Head of Design and Research

Upside
Washington
Workplace: HybridFull timeUSD 249,000 - 289,000 annuallyFunction: Research & Scientific (R&D)Skills: ["Communication","Leadership","Problem-solving","Team leadership"]

Lead a small, embedded Design & Research team to raise the overall polish and consistency of Upside’s consumer and payments experiences. Architect cohesive design systems across journeys, collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to drive measurable outcomes, deepen research, and apply AI-native approaches to scale design and research in a fast-growing, transaction-driven product environment.

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FursaFursa
Upside
Upside
2 months ago

Head of Design and Research

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Last checked: 10 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead a small, embedded Design & Research team to raise the overall polish and consistency of Upside’s consumer and payments experiences. Architect cohesive design systems across journeys, collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to drive measurable outcomes, deepen research, and apply AI-native approaches to scale design and research in a fast-growing, transaction-driven product environment.
Location: Washington
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Research & Scientific (R&D)
Seniority: Sr. Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Own the quality, consistency, and polish bar across the consumer and payments experience.
  • •Lead a small, tightly knit team of designers and researchers embedded in delivery pods; systematically grow their craft and how the team operates.
  • •Architect cohesive design systems and frameworks across fragmented journeys and surfaces — balancing design integrity against iteration speed.
  • •Partner with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to pull design into discovery and drive measurable outcomes across onboarding, discovery, redemption, and retention.
  • •Deepen the research practice and its integration into decision-making.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 249,000 - 289,000 annually
Equity and Bonus:Equity
Perks:Health InsuranceDentalVisionEquity401kParental LeaveRemote WorkMeal AllowanceLearning BudgetPaid LeavePaid Holidays

Key Requirements

  • •Deep consumer product design experience that drives conversion and retention, ideally in fintech, marketplaces, or transaction-driven products.
Experience:FintechMarketplacesTransaction-driven
Skills:CommunicationLeadershipProblem-solvingTeam leadership
Languages:English

Company Brief

Upside
Operates a consumer cashback and rewards platform that offers drivers and shoppers rebates on fuel, groceries, and dining by partnering with merchants and payment networks to deliver targeted offers and payments-driven incentives.
Industry: Payments
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
WebsiteLinkedIn