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PayPal

Sr. Director of Design, Identity & Trust

PayPal, San Jose

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Sr. Director of Design, Identity & Trust

PayPal is looking for an experienced design leader to drive the strategy and execution of authentication, account security, and privacy experiences across our global platform.

Job Description Summary

The Sr. Director of Design, Identity & Trust will lead the design strategy for PayPal’s authentication, account security, and privacy experiences. You will oversee a global team focused on building seamless, secure, and trustworthy interactions— from login and passwordless authentication, to protecting accounts from fraud, to providing intuitive privacy controls. Partnering with product, engineering, and risk leaders, you’ll define how millions of people securely access, protect, and manage their PayPal accounts with confidence.

Essential Responsibilities

  • Develop and articulate a clear, compelling vision and strategy in alignment with Experience Design strategy and operations that inspires the organization.
  • Oversee and direct the development of user interface plans with direct impact on PayPal revenue, expense, budget, and growth.
  • Negotiate with and influence senior internal and external executives and decision‑makers.
  • Create operational and strategic objectives that enhance user and customer experiences using domain knowledge and extensive expertise.
  • Provide guidance to critical cross‑functional and cross‑organizational teams focused on experience design across PayPal.
  • Identify and resolve strategic user interface and interaction design challenges, delivering innovative solutions.

Expected Qualifications

  • 12+ years of relevant experience and a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • 5 years of experience leading design teams.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

What you’ll do

  • Set the vision and design direction for identity, risk, and trust experiences.
  • Define and drive experience strategy that balances security, privacy, and usability.
  • Build, staff, and mentor a high‑performing design team.
  • Lead design planning, prioritization, and execution in alignment with product objectives.
  • Partner with product, engineering, and risk leadership to shape roadmaps and outcomes.
  • Facilitate workshops and cross‑functional alignment to drive strategy and execution.
  • Collaborate with other design leaders to ensure consistency across the PayPal ecosystem.
  • Advance scalable design systems, processes, and standards that raise craft and quality.
  • Represent design at the executive level, influencing decisions and company direction.

What we’re looking for

  • 15+ years of product design experience, including 8+ years leading teams and managers.
  • Proven ability to set vision, strategy, and direction for complex, global design portfolios.
  • Experience building and scaling high‑performing, distributed design teams.
  • Strong track record of aligning design with product objectives and business outcomes.
  • Skilled in leading experience strategy, workshops, and cross‑functional facilitation.
  • Demonstrated ability to balance trust, security, and usability in customer experiences.
  • Expertise in design systems and scalable frameworks that raise quality across teams.
  • Exceptional storytelling, communication, and influence skills with executives and stakeholders.
  • Global perspective with awareness of regulatory, accessibility, and localization needs.

PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.

The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is $209,000 to $359,150.

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam.

Visit to learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at

Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging.

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