Fractional Opportunity · CXOwork
Product Design & Brand Experience
Fractional Design Leader
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About this opportunity
We're placing Fractional Design Leaders with Seed–Series B companies that have strong engineering but an immature design function. The product works. Users are using it. But the experience is fragile, the brand is inconsistent, and the CEO knows both need to change before the next stage of growth.
You will own design end-to-end: audit the current UX, build the design system, lead user research, and hire the first in-house designer. This is a strategic and hands-on role — you'll be both the director and the most senior individual contributor.
Core responsibilities
- Conduct a comprehensive UX audit across all product surfaces and deliver a prioritised design roadmap within 30 days
- Build a scalable design system from scratch — component library, design tokens, typography, colour system, and spacing grid — in Figma
- Lead structured user research: user interviews, usability testing, card sorting, and synthesis into prioritised insights
- Partner with Engineering at the sprint level — handoff specs, component QA, and design review processes
- Define and own the visual brand identity if not yet established: logo, typography, colour, iconography, and motion guidelines
- Create the design narrative for fundraise decks, enterprise sales presentations, and marketing campaigns
- Hire and onboard the company's first in-house designer or design team (2–4 people)
- Establish design KPIs: usability benchmarks, task completion rates, SUS scores, and NPS by product area
- Manage freelancer and agency relationships for overflow design capacity
Required qualifications
- 8+ years in product or UX design, with at least 3 years as Head of Design, Design Director, or Design Lead
- Expert proficiency in Figma — including component libraries, auto-layout, variables, and prototyping
- Strong portfolio demonstrating both UX (information architecture, flows, usability) and UI (visual design, design systems)
- Proven experience leading end-to-end user research: recruitment, interviews, synthesis, and product recommendations
- Track record of building design systems from zero and getting engineering adoption
- Experience hiring and managing designers, including interview process design and career development
Nice to have
Not required — but will strengthen your match quality.
- Experience with motion design, Lottie animations, or Framer prototyping
- Background in B2B SaaS, developer tools, or fintech product design
- Proficiency in HTML/CSS — able to collaborate very closely with front-end engineers
- Prior fractional or advisory design leadership experience
Compensation & benefits
- Remote-first and async-friendly — most companies use Figma, Notion, and Linear
- Portfolio rights to all work created during the engagement
- Access to CXOwork's design peer network and monthly design critique sessions
- Flexible contract terms — typically 3–6 months
Application process
- 01Application with portfolio link and 1–2 design system or UX research case studies (10 min)
- 0245-minute panel — design system critique exercise and user research approach discussion
- 03Profile approved and matched to active companies
- 04Founder intro call — design maturity audit and prioritisation session
- 05Engagement kick-off within 2 weeks
Roles included
- Head of Design
- Product Designers
- UX Researchers
Key skills