Manager, Product Design

Location: Iowa

## Manager, Product Design Apply remote type:
Hybrid locations:
Phoenix, AZ:
Fairfield, IAtime type:
Full time posted on:
Posted 2 Days Agojob requisition :
R-#
** Job Summary**#
** 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.

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.
** What You’ll Do
**** Leadership, Strategy, Operating Model & Governance
*** 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.
** Team Leadership & Talent Development
*** 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.
** Executive Influence & Cross-Functional Partnership
*** 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.
** Selective Hands-On Design Leadership
*** Provide hands-on design leadership for strategic, complex, ambiguous, or high-priority product initiatives where senior judgment and facilitation are needed.
* Lead or guide discovery workshops, journey maps, service blueprints, workflow models, concepts, prototypes, usability tests, and research synthesis when the work requires leadership-level involvement.
* Model strong design practices through targeted participation in product discovery,…