Sr. Director, Developer Platform

at  Paypal

At PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL), we believe that every person has the right to participate fully in the global economy. Our mission is to democratize financial services to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or economic standing, has access to affordable, convenient, and secure products and services to take control of their financial lives.
Job Description Summary: The Senior Director role calls for a visionary leader with an unwavering commitment to user-centered design. This passion translates into flawless execution, leveraging a deep understanding of design patterns to build trust and security within our financial products. They will cultivate a visually sophisticated brand experience that resonates with our target audience, all while influencing stakeholders to champion their design vision. This leader will spearhead a team passionate about designing intuitive cross-platform experiences. They will utilize prototyping techniques, empathy, and user research, fostering a test & learn mindset. They will play a key role in finding, developing, and retaining the world’s best design talent. This individual has a passion for coaching teams and guiding partners in empathizing with customer problems. They will champion a “diagnose with data and treat through design” approach.
Job Description:
PayPal is committed to delivering the best experience for our global developers with a strong customer focus. Our team, embodying a Developer Mindset, designs essential experiences, testing capabilities, and tools critical for developers to efficiently build and launch products within PayPal’s suite. With over 3 million developers visiting our portal annually and over 30 million small businesses relying on developer tools, we are seeking a Senior Director of Design to lead with a deep focus on customer needs and a Developer Mindset, driving the expansion of our external Developer Experiences and fostering a thriving developer ecosystem. If you are passionate about empowering developers by introducing them to top-notch PayPal solutions and driving customer-centric design, then this role is the perfect fit for you.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Senior Director role calls for a visionary leader with an unwavering commitment to user-centered design. This passion translates into flawless execution, leveraging a deep understanding of design patterns to build trust and security within our financial products. They will cultivate a visually sophisticated brand experience that resonates with our target audience, all while influencing stakeholders to champion their design vision.
This leader will spearhead a team passionate about designing intuitive cross-platform experiences. They will utilize prototyping techniques, empathy, and user research, fostering a test & learn mindset. They will play a key role in finding, developing, and retaining the world’s best design talent. This individual has a passion for coaching teams and guiding partners in empathizing with customer problems. They will champion a “diagnose with data and treat through design” approach.
The ideal candidate should be an experienced design leader who has successfully demonstrated taking business goals and turning them into inspiring world-class designs. The individual must have an understanding of the complexity of product development and new product incubation. The role requires the ability to develop ideas quickly in response to business needs, turn creative concepts into high-quality, on-brand customer experiences, partner closely with product and engineering teams, and to develop and coach a team of high craft designers, technologists, and strategists.
You will report to the VP of Design, Merchant. We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds inside our team lead to innovation and inclusion in our product design. We advocate for meaningful and engaging experiences for our diverse global customers. We support each other, learn from challenges, and have fun along the way.

REQUIREMENTS

• At least 15 years of experience in the field, with 4-5 years of experience managing managers.
• Extensive experience in designing developer tools, APIs, SDKs, and platforms, with a strong understanding of developer needs and behaviors.
• Proven track record of turning customer needs into innovative ideas and user-friendly designs for developer tools.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering teams to ensure technical feasibility and to translate customer requirements into data-driven hypotheses.
• Strong communication skills to effectively gather feedback from developers through diverse methods, such as user testing, surveys, and interviews.
• Experience in working with cross-functional teams to facilitate the development and delivery of developer tools, fostering inclusivity and enhancing team growth.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and inspire others towards a customer-focused, data-driven approach to design and development.
• Passion for staying curious, learning about new technologies and market trends, and upholding accountability to achieve customer-centric design goals in the developer platform space.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience is preferred.
  PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.
  Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.
  The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.
  The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is $144800 to $319000
  Our Benefits:
  At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.
  We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com
  Who We Are:
  To learn more about our culture and community visit https://about.pypl.com/who-we-are/default.aspx
  PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 400 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.
  PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.
  As part of PayPal’s commitment to employees’ health and safety, we have established in-office Covid-19 protocols and requirements, based on expert guidance. Depending on location, this might include a Covid-19 vaccination requirement for any employee whose role requires them to work onsite. Employees may request reasonable accommodation based on a medical condition or religious belief that prevents them from being vaccinated.
  Notice to Applicants and Employees who reside within New York city. Click https://careers.pypl.com/Contact-Us/default.aspx
  to view the notice

• Lead global teams of designers to drive best practices in designing developer experiences, ensuring that processes and methodologies align with business and customer needs.
• Guide UX efforts across teams, including strategy development, planning, collaboration with cross-functional partners to address obstacles specific to designing developer experiences, and effectively presenting design concepts to senior staff and stakeholders.
• Ensure the team is accountable for not only leveraging and expanding the utilization of design systems, style guides, patterns, and assets to create intuitive and user-friendly developer experiences but also for contributing to the enhancement of these systems based on specific developer needs.
• Promote and engage the ecosystem to understand, leverage, and connect with the developer community as part of their own charters.
• Contribute to the wider UX and design manager community by mentoring others in designing developer experiences, utilizing your strengths to support their professional development, and actively participating in discussions and initiatives to advance the field of developer experience design.