Route: Sr. Manager, Design

The opportunity

This is a chance to scale the design function at a pivotal moment for Route.

As the Sr. Manager of Design, you’ll shape not only how our product looks and feels, but how design operates from discovery and research, through delivery and iteration. You’ll influence roadmap decisions, establish durable systems, and ensure design is a trusted, integrated partner to Product and Engineering.

You’ll have real ownership, real influence, and the opportunity to build a design practice that balances speed with quality, autonomy with alignment, and vision with execution.

• Own and lead Product Design (UX/UI) across Route’s core experiences, from discovery through high-fidelity execution
• Establish and evolve Design Systems & Operations to ensure consistency, scalability, and velocity
• Guide User Research & Insights, ensuring design decisions are grounded in real user needs and data
• Provide creative direction and oversight for Brand & Marketing Design to maintain visual cohesion across external touchpoints
• Act as a player-coach, contributing directly to design work while mentoring and growing our Staff Designer
• Partner closely with Product and Engineering to streamline ways of working and improve cross-functional collaboration
• Champion a culture of team over ego, clarity, and high design standards across the organization

• 10+ years of design experience with significant ownership over Product Design (UX/UI) in complex digital products
• Strong systems thinker with experience building or evolving design systems and operational practices
• Experience leveraging user research and insights to inform product strategy and design outcomes
• Ability to oversee and align brand and marketing design without losing focus on product excellence
• Proven experience as a player-coach—comfortable leading, mentoring, and executing hands‑on design work
• Deep collaboration skills with Product and Engineering, including influencing roadmap and prioritization decisions
• A mindset rooted in humility, ownership, and team over ego, with a bias toward action and clarity

Route is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We embrace diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

We know our team works best when everyone feels happy, healthy, and supported. We offer to pay 95% – 100% of your health insurance premiums for you and your family, remote or hybrid work arrangements, unlimited PTO, 401k matching, formalized growth opportunities, learning & development, DEI programs & events, and so much more.

National: $190,000 – $202,000
LA: $176,000 – $186,000
NYC: $184,000 – $195,000
SF: $206,000 – $218,000