Sr. Dir, Design Engineering

Senior Design Engineering Leader

We're looking for a Senior Design Engineering leader to redefine the future of design in an agent-native world.

This leader will define the technical and organizational vision for how design, engineering, and AI-powered workflows come together to build world-class developer experiences  a Senior leader within Git Hub Design, you will drive strategy across our design systems, design-to-code ecosystem, and agent-enabled product development practices. You'll partner closely with Design, Product, and Engineering leaders to influence investment decisions, guide long-term roadmaps, and bring clarity to complex customer experience challenges through compelling, executive-ready narratives.

You will lead and grow a team of design engineers and technical leaders, helping Git Hub evolve its platform, tooling, and practices for an AI-native future. Success in this role requires the ability to set a clear vision, align diverse stakeholders, elevate technical and design craft, and build the systems, culture, and leadership capability needed to scale across one of the world's largest developer platforms.

This is an opportunity to have a lasting impact on how software is designed, built, and experienced at Git Hub, while mentoring the next generation of leaders and raising the bar for quality, innovation, and execution across the organization.

• Defines a technical roadmap that sets the direction for Git Hub-wide front-end architecture, innovating industry-leading user interface (UI) strategies.
• Functions as Git Hub's thought leader on design engineering, shaping the global landscape of front-end architecture and design systems.
• Represents Git Hub's point of view (POV) in external forums, advancing and redefining industry standards through proven technical leadership, shaping Git Hub's design implement strategy.
• Innovates scalable design-to-code frameworks that align engineering and design at the organizational level, establishing technical paradigms.
• Pioneers cutting-edge approaches (e.g., artificial intelligence [AI]-assisted user experience [UX], motion/rendering systems), proactively identifying and mitigating risk through strategic prototype development methodologies.
• Champions strategic discussions with design engineering leaders to address Git Hub's most complex UI and customer experience challenges.
• Develops and defines the long-term front-end roadmap, aligning Product Management, Design, and Engineering leadership teams on execution plans to meet overarching customer requirements.
• Leads collaboration with Engineering, Product, and Design teams to advance Git Hub's core technical capabilities and elevate user experience.
• Establishes organization-wide standards, crafting design and code review strategies that improve design consistency and system fidelity.
• Champions industry-leading methodologies that define customer engagement strategies and establish a new benchmark for Git Hub's interface design.
• Directs the development of organizational strategies in partnership with senior leadership, guiding Git Hub's most advanced and innovative UI and experience advancements.
• Anticipates future trends and opportunities, ensuring Git Hub maintains its leadership position by innovating ahead of market demands.
• Empowers high-performing engineers and designers, promoting a robust community of practice and setting high craft and innovation standards.
• Champions innovative technical demonstrations and proof-of-concepts, positioning Git Hub as a pioneer in developer experience and AI.
• Fosters excellence across design and code intersections, mentoring design engineers to push the boundaries of UI and design craft at Git Hub.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years experience in front-end engineering or development OR Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Art, Computer Science, Human Factors Engineering, Human Computer Interaction, Information Architecture, or related field AND 10+ years experience in front-end engineering or development OR Master's Degree in Industrial Design, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Art, Computer Science, Human Factors Engineering, Human Computer Interaction, Information Architecture, or related field AND 8+ years experience in front-end engineering or development OR Doctorate in Industrial Design, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Art, Computer Science, Human Factors Engineering, Human Computer Interaction, Information Architecture, or related field AND 6+ years experience in front-end engineering or development OR equivalent experience.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across design and engineering.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling design systems, integrating AI/ML and accessibility, and delivering measurable business outcomes.
• Experience driving cross-functional alignment across design, engineering, and product.
• Experience building systems that support AI-assisted or generative UI workflows.
• Experience working on…