most influential and innovative organizations.
- Shape the next generation: Mentor and grow some of the country’s most promising design talent through your leadership.
- Enjoy true ownership: High trust and autonomy to define processes, set standards, and run operations your way.
- Purpose-driven culture: Join a mission-led team that values craft, continuous learning, and long-term impact over short-term wins.
