Manager, Product Design

Key Deliverables and Responsibilities

Cambridge Investment Research is seeking a Manager, Product Design to lead, scale, and mature Product Design as a strategic enterprise capability within Cambridge’s Product Operating Model. This leader will manage and develop the Product Design team, serve as a key member of the Product Strategy leadership team, establish the standards and operating rhythms that enable high-quality product discovery, and strengthen the partnership between Product, Design, Engineering, Data, Operations, Compliance, and business stakeholders.

Cambridge Investment Research is seeking a Manager, Product Design to lead, scale, and mature Product Design as a strategic enterprise capability within Cambridge’s Product Operating Model. This leader will manage and develop the Product Design team, serve as a key member of the Product Strategy leadership team, establish the standards and operating rhythms that enable high-quality product discovery, and strengthen the partnership between Product, Design, Engineering, Data, Operations, Compliance, and business stakeholders.

This player-coach role dedicates approximately 60–70% to team leadership, design strategy, governance, stakeholder influence, and capability building, and 30–40% to hands‑on discovery, journey framing, design reviews, experience storytelling, and high‑impact initiatives.

• Lead Product Design as an enterprise capability aligned to Cambridge’s product taxonomy, portfolio priorities, product operating model, and enterprise product strategy.
• Set the vision, standards, and operating expectations for interaction design, visual design, information architecture, service design, usability, accessibility, research quality, and design governance.
• Strengthen Product, Design, and Engineering partnership by clarifying decision rights, promoting shared accountability for outcomes, and improving product triad effectiveness.
• Advance the shift from late-stage design handoffs to continuous discovery, evidence-based decision‑making, and outcome-oriented product development.
• Build and improve Design Ops practices for intake, capacity planning, prioritization, design rituals, review processes, operational metrics, and governance.
• Represent Product Design in product strategy discussions and provide leadership‑level guidance on customer experience quality, product discovery, and design maturity.

• Lead, mentor, and develop Product Designers while setting clear expectations for design craft, collaboration, discovery, accountability, and measurable product impact.
• Build career frameworks, competency models, coaching practices, growth paths, succession plans, and future design leadership capability.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, retain, and develop high‑performing design professionals who can operate effectively in a regulated, product‑led environment.
• Create a team culture focused on quality, customer outcomes, learning, inclusion, accountability, and strong cross‑functional partnership.
• Guide performance management, workload planning, and team effectiveness while ensuring designers are focused on the highest‑value product priorities.

• Partner with Product, Engineering, Data, Operations, Compliance, and business stakeholders to translate customer insights, workflow needs, and business priorities into practical product direction.
• Facilitate alignment with senior stakeholders through clear framing of customer problems, opportunity areas, tradeoffs, experience principles, and recommended product direction.
• Use design reviews, discovery readouts, experience narratives, and executive‑ready recommendations to improve decision quality and build confidence in product direction.
• Serve as a change leader who can influence adoption of product operating model practices, design standards, research methods, and stronger discovery habits across teams.

• Provide hands‑on design leadership for strategic, complex, ambiguous, or high‑priority product initiatives where senior judgment and…