VP, Design Studio New Remote - United States
Headspace, San Francisco, CA, United States
About the VP, Design Studio at Headspace
We are seeking a visionary and strategic Vice President of Design Studio to lead and scale our multidisciplinary design organization, encompassing Design Research, Experience & Interface Design, and Creative Design. This executive leader will define and elevate the role of design across the company, ensuring that every product, service, and brand interaction delivers meaningful, human-centered experiences aligned with our mission to improve mental health worldwide.
Reporting to the Chief Product & Design Officer, this role is responsible for setting the end-to-end design vision and strategy across Headspace’s portfolio, from discovery and research through experience definition and creative expression. You will help define how AI, content and care come together to shape the future of mental health experiences. You will lead a high-performing team of researchers, product designers, content designers, and brand creatives, fostering a culture of craft excellence, innovation, and measurable impact. You will be accountable for ensuring design directly drives measurable product and business outcomes, including engagement, retention and long-term member value.
You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Clinical, and Commercial teams to shape strategy, inform product direction through deep user insight, and deliver cohesive, high-quality experiences across all touchpoints. This leader will play a critical role in scaling design systems, embedding research into decision-making, and ensuring creative excellence that differentiates Headspace in a competitive, fast-evolving health-tech landscape. You will bring clarity and focus to complex, evolving challenges.
What you will do
Define and drive a holistic design vision and strategy that integrates research, experience design, and creative across all products and brand touchpoints, translating design strategy into measurable outcomes tied to engagement, retention and growth.
Own design accountability for outcomes, ensuring design impact is measurable, visible and aligned to business performance.
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team and leadership bench across research, product design, and creative, raising the bar and fostering a high-performance, high-accountability culture.
Establish research as a strategic pillar by embedding user insights into product development, business strategy, and innovation pipelines.
Elevate experience design practices, ensuring intuitive, accessible, and engaging end-to-end user journeys across platforms (mobile, web, enterprise).
Oversee and evolve Headspace’s creative direction and brand expression, ensuring consistency, emotional resonance, and differentiation across all channels.
Develop and scale design systems, frameworks, and tooling that enable consistency, efficiency, and quality across teams.
Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Clinical leaders to align design strategy with business goals, driving measurable outcomes such as engagement, retention, and customer satisfaction, influencing roadmap decisions, prioritization and investment trade‑offs.
Lead the integration of AI-first thinking, shaping how intelligent systems redefine user experience and care delivery.
Champion a culture of experimentation and innovation, leveraging emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven personalization, immersive experiences) to enhance member experiences.
What you will bring Required Skills
15+ years of progressive experience in design, including 10+ years in senior leadership roles overseeing multiple design disciplines (research, CX, and creative).
Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing design organizations and leading leaders and building leadership bench strength across layers.
Deep expertise in human-centered design, design research methodologies, and experience design across digital products and services.
Strong creative leadership with experience shaping and evolving brand identity and storytelling across channels.
Demonstrated ability to integrate design strategy with business objectives, driving measurable impact on growth, engagement, and customer satisfaction.
Experience working in cross-functional environments, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and other executive stakeholders.
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Passion for mental health, wellbeing, and creating meaningful user experiences that improve lives.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, HCI, Psychology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Preferred Skills
Experience in consumer subscription products, digital health, or wellness platforms.
Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design practices.
Experience integrating AI and data-driven personalization into user experiences.
Background in building and scaling design systems across complex product ecosystems.
Location We are currently hiring this role remotely in the US and Hybrid for San Francisco (SF). Candidates must permanently reside in the US full-time. For candidates with a primary residence in the greater SF area, this role will follow our hybrid model: you’ll work 3 days per week from our office, allowing for impactful in-office collaboration and connection, while enjoying the flexibility of remote work for the rest of the week. Your recruiter will share more details about our hybrid model.
The anticipated new hire base salary range for this full-time position is
$183,000-$335,000
plus equity and benefits. Our salary ranges are based on the job, level, and location, and reflect the lowest to highest geographic markets where we are hiring for this role within the United States. Within this range, individual compensation is determined by a candidate’s location as well as a range of factors including but not limited to: unique relevant experience, job-related skills, and education or training.
At Headspace, base salary is but one component of our Total Rewards package. We’re proud of our robust package inclusive of: base salary, stock awards, comprehensive healthcare coverage, monthly wellness stipend, retirement savings match, lifetime Headspace membership, generous parental leave, and more.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
A mission that matters—with impact you can see and feel.
A culture that’s collaborative, inclusive, and grounded in our values.
The chance to shape what mental health care looks like next.
Competitive pay and benefits that support your whole self.
How we feel about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Headspace is committed to bringing together humans from different backgrounds and perspectives, providing employees with a safe and welcoming work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We strive to create a diverse & inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, feel a sense of belonging, and do impactful work together.
Equal Opportunity Employer As an equal opportunity employer, we prohibit any unlawful discrimination against a job applicant on the basis of a race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, family or parental status, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We respect the laws enforced by the EEOC and are dedicated to going above and beyond in fostering diversity across our workplace.
Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Headspace.
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Reporting to the Chief Product & Design Officer, this role is responsible for setting the end-to-end design vision and strategy across Headspace’s portfolio, from discovery and research through experience definition and creative expression. You will help define how AI, content and care come together to shape the future of mental health experiences. You will lead a high-performing team of researchers, product designers, content designers, and brand creatives, fostering a culture of craft excellence, innovation, and measurable impact. You will be accountable for ensuring design directly drives measurable product and business outcomes, including engagement, retention and long-term member value.
You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Clinical, and Commercial teams to shape strategy, inform product direction through deep user insight, and deliver cohesive, high-quality experiences across all touchpoints. This leader will play a critical role in scaling design systems, embedding research into decision-making, and ensuring creative excellence that differentiates Headspace in a competitive, fast-evolving health-tech landscape. You will bring clarity and focus to complex, evolving challenges.
What you will do
Define and drive a holistic design vision and strategy that integrates research, experience design, and creative across all products and brand touchpoints, translating design strategy into measurable outcomes tied to engagement, retention and growth.
Own design accountability for outcomes, ensuring design impact is measurable, visible and aligned to business performance.
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team and leadership bench across research, product design, and creative, raising the bar and fostering a high-performance, high-accountability culture.
Establish research as a strategic pillar by embedding user insights into product development, business strategy, and innovation pipelines.
Elevate experience design practices, ensuring intuitive, accessible, and engaging end-to-end user journeys across platforms (mobile, web, enterprise).
Oversee and evolve Headspace’s creative direction and brand expression, ensuring consistency, emotional resonance, and differentiation across all channels.
Develop and scale design systems, frameworks, and tooling that enable consistency, efficiency, and quality across teams.
Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Clinical leaders to align design strategy with business goals, driving measurable outcomes such as engagement, retention, and customer satisfaction, influencing roadmap decisions, prioritization and investment trade‑offs.
Lead the integration of AI-first thinking, shaping how intelligent systems redefine user experience and care delivery.
Champion a culture of experimentation and innovation, leveraging emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven personalization, immersive experiences) to enhance member experiences.
What you will bring Required Skills
15+ years of progressive experience in design, including 10+ years in senior leadership roles overseeing multiple design disciplines (research, CX, and creative).
Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing design organizations and leading leaders and building leadership bench strength across layers.
Deep expertise in human-centered design, design research methodologies, and experience design across digital products and services.
Strong creative leadership with experience shaping and evolving brand identity and storytelling across channels.
Demonstrated ability to integrate design strategy with business objectives, driving measurable impact on growth, engagement, and customer satisfaction.
Experience working in cross-functional environments, partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and other executive stakeholders.
Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Passion for mental health, wellbeing, and creating meaningful user experiences that improve lives.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, HCI, Psychology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Preferred Skills
Experience in consumer subscription products, digital health, or wellness platforms.
Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive design practices.
Experience integrating AI and data-driven personalization into user experiences.
Background in building and scaling design systems across complex product ecosystems.
Location We are currently hiring this role remotely in the US and Hybrid for San Francisco (SF). Candidates must permanently reside in the US full-time. For candidates with a primary residence in the greater SF area, this role will follow our hybrid model: you’ll work 3 days per week from our office, allowing for impactful in-office collaboration and connection, while enjoying the flexibility of remote work for the rest of the week. Your recruiter will share more details about our hybrid model.
The anticipated new hire base salary range for this full-time position is
$183,000-$335,000
plus equity and benefits. Our salary ranges are based on the job, level, and location, and reflect the lowest to highest geographic markets where we are hiring for this role within the United States. Within this range, individual compensation is determined by a candidate’s location as well as a range of factors including but not limited to: unique relevant experience, job-related skills, and education or training.
At Headspace, base salary is but one component of our Total Rewards package. We’re proud of our robust package inclusive of: base salary, stock awards, comprehensive healthcare coverage, monthly wellness stipend, retirement savings match, lifetime Headspace membership, generous parental leave, and more.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
A mission that matters—with impact you can see and feel.
A culture that’s collaborative, inclusive, and grounded in our values.
The chance to shape what mental health care looks like next.
Competitive pay and benefits that support your whole self.
How we feel about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Headspace is committed to bringing together humans from different backgrounds and perspectives, providing employees with a safe and welcoming work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We strive to create a diverse & inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, feel a sense of belonging, and do impactful work together.
Equal Opportunity Employer As an equal opportunity employer, we prohibit any unlawful discrimination against a job applicant on the basis of a race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, family or parental status, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We respect the laws enforced by the EEOC and are dedicated to going above and beyond in fostering diversity across our workplace.
Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Headspace.
#J-18808-Ljbffr